Reviews (13)

On Process
It is a relief to read a film book that refuses to degenerate in to the psycho-speculative ramblings of a [...] filmmaker. This book has the feel of a comfortable conversation with one of the most private 'celebrities' of this century. In an age where selling out is the great commodity, it is refreshing to hear from a man who has simply and steadily built an astonishing succession of low budget films. This book gives one intriguing glimpses into the 'Woody Allen' aesthetic, from his love of rain to his early days as a stand-up comic. If you're looking for dirt on his private life, don't bother, but if you're looking for an understanding of process and his distinctive viewpoint, then this is the book for you.

My dream was to one day have a conversation with Woody Allen
I no longer have to dream what it would be like to have a conversation with Woody Allen. What an intellect. He makes many references to literature, movies, especially foreign films and artists that he loves. These works are now on my must see and read list.

I loved learning the behind the scenes details of his movies, but now I wish someone would write a book about his personal philosophies of life. I find his religious, socio-political ideas rivoting, provoking, and unique. The book provides a glimpse into the workings of the inner mind of a genius.

My only complaint is that it wasn't longer.

A good book...
Great. Read it. Don't read this if you're a fan. Buy this book now. Don't waste time. I know i've always wanted to have a conversation with woody allen...even if it is someone else giving it. He's great. I admire him and adore his films. If you're a fan, you'll love his little tidbits and personal things. Remember - the man - not just the films...

Simply Amazing!!
The only reason that I didn't give this book 5 stars in because it only goes up to Husbands & Wives. For anyone who loves Woody and wants to hear him speak in detail about his films, other films and his ideas, this book does not disapoint. I have many other books by or about filmmakers and this is certainly up there with the best. Woody talks about Bergman, Godard, Fellini, Truffaut, Hitchcock and many other filmmakers and films he likes. He discussed in depth each of his films from What's New Pussycat? to Husbands and Wives. This book is a must for fans of Woody Allen and for fans of film.

Frank and enlightening discussion
A very relaxed and interesting discussion regarding the development of Allen's style and indivisual films that is very entertaining. This is an excellent companion to his earlier films. Bjorkman asks excellent questions that keep the discussion flowing in a chronological sense yet allow for Woody Allen to address many interssting topics related to his work.
The focus here is really the body of work and not Allen's personal life. Like sitting with a bottle of wine and talking to two intelligent filmmakers about their craft. ... Read more

Book Description

In a career that spanned six decades and more than sixty films, Alfred Hitchcock was the dominant figure in the first century of cinema. His films -- from The 39 Steps to The Birds, from Rear Window to Vertigo, from Notorious to Psycho -- set new standards for cinematic invention and storytelling élan. He was both visionary artist and consummate entertainer ... and became the most widely recognized director who ever lived.

In the decades since his death, the public image of Hitchcock has crystallized into a series of iconic images: the macabre Englishman, the sexual obsessive, the Master of Suspense. But this remarkable new biography -- the first in a quarter-century -- draws on prodigious new research to restore Hitchcock the man, in all his three-dimensional glory. Here is the comprehensive film craftsman, forever pushing forward the boundaries of his art. Here is the passionate collaborator, who cheekily referred to actors as "cattle" but invigorated the careers of Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, and Grace Kelly. Here is the insatiable provocateur, testing the limits of his audience with his cocktails of sex and violence. And here, too, is the private man: dedicated romantic, constant trickster, impotent voyeur, devoted husband, a man who sacrificed his life, again and again, for his work.

Like the best Hitchcock films, Patrick McGilligan's life of Hitchcock is a drama full of fresh revelation, graced by a central love story, dark humor, and cliff-hanging suspense: a definitive portrait of the most creative, and least understood, figure in film history.

Reviews (8)

Solid biography of Hitchcock
McGilligan has written a solid biography of Hitchcock. His work shows the results of extensive viewings of all the director's films. His notes show extensive research over many years. The basic problem of the book is not the research. McGilligan has collected so much information that he just does not know where to stop.

A good biographer or historian can weave the facts into a narrative. McGilligan can compile fact after fact but he cannot create an overview of what is going on.

He is so also extemely timid at making any personal assertion of the importance - or otherwise - of Hitchcock. His conclusion or coda constantly quotes other people such as Scorcese, Paglia, Ebert, French and others. He does not set out what he thinks.

Clearly the book is - in part - a rebutal of the claims made in Spoto's biography, but even here McGilligan does not attempt to refute Spoto, except by quoting other people. He is too cautious to make any conclusions, to say what he thinks. After reading the book, I was almost screaming at the author to tell me what his views were. Was Hitchcock a populist or an artist or both, If so why? What does Mr McGilligan actually think. I know he can research. He can write in a workmanlike fashion, but I wanted a great deal more.

In short, it is a good source book for Hitchcock, but it falls short as a masterly biography. You will learn a lot about the man. It is definitive to the extent that it is most extensive, but a first class biography of Hitchock needs still to be written.

The footnotes are lamentable. I know that they are seen as popular poison, but if you are going to write a serious book, it needs a proper system of footnoting to properly direct the reader to the source. In some cases, I simply do not know where the author got his information.

An epic
This is clearly meant to be a definitive biography of Alfred Hitchcock, one that answers some of the nastier published works out there, and it does have a lot to say about one of the world's great filmmakers. The level of detail is fairly astounding - the author has something to say about just about everyone who ever met the man - and he covers all of his films thoroughly. Unlike Hitchcock, however, Mr. McGilligan is not expert at pacing. The book never becomes a chore, but it is not always the most entertaining book.

Another Hitch bio? Well, this is THE bio.
As with John Ford, Orson Welles and a few other monument-like auteurs, one wonders if there is anything else to add when library shelves already groan under the weight of books about these great directors. In the case of Alfred Hitchcock, a proverbial household name, the challenge for a writer seems to double. And yet McGilligan as he did with Fritz Lang, Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood has pulled it off. In addition to seamlessly blending new research with a compelling narrative, this biography allows the reader to rediscover the familiar. McGilligan humanizes the director in the best way. Hitchcock is neither the repressed almost deviant sadist that Donald Spoto painted back in his controversial bio nor a droll, almost Santa Claus-like teller of ripping yarns, as mytholgized in Time-Life articles, but a highly talented man, a flawed, but essentially decent husband and father, and a complex artist caught between serving the demands of mainstream Hollywood and fulfilling his creative instincts. This is a big book, but it reads as briskly as one of Hitch's best films. Essential for any serious film book library.

Much more fair balanced than either Spoto or Taylor's books
The third biography of Hitchcock focuses as much on Hitchcock and his work as it does the surrounding circumstances that informed it. What's really outstanding about this biography is the new bits of information and the careful research. I read Donald Spoto's book on Hitchcock 15 years ago and, while I found it informative, I also found it focused on Hitch's character flaws at the expense of providing a well rounded view of the person. This National Enquirer approach to Hitchcock look much of the credibility away from Spoto's book in my mind.

In contrast, there's more information and fair balanced analysis than in John Russell Taylor's offical biography. Like Taylor's book is, like Spoto's, well researched, this biography has the advantage of additional scholarship and sources willing to share new information and insights on Hitchcock.

We get to see short stories that Hitch wrote when he was young, a number of interesting onset observations about the various films Hitchcock made and a shred analysis of Hitchcock's relationship between his leading men and ladies. In fact, I don't think any book has done such a great job of pointing out the reasons why Grant and Hitchcock broke off their collaborations in the 40's.

Likewise, there are tidbits about both Robe and Strangers on a Train that I had never known (for example, Stewart Granger who is one of the leads in both films was gay. That's not important except when you realize that Hitchcock cast against sexual orientation in Strangers having the straight Robert Walker play the homosexual killer and Granger the straight hero of the film).

There's also a discussion about the casting decisions for various Hitchcock films, who he had in mind for various roles (some of which turned him down). For example, Grant was originally the actor that Hitchcock had in mind for Robe rather than Jimmy Stewart. While Grant wanted to do Vertigo desperately and Hitchcock ultimately got his first choice, Jimmy Stewart.

There's also quite a bit of information on the various films Hitchcock consulted on but never took credit for and a detailed analysis of the relationships between the best writers he worked with (John Michael Hayes, Ernest Lehman, Joseph Stefano, Ben Hect)and why their various working relationships splintered and fell apart.

If you like this book on Hitchcock check out the author's other two biographies on two overlooked directors (both of whom Hitch admired)Friz Lang and George Cukor.

Exceptional biography
Exhaustive, rich and incredibly detailed, this is sure to please the film enthusiast who enjoys scholarly film biographies. The text is over 700 pages and each film of Hitchcock's career is covered in detail, with particular attention to his relationships with his collaborators (screenwriters, costumers, musicians, actors, etc.). Hitckcock's creative genius was unique - he could visualize his film down to the most minute detail before the cameras even rolled (indeed after the script was completed he felt that filming the work was the most boring aspect of it). Script conferences were lengthy and detailed and Hitchcock's mulling and proscrastination often drove many screenwriters to distraction. Those who perservered however, earned respect and dedication from Hitchcock. Despite the book's meticulous attention to detail (some readers might find the analysis of Hitchcock's contract details with David Selznick exasperating), the personal character of Hitchcock shines through. He was a devoted family man, faithful and respectful of his wife Alma Reville, whose opinion he valued above all others when it came to criticism of his work. But he was also a passive admirer of beautiful actresses, often becoming obsessive with them, with sometimes devastating results. He was also a highly sensitive man and despite his own tendency to be unforgiving when crossed and boorish on the set, he was easily hurt by comments about his weight, habits, etc. And he loved animals and would not watch a film that depicted cruelty to animals (one of his favorite films was "Benji".) A lover of life, travel, good food and wine but most of all his work, his life is shown here as an exuberant one and not as dark as depicted in Donald Spoto's earlier biography. A wonderful read and highly recommended! ... Read more

Book Description

The classic, Edgar Award-winning biography, published to celebrate the centenary of Hitchcock's birth with a new introduction by the author.

This is the definitive life story of Alfred Hitchcock, the enigmatic and intensely private director of Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, The Birds, and more than forty other films. While setting forth every stage of Hitchcock's long life and brilliant career, Donald Spoto also explores the roots of the director's obsessions with blondes, food, murder, and idealized love-and he traces the incomparable, bizarre genius from Hitchcock's English childhood through the golden years of his career in America as one of the greatest directors in the history of filmmaking.

"Absolutely compulsory reading."-The New York Times Book Review

"A real page-turner, and as complete a picture as we are likely to get."-Variety

"The finest book about a filmmaker yet. Sensational in its revelations; at the same time, a biography of unassailable integrity. I could not put it down."-Gregory Peck ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Interesting tedium
Took a little time to get going but once it did I read the book in two days. Extremely well researched and insightful. Have always been a Hitch fan, but was never aware of what a disturbed and internalized individual he was. The depth of this portrayal of the subject is surprising. Typically, a story like this will delve into relationships in the subject's life but Hitchcock really didn't have any. The author does a nice job of explaining the probable reasons for this. I recommend this book to fans of Hitchcock the man because it goes a long way in explaining why he made the films he did. Not to be confused with a technical "anthology", it's more like a psychological analysis into the twists and turns of the inside of Hitchcock's head. He was a strange dude!

Extremely informative, interesting
Donald Spoto has done a tremendous work in obtaining first-hand accounts from Hitchcock's friends, colleagues, family, and even Alfred, himself. There is not one iota of information about Hitchcock left out of this monumental work.

He traces the ghosts of psychology that haunted Hitchcock from a very young child on until his pitiful death. Hitch's wants, desires, insecurities, and love affairs (one-sided) are intricately outlined and analyzed in a biography that has few contemporaries. This truly is the ultimate work on Hitchcock's life.

The Man Who Knew Too Little
Spoto has done an admirable job at putting together 500 compelling pages of reading. Unfortunately, he mentions the fundamental problem with this book in the very preface...that Hitchcock left few records and let his guard down for few individuals. The Hitchcock most knew was no more personal than what we know from his television persona. So right away, we have a biography that doesn't have much basis. So Spoto tries to compensate by drawing conclusions about Hitchcock based on his films. Kind of silly, really. Spotos analysis of the films could be interesting, but it's very uneven...he'll spend 10 pages on one film, and barely mention the existence of another. And the only revealing passage on anything regarding Hitchcock's life itself is on his Tippi Hedren years.

However, my chief problem with The Dark Side of Genius is Spoto's tendency to excuse Hitchcock when convenient. It's ridiculously facile. EVERY time Spoto reached an unsuccessful Hitchcock film, he explains how Hitchcock was preoccupied, depressed, or altogether uninterested in the that film. Can't we allow that a genius is fallible? His classics were the product of passion; his failures were due do lack of interest. That's way too black and white a stance for any serious biographer or film scholar to promote. He never allows that Hitchcock tried and failed at times. To Spoto, when he failed, it's because he didn't care.

By far the most useless book on Hitchcock
This is one of the most influential and most useless books on Hitchcock. The book is very telling, not of its subject matter, but of the author. Sadly, the book received a lot of undue attention and its misconceptions have still not sufficiently diappeared. Absolutely horrendous.

It's torturously and sadistically good!
Awesome read! During the spring 2002 college semester I attended a film class where we, the students, had the opportunity to study Alfred Hitchcock the whole semester length. This was one of the books my teacher had us use as a resource book for our reports for the class. The book is well written and in depth. It covers it's bases through different perspectives/aspects of Hitchcock's life from birth to death. It's a good solid read for anyone. As Hitchcock would probably love to hear -- it's torture to give up such a good book. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

The viewer over my shoulder
For anyone who is only marginally curious about the vacillating fortunes of Jean-Luc Godard, which has dimmed to virtual darkness since the 1960s, Colin MacCabe's book Godard: A Portrait of the Artist at Seventy contains very little that is useful and a great deal that is both confusing and misleading. MacCabe is blessed with intimate knowledge both personally and professionally of Godard, and doesn't hesitate to demonstrate this. What he fails to demonstrate to this non-convert to Godard is precisely anything that might sway me from the conviction, cultivated over 30 years, that - at best - Godard was politically stupid, technically puerile and artistically bankrupt from beginning to end - an end which MacCabe is anxious to prove is as much the end of European culture as Dante's Divine Comedy was its beginning (he even cavils that this "is no exaggeration.").

Such admiration as this would be charming if it were to any degree justified. A little objective discrimination, presuming Mr MacCabe still believes in such things, would've been far more welcome. This book, however, is founded on the premise that Jean-Luc Godard (a co-founder of the French New Wave) is a film artist of unprecedented importance. That this premise is sheer flapdoodle tends to deflate most of the points Mr MacCabe attempts to make about Godard, or Film, or European culture for that matter.

Not the definitive biography
The French New Wave is one of the most interesting eras of cinema. Much has been written about the whole Cahiers du Cinema group. And now, we have this new book on the life of Godard.

The book is well divided, broken into 5 chapters. Godard's early family life, the Cahiers years, his early films, his late 60's political films and his years with Anne Marie Mieville.

Unfortunately, minus the index, bibliography and filmography, the text runs only 330 pages. Probably 40% or more of the biography is made up of tangents by the author. He often spends several pages explaining some historical event (such as several pages on the history of Protestantism in France) or spending several pages interpreting a quote of JLG's. This would be fine in a longer biography, but when several of his films aren't even discussed, or described in just a sentence, it is rather frustrating. Plus, since the author has also written books on James Joyce, he spends quite a bit of time talking about and quoting from Joyce when he should be talking about Godard.

So, this isn't the definitive Godard biography, which has yet to be written. Still, when he does focus on Godard, it is quite interesting and worth a read. I only wish there had been a stronger editor to keep it in focus.

vulpecula venenata
The author of this book writes aptly about the cultural and political contexts that frame the life of its protagonist and particularly well about Godard's experiences on or around May 1968. MacCabe shows himself as almost totally sympathetic (yet not completely uncritical) to a relatively unpleasant subject. Perhaps, Godard is too private for compassionate emanations, perhaps the priveleged scope of this work stretched only to the opus of the film maker and not beyond, but there seems to be very little evidence of the delightful emotions that mark most lives in the life of this subject. Will the brilliance of the films outshine the unkind specter of the living artist? MacCabe writes very well on the evolution of Godard's techniques and fascinations. Godard works autonomously, vigorously and in daring fashion from the beginning. There is no doubt that Godard is an innovator and a believer in his style and visions.

It's just that the creator of the films doesn't seem to be the sort of person who endures either the scrutiny of a biographer or the acquaintance of people who are not cinematic savants well at all. That surprise though is hardly grounds for the criticism of the book or its subject by one who stands wholly uninjured by both. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Must Have for All James Bond Fans
Director John Glen tells of his experience with the James Bond film series strait up. At the helm of five of the films as director Glen pulls no punches and offers great insight into the creative efforts of the whole Bond film team. This is a great book and even more so if you are a James Bond fan. I really like this book. There is really no gloss here. This is really about what went into making these films while Albert R. Broccoli was still alive and producing them. I highly recommend this book.

Great book for Bond fans and film students!
I have waited for months to get this book and believe me, it was worth the wait! John Glen, who directed 5 James Bond movies, takes us on an incredible journey into the world of 007, filmmaking, and his relationships between his cast and crew. Starting out as an editor, Glen tells the story on how Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli gave him the opportunity of a lifetime when he asked him to direct 1981's For Your Eyes Only. Learn some of the reasons why Timothy Dalton's 1989 Bond film Licence to Kill was not only a flop with American audiences, but why it was also his last 007 film. Glen even tells us who he thinks should be the next Bond as well as his opinions on each of the five actors in the role. This book is a must for any Bond fan or any film student. Thanks Mr. Glen for a wonderful read! I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Must-Read For Film Buffs
Here are some great annecdotes (Bogart, Hepburn, Lorrie, Connery, et al.) by one of Hollywood's greatest directors. Huston's private life rivals any script that he ever shot, and his skill and training as a scriptwriter makes this an interesting, articulate volume. ... Read more

Book Description

Artisan, entrepreneur, and impresario, British filmmaker Ridley Scott accepts the profit motive as the only way to thrive in an industry where there is little patience for artistic flourishes or overblown expenses. Yet, while he may pay lip service to the free enterprise system, he is an unapologetic auteur, committed to using every element of film?from evocative lighting to digital composition?to overwhelm our senses and redefine how we perceive the future (Alien, Blade Runner), the past (1492: The Conquest of Paradise, Gladiator), and the present (Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down).

This collection of interviews follows Scott over twenty-five years as he perfects the Ridley Scott look, builds his media empire, and reacts to the twenty-year cult status of Blade Runner. Throughout, he discusses the triumphs and challenges involved in working with A-list actors?particularly women such as Susan Sarandon, Sigourney Weaver, and Demi Moore?and big-budget special effects. Scott emerges as a consummate English gentleman who acknowledges the legacy of the futuristic Blade Runner and Alien, but who also is adept at taking the pulse of contemporary American culture.

Unlike many of his colleagues in the U.S., Scott did not attend film school. Instead, he developed his visual sensibility at London's Royal College of Art. Years in television production gave Scott the clout and confidence to revitalize feature filmmaking. He hit the jackpot with Alien but ran into financial and logistical difficulties with Blade Runner and Legend. In response he shifted his attention to more contemporary genres, offering a continental perspective on America in Black Rain and Thelma & Louise. By the late 1990s Scott had achieved both critical and commercial success with Oscar-winning films Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A true look at Walt
To sum up...WOW! Instead of relying on probably non-existant sources, this book takes a simply approach- Print exactly what others said about Walt, with their name attached to the quote. What a refreshing idea! The book of course has sections written by the author, but the true "guts" of the book are many, many quotes about Walt, expertly grouped by the authors. The book does not shy away from talking about Walt's temper or tendency to micro-manage, that is in there. But neither does it embelish the negatives in an effort to tear the man down. This is a truthful look, and it will make you feel even better every time you view a Disney picture or walk through the gates of Disneyland.

Long Overdue and Just In Time!
After having read exerpts of this book in the June edition of Disney Magazine, I'm looking forward to reading the complete text. It is essential that the remembrances of those who knew and worked with Walt Disney be recorded for future generations. Like Abraham Lincoln before him, Walt Disney's life has taken on legendary proportions even long after his untimely passing. It's important to remember that he was first & foremost, a son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather... and not to forget... the creative genius of the 20th Century. And just in time for the 100th Anniversary of Walt Disney's birth in 2001!

The finest tribute to a great man
I was very happy while reading this book. I found all the things Walt's aquaintances had to say about him very interesting and credible. Very little seemed sugar coated (as Disney personel seem to be sometimes). I would make the assumption that Walt's personality was portrayed correctly by the many people that knew him. Throughout the course of reading this book I kept thinking about the quote that one amazon reviewer said that made me buy this book in the first place, "makes me wish I knew that man."

A wonderful insight into the philosophy of Walt Disney
This book is exactly as one would expect by reading the title. It's just quote after quote from people who knew Walt Disney best. I liked that many of his former employees were interviewed. Since I was familiar with some of the animators, imagineers, and actors it made it a more personal thing for me when reading this book. There are also many pictures that show Walt during all the different periods of his life, though the majority of them are during his successful years heading the Disney corporation. I share the sympathy of another reviewer who said that after reading this book they wished they had known Walt Disney. I think a person who really admires the Disney empire will share the same sentiments about the man who dared to dream.

The "real" Walt Disney
The heart of Walt Disney is perfectly captured in this landmark remembrance. Represented through vintage studio and family photographs, combined with personal, first-hand memories from those who knew and worked with Walt, this book is the perfect cornerstone to any Walt Disney library.

Take your time. You'll want to enjoy this book forever. ... Read more

Book Description

Tim Burton, the cinematic genius behind Batman, Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, and Edward Scissorhands, is a product of 1960s “monster culture,” including DC Comics’ Batman, over-the-top movie posters, and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Once a lonely teenager who found solace in horror flicks and cheesy Chiller Theater matinees, Burton relentlessly mines this history in his films, imbuing juvenile fantasy with emotional depth. This definitive study of Burton’s career tracks his life and work. Articles and interviews span his years as a malcontent animator at Walt Disney Studios through his creation of the pop-gothic aesthetic that marks all of his work. The book also features commentary by the editor on the origins of Burton’s ideas, a thorough analysis of each of his films, and images from the movies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A lot of great information about a great director!
"Tim Burton: A Child's Garden of Nightmares" is divided into chapters, each chapter being a movie that he directed or created (A Nightmare Before Christmas). For each chapter, there are articles that people wrote when the movie was being made and a review. I wish it had more interviews with Tim, but oh well. The book also has alot of pictures of him and the actors on set and there's a chapter about the short films that he made (Frankenweenie, Vincent). This book really taught me about Tim Burton and his films. Fun to read! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Exploring the Wonder of the World in Film.
No other biography i've read places the man himself before me, so evocative is it. In his films he chased and captured the wonder in all things, but his own writing does this more directly, a wonderful book. The life of the film maker from the 1920's onwards, and one who can fully express himself descriing the life, and equally great on his growing up towards film. The maker of wonders like A Canterbury Tale, Small Back Room, The Spy In Black and Peeping Tom achieved as much in this book.

Powell Hits the Target
Michael Powell, partnered by Emeric Pressburger, made some of the finest films of the forties. Films like The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, are startlingly original. These two men, known as the Archers, formed one of the great creative teams. His description of this partnership forms the heart of Powell's autobiography A Life in Movies.

Powell's book is long and takes a while to get going. He spends rather too long on his childhood in Kent. It is an interesting description of a long lost world and provides some insight into the development of Powell's character, but eventually one becomes rather impatient for him to get onto his film career. This he does with a brilliant description of his start in silent movies. Powell's story from this point onwards becomes gripping. He is a good writer, clear and readable. This book is full of interesting anecdotes and, on the whole, is very candid. There are times when he is circumspect and he sometimes withholds a name, but normally he is very open and honest. This is especially so in perhaps the most heartbreaking story of the whole book, his affair with Deborah Kerr. Powell's description of this is warm and loving and full of feeling. It is quite clear, even after more than forty years, that he never got over it. Thus Powell comes to resemble Roger Livesey's character in Colonel Blimp, and the film somehow seems all the more poignant.

In any long story there are dull bits. Powell's account of his struggles in the early thirties making obscure films which have been all but forgotten is not especially interesting, although it does contain some fine material regarding his interaction with the young Alfred Hitchcock. Furthermore, he dwells at times overly much on the politics of the British film industry. However, when he discusses his great films starting with The Edge of the World and finishing with The Red Shoes, this book is as good a description of making films as I have read. Fans of the Archers cannot fail to learn something new about their favourite films from this book.

An absolute must for any cinephile
A beautifully written account of a life dedicated to the making of films by a true Master of the medium. This book together with the other volume of his autobiography, Million Dollar Movie, gives the reader a wonderful insight into a very creative personality. Michael Powell recounts his life with charm, whimsy, wit and voluptuousness: a perfect picture of the man himself.

A Life Worth Reading About
This is a good read written by and about the life of one of the truly great movie directors. Along with Emeric Pressberger, Michael Powell created The Archers, whose movie productions were and are breathtaking in their daring cinematography and scoring. If you're not familiar with Powell's movies, you're in for a treat. I urge you to design your own Michael Powell film festival: Be sure to include The Thief of Baghdad, Stairway to Heaven (A Matter of Life and Death in Britain), The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and my personal favorite, I Know Where I'm Going. These are stunning works of art. Consider that they were filmed in cash-strapped postwar England, and you come away all the more amazed. Powell lost his career when he filmed Peeping Tom, a Hitchcockian thriller that upset critics with its psychosexual theme; his reputation was only rehabilitated by the intercession of such luminaries as Michael Scorcese during the 1980s. Powell lived a brash, full and vigorous life spiced with affairs with the likes of Deborah Kerr and the fascinating Pamela Brown. He dared the new, often endured hardship and even danger to catch what he wanted on film. He envisioned original and groundbreaking ideas, and then assembled teams that made them happen: A Himalayan garden in Kent for Black Narcissus, awesome outer space animation and the world's largest staircase for Stairway to Heaven, shooting I Know Where I'm Going without the leading man ever being on location. This book has been out of print for some time in hardcover. I've seen copies selling for hundreds of dollars. There is a reason! Now is your chance to enjoy the best words there are about Michael Powell--his own. ... Read more

Book Description

Samuel Goldwyn was the premier dream-maker of his era, and in this lavishly-praised biography, the author of Lindbergh and Max Perkins: Editor of Genius offers a life story as rich with drama as anything found on the silver screen... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rags to riches
What a story! A remarkably easy to read account of Sam Goldwyn's rags-to-riches life. Did you know "Goldwyn" was not his real name? Did you know he was thrown out of the MGM company after a few years?! Goldwyn worked at some stage or other with just about every famous name in the business, and also fell out with just about everybody he ever met. A cantankerous and perverse character who loved contradicting people. When people quit because he made their lives intolerable, he sometimes felt personally attacked and betrayed. The book is full of colourful characters, and Scott Berg has done a wonderful job of using quotations and dialogues to really bring these people alive: Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lillian Hellman, William Wyler, Billy Wilder, and the remarkable Hilda Berl. It reads like a movie! By tracing Goldwyn's history, the book also covers the story of many of the other famous movie companies that are still famous today: United Artists, Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO and of course MGM. Goldwyn also came across many young actors and actresses before they were stars: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Marlon Brando, John Wayne, etc. And of course the famous Goldwyn malapropisms are here, though limited to the ones actually traceable (as far as possible) to Goldwyn himself: "Anyone who sees a psychiatrist should have their head examined! Include me out! A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on," to pick just a few.

A remarkably well-written and well-researched biography that brings this vigorous, infuriating, yet oddly attractive ugly duckling to vibrant life. This must rank amongst the best biographies, up there with Ron Chernow's book about the Morgans. Anyone at all interested in movies and movie history will enjoy this.

Great bio of a genius's life
Great book! I enjoyed reading about a man who literally came from poverty to be on of Hollywood's pioneer filmmakers. He was a rough man to work with no doubt, but knew what worked and lasted in an industry that is hard to last in! A. Scott Berg did a wonderful job of writing a respectful book about this man!

Exceptional Hollywood Bio - the best of the bunch
A most compelling, intricate, mesmerizing, passionate, heartfelt and respectful account of Goldwyn's life! A. Scott Berg has created a profound work as equal an opus to any of Goldwyn's best stuff. The neat thing is that you feel as if you were there - the birth, growing pains and maturity of Hollywood - brutally recreated for our pleasure. Bravo!! ... Read more

Book Description

Lindsay Anderson was the most original British filmmaker and theatrical director of his generation. His films If . . . , O Lucky Man!, and Britannia Hospital created a Human Comedy of life in Britain during the second half of the twentieth century and were witty, daring, and often prophetic. This Sporting Life and O Lucky Man! made Richard Harris and Malcolm McDowell international stars; The Whales of August provided Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, and Ann Sothern the opportunity to give extraordinary farewell performances.

He also directed notable documentaries in several countries: in Britain, the Academy Award-winning Thursday's Children, about a school for deaf-mute children; in Poland, The Singing Lesson, a personal impression of a group of students at a drama school. In China, he recorded the 1985 concert tour by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of WHAM!

As a theatre director he collaborated with playwright David Storey on a series of successes (The Contractor, The Changing Room, In Celebration, Home), and he worked with such actors as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Alan Bates, Albert Finney, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, Joan Plowright, and Rachel Roberts.

Anderson was, as well, an outspoken and sometimes ferocious critic of British films--and of Britain itself. He was the author of the most important and acclaimed book on John Ford. And he was one of Gavin Lambert's closest friends for more than fifty years.

Lambert's book begins with his and Anderson's days as movie-struck schoolboys, becoming fast friends, growing up in the shadow of World War II. He shows us their postwar creation of and collaboration on the influential magazine Sequence--a magazine that was produced on love and a shoestring, and which shook up the British film world with its admiration for both Hollywood noir and MGM musicals (at the time unfashionable genres) and its celebration of such directors as Ford, Buñuel, Cocteau, Vigo, and Sturges.

He describes how both men rebelled in opposite directions--Anderson remaining in England, Lambert leaving in 1958 for Los Angeles--and traces their unorthodox paths through the film industry.

An illuminating, multifaceted portrait--of a friendship, of postwar moviemaking on both sides of the Atlantic, and, mainly, of the remarkable Lindsay Anderson. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Unique and Deeply Insightful Book
Gavin Lambert has written many books about the motion picure business, both fictional and non, but this is far and away the most remarkable. A tribute to a great filmmaker and a through examination of world he lived in, it's also a partial autobiography -- with Lambert's digressions on his affair with Nicholas Ray sharply constrating with Anderson's difficulties in having the lover he longed for. Anderson was capable of producing some of the most indelible homoerotic images in the history of the cinema, yet his own life suffered from sexual and emotional constraint.

No one who wants to know about the British cinema, or one of the most remarkable creative talents Great Britain has ever produced, can afford to pass up this book.

Superficial and dull
Too much Lambert: i.e., creaky, stilted, and boring.

His "outing" of the late Nicholas Ray is offensive and exploitive. Moreover, I find it difficult to believe that the explosively talented, sophisticated Ray took Lambert as a lover.

A fine study for film buffs and cinema history students.
British filmmaker Anderson's films were witty social commentaries for the late 20th century, while his documentaries were revealing and educational. Mainly About Lindsay Anderson provides a biographical review of his life and an assessment of his career and achievements, from his early days as a movie-goer to his later influential creations within the industry. Any studying modern film history will find this a fine study.

Remembering a Difficult Friend
Director and critic Lindsay Anderson was one of the makers of modern British cinema so this memoir "mainly about" him by his school chum and life-long friend Gavin Lambert is necessary reading for all serious students of film. But it is equally compelling an addition to the "literature of creativity" and so of interest to anyone concerned with the phenomenon of artistic production. Anderson had a vivid personality, warm and generous but often combative and sometimes hysterical, a character Lambert renders in telling detail. Anderson's world of theatre and film from the 1950's through the '90s is also drawn in fascinating if hardly encouraging terms. ... Read more

Book Description

Marilyn Moss's Giant examines the life of one of the most influential directors to work in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1960s. George Stevens directed such popular and significant films as Shane, Giant, A Place in the Sun, and The Diary of Anne Frank. He was the first to pair Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy on film in Woman of the Year. Through the study of Stevens's life and his production history, Moss also presents a glimpse of the workings of the classic Hollywood studio system in its glory days.

Moss documents Stevens's role as a powerful director who often had to battle the heads of major studios to get his films made his way. She traces the four decades Stevens was a major Hollywood player and icon, from his earliest days at the Hal Roach Studios—where he learned to be a cameraman, writer, and director for Laurel and Hardy features—up to his later career when his films made millions at the box office and were graced by actors such as Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Alan Ladd, and Montgomery Clift. ... Read more

Amazon.com

You may not recognize James Whale, but you surely recognize his most prominent contribution to American popular culture: Frankenstein's monster, as portrayed by Boris Karloff. Whale, a British expatriate who made his way to Hollywood just as films were making the transition to the talkies, directed both the original Frankenstein (1931) and its sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein (1936), for Universal Pictures. Afraid of being pigeonholed as a horror director (he also made The Invisible Man and The Old Dark House), he eventually insisted on more mainstream projects, including the musical Show Boat and The Road Back, a sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front that flopped at the box office. Today, The Bride of Frankenstein is considered to be his best film, a work that combines moments of genuine suspense with a thoroughly macabre sense of humor.

In 1982, film historian James Curtis wrote his first biography of Whale.James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters is not a revision of that book, however, but a substantial reworking involving much in the way of new research. Whale's life story is emblematic of an entire generation of European émigrés who made critical artistic contributions to American film only to find themselves in ultimate obscurity. Although recent fictional and truthful accounts of Whale's life have emphasized his homosexuality--even the jacket cover of this book cites it as the reason for Hollywood's eventual rejection of Whale--Curtis himself tells a more nuanced tale. Certainly, Whale made no attempts to hide his preference for men; at the same time, he made his sexual orientation neither a prominent feature of his personal life nor his movies. While it's possible that he was fired from Columbia Pictures in 1941 because of homophobia on the part of studio owner Harry Cohn, it should also be noted that it didn't take much to get on the bad side of Harry Cohn and that, perhaps more to the point, Whale hadn't had a significant commercial hit in five years.

Curtis's biography is filled with fascinating anecdotes from David Lewis, Whale's longtime companion, and several of the actors who worked with Whale, including Peter Cushing and Gloria (Titanic) Stuart. It also has a rich appreciation of the artistic qualities of Whale's work. It is, in short, the sort of critical biography that any film director would hope to have. --Ron Hogan ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Objective, Insightful Biography
Written with detail, candor and insight, this seems to be the definitive biography of the interesting and eccentric film director. A highly readable account of the man and his movies.

A Definitive Biography
After seeing the film "Gods and Monsters" I was anxious to read a biography of James Whale. This book by James Curtis certainly fits the bill of a complete biography of its subject.Mr. Curtis was a close friend of David Lewis, who lived with James Whale for several years and saw to it after the director's death that his memory lived on.

Mr. Curtis gives us a lot of detail about James Whale's life and I sometimes found myself skimming a bit, particularly in the beginning of his career as an actor.We get a lot of information about the films Mr. Whale directed, including the story behind the fascinating effects in The Invisible Man.The book is illustrated with numerous photographs spread through the book and is well written, particularly when Mr. Curtis speaks of James Whale in his years of retirement. The book is a must for fans of the Frankenstein movies and people interested in Universal Pictures but for the person who knows James Whale only thought his horror films, this book with bring a much needed perspective on his life.I found myself wanting to see the James Whale films as I was reading, including Show Boat and his lesser known films.In sum, this is an interesting portrait of who James Whale was and what Hollywood was like in the 1930s.

Great Biography
I bought and read this biography after seeing the film "Gods and Monsters" and reading the novel Father of Frankenstein.I've always been a fan of Hollywood stories--especially from the thirties and forties--and this book gave me tons of interesting information.Whale was quite a character, and I'm glad I got to know him better through this excellent biography.

Early Master of Horror Films-Great Biography!
I grew up enjoying Whale's great films, "Frankenstein," "Invisible Man," & "Bride of Frankenstein." I didn't really know about him until the film "Gods and Monsters."

James Curtis' book "Gods and Monsters" is a hard book to put down. It starts with Whale's rough childhood, interest in theater, and break into films. There is a chapter devoted to each of his major films with behind the scene insight. The book gives an honest account of Whale's triumphs and disappointments.

It's a must read for any fan of classic films of Hollywood!

A Unique Director!
I can't think of any other film director whoapproached James Whale's incredible sense of design, other than perhaps William Cameron Menzes.If Whale is remembered at all today it is for his two Universal Frankenstein films, and THE INVISIBLE MAN.I can still recall the first time I saw BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, with my brother, on the late-night SHOCK THEATRE program, in the late 1950s. Nothing had prepared us for the incredible, almost abstract stylization, the sly wit and the indelible performances that go to make this one of the greatest films ever made.We were blown out of our seats.

This biography by James Curtis is probably the best look atWhale the person we are going to get; Curtis seems to have interviewed literally everyone who knew Whale and would talk to him about Whale.We learn very little about Whale as a child, perhaps because there was no one alive to rememberwhen Curtis came by interviewing, but otherwise we get a detailed look at Whale's show biz career before and after BRIDE.Whale had difficulty finding worthy projects after the collapse of the Lammele-era Universal, and his final years exhibit increasing severe depression and strange "post-menopausal" behavior.

A recent film, GODS AND MONSTERS, loosely based onevents of Whale's later years, I haven't seen but perhaps it will awaken some additional interest in Whale and his films among the younger generation.It is a sad fact that, apart from his Universal horror work, virtually nothing directed by Whale is available on video tape, not even (as far as I know) his famous film version of the musical SHOWBOAT.

Ifyou're curious about Whale, this book is the place tostart. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Imagine Roger Corman and John Waters crossed with Howard Stern--and you'll have an idea of the demented genius behind Troma studios, one of the oldest (and most successful) independent film studios in the world. Lloyd Kaufman's spirited, outrageous, no-holds-barred look at low-budget, guerilla filmmaking is truly an inspiration to young filmmakers, a delight for movie buffs, and an absolute must for Toxic Avenger fans everywhere.This is the true story of the moviemaking maverick who co-founded an independent studio twenty-five years ago in a humble broom closet...who used raw hamburger, Karo syrup blood, and Bromo-Seltzer vomit to create films of questionable artistic and moral value...who is responsible for a string of cult movie hits...who was the first to reject Madonna for a part...who defied the Hollywood system and slapped the face of the industry...and who built a B-movie empire filled with Chopper Chicks, Surf Nazis, Kabuki Cops, Nymphoid Barbarians, and a lone hero known as The Toxic Avenger. ... Read more

Reviews (129)

Lloyd Kaufman's book is as hilarious as his movies!
I'm a long-time Troma fan, but I can honestly say that anyone with a good sense of humor will enjoy this book. It works under the front of being a "how-to" book, which it succeeds at being to some extent, but it really focuses on the life of Lloyd Kaufman. From his humble beginning at Yale trying to cram as many breasts as possible into one film, to 20 years later and still trying to cram in as many breasts as possible, Lloyd has had a hilarious and fun life. He might make some of the sickest movies available, but Lloyd has a ton of honor and dedication to his craft. Anyone who likes good sarcasm and wit will love this book, as will any aspiring film makers that need a little inspiration. If anything Lloyd proves that anyone can succeed if they try hard enough. Buy his book - you won't be disappointed! A must-have for Troma fans, not to mention anyone else who wants a good story and a good laugh.

Mad Movie Mogul Invades the Planet with his Killer B's
Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Studios and creator of the Toxic Avenger, has written a book about the history of the world's oldest (and one of the last remaining) independent film studios. All I Really Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is not just a how-to guide for young filmmakers, it is a humorous, witty, and often touching story about the creation of a B-Movie Empire, and the people Mr. Kaufman took with him on the way up (or down, whichever way you want to interpret it.) Not only does it touch on the history of the studio itself, but it also hits on some of Kaufman's more human sides: His relationship with his three daughters (Who, from my personal experience, he treats like queens) and his relationship with his wife, Patricia, who is the New York State Film Commissioner. Fart Jokes and other forms of crude humor aside, All I Really Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the story of one man's dream, an! d the obstacles he had to overcome to fulfill it.

Creative and Mind Blowing
336 pages, 75,000 words and completly mind blowing is Lloyd Kaufmans book. It is a masterpiece of satire, humorous anecdotes and a harangue towards megaconglomerate Hollywood buffoons. Lloyd weaves the reader through very descriptive, entertaining and historic dialogue concerning the beginnings of Lloyds film fetish, to the infancy and future of Troma studios.

"I wanted to eat them, dream them, put them in an eyedropper and let them sink into my optic nerve."

This is a perfect example of the type of narrative banter that exemplifies Lloyd's love of film from his early days at Yale to the introdution and hiring of James Gunn. (Mr. Gunn wrote screenplay for Tromeo and Juliet.) I haven't had this much fun reading since Kenneth Stars manuscript was released over the net. Each chapter details true and, on occasion, pretentious tales of Lloyds indiana Jones-ish adventures in filmmaking. When it comes to shooting a film Lloyd is king of budgetary restriction. His thoughts funnell down to details on how to cut corners, save money by working around Unions. He also mentions instances where he shot a film without the use of location permits. Throughout the book Lloyd relates to his early achievements, Sugar Cookies -(released on DVD June 29th 2004)and potential disasters, Battle of Loves Return and Squeeze Play - (Just bought an original One Sheet. Hot chicks on the poster) He explains how critics first viewed these opuses as cow dung. Lloyd also explains how Lady Luck turned his movies into classic cult favorites. Lloyd emphasizes to young potential filmmakers that it may not only take one opportunity, such as a hungry movie theatre owner looking for that one film to fill its open time slot, to get exposure. Miss Luck granted Lloyd a few of these opportunities. This gave adiences a taste of his cinematic experimentalism. Lloyd also explains the importance of video, relating to how independent films can be released through this less expensive medium. Lloyd explains a key factor to his success is hooking the savvy moviegoers with obscure, obscene and over the top craziness portraid in his films. With a success here and a success there the money started to flow. Once the money flowed Lloyd along with his partner Michael Herz created Troma Studios, the largest independent studio in the world.
Lloyd's creativity stems from many years of film inspirations and partly because he experienced many of lifes lessions working on other productions. (He worked as Line producer, location manager, production manager for films such as Rocky, Saturday Night Fever and Final Countdown - Final Countdown is released on DVD by Blue Underground) Through these experiences Lloyd was able to learn many short cuts to save money, time and manpower to complete his Troma produced films.
While reading through his book I began to affiliate his experiences and personalize them with mine. I really enjoyed everything Lloyd had to share. His book does not get into exact detail on how to make a film but Lloyd emphasizes a very important message for young filmmakers.

Lloyd states, "A filmmaker needs to have an idea, keep going and never give up. The odds may be stacked against the filmmaker but be creative, be genuine and honest with yourself."

Besides being very entertaining, Lloyds book is a major inspiration for the "little guy." Lloyd was defeated in almost every imaginable way. He overcame all obstacles and made Troma what it is today. The Toxic Avenger stands for bravery, honesty, one who will stick up for the "little guy", and one who will not bow down to the megaconglomerate. Every fimmaker should read this book to acquire an inspiration to never give up, keep fighting those obstacles and get your vision across and complete your film. Pat Kaufman, Lloyds wife, summed up the moral of his book in one sentence.

"Lloyd is Toxie, he is honest, he is on to stick up for his beliefs. Lloyd Kaufman is the Toxic Avenger of filmmaking."

In my opinion I decided this book should have an alternate title.

I believe Lloyd Kaufman really wanted to say, "All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From Lloyd Kaufman, the Toxic Avenger of Filmmaking."

The Bromo Seltzer of Independent Filmmaking
"All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger: The Shocking True Story of Troma Studios" is a yin and yang (hot Asian twins I think) telling of Lloyd Kaufman's years as a leader in independent film making. Less of a step by step process of how to make a movie, unlike his latest literary achievement "Make Your Own Damn Movie," and more of a progression of Lloyd's career, making films and the building of the Troma Studios empire. Although it does give useful information on making independent films, creating special effects for the price of green food coloring and Bromo Seltzer, etc., I think its beauty is in the telling of the history of Troma and the courageous band of ... wait, I thought I was talking about Hogan's Heroes for a minute. Anyway, don't buy the book only for the nudity. Buy it because you want to know about real independent movie making. Besides, it's so funny you'll wet yourself or at least the person next to you.

A look into a world worth living ...
I found this book at a used bookstore , during which time i was extremely depressed and hopeless. I began reading it and immediately started feeling a bit better , page by page i was begining to cheer up quite a bit.

the book is an amazingly well written look into the world of tromaville , a world worth living in. lloyd talks about his obstacles in film making , his visions he couldn't escape until he makes his film and quite a bit of wonderful advice for any one wanting to make a movie. i've learned a lot about troma , lloyd kaufman and film making.

Llyod kaufman actually suceeded in making a book that can keep up with the amaing movies of troma. the flow of the book makes it harder to sit down then most books. a wonderful slab of tree that would be a perfect addition to any ones book collection ! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fellini
Im still new to the films of Fellini but this book lets give us an glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest directors of all time. Like in his films, Fellinin is as always ephemeral and sublime, always dealing in memory and imagination, not in reality.

Fellini
I'm still new to the films of Fellini but this book lets give us an ephemeral glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest directors of all time. Like in his films, Fellinin in this book deals in memory and imagination more than reality.

Not the best about ONE OF THE VERY BEST.
There can be no doubt that the maestro was a magnificent talker: frank, witty, engaging, poetic.... Need I go on? Truly blessed with the gift of gab - amongst so many other talents, in fact, the way in which he chatted up his films was, at times, more entertaining than watching some of them.

Fellini was a marvelous, uniquely fascinating character, all this is clear from reading these fragmentary interviews. Unfortunately, what is sorely lacking from the questions Constantini asks is what most readers would primarily want to discover in reading this book. Yes the incidentals of his life are important, and interesting, and necessary. Yes the anecdotes about Mastroianni and Eckberg and so on are amusing. But what about the hows of his approach, the whys of his style? There is just too much missing here to really make it worth our while. Federico Fellini the filmmaker is actually under-represented!

Though he probably would not have answered those sorts of questions all that directly we would still learn a little more about, for example, why Fellini always liked to loop his dialog in such an offbeat way, or why he chose to dolly and pan through his scenes so busily, or how he came to prefer so peculiar a rhythmn to his editing. THESE are the kinds of questions I think any real admirer of his work would love to try teasing answers from him about. Too little about the way of the art, too much about the way of the career.

The maestro deserves better -- and got it! Read I, FELLINI instead. On the plus side, though: nice cover, excellent font and print size on good quality paper with some decent pictures.

Fellini's Martini
One might expect 200 pages of Fellini interviews to be just for the cinephile who has seen all his films-twice, but this intriguing and delightfully readable collection is a great appetizer about one of cinema's most influential and challenging directors-even for latent fans of film.

The great advantage in this book is Costanzo Constantini's unique perspective as a journalist who interviewed Fellini regularly over 40 years. Constantini has been let into Fellini's life; they became friends, and this relationship often allows very relaxed, informal and sometimes revealing responses from Fellini.

Even in interviews this man is a great storyteller, but Fellini confesses that some of the tales may be very tall. Without apology Fellini admits, "We change our accounts of events continually so as not to bore ourselves" (55). So, this non-fiction assembly of interviews soon becomes a bit of a mystery novel as one realizes s/he must sieve truth from fiction. Somehow this tendency of his isn't too distressing. One chalks it up to his innate cinematic flair or the love of, and talent for, a great story. There is no judging him harshly for this, since it makes for such delightful reading, and the truth is in there somewhere; it's just colorized, embellished and exaggerated for our enjoyment as well as his own. Even Constantini's first-hand account of a "marital-professional skirmish" between Fellini and Giuletta before a screening sounds almost scripted, a joust and good show for the audience. This climate of fibbing lends an almost comic slant to Constantini's section in which he asks this self-confessed exaggerator many, "Is it true that she said...?" and "Did you really say...?" kinds of questions. This may be Constantini's dry, playful intent, much like Fellini's sense of humor which is revealed throughout.

The film student will enjoy Fellini's thoughts on Neorealism, and Catholicism. And of course there are his perspectives on his actors, collaborators, his films and the various circulating interpretations, but less of this than one might expect. The many tasty Fellini quotes on broad ranges of topics that Constantini serves become the highlights here. It's truly wonderful to behold his talent for succinctly capturing very ethereal ideas. On the special charm of cinema that's been robbed by TV's inundation: "The cinematographic image is deprived of its most profound meaning, its magical, dreamlike, mysterious quality. It is deprived of its secret charm, which takes its nourishment from the obscure relationship that each of us has with the unconscious" (132). Further revealing another angle of his genius, is the way he beautifully and effortlessly expresses the rare, rejuvenating sanctuary and exhilaration of creativity and returning to one's element, "Once, I arrived on the set with a galloping fever, but as soon as I looked through the lens it went away. When you're filming you feel like yourself again, a director without age, outside of time, without infirmities, invulnerable" (137). Switching disciplines again, he discusses his long-held interest in psychology and states