Hello, People.
This week, I wanted to recommend some books on film and the film business. No matter what industry you work in, these books will enrich you. The books about the film business are examples of extreme tenacity and creativity, not only in the films themselves, but in all the coordination around getting those films made. It’s a herculean task to make a movie, and every film starts the process from scratch. Over and over again.
"The Big Goodbye: CHINATOWN and the Last Year of Hollywood" Sam Wasson
Wasson formats this with a focus on the four men who were instrumental in the making of CHINATOWN: Jack Nicholson, Robert Evans, Roman Polanski, and Robert Towne. The author gives you a very full picture of what was going on in each one of their lives, and how those lives converged to produce this film.
"Easy Riders and Raging Bulls" Peter Biskind
A very thorough view of how the radical film shift in the 1970’s occurred, from the standard studio fare of the mid-20th century to films like EASY RIDER and APOCALYPSE NOW.
"Down and Dirty Pictures" Peter Biskind
An equally thorough view of how the indie film scene emerged and triumphed in the 1990’s. Especially interesting look at how the Weinstein brothers started in the film business and then pulled up their seats to the top of that heap.
"Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard" Richard Brody
A recommendation to me by one of our Film Club regulars. A very detailed look at Jean-Luc Godards directing and private life, and the ways they were interwoven. Of particular interest is the documentation about the beginning of the entire French New Wave movement (which then informed the new direction in 1970’s film in the US).
"Who the Devil Made It" Peter Bogdanovich
If you really want to get a feel for how the entire film business started and how it progressed into modern day film, this is the book. Bogdanovich interviews all the directors he could get his hands on, and the result is an oral history of the challenges and methods of each decade of filmmaking.
"A Man With a Camera" Nestor Almendros
This is a difficult book to get your hands on, so if you happen to find a copy, grab it. Almendros was the cinematographer for directors such as Eric Rhomer, François Truffaut, and Terrence Malick. His films include MY NIGHT AT MAUD’S, DAYS OF HEAVEN, and SOPHIE’S CHOICE. He dedicates a chapter to each film.
"In the Blink of an Eye" Walter Murch
This is a fascinating view of editing and how Murch tries to edit much like we see and blink. (Hint: every time we blink, it’s an edit cut.)
"Sculpting in Time" Andrey Tarkovsky
Another recommendation from a Film Club regular. Tarkovsky is one of my favorite directors. The book is full of his musings on life and filmmaking.
Last week in Film Club we discussed the 2020 documentary THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw. Most striking was the pace of these men’s lives, and their relationships with their truffle-sniffing dogs.
This week we are discussing Akira Kurosawa’s 1985 film RAN. Watch beforehand and come discuss Mon 8/7 4pPT on Clubhouse. Everyone is welcome.
These look excellent. They're added to my list. Two that I would recommend are, first, "Just Tell Me When to Cry," a memoir by the director Richard Fleischer. Tons of great anecdotes, and Fleischer is interesting because he started in the studio system and worked into the independent era. Second, "Monster: Living Off the Big Screen" by John Gregory Dunne tells the (literally) incredible story of a script that went through dozens of drafts and took years to eventually get made as "Up Close & Personal" with Robert Redford. Sausage factory stuff but with Dunne's impeccable writing flair.
-- Cheers, Mike
I'd add William Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade", if only for the immortal line "Nobody knows anything." That applies to many, many, many walks of life. Neal Gabler's "An Empire of Their Own" is a great history of early studio business.