The Best Books About Film

[der_Artur]

As mentioned in an other thread, you can watch the whole Kubrick doc here.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

The answer, sadly, is no. Vincent Lobrutto's biography, published shortly before he died (although with no input for SK), disappointed me. As I remember it, the book devoted far too much space to quoting Kubrick's collaborators who all more or less say that he was such a powerful personality, which, of course, everyone already knows. Michael Herr's significantly shorter Kubrick conveys the same image of the man in many, many less pages. Lobrutto, however, includes lots of info on Kubrick's youth and early filmmaking days that may very well be of interest to you. But as soon as his London, recluse years come, the well runs dry.

I haven't read the Taschen book but I felt that Lo Brutto's book is the best so far. Not surprisingly no input from Kubrick because he rarely gives interviews but Lo Brutto interviewed almost everybody else who knew or worked with him who is still alive and paints a pretty decent portrait of the man, and, best of all, loads up each chapter with exhaustive details on the making of each film. So, if you're into that kind of info I think this book is the best.

[Banana #3]

It might have been in this very thread, but Kubrick's thoughts were known concerning some of the biographical work, and of the Lobrutto biography he said (paraphrasing) that he learned some things about his own family that he never knew before. Obviously, meaning the biography has questionable factual standing.

The "Boxes" documentary is excellent. That's a thousand times better than A Life in Pictures (of course, they're not really comparable considering ALIP is not biographical).

What's really amazing is the fact that he has footage of Kubrick talking. I wish we could get our hands on that FMJ footage. There's literally like 10 minutes, give or take, of footage with Kubrick talking. And now here's 18 more hours. What a gold mine.

Thanks for all your help, guys.

[Highway 61]

What's really amazing is the fact that he has footage of Kubrick talking. I wish we could get our hands on that FMJ footage. There's literally like 10 minutes, give or take, of footage with Kubrick talking. And now here's 18 more hours. What a gold mine.

My favorite thing about the Taschen book was the audio interview with Kubrick. Fascinating man.

[Awesome Welles]

Can someone recommend a good book on Ingmar Bergman, not necessarily about his films but about him, his life and views? Thanks.

[foggy eyes]

Can someone recommend a good book on Ingmar Bergman, not necessarily about his films but about him, his life and views? Thanks.

The Magic Lantern would be the best place to start, I imagine. Mississippi UP published a book of interviews last year, and if it's similar to the other volumes in their 'Conversations with Filmmakers' line it'll probably be a very useful companion.

[Awesome Welles]

That sounds perfect, thanks.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Can anyone here recommend a really good book about the history of Hammer Horror films? I'm really looking for some decent production info on various films, etc.

[indy81]

Can anyone here recommend a really good book about the history of Hammer Horror films? I'm really looking for some decent production info on various films, etc.

There are tons of books about Hammer; most of them are just the same old stories with some colorful pictures. Denis Meikle's A History of Horrors is a good industrial history of the studio with plenty of production information. He's pretty critical of most of the films, however, especially the mid-to-late period. The Hammer Story by Hearn & Barnes also looks OK as an introduction, but I've only skimmed through it.

The most comprehensive work on Hammer is probably Wayne Kinsey's two volume history: Hammer Films: The Bray Studio Years and The Elstree Studio Years. The first volume is OOP but will be reprinted in October, according to the publisher.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Denis Meikle's A History of Horrors is a good industrial history of the studio with plenty of production information. He's pretty critical of most of the films, however, especially the mid-to-late period. The Hammer Story by Hearn & Barnes also looks OK as an introduction, but I've only skimmed through it.

The most comprehensive work on Hammer is probably Wayne Kinsey's two volume history: Hammer Films: The Bray Studio Years and The Elstree Studio Years.

That's awesome! Thank you so much for this info. I will track some of these books down.

[Dr Amicus]

There are tons of books about Hammer; most of them are just the same old stories with some colorful pictures. Denis Meikle's A History of Horrors is a good industrial history of the studio with plenty of production information. He's pretty critical of most of the films, however, especially the mid-to-late period. The Hammer Story by Hearn & Barnes also looks OK as an introduction, but I've only skimmed through it.

The most comprehensive work on Hammer is probably Wayne Kinsey's two volume history: Hammer Films: The Bray Studio Years and The Elstree Studio Years.

I'd back that up. I read almost every book available on Hammer for my thesis and these are probably the way to go. The Meikle is the best single volume history (although might be a bit pricey), but the Hearn & Barnes (new edition appears to be out) has some fantastic pictures and looks lovely, at the expense of depth. However, as it's organised by film (most of the horrors get a page or 2 each), it's possibly easier to navigate if you want to know about a particular one.

The depth of information in the Kinsey (I've only read the 1st) is astonishing - and particularly good about censorship battles. However, it is strictly chronological - which means it can be a bit tricky trying to follow the ins & outs of one particular film. It's an off-shoot of a fanzine Kinsey has been producing over they years, "The House That Hammer Built" - and that too comes highly recommended.

In fact, another fanzine, the US based 'Little Shoppe of Horrors' is an absolute must for Hammer fans. HUGE amounts of detail (nobody in Hammer is considered too minor to be interviewed) and a valuable resource.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

I'd back that up. I read almost every book available on Hammer for my thesis and these are probably the way to go. The Meikle is the best single volume history (although might be a bit pricey), but the Hearn & Barnes (new edition appears to be out) has some fantastic pictures and looks lovely, at the expense of depth. However, as it's organised by film (most of the horrors get a page or 2 each), it's possibly easier to navigate if you want to know about a particular one.

The depth of information in the Kinsey (I've only read the 1st) is astonishing - and particularly good about censorship battles. However, it is strictly chronological - which means it can be a bit tricky trying to follow the ins & outs of one particular film. It's an off-shoot of a fanzine Kinsey has been producing over they years, "The House That Hammer Built" - and that too comes highly recommended.

In fact, another fanzine, the US based 'Little Shoppe of Horrors' is an absolute must for Hammer fans. HUGE amounts of detail (nobody in Hammer is considered too minor to be interviewed) and a valuable resource.

Thanks for all of this valuable info. I checked out the website for the Little Shoppe of Horrors fanzine and it is pretty incredible. I think I may order a few back issues today. Thanks again!

[Cinetwist]

With the 50th anniversary of Andre Bazin's death and the CF holding a retrospective of films important to him and his writing, I realised I still haven't read much at all of his work, apart from some translated from Cahiers. Unfortunately I don't speak French.

Can anyone recommend anything in particular? Or should I just get all the stuff published in English?

And finally, are the What is Cinema? translations as bad as the sole amazon review makes them out to be?

'these English language essays are re-workings by their "translator" rather than faithful renderings of the originals. Hugh Gray, the translator, not only chose some of the essays from the original French editions but also treated them with great liberty. Sentences and footnotes are missing, others are combined without reason; expressions are made more "flowery"; and meanings are changed. I cannot tell whether the translator was not up to the task of doing this job properly or he decided to mistreat his subject to such a degree consciously. In any case it is a great pity that Bazin's work is available in English only in this unfortunate form.'

Are they still worth reading?

[Awesome Welles]

And finally, are the What is Cinema? translations as bad as the sole amazon review makes them out to be?

'these English language essays are re-workings by their "translator" rather than faithful renderings of the originals. Hugh Gray, the translator, not only chose some of the essays from the original French editions but also treated them with great liberty. Sentences and footnotes are missing, others are combined without reason; expressions are made more "flowery"; and meanings are changed. I cannot tell whether the translator was not up to the task of doing this job properly or he decided to mistreat his subject to such a degree consciously. In any case it is a great pity that Bazin's work is available in English only in this unfortunate form.'

Are they still worth reading?

As someone who doesn't read French I had no problem reading What is Cinema vol 1 and 2, I don't know what I'm missing with the French so it's hard to be pissed off. I enjoyed both volumes thoroughly, Bazin was a great writer even with the supposed bad translation, which is the first I'd heard of it.

[domino harvey]

I've read both volumes of What is Cinema and had no problems, but it doesn't surprise me that it's not translated correctly-- though they couldn't be worse than those collected Cahiers volumes that excerpt the articles rather than reprinting the whole thing, which often results in the most interesting parts being cut. Not every translator is as good as say Tom Milne

[Cinetwist]

Thanks. I've ordered them anyway, but that was the only review I could find, so I got a bit worried

[tojoed]

If you are interested in Orson Welles at all, you might like to try Bazin's Orson Welles - A Critical View, which is available in a good English translation.

[jdcopp]

"What is Cinema?" Volume II is available to be read on-line at Google Books.

I can only assume that they have not yet gotten around to scanning volume I.

[ellipsis7]

If you are interested in Orson Welles at all, you might like to try Bazin's Orson Welles - A Critical View, which is available in a good English translation.

It's good, but Rosenbaum (who translated it) says it is the lesser of the two books Bazin wrote on Welles, and retrospectively he realises he gave his attentions to the wrong one...

[foggy eyes]

It's good, but Rosenbaum (who translated it) says it is the lesser of the two books Bazin wrote on Welles, and retrospectively he realises he gave his attentions to the wrong one...

Yes, this is rather unfortunate - perhaps as a result, the book hasn't made it out of my 'to read' pile yet.

I must second the recommendations for What is Cinema? I & II as the essays are indispensable (regardless of problems with the translation). Also extremely valuable is the Renoir book, Bazin at Work: Major Essays and Reviews From the Forties and Fifties (ed. Bert Cardullo, Routledge, 1997), especially the pieces on Wyler (or, the Jansenist of Directing) and CinemaScope.

There's a fascinating essay (Death Every Afternoon) in Rites of Realism (ed. Yvonne Margulies, Duke UP, 2003), which can be read here, and a handful more in Cahiers du Cinéma: The 1950s (ed. Jim Hillier, Harvard UP, 1985). Brian Henderson's writing on Bazin is well worth reading too, especially the pieces The Long Take (in Movies & Methods, ed. Bill Nichols, University of California Press, 1976, p.314-324) and Bazin Defended Against his Devotees (Film Quarterly, 32.4, 1979, p.26-37).

This recent blog entry by Girish offers considerably more information, especially in the comments section.

[Cinetwist]

Thanks for all the info Foggy.

I'd seen the post Girish made. I'm a big fan of his blog. It's probably the best film blog there is.

[Cobalt60]

The big Taschen Kubrick is being reprinted in a smaller format can be had for about $50.

Also, has anyone checked out The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film?

[tojoed]

It's good, but Rosenbaum (who translated it) says it is the lesser of the two books Bazin wrote on Welles, and retrospectively he realises he gave his attentions to the wrong one...

What's the title of the other one? I don't know it. Has it beeen translated?

[cinemartin]

I don't think anyone here has mentioned Naremore's The Magic World of Orson Welles, which is by far the best book on Welles. Don't be fooled by its title, which apparently Naremore was forced to use.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Also, has anyone checked out The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film?

I have. I'm still working my way through it but it is meticulously researched with tons of gorgeous behind-the-scenes photos, stills, poster art, etc. It goes into painstaking detail all of Lucas' influences and how his early films led him up to that film. It is also very well written and makes you want to watch the film again which a book like this should do.

I've also started thumbing through the The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films which is also a great read, esp. the section on Raiders of the Lost Ark.