By Tommy Pearson
Tim Walker, in the British newspaper The Independent yesterday, chose his 'Ten Best Film Books' - a comprehensive and right-on collection of titles that covered a huge range of subjects within the genre.
Not sure any of them would make my top ten, but that's lists for you. At No.4 is Steve Martin's brilliant and fascinating 'Born Standing Up', which zips along. The 'Projections' series - interviews with industry folk - makes it to number 3, quite right too, although I often find the collections exhausting; no more so than the latest which focuses on European film. I assume Walker included the 'Tarkovsky' book in order to look sophisticated and knowledgeable. At No.1 was David Mamet's bitter attack on the film industry, and Hollywood in particular, in 'Bambi vs Godzilla' which I enjoyed very much, although the constant finger-jabbing at dumb-arsed studio executives got a bit tiring.
I spend most of my time reading or dipping into film books and at the moment, as I prepare for a major documentary on music in Hollywood with an American production company, I'm devouring as many as I can. But there are some books that I keep returning to for reference or sheer entertainment. So here's my list of 5 favourites - at least at the moment - that continue to give me great pleasure and endless information. I've also listed them in the Amazon panel on the right, if you want to buy them.
Hollywood Rhapsody : The Story of Movie Music 1900-1975
Gary Marmorstein
OK, lets start with the obvious one. There are many books about film music available and nearly all of them are outstandingly dull and worthy, often written by university professors or students writing dissertations. But in Hollywood Rhapsody, Marmorstein writes with energy, wit and skill and produces the most readable and fascinating history of film music there has ever been. Packed with anecdote and information, this is a profile of a developing city and industry through the musicians that flocked to Hollywood and the stories behind the movies. British buyers might find it difficult to track down in shops, but Amazon is there to help!
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
David Thomson
This is a classic reference, lauded by everyone, and I include it here simply because I am forever using it. Dipping in to it is dangerous as I often find an hour has passed while I flick from entry to entry. The opinionated biogs from one of films' finest writers are stunning; I love it when Thomson clearly doesn't rate the output of a film-maker but tries to be reasonable (see entry for director Richard Donner). Every lover of film should have this book on the shelf.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Peter Biskind
Another classic. Biskind storms through the 1970s and the major players in movies; especially Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas, Ashby, Coppola and Friedkin. The salacious stories drip off the page and you don't really care whether they're true or not. But for a sharp and delicious evocation of a stunning period in film-making, you can't get much better.
Time Out Film Guide
I have to include a film guide. I get the Time Out guide every year for Christmas and cannot do without it. The web, of course, has more ready and enhanced information but nothing beats flicking through a film guide and the Time Out version is joyously opinionated, often infuriatingly trendy (it doesn't like Star Trek and never will) but covers many films that you won't find in any other guide, particularly independent weirdo stuff, and recent editions have featured superb articles too. And this year's edition has a picture of Penelope Cruz on the cover. What's not to like?
What Just Happened?
Art Linson
Linson is a producer of movies like Heat, The Untouchables, The Edge and Fight Club - so he knows what he's talking about. What Just Happened? is his lid-opening take on Hollywood and, especially, dealing with studio executives in the morning and touchy creative types (De Niro and David Mamet particularly) in the afternoon. It's bloody hilarious and extremely instructive for any wannabe film producers. Apparently, Linson has just made the film of his book so everything's come full circle.
So come on then, what are you favourites?
[This entry also appears on Tommy Pearson's daily blog site, One More Take]
Tim Walker, in the British newspaper The Independent yesterday, chose his 'Ten Best Film Books' - a comprehensive and right-on collection of titles that covered a huge range of subjects within the genre.
Not sure any of them would make my top ten, but that's lists for you. At No.4 is Steve Martin's brilliant and fascinating 'Born Standing Up', which zips along. The 'Projections' series - interviews with industry folk - makes it to number 3, quite right too, although I often find the collections exhausting; no more so than the latest which focuses on European film. I assume Walker included the 'Tarkovsky' book in order to look sophisticated and knowledgeable. At No.1 was David Mamet's bitter attack on the film industry, and Hollywood in particular, in 'Bambi vs Godzilla' which I enjoyed very much, although the constant finger-jabbing at dumb-arsed studio executives got a bit tiring.
I spend most of my time reading or dipping into film books and at the moment, as I prepare for a major documentary on music in Hollywood with an American production company, I'm devouring as many as I can. But there are some books that I keep returning to for reference or sheer entertainment. So here's my list of 5 favourites - at least at the moment - that continue to give me great pleasure and endless information. I've also listed them in the Amazon panel on the right, if you want to buy them.
Hollywood Rhapsody : The Story of Movie Music 1900-1975
Gary Marmorstein
OK, lets start with the obvious one. There are many books about film music available and nearly all of them are outstandingly dull and worthy, often written by university professors or students writing dissertations. But in Hollywood Rhapsody, Marmorstein writes with energy, wit and skill and produces the most readable and fascinating history of film music there has ever been. Packed with anecdote and information, this is a profile of a developing city and industry through the musicians that flocked to Hollywood and the stories behind the movies. British buyers might find it difficult to track down in shops, but Amazon is there to help!
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
David Thomson
This is a classic reference, lauded by everyone, and I include it here simply because I am forever using it. Dipping in to it is dangerous as I often find an hour has passed while I flick from entry to entry. The opinionated biogs from one of films' finest writers are stunning; I love it when Thomson clearly doesn't rate the output of a film-maker but tries to be reasonable (see entry for director Richard Donner). Every lover of film should have this book on the shelf.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Peter Biskind
Another classic. Biskind storms through the 1970s and the major players in movies; especially Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas, Ashby, Coppola and Friedkin. The salacious stories drip off the page and you don't really care whether they're true or not. But for a sharp and delicious evocation of a stunning period in film-making, you can't get much better.
Time Out Film Guide
I have to include a film guide. I get the Time Out guide every year for Christmas and cannot do without it. The web, of course, has more ready and enhanced information but nothing beats flicking through a film guide and the Time Out version is joyously opinionated, often infuriatingly trendy (it doesn't like Star Trek and never will) but covers many films that you won't find in any other guide, particularly independent weirdo stuff, and recent editions have featured superb articles too. And this year's edition has a picture of Penelope Cruz on the cover. What's not to like?
What Just Happened?
Art Linson
Linson is a producer of movies like Heat, The Untouchables, The Edge and Fight Club - so he knows what he's talking about. What Just Happened? is his lid-opening take on Hollywood and, especially, dealing with studio executives in the morning and touchy creative types (De Niro and David Mamet particularly) in the afternoon. It's bloody hilarious and extremely instructive for any wannabe film producers. Apparently, Linson has just made the film of his book so everything's come full circle.
So come on then, what are you favourites?
[This entry also appears on Tommy Pearson's daily blog site, One More Take]