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Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 19th, 2010, 8:27 am
by ChiO
The biggest surprise in the Sight & Sound poll for me was that The Parade's Gone By was not the top choice and that it wasn't even in the Top 5.
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 19th, 2010, 9:20 am
by Ann Harding
ChiO wrote:The biggest surprise in the Sight & Sound poll for me was that The Parade's Gone By was not the top choice and that it wasn't even in the Top 5.
Well, that doesn't surprise me that much actually. Most modern film critics are pretty ignorant regarding silents. I don't know about the US, but over here, the big and famous film writers/historians are not knowledgeable for films made before 1930 whether French or American.
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 19th, 2010, 11:39 am
by feaito
Romantic Comedy in Hollywood by James Harvey. The best study of comedies I have ever read, beautifully written.
I concur Christine, a great book indeed!
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 19th, 2010, 11:53 am
by ChiO
Christine wrote:
I don't know about the US, but over here, the big and famous film writers/historians are not knowledgeable for films made before 1930 whether French or American.
My sense is that that is true for the US as well, which is one reason I thought it would make the list. As the best-known book about the silent era, I assumed that it would be the reference book most critics have and rely upon to fill in that gap.
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 1:11 pm
by Sue Sue Applegate
Dear kingrat , I am so glad you enjoyed the Lee Server book, Ava Gardner, Love is Nothing, after my recommendation at the TCM festival. It is a great summer read, and hard to put down once you've read a couple of paragraphs.
The Mick LaSalle book about women and the precode era is also engrossing, and I enjoyed the documentary related
to its release hosted by Jane Fonda. Torch Singer is one of my favorite precodes, along with The Smiling Lieutenant,
Design For Living, and Baby Face.
I am currently hunting up copies of those Jeanine Basinger tomes you just mentioned.
Chio, feaito, Ann Harding--I hope to read the James Harvey book, too.
Thanks for the info!
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 1:48 pm
by feaito
Happy to see you around Christy!
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 2:25 pm
by MissGoddess
For what it may be worth, I've read the James Harvey book (it was several years ago but I learned A LOT from it), as well as Truffaut's book on Hitch, and Sin in Soft Focus. I don't have the Who The Devil Made It books, though I've read many of the interviews seperately. I want to get that one for my collection one day. I can't say I found any of these "inspirational"....I'm still thinking about that one. I probably shouldn't mention Marilyn Monroe's My Story in such august company... 
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 4:33 pm
by charliechaplinfan
Why not mention Marilyn's My Story if it's a book you've enjoyed. i just like to talk about books.
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 6:33 pm
by MissGoddess
Thanks, ccfan. I admit my tastes aren't necessarily intellectual and such books can often make my brain hurt.
Marilyn's little book was a nice antidote (even though it's mostly ghost written by Ben Hecht, a mucho intellectual...have
you ever read HIS doorstop...I mean biography, Child of the Century? I think I could have used a bottle of bicarb
after I finished it! I was only about 20 at the time. I think I had more patience for big reading then.)
Re: The Five Most Inspirational Books About Film
Posted: July 22nd, 2010, 11:49 am
by charliechaplinfan
Oh me too. I could devour great tomes but now it's different. I love Kevin Brownlow's books, I recognise that they are the very best written about film but they're the kind of books I have to take on holiday with me and get my brain in gear before tackling them.
In some ways I think the best books are the ones that stay with you after you've read them.