Film book recommendations

[cinéaste25]

Hi. Does anyone have any film book recommendations? You know, books about movies, or on filmmaking and directing in general. I want to expand my knowledge of the film industry and its history. I recently picked up Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind, On Directing Film by David Mamet, Hitchcock/Truffaut by Francois Truffaut, and Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris. But, I'm a pretty voracious reader and will need some more books to read soon. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I didn't think it would hurt. Thank you all in advance for any help you can provide!

[grape_jelly]

On film...

Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-luc Godard by Richard Brody
Shock Value by John Waters
Woody Allen: A Retrospective by Tom Shone
Woody Allen: A Biography by Eric Lax
Understanding Movies by Louis Gianetti
The Academy Awards: A Pictorial History by Paul Michael
Motion Pictures: The Develoipment of an Art by A.R. Fulton
The Sundance Kids by James Mottram
Tough Sh*t by Kevin Smith
So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films by Troy Howarth
The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror by David J Skal

On filmmaking...

Story by Robert McKee
Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder
From Reel to Deal by Dov Simens
Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
What They Don't Teach You at Film School by Camille Landau
Movie Speak: How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set by Tony Bill

[cinéaste25]

Originally Posted by grape_jelly

On film...

Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-luc Godard by Richard Brody
Shock Value by John Waters
Woody Allen: A Retrospective by Tom Shone
Woody Allen: A Biography by Eric Lax
Understanding Movies by Louis Gianetti
The Academy Awards: A Pictorial History by Paul Michael
Motion Pictures: The Develoipment of an Art by A.R. Fulton
The Sundance Kids by James Mottram
Tough Sh*t by Kevin Smith

On filmmaking...

Story by Robert McKee
Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder
From Reel to Deal by Dov Simens
Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
What They Don't Teach You at Film School by Camille Landau
Movie Speak: How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set by Tony Bill

Wow! Thank you very much.

Which of these books would you recommend that I read first?

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by cinéaste25

Hi. Does anyone have any film book recommendations? You know, books about movies, or on filmmaking and directing in general. I want to expand my knowledge of the film industry and its history. I recently picked up Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind, On Directing Film by David Mamet, Hitchcock/Truffaut by Francois Truffaut, and Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris. But, I'm a pretty voracious reader and will need some more books to read soon. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I didn't think it would hurt. Thank you all in advance for any help you can provide!

If you enjoy Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, you will probably like Down And Dirty Pictures by the same author. It covers the era from when the Sundance Film Festival rose to prominence ("sex, lies and videotape") to when Miramax Films became "the face of independent filmmaking" in the '90s.

The Kid Stays In The Picture by Robert Evans is a very fascinating read. It's a good book to read when you're going through a hard time, because that guy's talent for self-destruction and subsequent reinvention is rarely equaled.

Another book I really enjoyed was You're Only As Good As Your Next One by Mike Medavoy. Between being a part of the "UA Five" that left United Artists to form Orion Pictures, and then later going on to run TriStar Pictures in the early '90s and later still to form Phoenix Pictures, he's seen and done a lot in Hollywood over the last 40 years.

[grape_jelly]

Originally Posted by cinéaste25

Wow! Thank you very much.

Which of these books would you recommend that I read first?

It all depends on what you're interested in. Robert McKee's Story is practically regarded as the screenwriting bible (I prefer Save the Cat! personally), Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without A Crew is probably the most interesting of the bunch and a very personal story. Shock Value and Tough Sh*t are both pretty fun too. I also really enjoyed The Monster Show since I'm a horror buff (I added it to my list after you quoted me lol), and found it super informative.

But if you're looking for pure academia, then Understanding Movies, Motion Pictures, and that Academy Awards history book are all great resources. Same goes for the Godard book and Woody Allen retrospective.

[grape_jelly]

One that I totally forgot that is much more recent is Patton Oswalt's Silver Screen Fiend.



Not necessarily on the subject of film, but it's Patton reminiscing about an era where he was quite literally addicted to going to the theater every single night, multiple shows a day, with hopes of one day becoming a director as he simultaneously pursued his comedy career. I loved every word of it, I had no idea the dude was such a film buff.

Which reminds me of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which is just sort of a fun compilation of highly regarded classics from the inception of film until like 2014 (I believe). It even has a check list at the beginning for you to track how many of the listed films you've seen. So far I'm at 193.



Heh, I've been waiting for a thread like this. I can't wait to see what other people suggest.

[tob]

[Eagles612]

Taschen has a lot on film, but they're more collectable/pricey and idk if that's what you're looking for. On filmmaking in general I say the best route to go is to look at ones written by actual filmmakers. Sidney Lumet and Ingmar Bergman both have ones that should be pretty cheap on amazon. If you have no luck on here you can always do a quick search on amazon, barnes and noble or google and see what have the best reviews.

[cinéaste25]

Originally Posted by grape_jelly

One that I totally forgot that is much more recent is Patton Oswalt's Silver Screen Fiend.



Not necessarily on the subject of film, but it's Patton reminiscing about an era where he was quite literally addicted to going to the theater every single night, multiple shows a day, with hopes of one day becoming a director as he simultaneously pursued his comedy career. I loved every word of it, I had no idea the dude was such a film buff.

Which reminds me of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which is just sort of a fun compilation of highly regarded classics from the inception of film until like 2014 (I believe). It even has a check list at the beginning for you to track how many of the listed films you've seen. So far I'm at 193.



Heh, I've been waiting for a thread like this. I can't wait to see what other people suggest.

Well, the Patton Oswalt book sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.

I'm familiar with the 1001 series, and don't really consider them as anything more than coffee table books.

Originally Posted by Eagles612

Taschen has a lot on film, but they're more collectable/pricey and idk if that's what you're looking for. On filmmaking in general I say the best route to go is to look at ones written by actual filmmakers. Sidney Lumet and Ingmar Bergman both have ones that should be pretty cheap on amazon. If you have no luck on here you can always do a quick search on amazon, barnes and noble or google and see what have the best reviews.

OMG!

Why are Taschen's books so expensive? I'm not familiar with the company. GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali is $6,000?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Eagles612

On filmmaking in general I say the best route to go is to look at ones written by actual filmmakers. Sidney Lumet and Ingmar Bergman both have ones that should be pretty cheap on amazon.

I have very bad luck with books about film or filmmaking. I start them, I put them down, I try again, sometimes I get into it but generally not.

I devoured Sidney Lumet's book.

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Movies.../dp/0679756604

Its a fascinating look at the entire process from selecting a script all the way to the final print and release. It's not a dry how-to, it's more of a narrative 'each of these steps is what goes into making a movie and this is what goes into each of these steps'.

And his selection of anecdotes is really great. He never just drops names, there's always a point and it's usually pretty insightful.

[grape_jelly]

Originally Posted by cinéaste25

Well, the Patton Oswalt book sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.

If that's the case, that would likely be the one I'd recommend most. It's a pleasantly humorous, brief read. Perfect for the summer!

[KubrickKurasawa]

BFI Film Classics

[cinéaste25]

Originally Posted by octagon

I have very bad luck with books about film or filmmaking. I start them, I put them down, I try again, sometimes I get into it but generally not.

I devoured Sidney Lumet's book.

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Movies.../dp/0679756604

Its a fascinating look at the entire process from selecting a script all the way to the final print and release. It's not a dry how-to, it's more of a narrative 'each of these steps is what goes into making a movie and this is what goes into each of these steps'.

And his selection of anecdotes is really great. He never just drops names, there's always a point and it's usually pretty insightful.

Yes, I've seen his book mentioned several times while searching for titles. It was only $11.13 on Amazon.com, so I ordered it!

Originally Posted by grape_jelly

If that's the case, that would likely be the one I'd recommend most. It's a pleasantly humorous, brief read. Perfect for the summer!

I ordered it on Amazon.com, along with Sidney Lumet's book and the Straight Outta Compton Blu-ray.

[cinéaste25]

Originally Posted by KubrickKurasawa

BFI Film Classics

I read Sight & Sound on occasion, mostly just for their end of year lists.

But, I was not aware that they had a book series. Cool.

[dissention]

Some of my favorites:

You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again by Julia Phillips

Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris (you picked a good one)

The Devil's Candy by Julie Salamon

Hit and Run by Nancy Griffin

Final Cut: Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven's Gate, the Film that Sank United Artists by Steven Bach

Nicole Kidman by David Thomson (one of the most insane things you'll ever read, trust me)

Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema by John Pierson

Anything written by Pauline Kael, but For Keeps is a great place to start. The Kael bio A Life in the Dark by Brian Kellow is also superb.

Nobody's Perfect by Anthony Lane

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

Monster: Living Off the Big Screen by John Gregory Dunne

[grape_jelly]

Originally Posted by dissention

Some of my favorites:

You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again by Julia Phillips

Final Cut: Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven's Gate, the Film that Sank United Artists by Steven Bach

Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema by John Pierson

I've heard wonderful things about these three, especially the bolded. I'll definitely be adding them to my wishlist if anyone wants to treat me.

[Eagles612]

Originally Posted by cinéaste25

OMG!

Why are Taschen's books so expensive? I'm not familiar with the company. GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali is $6,000?

At this point I think it all comes down to Taschen's reputation,collectability and they're limited. And I'm assuming you looked on their website. You're better off searching on amazon, b+n, googe, etc. for much better prices. I don't think they have books on actual filmmaking but they do have some interesting ones on different periods, genres, individual films, actors, directors, etc.

Edit: and when it comes to film (and I'm sure the other types of books taschen makes), I'm sure there are plenty out there that would pay the outrageous prices for books on Taxi Driver, Godfather, 2001, etc.

[aiman04]

The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film by J.W. Rinzler

One of the most comprehensive book about making a film, not just for the fans.

[cinéaste25]

Originally Posted by aiman04

The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film by J.W. Rinzler

One of the most comprehensive book about making a film, not just for the fans.

I'll have to add that one to my wishlist, it's nearly $60.

[cinéaste25]

Originally Posted by Eagles612

At this point I think it all comes down to Taschen's reputation,collectability and they're limited. And I'm assuming you looked on their website. You're better off searching on amazon, b+n, googe, etc. for much better prices. I don't think they have books on actual filmmaking but they do have some interesting ones on different periods, genres, individual films, actors, directors, etc.

Edit: and when it comes to film (and I'm sure the other types of books taschen makes), I'm sure there are plenty out there that would pay the outrageous prices for books on Taxi Driver, Godfather, 2001, etc.

Yes, I looked on their website. I will try perusing Amazon.com and the like later. But, yeah, I'm sure there are some insane collectors or wealthy people who wouldn't mind dropping $6,000 on a book. Their website showed President Obama with a copy of the Muhammad Ali book.