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Dewey Decimal Number: 791.430922 EAN: 9780375411281 Edition: 4 ISBN: 0375411283 Label: Knopf Manufacturer: Knopf Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 976 Publication Date: October 08, 2002 Publisher: Knopf Release Date: October 08, 2002 Studio: Knopf Editorial Review: Product Description: For twenty-five years, David Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Film has been not merely “the finest reference book ever written about movies” (Graham Fuller, Interview), not merely the “desert island book” of art critic David Sylvester, not merely “a great, crazy masterpiece” (Geoff Dyer, The Guardian), but also “fiendishly seductive” (Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone). Now it returns, with its old entries updated and 300 new ones—from Luc Besson to Reese Witherspoon—making more than 1300 in all, some of them just a pungent paragraph, some of them several thousand words long. In addition to the new “musts,” Thomson has added key figures from film history—lively anatomies of Graham Greene, Eddie Cantor, Pauline Kael, Abbott and Costello, Noël Coward, Hoagy Carmichael, Dorothy Gish, Rin Tin Tin, and more. Here is a great, rare book, one that encompasses the chaos of art, entertainment, money, vulgarity, and nonsense that we call the movies. Personal, opinionated, funny, daring, provocative, and passionate, it is the one book that every filmmaker and film buff must own. Time Out named it one of the ten best books of the 1990s. Gavin Lambert recognized it as “a work of imagination in its own right.” Now better than ever—a masterwork by the man playwright David Hare called “the most stimulating and thoughtful film critic now writing.” Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The New Biographical Dictionary of FilmI love dipping into David Thomson's book every so often, maybe after watching a film or seeing a documentary on a certain actor or director. Whether I agree with him or not, I always find these mini essays interesting. There are wonderful pieces on Jean Renoir, Jean Vigo, F.W. Murnau, Jeanne Moreau, the great Yasujiro Ozu, and a host of others. Sure there are a few eyebrow raisers: Angie Dickinson his favorite actress? Well, to each his own, but what's with the dismissive Wes Anderson entry or ... Read More Rating:  - The Big Book of FilmThomson writes the mini-essay like no one else. This book has info aplenty, but more than that it finds resonance in the most unexpected places. Try the entries on Rin-Tin-Tin, or the Lumiere Brothers. Some pieces tend more toward the length of full essay-portraits, but these too are surprises. The longest (I think) is Graham Green, which shows the intersection of life, film, lterature and art (a place full of fascinating wreckage). And where else would Sharon Stone's entry get merged with the one ... Read More Rating:  - Opinionated, overwrought, self-important.There is much ado about nothing in a good part of this book. Thomson has a habit of vast illuminations of celebrities that nobody has ever heard of, while ignoring many acknowledged and well regarded stars, especially the American ones. I bought his first book, which though well written, annoyed me in its cynical certainties, voiced by an author who apparently thinks he is an absolute genius and among the most sagacious critics. I bought his second edition of the same book, hoping that he would include ... Read More Rating:  - IT MAKES SO ME MAD!To his credit Mr.Thomson loves motion pictures,it is his opinions that drive me crazy,especially in regards to legendary director John Ford,who was certainly a very complex character.He regards Ford as a reactionary Irish sentimentalist who gloried in war.and drunken violence.I agee,somewhat,in his writings on "Fort Apache",where Wayne lets the legend of Thurday stand(in actuality Thurday was a madman and not a hero) but I could be argued that Ford is showing that the militiary is corrupt(Ford in interviews ... Read More Rating: - For Movie BuffsI recommend this book for all serious movie fans. It's a great reference containing brief biographies and film credits of most of the notable actors, directors, and producers from the silent era to the present. It also includes critical commentary on the people and films mentioned. Unlike most reference works, this book is by no means dry or "safe" in its comments. It reflects a distinct point of view, which the reader may not share in several cases -- but that adds to the interest. Reading it is almost ... Read More |
