Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford

Amazon.com

Borrowing his title from dialogue in John Ford's classic Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ("When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"), Scott Eyman heeds this advice in his splendid study of Ford, finding a convincing balance between the gruff image Ford cultivated and the sensitive artist that Ford truly was. The result is a to-date definitive biography, occasionally prone to indelicate critical assessment while benefiting greatly from Eyman's full access to the Ford family archives. Arguably the greatest American filmmaker of the 20th century, Ford protected himself with a façade of belligerence yet engendered more loyalty among his crew and stock players (notably John Wayne and Ward Bond) than any other director. Eyman illuminates the Ford legend while focusing on fact--on a complex genius who would berate even the most vulnerable actor and then "apologize without apologizing," a binge drinker who never let alcohol interfere with his closely-guarded artistry, and a stalwart Navy captain whose service in World War II became his primary source of pride.

Print the Legend essentially confirms Ford's brief affair with Katharine Hepburn, but Eyman emphasizes Ford's deep, abiding affection for his wife, Mary, who valiantly tolerated his absolute devotion to filmmaking. While hundreds of interviews yield a comprehensive account of Ford's working methods (which the director was loathe to discuss), Eyman expertly navigates around Ford's own penchant for autobiographical embellishment. What emerges is likely to remain the most thorough portrait of a cinematic master who recognized his own greatness without parading it, and whose human flaws were ultimately forgivable by those--and they were many--who loved him. Readers should look elsewhere for more astute studies of Ford's films, but Eyman has captured Ford the man with lasting authority. -- Jeff Shannon

Book Description

Brilliant, stubborn, witty, rebellious, irascible, and contradictory, John Ford remains an enduring symbol of Hollywood's Golden Age and one of its most respected directors. Through a career that spanned decades and 140 films -- among them such American masterpieces as The Searchers, The Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance -- John Ford left a cinematic legacy that few filmmakers will ever equal. Yet Ford himself was famously reticent about his personal life, often fabricating details and events. In this definitive look at the life and career of one of America's greatest directors, Scott Eyman offers a remarkable portrait of the man behind the legend that reveals how a saloon keeper's son from Maine helped to shape Hollywood's idea of America.

Customer Reviews:

The movies were different.......2006-05-14

Many books were written about Jonh Ford.
All of them tell the story and the profile of the man.
But John Ford was more than that.
His life is the beginning, but the book doesn?t take it as a experience or example for his films.
The exploration is a long trip in this book.
The readers are going to find the artist who control
everything around and his mind to think faster than others.
He made no more than one take, sometimes to have completely control about the film, not suffering the torture of the film process and the editing.
It?s a strange story about the man who won four Academy Awards?
for Best Directing but he never won an Oscar for one of his western films.
The book explores how he created the images and how he felt involved in those stories so different from cowboys, horses and
shots: 'The grapes of Wrath', 'How green was my valley', 'The informer' and 'The quiet man'.
His camera was different in all these ones.
But finally you can see the horizon, the actor,
the music and the ending.
It is a film directed by John Ford.
Thanks to him, the movies were different in style.
He had the conception of an artist.

John Ford: From Maine to the Movies to Cinematic Glory!.......2005-05-16

Scott Eyman has written an outstanding book on John Ford! Ford
was the second generation son of an Irish bartender from Portland Maine who followed his brother Frank to Hollywood.
In over 130 films from such silent classics as Iron Horse to
his four Oscars for best director: The Informer; How Green Was My
Valley; the Grapes of Wrath and The Quiet Man Ford chronicles
the life of ordinary people living in extraordinary circumstances.
Ford made Westerns better than anyone as witness his classic
cavalry trilogy: Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon; Rio Grande and the peerless The Searchers.
John Ford was a bristling porcupine guy who could dish out insults, reduce strong actors to tears and cover his sensitive,
melancholic, brooding intellectual Irish soul with a veneer of
toughness and macho maleness.
Ford was a complex man isolated and in conflict with famly who made great films for over 50 years in the Hollywood jungle.
He was an admiral who loved the military serving with distinction in World War II.
You may not like Ford after reading this fine book but you will be in awe of one of Hollywood's giants.
Eyman gives a sketch of each of Ford's top films and charts the choppy waters of his long marriage to wife Mary and the difficult relationship he had with his daugher and son.
John Ford will always ride tall in the saddle of Film History
as we travel with him to Monument Valley, meet such Ford stars
as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara and the other excellent actors in the Ford acting troupe.
Anyone claiming to be knowledgable about film who does not know about John Ford (1894-1973 should read this fine biograhy.
Readers may also wish to peruse Joseph McBride's lengthy biograpy of Ford "In Search of John Ford." Both books are well
done.

Biography that's a page turner!`.......2004-11-16

Having read a fair number of biographies in my time, in subjects from Science to American and military history, this book is as fine a work as I've seen. It is quite probably the best work of its kind on John Ford and pulls few punches when presenting the dark side of this complex man's character.

Genius often goes hand-in-hand with madness, and the odd juxtapositions of cruelty and sensitivity, visciousness and generosity within in the same man leaves it difficult for the reader to like him, much less understand the deep love so many of his peers and actors had for him.

The vast limits of his brilliance as a film maker are far clearer to me now and the more so since reading other works on the man's work and times ("Tis Herself" by Maureen O'Hara and "John Ford, the Man and his Films" by Tag Gallagher, to name two).

I am a recent "student" of film after years in other pursuits, and I have always considered Ford's pictures to be the best of the best, among which are "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Quiet Man" and "The Searchers".

It is apparently popular for current budding directors to attempt to attempt to emulate the work of the current crops of popular directors (generally those of the preceding five years or so) without paying sufficient attention to the classics; perhaps even trying to ride their stylistic coattails to success.

I believe that in order to be successful in any discipline, it is imperative to study closely the great works of past generations, just as most successful musicians should have a background in classical music.

I can recommend this work unreservedly both to the casual film fan (it's a damned good read!) and to the serious film student.

Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford.......2003-06-27

I've read other books on this great Hollywood director, and while I can't comment on their relative accuracy, I can say that Eyman's book is the most readable I've found. He writes with a wonderfully fluid style, finds exactly the right balance between enough detail and too much, and mixes in some penetrating observations about the films and their style. He really captures that curious paradox of how artistic genius and personality disturbance can coexist within the same mind.

Comprehensive almost to a fault..........2002-08-22

Unless you are old like me and remember many John Ford movies from their original 50's release dates, or you have a semi-professional interest in film directing, this book offers more than one needs to know about a complex, often unlikeable, sometimes generous, routinely selfish genius. It isn't just a bio of John Ford, respected director with a 40-year career...it also functions as a partial history of movie-making itself, since Ford began before 1920, when films were silent, and ended up in the mid-60's, when wide screens, technicolor, blatant sex and violence and changes in how movies were financed stranded him in a very different professional atmosphere. To a person with a more casual interest in Ford and his films, like me, the book had many surprises. Ford was cruel on the set to many actors whom he befriended away from the cameras, John Wayne and Hank Fonda included. Ford was a binge drinker, and kept his sprees separate from his duties until the mid-1950's, rather late in his progressive alcoholism. Ford was capable of great kindness, generosity and loyalty, but also held grudges for decades. He was not only personally brave in World War II while filming the real battle of Midway, he was tuned in enough to have joined the Navy and prepared for documenting the war on film a full year before Pearl Harbor. He also showed courage in standing up to the Communist witch-hunts in the early 50's. He was sometimes a liberal Democrat, sometimes a conservative Republican. His final decade was full of illness and idleness and loneliness and undoubtedly some bitterness. If you are a lover of "American" movies, John Ford's story will be essential for you. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'll ever need to read it a second time, or keep the book in my personal collection.

Film Posters of the Russian Avant-Garde (Jumbo)

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With art this grand, maybe communism wasn't such a bad idea
Fun and informative
A superlative survey of pre-Communist Russian graphics.

Film Posters of the Russian Avant-Garde (Jumbo)
Susan Pack
Manufacturer: Benedikt Taschen Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3822889288

Customer Reviews:

With art this grand, maybe communism wasn't such a bad idea.......2006-08-18

If you're a graphic designer, you only need browse this excellent book for a moment or two to realize that Russian artists in the 1920's and 30's knew more about how to make a great poster than any American has ever known before or since.

Every poster designer and film buff loves American designer Saul Bass and I'm no exception, but Bass borrowed a lot from these early Russian designers like Rodchenko, and its no wonder--they were an incredible wellspring of creativity. Open any single page in this collection and you'll find a hundred great ideas regarding use of color, perspective, and mixing photography with illustration. Every designer should have this book at hand for reference. Unfortunately many of these early films have been lost or destroyed over time, but one wonders if the best part hasn't been saved--these glorious posters. I can't say enough good things about this book.

Fun and informative.......2001-12-04

I'm not a collector of Russian/Soviet film posters, so all the liner notes could be complete bullocks, but the book is brilliantly large and appears to really want to give the straight story (for instance it gives the title that the artists gave the posters not the movie title associated w/ it). I've only seen a few of the movies it covers so I bought it solely for the art. If you're a fan of the clean Bauhaus style this book is for you.

A superlative survey of pre-Communist Russian graphics........1998-07-14

Susan Pack's overview of the Russian avant-garde film poster, is a visual delight, and a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in graphic design. This book is a handsome collection of pre-Communist posters from such notable graphic artists as the Stenberg brothers, and Alexander Rodchenko, as well as many other lesser known, yet talented artisans. Anyone familiar with Russian graphics of this period are in for a treat, and those seeing them for the first time will soon become addicted to their graphic impact, and innovative type treatments. A friend I've shown it to has warned me to keep an eye on it, lest it mysteriously disappear!

The book is written to address audiences in English, German, and French.

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Good Enough

Don't Bother Unless ...

Unreadable!

You Know My Name - The World Of James Bond, 007, In Film And Print
Cristopher DeRose
Manufacturer: Men's Hour Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

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James Bond Encyclopedia

James Bond: The Phoenix Project: The Phoenix Project (James Bond 007)

The Battle for Bond: The Genesis of Cinema's Greatest Hero

INDIANA JONES AND JAMES BOND Action Figures book

The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book

ASIN: 0975430009
Release Date: 2006-12-07

Product Description

Who was the first to play James Bond? The answer is not Sean Connery in Dr. No as you'd think. Who were the others in the Double O section and what happened to them? The answer to these and many other questions is to be found in You Know My Name -- The World Of James Bond, 007, In Film And Print. In this first-ever definitive guide to the books and films, author Cristopher DeRose gathers in one place everything you ever wanted to know about that 20th-century icon, James Bond. It includes a Bond biography, as well as that notorious martini recipe. Far more than a trivia book, You Know My Name delves deep into the books and movies themselves to find the backstories and Hollywood politics that created the mythology of the spy and the genre we know today. The reader discovers why some movies are similar to the books and some aren't, and what little-known short stories by Ian Fleming found their way to the screen. You learn how it all came together, and watch James Bond evolve while feeling like you ve got an Eyes Only security authorization. The detailed filmography is a topnotch reference (including "Casino Royale" (2006)). It s got the names of all the good guys, the bad guys, and the actors who played them. It's got all the songs and performers listed, not just the theme music. This is a book not to be missed by Bond fans, or anyone who knows the meaning of the number 007.

Customer Reviews:

Good Enough .......2007-10-19

While not as comprehensive a work as The Bedside Companion or The Bond Files, this provides a quicker read, which can be a strength when it comes to books like these. He has an affection for the character of Bond, and explains it well. This seems to be missing in other books of this type.
The author doesn't pull any punches when the works of Fleming stop being wonderful spy stories and become travelogues. The films are reviewed with a heavier hand than I felt was needed, especially when DeRose doesn't like one; Moonraker is a good example. His addition of a profile of authors is welcome, but I would've liked to have seen a little more depth to the music reviews.
As with any popular franchise, there is a glut of books about them. This one may have missed the boat. One or two books should be enough to round out a franchise, and The Bedside Companion and The Bond Files are hard to beat.
I would also like to say I have been on the publisher's website, and can say that this was not self-published, as another reader reported.
All in all, it's not bad, but it's under a huge shadow.

Don't Bother Unless ..........2007-10-11

Don't bother with this unless your an absolute compleatist who must have everything ever written about Bond. Possibly useful to the non-fan who needs a simple, comprehensive reference guide to the books and films. However, there are far superior books in the same vein at similar price points. Clearly self-published.

Unreadable!.......2007-06-20

I resent being asked to pay $19.95 for what is obviously a first draft that has never been proofread, let alone properly edited.

There are typographical errors throughout, and childish mistakes of grammar and syntax on virtually every page. By no stretch of the imagination was it ready for publication. If someone had taken a blue pencil to the manuscript, there would be precious little left to print without massive rewriting.

The sub-literate author has not even the vaguest idea about what constitutes a sentence. Some sentences are incomplete, representing unfinished thoughts, while others start off in one direction then veer off into an unrelated avenue. Subject and object rarely agree. The author has an annoying habit of using the word "none" when "not" is called for, e.g., "Bond was none surprised when..." Why would someone who couldn't stay awake in high school English classes think he was capable of writing a book?

If you can find your way through DeRose's atrocious writing, it might be that he has some interesting opinions about the subject matter. The book has the advantage over similar works in that it covers not only the Fleming novels and stories and the films, but all of the output of the other writers (Amis, Gardner, Benson) who have continued the James Bond oeuvre. But half the time you have to guess at the author's meaning because he expresses himself so badly.

I doubt this book was shown to one of the writer's pals before publication, let alone to a competent editor. I doubt that he took the time to read it over himself. If he did and thought it was acceptable, he has no business trying to write for publication.

A competent editor might have made something out of it, but the result would be something very different than this. Shame on the publisher who foisted this abomination on an unsuspecting public.

I don't expect every writer to be Shakespeare, but this is really beyond the pale. I've never seen worse.

Absolutely shockingly awful.

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A Trip Down Memory Lane!
The decade I wish I was old enough to remember

PEOPLE Celebrates the 70s
Editors of PEOPLE Magazine
Manufacturer: People Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883013992

Book Description

A lively, affectionate salute to an over-the-top decade.

Customer Reviews:

A Trip Down Memory Lane!.......2007-10-08

Egads! Where does the time go?? As a baby boomer, I experienced the 70's but didn't realize it was sooo long ago til looking at the photos in this book which are delightful and enjoyable. It's a very interesting decade that not only included Cher and Charlie's Angels but Kent State, the fall of Saigon and Three Mile Island. The writing is typical People magazine style; i.e. not in-depth coverage but does gives an overall view of the 70's.

The decade I wish I was old enough to remember.......2001-03-06

The fall of Vietnam, the disgrace and resignation of an American President, the rise of Disco and the Club Scene...these are the moments that categorize the 70's.

Having been launched in the same decade, what better magazine to chronicle these heady, heavy and hillarious times than People magazine.

Even though it has gotten a bum rap from historians reeling from Avacado overload and shag carpteting, it was also the decade which reminded us (via the women's liberation movement) that human rights could not exist without a fair and serious discussion of women's subordination and gender role conditioning, as well as the gay and lesbian movement's emergence into an equal player in the national civil rights coalition.

Although my 1979 birth meant I was too young to remember the 1970's, I am still facinated by this time period. America underwent it's bicentential at a time when various left wing movements were still close enough in the national conciousness to charge those celebrations with a feeling of working for improvement. Somehow, I don't think the nation would have been as introspective earlier.

Amazon.com

One film genre that only seems to get more popular over the years is film noir--the hard-bitten, cynical, murder-and-a-two-timing-dame yarns that Hollywood embraced in the 1940s and '50s. But even the biggest noir fans may not be aware of the incredible artwork involved in the films' original posters. L.A.-based film art buff Lawrence Bassoff has amassed a stunning collection, which has been lovingly compiled into this splendid coffee-table paperback. Included are posters and lobby cards--some extremely rare editions--for films like The Maltese Falcon, Out of the Past, and Double Indemnity. Interestingly, though nearly all the films were shot in severe black and white, many of the best posters--like one for Kiss of Death--are drenched in vivid, oversaturated, high-contrast color. Bassoff has also included price ranges for aspiring collectors; posters for the Dick Powell-Claire Trevor film of Raymond Chandler's Murder, My Sweet, for example, have fetched up to $1,800. Once you've sampled this outstanding collection, you may also want to check out Bassoff's other poster compilation, Errol Flynn: The Movie Posters. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Film Noir brought to life through colorful posters.......2004-10-09

This is an outstanding collection of film noir posters & is well-written. It starts out with an informative interview with the great director Robert Wise (Born to Kill, The Set-Up) & then has a brief section explaining exactly what film noir means. It has a great section on the antecedents of film noir: detective & crime novels, gangster films, German Expressionism, & Italian Neo-Realism. Next is my favorite part of the book: the "rogues gallery" of fifty film noir stars & their movie roles in the genre. I've turned to this section countless times when doing research, although I wonder why actors like Linda Darnell were included while well-known actors like Sterling Hayden (the Killing, the Asphalt Jungle, Naked Alibi) were left off. Finally, the book covers 36 famous film noirs & the posters of each movie. It includes the typical price range for the posters so this will be very helpful to collectors. Sadly this book has gone out-of-print but you should definitely look for a copy. It's a definite must-have for any serious film noir fan.

he's my cousin.......2002-11-16

he's my cousin, so of course i thought this book was good.

You can open the book, and look inside of it.......2000-04-17

there excactly 193 Movie posters and Lobby cards describe inside this book, you can open it in MOVIE POSTER@BOOK DATABASE to have more informations on it

Superb collection of film poster art.......1999-03-05

With the growth of interest in film posters and a subsequent similar growth in books on the subject, this book stands head and shoulders above most of the competition. Unlike similar books which are simply hodge-podge collections of poster images, Lawrence Bassoff has created a book that is nearly as much fun to read as it is to look at.Although lightweight on text, there is no padding in this book. The comments on the films themselves are incisive and knowing. By featuring posters from various countries, Bassoff allows the reader to see how different films have been sold in different countries. Part nostalgia trip, part reference work, part cinema graphics history and wholly entertaining, CRIME SCENES adds up to far more than the sum of its parts. After Bassoff's first book on the film posters for Errol Flynn films, CRIME SCENES can only make one wonder: what next from a such an obvious expert in the field? I loved it!

Interesting and Informative.......1999-02-24

A nice coffee-table book with gorgeous photographs of classic movie posters. The text gives succinct information about the movies advertised and the value of some of the posters profiled. Also, a run-down of classic film-noir stars is included.

Average customer rating:

Fun ancedotes written by Mr. Burns himself
A very funny book
Hilarious!!

100 Years, 100 Stories
George Burns
Manufacturer: Wheeler Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1568953267

Customer Reviews:

Fun ancedotes written by Mr. Burns himself.......2007-08-18

It seems that no matter what he writes about, from the introduction about getting older to his nurse readjusting his toupee, he does it so very well with humor. (I did not even know that he wore a toupee!)

These are really short one to two page stories of incidents that had occurred during his lifetime. It may or may not have you laughing out loud. It will at the very least, bring a smile to your face.

A very funny book.......2005-04-22

This came out almost the day Burns passed away. This is a very funny anecdotal review of George Burns' entire life -- many of the stories go back to his childhood. (His one-liner when the tough Irish kids in his neighborhood demanded to know if he was Catholic is priceless! Good thing he was a fast runner....)

He was a very funny guy, and the book reads as though you could bring him back for a day and hang out while he just sits and tells stories. A lot of fun -- too bad it seems to be out of print.

Hilarious!!.......1998-07-31

I bought this book with the intention of reading one or two stories a day. I couldn't put it down. I was laughing out loud and my children begged me to read them what was so funny. I would read them some and they enjoyed it as much as I did. What started out as a month or so of giggles turned into an afternoon of belly-laughs.

Bringing Up Baby (Rutgers Films in Print)

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Everything's Going to be All Right.....

Bringing Up Baby (Rutgers Films in Print)
Gerald Tracy
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813513413

Book Description

Bringing Up Baby (1938) is the essence of thirties screwball comedy. It is also quintessential Howard Hawks, treating many of the director's favorite themes, particularly the loving war between the sexes.

Customer Reviews:

Everything's Going to be All Right............2001-03-20

To start off, i happen to be OBSSESSED with Bringing Up Baby. I have the movie at least one hundred times, and can quote the entire script. So, you can imagine how thrilled i was, while browsing the cinema section in my local bookstore, to find an entire book devoted to my favorite movie of time. I immediately devoured it. The book contains the script (which is useful if you miss some of the rapid-fire dialogue in the film), as well as essays and the story the film is based on. i LOVED it. it gave me new incite to the quintessential screwball comedy. i highly recommend it to anyone who loves Bringing up Baby.

The Cat on a Hot Thin Groove: The Complete Collection of 78rpm Artwork from the Legendary Record Changer Magazine

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The Cat is Back
Beyond Fantastic

The Cat on a Hot Thin Groove: The Complete Collection of 78rpm Artwork from the Legendary Record Changer Magazine
Gene Deitch
Manufacturer: Fantagraphics Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1560975261

Book Description

A visual feast of swingin' cartoons for jazz lovers. On the long road to becoming an Oscar-winning animation director, Gene Deitch became an intense jazz fan. At the age of 21, he discovered The Record Changer, a jazz collector's magazine filled with fanatical, scholarly, and purist essays about jazz as well as listings of hard-to-find jazz albums. Every jazz swinger in the '40s was called a cat (as in "cool cat," derived from the West African word "Katta," a human), so Gene Deitch created a cartoon feature for Record Changer titled "The Cat," which quickly became a fixture at the magazine. He also started drawing the covers, which graced almost every issue from 1945 to 1951 along with "The Cat." Deitch's stylistically virtuoso images exquisitely embodied the essence of jazz and became a visual paean to the joy of collecting and appreciating jazz.

In the 1940s, jazz was a vaguely disreputable musical genre and Deitch's visual embodiments of the music acquired a cult; to this day, his original Cat cartoons are bought and sold on the internet.

Fantagraphics Books is proud to collect all of Deitch's Record Changer covers and "Cat" cartoons in one coffee-table, landscape-format art book, reproducing his covers in the same gorgeous colors in which they first appeared as well as the black-and-white Cat cartoons and a commentary by Deitch—who later went on to become an award-wining animator as the Creative Director of CBS/Terrytoons, where he created Tom Terrific and Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog for The Captain Kangaroo Show, as well as many other animated features, including a legendary stint on MGM's "Tom and Jerry" series. Fully illustrated throughout; 90 pages color.

Customer Reviews:

The Cat is Back.......2003-06-19

Great 1940s comics that capture the world of the jazz fanatic circa 1945-1950. Deitch's artwork is clever, original, somewhere between Virgil Partch and Harvey Kurtzman -- far above the amateurish efforts one associates with fanzines. Anyone familiar with the loonier aspects of record collecting will find much amusement in these cartoons (The Cat berates one guy searching a huge pile of records with, "That's the 'A' master which is relatively common!"). Deitch also drew some interesting covers, reproduced here in full color. Anyone into vintage comics, records, and/or jazz will dig this.

The packaging is a bit overkill. The width of the book is huge, but there is a lot of white space on the inside pages. A smaller size would not have detracted from the artwork, and would have made this a more affordable book. Also, nobody seems to have proofread the copy, as there are quite a few typos.

Beyond Fantastic.......2003-06-06

This book gets seven stars. At first, I think I thought it had something to do with Mad Magazine, like Spy Vs. Spy. What I found was a goldmine. Rarely do I see books dealing with geeking out on something. Gene Deitch clearly loves Jazz Music. This book documents a dope artist, blossoming into greatness through an interest in an outsider sound. His honest comments on obsesive geekdom, as well as race relations, are appreciated. A super cool gift, as well as a beautiful, beautiful book. the OilCan highly recommends.

Cowboy Movie Posters (The Illustrated History of Movies Throught Posters Series Vol. 2)

Average customer rating:

Hershenson Scores A Rootin'-Tootin Hit!!
Blast from the past
If you like Westerns, you'll love this book!
A must-have for every Western Movie Fan

Cowboy Movie Posters (The Illustrated History of Movies Throught Posters Series Vol. 2)
Bruce Hershenson
Manufacturer: Bruce Hershenson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1887893040

Customer Reviews:

Hershenson Scores A Rootin'-Tootin Hit!!.......2000-12-12

This excellent collection of poster images from close to 100 years of Western movies was originally sent to me as part of a "grab bag" collection of poster books from Mr.Hershenson. (For the uninitiated; Bruce Hershenson bills himself as "The Largest Movie Poster Dealer in the World". Considering the incredible energy he devotes to the hobby, the quality of his service and his merchandise, it's a tough claim to dispute.)I was never a huge fan of posters from this genre, but this book made me a believer. The images, especially from the pre-1940 movies which comprise much of the book, (movies right up to the publication date are covered), are absolutely mind-boggling in their lush coloring and craftmanship. The printing quality is easily as good as humongous art books that cost 4 times as much as this reasonably priced tome. I now buy all of Bruce's books, regardless of their subject matter, as there are always images that interest me, and I was especially excited about the second volume of COWBOY POSTERS, which is also highly recommended by this reviewer. The problem with Bruce's books is that as I keep falling in love with all these new posters, I keep spending more money on acquiring the originals for my collection. Fortunately, Bruce has these weekly auctions on eBay where I can get them at reasonable prices....hey, wait! Do you think there's a connection here? Hmmm... A great volume in a grand ongoing series that belongs in the collection any fan of movie poster art or cinema in general.

Blast from the past.......2000-12-04

From the first page to the last you will feel like a kid again .The silent posters gave me a chance to see the stars who stared in early westerns.Then it goes into early talkies.What a sight young GARY COOPER in his first western.Then it goes into the era that i saw on tv .HOPPY,JOHN WAYNE,GENE AUTRY,and others.And covering JIMMY STEWART, GREGORY PECK. To CLINT EASTWOOD and KEVIN COSNER.Each photo 100% quality.Made me go through the basement at my parents house to see if i could find my GUNSMOKE holster and gun, or my RIFLEMAN rifle i had as a kid. At least i found RIO GRAND on DVD .Dont miss this book

If you like Westerns, you'll love this book!.......1999-11-08

Much as we loved watching those black-and-white movies, the colorful posters that drew us to the boxoffice were even more appealing. You'll treasure this collection of superb reproductions.

A must-have for every Western Movie Fan.......1998-05-20

There's only one word to describe this book: Incredible!!! It contains some of the most beautiful movie poster artwork you've ever seen - especially all these western classics from the thirties. This book shows us how bad the movie poster artwork is today.

Book Description

The fifth title in the Rutgers Films in Print Series, "Letter from an Unknown Woman" is directed by Max Ophuls and based on the novella by Stefan Zweig. It is the story of Lisa, a young girl who rejects the constricting life of her small town and family in order to dedicate her life to a musician, Stefan. The film's elegant fin-de-siecle Viennese setting, lyrical camera work, dispassionate and ironic point of view, and fine performances by Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan elevate what could have been a mere tearjerker into one of Ophuls's finest works.

This volume provides a detailed transcription of the 1948 film. Notes appended to the film's continuity script detail all the significant differences between the finished film and the shooting script.

Wexman's introductions to each of the book's sections discuss the history of the film's reception and provide an overview of the central issues the film has raised. A cross section of commentary by well-known critics attests to the film's enduring position as a central text for cinema study. These essays acknowledge the film's significance as a preeminent example of Ophuls's art, as an important woman's film, and as a representative of the classic Hollywood style. A biographical sketch of Ophuls, the entire Zweig novella, a bibliography and other background materials are also included.

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