4 comments about The Devil on Screen: Feature Films Worldwide, 1913 Through 2000.

1. The first film covered by Charles Mitchell in this fine book happens to be my favorite "devil" movie of all time - the film noir "Alias Nick Beal," starring Ray Milland as Satan and Audrey Totter as his unwilling femme fatale accomplice out to ensnare the soul of an ambitious politician (Thomas Mitchell). And reeling me in, Mr. Mitchell also includes such classics as "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "Heaven Can Wait," the wonderfully camp "The Devil's Rain" (with Ernest Borgnine, of all people, as the Devil), and the abysmal "Satan's School for Girls." In addition to the ninety-five films and terrific photos presented in this exhaustive work, there are two appendices - one listing more than 100 obscure "devil" films dating from 1896 to 2000 and another covering 18 actors, including Fred Astaire, Burgess Meredith, Mickey Rooney, and Julie Newmar(!), who have portrayed the Devil on television. Mr. Mitchell, the author of "Screen Sirens Scream!" and "The Hitler Filmography," has written a detailed and entertaining book that deserves to be in every film buff's library.



2. This is a dun book with a "Devil may Care" approach. Each film is completely annotated with witty and sometime hilarious reviews (and, as a change of pace, a few profound observations). Are you looking to learn more about the silent classics? STUIDENT OF PRAGUE (1913 or 1927) or Murnau's FAUST. This is the right place to come. Many delightful photos, plus rating system that separates the wheat from the chaff. You will find more scree devil's than you ever dreamed existed..singing devils (such as Ray Walston and Danny Elfman), comic devils (such as George Burns and Stanley Holloway), charming devils (such as Laird Cregar and Vincent Price), charming devils (such as Ray Milland or Max von Sydow), sinister devils (such as Richard Burton or Victor Buono) or really creepy devils (such as Jeff Goldblum or Michael York). This book can be enjoyable when read in short spurts or an all night readathon. Plus the information in the appendix alone is an expert compendium. Recommended



3. When I first began reading THE DEVIL ON SCREEN, I looked for my favorite films---Mitchell begins with ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949)with Ray Milland as 'the Devil.' He goes through all of the screen credits, gives an annotated cast listing, an appraisal and succinct synopsis, a word on the actor's performances and finally, some notable quotes from the screenplay. Stills and lobby cards are included wherever possible.

   The author's forte is that he uses this configuration for every film he analyzes---and his perception is always on target!
   
   For example, besides the fantasy element in BEAL, Mitchell also
   catches the aspects of "film noir," which make his review doubly rewarding. He knows his film music, especially the noirish Franz Waxman score (which has gone unrecorded all of these years) but more importantly, despite all of the detailed turns of the plot, Mitchell uses original source information to enhance the chapter.

   He interviwed Audrey Totter, one of the film's stars, who related some "inside information" about her fellow actors, their attitudes on the set and her dissatisfaction with the studio, Paramount, which promoted the film badly. Mitchell hopes for its "rediscovery" and as a reader, I applaud his critique---not for just this film but the hundred or so films he accurately and astutely examines with his fine sense of critical purview.

   Mitchell's book is an A to Z of "devil films," with two excellent appendices, a thorough and useable index and wonderful stills and lobby cards that entice the reader to read a review of a film that he or she may NOT have seen. His publisher has also done justice to the author's work because of its beautiful, artful and colorful front and back covers and has produced a library bound edition worthy for purchase for collectors, libraries and for those of us who are fascinated by the theme of the "devil in cinema."

   Too bad Mitchell had to begin his critical analysis in 1913 and ended it in 2000---for there must be some "devilish" films out there through 2002---and his gaze is not only on American cinema but international films that come under his critical view--such as the 1922 silent Danish work by Ben Christensen, HAXAN, which was recently brought out on DVD by Criterion and that French sound marvel from 1942, LES VISITEURS DU SOIR with Arletty and Jules Berry as the Devil. Certainly, Mitchell's exploration of the theme is comprehensive, detailed, insightful and at times, even humorous.

   This is a book I have always wanted for my own collection---and Mitchell's other books, one on APOCALYPTIC CINEMA and a GUIDE TO FILMS OF CHARLIE CHAN (both published by Greenwood Press)[Note: Mitchell's book on CHAN is the BEST ONE ON THE MARKET!]-- are worthy forerunners in film criticsm to this new DEVIL work from McFarland & Co. I hear by the critical grapevine that Mitchell has something in the works about "HITLER IN FILM" and possibly a biography of RICHARD BASEHART, one of the most neglected character actors of the late forties and early fifties. I hope my sources are correct and we also see these future volumes--but I am still content with THE DEVIL ON SCREEN for now---there is so much good "stuff" in it that I can hardly put it down.




4. This is a colorful, informative and delightful book about all the films in which the devil appears. The book is also scholarly even if it is ligthearted in tone. Also well illustrated. Love the caption of Lon Chaney in THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER in which Satan has the names of all the damned filed away on a rolodex. Although the main section of the book only covers features, the appendix covers all movies with the devil dating back to the late 19th century and scree wizard Georges Melies. There is also a section of TV devils in the second appendix? Did you know that Fred Astaire, Jack Benny and JHulie Newmar all played TV devils? My favorite point is that the author recalled humorist Jean Shepherd's hilarious depiction of the devil taking a holiday in New Orleans. I though nobody else remembered that program which I taped on my VCR. Bravo to THE DEVIL ON SCREEN. Highly recommneded!

5 comments about A Life in Movies: An Autobiography.

1. Meet Michael Powell! The great and iconoclastic film direcotr of such classics as 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp"; "The
   49th Parallel"; "The Canterbury Tales: "Black Narcissus": "Peeping Tom" and countless others tells the story of his long,productive and adventurous life (1905-1990).
   Powell grew up in bucolic middle class farm life in Canterbury, Kent. His father divorced his mother moving to France following World War I. It was while staying with his father that Powell became involved in moviemaking as he joined the company led by director Rex Ingram on the French Riveria.
   Powell later became associated with Alfred Hitchcock, Arthur
   Rank, Michael Balcon and J. Arthur Rank . He made his first hit with his eccentric view of life in the Orkney islands in "The
   Edge of the World."
   Powell knew many of the great actors, directors and technicians who made the movies the folk tales of the 20th
   century.
   Powell's closest associate was the Hungarian writer Pressburg with whom he organized Archer Film Studios.One classic from this association was "The Red Shoes" which is arguably the finest ballet movie ever made!
   Among other things Powell was:
   a. A womanizer who wed several times and romanced the likes of actresses Deborah Kerr and Pamela Brown.
   b. A novelist and a director who actually read books! His writing style is anecdotal and very readable!
   c. Powell's love for film is manifest Even though British film culture turned its back on him following his controversial "Peeping Tom" in 1960 he never gave up his love for film, storytelling and art.
   Powell is sadly little known on our side of the pond. He deserves to be better celebrated as one of the best film directors of the 20th century.
   With the TCM cable channel's recent festival of his best movies the hope is that Powell will become better known and his
   imperishable films enjoyed by a new generation of film fans.
   This was a fine book to spend several hours perusing in the company of a grand old man of British and world cinema.



2. No other biography i've read places the man himself before me, so evocative is it. In his films he chased and captured the wonder in all things, but his own writing does this more directly, a wonderful book. The life of the film maker from the 1920's onwards, and one who can fully express himself descriing the life, and equally great on his growing up towards film. The maker of wonders like A Canterbury Tale, Small Back Room, The Spy In Black and Peeping Tom achieved as much in this book.



3. Michael Powell, partnered by Emeric Pressburger, made some of the finest films of the forties. Films like The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, are startlingly original. These two men, known as the Archers, formed one of the great creative teams. His description of this partnership forms the heart of Powell's autobiography A Life in Movies.

   Powell's book is long and takes a while to get going. He spends rather too long on his childhood in Kent. It is an interesting description of a long lost world and provides some insight into the development of Powell's character, but eventually one becomes rather impatient for him to get onto his film career. This he does with a brilliant description of his start in silent movies. Powell's story from this point onwards becomes gripping. He is a good writer, clear and readable. This book is full of interesting anecdotes and, on the whole, is very candid. There are times when he is circumspect and he sometimes withholds a name, but normally he is very open and honest. This is especially so in perhaps the most heartbreaking story of the whole book, his affair with Deborah Kerr. Powell's description of this is warm and loving and full of feeling. It is quite clear, even after more than forty years, that he never got over it. Thus Powell comes to resemble Roger Livesey's character in Colonel Blimp, and the film somehow seems all the more poignant.

   In any long story there are dull bits. Powell's account of his struggles in the early thirties making obscure films which have been all but forgotten is not especially interesting, although it does contain some fine material regarding his interaction with the young Alfred Hitchcock. Furthermore, he dwells at times overly much on the politics of the British film industry. However, when he discusses his great films starting with The Edge of the World and finishing with The Red Shoes, this book is as good a description of making films as I have read. Fans of the Archers cannot fail to learn something new about their favourite films from this book.




4. A beautifully written account of a life dedicated to the making of films by a true Master of the medium. This book together with the other volume of his autobiography, Million Dollar Movie, gives the reader a wonderful insight into a very creative personality. Michael Powell recounts his life with charm, whimsy, wit and voluptuousness: a perfect picture of the man himself.



5. This is a good read written by and about the life of one of the truly great movie directors. Along with Emeric Pressberger, Michael Powell created The Archers, whose movie productions were and are breathtaking in their daring cinematography and scoring. If you're not familiar with Powell's movies, you're in for a treat. I urge you to design your own Michael Powell film festival: Be sure to include The Thief of Baghdad, Stairway to Heaven (A Matter of Life and Death in Britain), The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and my personal favorite, I Know Where I'm Going. These are stunning works of art. Consider that they were filmed in cash-strapped postwar England, and you come away all the more amazed. Powell lost his career when he filmed Peeping Tom, a Hitchcockian thriller that upset critics with its psychosexual theme; his reputation was only rehabilitated by the intercession of such luminaries as Michael Scorcese during the 1980s. Powell lived a brash, full and vigorous life spiced with affairs with the likes of Deborah Kerr and the fascinating Pamela Brown. He dared the new, often endured hardship and even danger to catch what he wanted on film. He envisioned original and groundbreaking ideas, and then assembled teams that made them happen: A Himalayan garden in Kent for Black Narcissus, awesome outer space animation and the world's largest staircase for Stairway to Heaven, shooting I Know Where I'm Going without the leading man ever being on location. This book has been out of print for some time in hardcover. I've seen copies selling for hundreds of dollars. There is a reason! Now is your chance to enjoy the best words there are about Michael Powell--his own.

5 comments about Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles.

1. Celebrities are fair game it seems for every hack, two bit journalist, and paparazzi. Their names are money and their pictures, weight loss, ageing, personal crises, and habits appear to be of endless fascination to the reading public or a fair proportion of it. What about Sinatra's links to the mob? What about Woody Allen's prediliction for young women? What about Mike Nichol's anger? What about Igmar Bergman's womanizing and tax evasion? Give me a break! There is much tosh, pap and babble written by those not fit enough to sharpen the pencils of the subjects of these profiles by Mr Lahr, but you will not find it in SHOW AND TELL. Mr Lahr is a writer worthy of these legends and that, dear reader, is indeed saying something. Revealing, interesting, incisive, entertaining and gripping, Mr Lahr and his editor at The New Yorker, have done a brilliant job. Perhaps the best short pieces I have ever read on the subjects contained therein. Brilliant.



2. From LONDON FIELDS [1989] by Martin Amis: "Features include fool-the-eye dent-marks, a removable toupee of rust on the hood, and adhesive key-scratches all over the paintwork. An English strategy: envy-preemption."
   
   From SHOW AND TELL [2001] by John Lahr: "In fact, [Wallace] Shawn, who admits he's actually 'a very arrogant and vain person', preempts envy by constantly spoiling any picture of his own distinction."



3. The New Yorker is famous for its witty prose, "casuals," and most of all---its Profiles of famous and not-so-famous people. The New Yorker is also famous for unbelievably long pieces (sometimes taking up the entire magazine) and occasionally being so "in" that the readers are left "out."

   John Lahr has all of the virtues: elegant, thoughtful writing, and he leaves you wishing for more. Mr. Lahr specializes in Entertainment Profiles, a difficult undertaking. He avoids the landmines of sound-bytes, scurrility, fawning and trivia. He delivers fifteen gleaming, sharp-edged Profiles on disparate personalities.

   I feel the best are the ones that are not contemporaries and/or friends of the author with the exception of the lovely word portraits of his parents, father Bert, and mother Millie (who might or might not have had an affair with Joseph Cotton!) Mr. Lahr needs a certain amount of distance to do his best work. He is clearly an admirer of Woody Allen, and it shows. I felt we were seeing the brushed up and shiny side of this highly complex entertainer. Bob Hope is given the finest dispassionate treatment; Lahr steps back and allows Mr. Hope produce his own cause and effect. The reader can judge for himself. I was left thinking, as my grandmother would say, "this is NOT a very nice man." To me, Roseanne was frightening with her rage and skewed perspectives. It wasn't what Mr. Lahr said about her; it was Roseanne being herself. The Profile on Frank Sinatra left me with a emotion I would never, ever thought possible in conjunction with Ole Blue Eyes: pity.

   I read this book straight through, almost at one sitting. I found it that fascinating. But it can be read at leisure. Just start anywhere; there's not a loser to be found!




4. In these days when performers are celebrated -- and demeaned -- for being famous, every little tidbit of information is up for grabs by the media. I say this as someone who was a journalist for nearly 20 years (and is now an entertainer). What's missing on the market: candid performers' profiles that still convey WHY great performers are GREAT performers and -- sometimes -- great people or great creeps. Show and Tell contains 15 of John Lahr's BEST New Yorker show biz profiles. The zest and verve of these creative folk and Lahr's excitement writing about them is all here. The subjects: Woody Allen, David Mamet, Frank Sinatra, Arthur Miller, Liev Schreiber, Roseanne, Irving Berlin, Wallace Shawn, Eddie Izzard, Neil Labute, Bob Hope, Ingmar Bergman, Mike Nichols, and his parents Bert and Mildred Lahr. You don't have to even know who these celebrities are (you'll enjoy this book if you're in your early 20s) to love these profiles: each chapter tells you how they got from point A (childhood) to point B (becoming great entertainers, playwrights etc) -- and about all the joys and obstacles along the way. Don't expect simplistic tabloid journalism but more detailed interviews. The Bob Hope profile was controversial when it was first published since it not only hinted at adultery but etched a portrait of a man who created a corporate comedy machine -- and even needed cue cards when performing at a private party. But there's tons of info amid these revelations. My other favorite profiles and tidbits include: Woody Allen (his casting method for movies sometimes boils down to him looking at someone for a few seconds), Bert Lahr (his frustration at not having made many movies, unlike some of his vaudeville colleagues), Roseanne (her rage-based comedy; how she wrested control of her t.v. show from what would have been sit-com mediocrity),Irving Berlin (the 20th century's most prolific and perhaps great composer adapting to all kinds of music from the century's beginning UNTIL rock...which finally did him in). There are many others but the point is: these are unlike any other profile's you'll read. They celebrate the joy, creative "juice" flow, toil, and heartbreak of show biz and performing arts creativity -- and you'll want to read them again and again.



5. As a lifelong subscriber to The New Yorker, I have especially enjoyed reading Lahr's various "Profiles." Fifteen of his best are anthologized in this volume. The subjects are Woody Allen, David Mamet, Frank Sinatra, Arthur Miller, Liev Screiber, Roseanne, Irving Berlin, Wallace Shawn, Eddie Izzard, Neil Labute, Bob Hope, Ingmar Bergman, Mike Nichols, and the author's parents, Mildred and Bert Lahr. My personal favorites are those which discuss Sinatra, Miller, Roseanne, Hope, Bergman, and Nichols but I was pleased to re-read all of the others also. Lahr has a somewhat specialized form of genius for crafting what are indeed "profiles" rather than portraits, much less in-depth character analyses. Even when fondly discussing his own parents, he seems to have no limiting biases, "baggage" or predilections. It is high praise to note that the reader feels as if she or he is a "fly on the wall" during Lahr's conversations with his subjects...and at other times, as if the reader can hear him thinking aloud while alone and in reflection. Lahr's is a naturally casual style (so sophisticated that it seems effortless), perhaps most evident when discussing Bob Hope. According to Lahr, Hope's wife Dolores and the children were "extras" in his life. "It was hard for anyone in the family to get much of Bob Hope." Lahr shares this without judgment, suggesting implications without manipulating inferences.. With Hope as with each of the 14 others, Lahr's objective is to capture the essence of his subject, the esential qualities and characteristics which are revealed in "defining moments" of inimitable behavior or utterance. Lahr's reader (at least this one) is left to wonder what he would have to say about so many others such as Saul Bellow, Hillary Rodham-Clinton, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Fosse, Jackie Gleason, Sam Peckinpah, Jackson Pollock, Martha Stewart, and Oprah Winfrey.

No comments about Plato and Popcorn: A Philosopher's Guide to 75 Thought-Provoking Movies.

No comments about Reframing Screen Performance.

3 comments about Girl Show: Into the Canvas World of Bump and Grind.

1. I teach burlesque dance and lecture on burlesque and striptease, and this is one of the books I always recommend--I consider it absolutely essential for students of the genre. It's a fabulous history of girl shows, and it's fun and informative for anyone with any kind of interest in the subject. It goes beyond stagnant discussions of the place of striptease in society, and gives the reader an opportunity to understand that there is too much variety in the field to ever settle for one definition of what constitutes real burlesque. The text is a pleasure to read, with plenty of detail that is bound to be news to both scholars of the leisure arts and folks seeking a little breezy entertainment. It includes descriptions of other people involved in the Girl Shows, including the producers, the patrons, the variety artists, and more. And the pictures are amazing--what a collection Stencell has!



2. D'you ever wonder where all the stars of Burlesque went during the hot summer months before air conditioned theaters? Well, they went on the road in carnival shows, and this is the story of that world. This is a lovely, delightful, very informative book!I was enthralled by the stories of these plucky men and women who travelled across the country bumpin and grindin. This is a great book to read after watching "The Greatest Show On Earth". I especially enjoyed the sections on Burlesque performers, and the chapter on "Hooch" dancers was interesting too (kinda gives you some insight on why Vera Ellen was so horrified to be discovered as a hooch dancer by Gene Kelly in "On the Town"!) This book is an absolute must buy/must read!!!



3. For anyone who is old enough to have seen a "Girl Show" on the midway of a traveling carnival, this book is a great piece of nostalgia. For those who have never seen or heard of these titilating venues, this book is a look at a forgotton age. The profuse illustrations and photographs are priceless glimpses of our societies changing moral compass, and the interviews and transcripts of early ballyhoos are a hoot.

5 comments about If This Was Happiness: 2.

1. said her second husband, Orson Welles, of their marriage, "imagine what the rest of her life had been!"
   
   According to the material written in this biography, the Misery Index of Rita Hayworth's life made that of Judy Garland, Gene Tierney, and Vivien Leigh look like Sunday afternoon in the park.
   
   The author, Barbara Leaming, has also written a biography of Orson Welles. That book was written in the year before his death, with his full cooperation, including interviews and access. One thing most chroniclers of Hollywood agree on, don't depend on anything that Orson Welles said. He was notorious for telling interesting tales - whether or not there was any truth to them. On this dust cover of this book about Rita Hayworth there are plenty of blurbs touting the author's biography of Welles. I haven't read the Welles' bio, but this book, about his second wife, feels like an after thought. Almost as though, with all those interviews from Welles (and one shocking revelation), why not write a book about Rita, too?
   
   In this book, Miss Leaming becomes the only biographer of Rita Hayworth to bring up allegations that the actress's childhood and adolescence were scarred by incestuous encounters with her father. This revelation is based on hearsay that Rita supposedly confided to Welles during their marriage. The allegation may be true, but who knows? Neither of the parties involved are alive to speak on the matter. There are no other accounts of it. Rita never mentioned it elsewhere apparently. None of this stops Miss Leaming from accepting Welles' version as the truth and shoehorning all remaining known facts of Rita Hayworth's life, from childhood on, to fit the model of "the incest family." It seems like that subject is raised at least once every two or three pages as the reason behind this behavior or that decision. A good bit of this book reads like a very dry clinical psychology text.
   
   Another issue that I have with this book is that there are almost no quotes from Rita Hayworth herself, and very few from people who knew her or even had casual acquaintance with her. It reads like a collection of facts culled from public records, newspapers, magazines and, maybe one or two shopworn Hollywood anecdotes thrown in. The author tells us Hayworth was quiet, liked to keep to herself, wasn't much of a Hollywood party girl. OK - but isn't there anyone still alive who knew Rita Hayworth that the author could have interviewed to make her subject's life seem a bit more vivid?
   
   Whether or not she enjoyed the experience, Rita Hayworth had an interesting life. She was a trained, professional dancer in her childhood; she became a close friend of Hermes Pan; she worked with Fred Astaire on a couple of movies. She was also a 1940's movie star, and The Hollywood Love Goddess, with all that entails - good and bad. She was married and divorced five times in her life. She once was married to a Prince and became the mother of a Princess. For a few months she lost custody of her children to a state court for "neglect." She began to suffer early onset Alzheimer's around 1960, yet went undiagnosed until 1980. Still, somehow, this woman never manages to come to life in this book.
   
   Let's hope the definitive work on the subject is still waiting to be written.



2. I loved Barbara's book on Bette Davis...so I thought I'd read her book on one of my other favorites...Rita Hayworth. It was soooooo good!!! I had to take time away from watching TV and downloading internet porn to keep reading! I could not put it down.



3. If you ever find yourself wishing that you could live someone else's life, or thinking that celebrities have an ideal existence, read this book biography of Rita Hayworth. Barbara Leaming meticuliously researched the actress's life, from her traumatic childhood as her father's dance partner and incest victim, her mother's alcoholism, her crippling shyness, and her deep insecurities that affected her relationships, her career, and finally, her tragic descent into alcohol abuse and Alzheimer's disease. She was forever after identified with her signature performance in "Gilda", defining an image that would last a lifetime, and from which she was desperate to escape.
   Her choice of husbands often reflected the controlling traits of her father,
   and her sad estrangment from her late daughter, Rebecca Welles, are just a few parts of this compelling, poignant biography. As this was before abuse was discussed and therapy was made available, Rita hardly could have been expected to live a demon-free life. Her youngest daughter, Princess Yasmin Khan, continues to raise funds and spread awareness for Alzheimer's research. We can only imagine the pain and anguish that Hayworth's loved ones and friends experienced as her mind deteriorated to the point where she did not recognize them. It would have been nice if the book had expanded upon her relationship with her five-time costar, Glenn Ford (who is only twice mentioned), with whom we now know she shared much more than a friendship. This book is a touching tribute to a woman who appeared to live everyone's fantasy life, surrounded by stars, wealth, power, success and public adulation, but in reality lived a nightmare of pain, abuse, low self-esteem and pathos. Peace and love to the lovely Rita.



4. This is a wonderful biography of Rita Hayworth my favorite of all the biography's oh her. I think Mrs. Leaming did a wonderful job on the people she interviewed including rare informantion from Rita's second husband Orson Welles which she also wrote a biography on. I recommened this book to every Rita fan.

   A great biography on one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen.




5. This is a wonderful biography of Rita Hayworth my favorite of all the biography's oh her. I think Mrs. Leaming did a wonderful job on the people she interviewed including rare informantion from Rita's second husband Orson Welles which she also wrote a biography on. I recommened this book to every Rita fan.

   A great biography on one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen.

5 comments about The Art of Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

1. Probably the best one in the Star Wars Art series, it shows a great amount of the concept art of what became the look of an entirely "new" Star Wars galaxy.
   
   Forget the technological look of the original trilogy. The lavish look of the planets shown in the new movies started at this point. It was a more spectacular age for the galaxy and the paintings show it.
   
   While it is certainly not McQuarrie, Chiang and the other artists do justice to his legacy.
   
   Only the art of the original Star Wars can be compared to the scope and breadth of the art displayed in this book. After all, the other four episodes built upon what was already created for the Phantom Menace and a New Hope.
   
   A must have for any Star Wars and fantasy art enthusiast.



2. Forward by Doug Chiang. This volume (48 pages) contains an excerpt from the book written by Jonathan Bresman. It also contains concept sketches, storyboards and full color illustrations by various artists, among them Doug Chiang, depicting scenes and characters from the movie Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
   
   From the preface: " This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lengths the art department went in its construction of George Lukas' universe. The evolutionary stages for each major character, vehicle, and planet are displayed so that the reader can get a sense of how the film was painstakingly sculpted, and finally, how a new style of filmmaking was founded."
   
   This excerpt focuses on how sketches combine and evolve in the development of ideas into the final concepts for characters and other elements in the film.
   
   Staple bound. A Del Ray Book; Ballantine Publishing Group.



3. Sellers are using this page to sell a book that is actually titled: THE ART OF STAR WARS EPISODE I: an excerpt of the book written by Jonathan Bresman. The ISBN matches this work, which is only 44 pages in length and was given away with the purchase of a VHS version of the Phantom Menace. The way Amazon lists this book can be misleading because they refer to it as the paperback edition in the review which claims it is a massive volume with over 600 illustrations. They are actually referring to another edition of the book... the TRADE PAPERBACK EDITION. This error has caused me a lot of fuss with two of the used book traders here at Amazon. Know that you are not buying the 200+ page oversize work with this webpage.



4. I would never have thought that I would stoop so low in nerd-dom and buy a book like this, but there is more to being a nerd than simply obsessing over your favorite fantasies.

   I love Star Wars, hate the Phantom Menace. And yet way back when the VHS release was going on, I too crowded into a Media Play at 12 in the morning with my buddy and his wife to get my advanced Widescreen Collector's copy. DVD has since come and taken away any significance to that item, but what did come along with it was a little booklet featuring excerpts from "The Art of Star Wars; Episode I." For a long time this little booklet and I rarely parted, and I thought I was so priviledged to have this particular booklet and that it would one day be a rarity.

   Imagine my surprise when I discovered THIS book, the actual Art of Star Wars. Not only does it have everything in my booklet, but it presents conceptual art from all corners of the movie. There's so much to look at, and so much that is fascinating to look at, you can't help spend hours just looking.

   The book is hard-bound, with pages made from such high-quality paper, it will make you turn them with tweezers, they feel so expensive. The art is presented in chronological order with the film, so that reading it cover-to-cover is almost like watching the film. For most of the artwork, a little background information is provided in the corner next to a numerical key denoting which works belong to which artists.

   As for the quality of reproduction; I am rarely satisfied when something I've drawn is scanned onto a color-copier, which often is the best option for reproducing them. I still lose something in the translation from pad to paper, a little bit of hue here, some shading here, depth of line there. However, in this book there is nothing lost. (Nothing is lost, or the originals must be stunning to look at!) The artwork shows you just why the movie relies so much on visuals (and not on strength of character or plot). Artists Doug Chiang, Ian McCaig, and Terry Whitlatch to name a few, are so skilled at vividness, their works immediately juice your imagination into action. Looking at concepts for space-ships, you can almost hear them fly.

   The emphasis is on Doug Chiang and Ian McCaig, one a brilliant architectural and mechanical artist, the other a genius at characters and costumes. Whitlatch seems to handle most of the aliens, while gorgeous matte-paintings by Doug Chiang depict, in color, some of the more finalised concepts.

   If you are a fan of Star Wars, this book is a must for any in-depth knowledge of how things developed behing the scenes. For film scholars, I would also recommend this book, for the glimpse it provides into the realm of pre-production, especially for you film scholars who have never set foot onto a film studio, or a design office.

   For fellow artists, I can only say that these works inspire to improve my technique and work even harder at my art. It's always the test of an artist when he runs into someone who is superior; does the work make you want to quit art, or make you want to improve? This stuff will make you choose the latter.




5. I loved the art Ralph McQuarrie did for the first three Star Wars movies, and in the Art of Episode I, Doug Chiang takes the torch and does an awesome job. His grand scale works are so appealing and detailed, I loved it.

   The character concept work in intriguing, there is a lot of evolutionary type paintings which I like a lot. The Sith work is fascinating.

   The one draw back to the book was the lack of explaination each work had. I would have liked more insight as to what the artist was thinking, what Lucas liked and what he disliked. That wasn't in this version as much as I would have liked. But overall, one to own.

No comments about Joseph Urban: Architecture, Theatre, Opera, Film.

No comments about Staging Dance (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback)).