Reviewer David W. Menefee: David is a Pulitzer nominated American author, ghost writer, screenwriter, book editor, and film historian. David’s career began as a writer and marketing representative for the Dallas Times Herald and the Dallas Morning News. His books have appeared under various imprints and in a variety of categories, such as biography, travel, historical fiction, mysteries, and romance. Two books by David were named among the 2011 Top 10 Silent Film Books of the Year: Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story, and The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen. His most recent releases include Sweet Memories and the 1950s romance trilogy, Can't Help Falling in Love, Come Away to Paradise, and Catch a Falling Star (with co-author Carol Dunitz). David lives in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Authors: Geoffrey Macnab and Sharon Swart
Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (January 17, 2013)ISBN-10: 0240823745
ISBN-13: 978-0240823744
Authors: Geoffrey Macnab and Sharon Swart
Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (January 17, 2013)ISBN-10: 0240823745
ISBN-13: 978-0240823744
There’s always a puppeteer pulling the strings.
Julian Wintle (1913–1981), a TV and film producer, worked on many British films and TV series. He once said, “From the first draft script, through all stages of production, to the final dub, success or failure rests largely in the hands of the producer. Experience in this field does not come overnight. Rather it is born out of long years of creative and technical know-how, and above all a love for the job and all that goes with it, together with the ability to choose the right talent with which to surround himself.”
Producing, the latest volume in the FilmCraft series published by Focal Press, develops this premise with remarkable revelations. The book removes the masks from the myths surrounding those men and women that pull the behind-the-scenes strings in the film business. Credits include stellar talents from many diverse fields. Author Geoffrey Macnab, a journalist based in London, wrote The Making of Taxi Driver and Searching for Stars: Stardom and Screen Acting in British Cinema. He regulaly contributes to The Guardian, The Independent, Screen International, and Sight & Sound. Co-author Sharon Swart achieved renown covering the entertainment industry as a staff editor for Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, as well a serving on a Sundance film festival jury. Along with a bevy of artists that would make a casting director envious, Macnab and Swart have compiled a richly researched work that sets another gem into the necklace of the FilmCraft series. Kudos are also well-deserved for publisher Alastair Campbell and his design team, James Hollywell, Ginny Zeal, Grade Design, Katie Greenwood, and Ivy Press. Their gorgeous book should please aficionados of both current and classic films.
17 chapters spread out over 192 pages, encompassing what the authors call a “Legacy,” aptly describing the careers of producers such as Michael Balcon, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Ted Hope, Marin Karmitz, David O. Selznick, Kees Kasander, Jon Kilik, Bill Kong, Dino De Laurentiis, Jon Landau, Andrew Macdonald, Edward R. Pressman, Erich Pommer, Lauren Shuler Donner, Jeremy Thomas, Ron Yerxa, Albert Berger, and Alexander Korda. In addition, a comprehensive Glossary and Index make return visits to research specific people and titles a joy. The large format pages create an impact similar to sitting near to a Cinemascope screen, attempting to fill your field of vision with a kaleidoscope of text, images, and colors. The affect is riveting.
“A producer’s role isn’t easy to define,” the Introduction begins. “It’s a multifaceted job that requires the wearing of many hats, and can vary dramatically depending on the film . . . .” That dramatic variance becomes evident through several hundred photographs, ranging from small to full page that illustrate each chapter. The book is largely image driven, which is appropriate for a film-related subject, but the text provides more than accompaniment to the pictures. New interviews with the subjects covered in each “Legacy” weave fascinating first-hand revelations around the eye-popping pictures. The various film producers expound on aspects of their trade and zoom in on specific attributes of their key films. The end result provides mesmerizing, clearly-focused insights into the commercial and artistic activities that make for memorable movies.
This entertaining and enlightening book combines the research and writing of two great authors with images culled from the heart of Hollywood, and those elements—like shots from a movie—collide across the reader’s consciousness in a cataract.
Some film producers possess an almost supernatural knack for making films. Geoffrey Macnab and Sharon Swart hold an enchanting formula for assembling a book. Thrill to the magic.
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