Category Archives: Books about film
Suicide Blonde: The Life of Gloria Grahame by Vincent Curcio
“She has the manner of a schoolgirl and the eyes of a sorceress.” Cecil B. Demille describing Gloria Grahame. Gloria Grahame is one of my all-time favourite film noir actresses. She first came to my attention in The Big Heat–one … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film, Film Noir, Gloria Grahame
Guy Debord: Complete Cinematic Works. Scripts, Stills, Documents
“They are the most important radical films ever made.” Guy DeBord founded the Situationist Internationale–a subversive group that was a formidable contributing factor to the May 1968 revolt in Paris. Although Debord may be more famous for his ever-pertinent, radical … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film, France, Political/social films
Jean Vigo by P.E. Salles Gomes
“He had succeeded in introducing subversive elements into film.” French director Jean Vigo produced just a handful of largely reviled films during his brief lifetime, and yet now, more than 70 years after his death, film historians agree that Vigo … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film, France, Jean Vigo, Political/social films
Red by Robert Laguardia and Gene Arceri
“The geography of ambition and love delayed, though not wholly denied.” Red, a biography of Susan Hayward written by Robert LaGuardia and Gene Arceri takes the reader from this phenomenal actress’s poverty-stricken childhood in Brooklyn to her premature death from … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film, Susan Hayward
Camp: The Lie That Tells the Truth by Philip Core
“They repelled them, not with knuckle dusters or karate chops but with hand-bags.” As the preface to Camp: The Lie that Tells The Truth explains, this book is a “Who’s Who and a What’s What” of Camp. The section “Camp … Continue reading
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Trash Trio: Three Screenplays: Pink Flamingos, Desperate Living, and Flamingos Forever by John Waters
“I’d like to report a lewd and disorderly party.” I’m a John Waters fan. I love his films, and to me, one of the very best things about a Waters film is the dialogue. Those funny lines come fast and … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film, John Waters
The Real Bettie Page: The Truth About the Queen of Pinups by Richard Foster
“She was always a very, very intense person.” Bettie Page is an icon–no argument about that. In Richard Foster’s book, The Real Bettie Page, the author reveals the unknown history of the 50s pin-up model. Bettie’s career was sadly all … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film
Dark City: The Lost Films of Noir by Eddie Muller
“We’re sisters under the mink.” A few years ago, I read an article in the newspaper about the SF 2004 Film Noir Festival. It sounded like the sort of thing I would love to go to, but long hours in … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film, Film Noir
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die by Steven Jay Schneider
Absolutely priceless film guide I received a copy of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die for my birthday, and it was truly an inspired gift. I love foreign films, and recently went on a film noir bender. I … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film
The McGuffin by John Bowen
“If one were not obsessed with film one would go mad.” The McGuffin by John Bowen may seem to be a bit out of place on a film blog, but this is a book written for film lovers. Divorced, middle-aged … Continue reading
Filed under Books about film
