Friday, July 29, 2022

Armageddon (1977)

 After the sudden death of his younger brother, repairman Louis Carrier (Jean Yanne) acquires a large inheritance and he sees an opportunity to make something of his life. Louis has always lived in obscurity and poverty. With his new found wealth, he concocts a plan. He wants the celebrity that comes with being an international criminal. Louis recruits his buddy Einstein (Renato Salvatori) to be his sidekick. Einstein, who wants to help his friend but isn't fully aware of the gravity of the situation, learns photography skills in order to be Louis' personal paparazzi. Einstein photographs Louis in public settings alongside well-known figures. These photos are printed, packaged with threatening letters and recordings, and sent to officials under the pen name 'Armaguedon.' Louis is threatening to commit mass murder and begins practicing on people whom he thinks are either disposable or a threat. Dr. Michel Ambrose (Alain Delon), a psychiatrist skilled at working with exceptionally difficult mental health cases, is hired to analyze Armaguedon's words and actions, track down his real identity and help the authorities find Louis before he poses a real threat to the public.

Armageddon/Armaguedon (1977) is a heavy-handed crime thriller that tries to do too much with an ultimately flimsy plot. All of the action comes at the expense of any real character development. I'm reluctant to call this a psychological thriller because even though one of the protagonists is an actual psychiatrist, there is very little conveyed to the audience about Louis' psychosis. We learn more about Dr. Ambrose' techniques but very little about him as a psychiatrist or even as a person. There is one scene where we see him with his wife and two children. Later in the film, he and inspector Jacques Vivien (Michel Duchaussoy) are seen in bed with prostitutes. No context is given. They're just expected to cheat on their wives because they're professionals who work high stress jobs and need to unwind? In general the female characters are depicted as sex objects or they're just a pawn to move the plot forward. The way the gay characters are depicted is even worse. Overall, there is no complexity or nuance with any of the characters other than some with Louis and his buddy Einstein. 

The performances are a bit of a mixed bag. Delon seems to be sleepwalking through his performance. Jeanne Yanne, on the other hand, does an excellent job conveying Louis' increasing mania and downward spiral.

The movie was directed by Alain Jessua and produced by Alain Delon. They both worked on the script, adapting David Lippincott's novel The Voice of Armageddon to screen. From what I've gathered, Jessua and Delon butted heads. According to unit manager Alain Depardieu (Gerard's brother), Delon didn't even want to breathe the same air as Jessua. This must have made for a lot of tension on set and could explain why the end result was a mess of a movie. This was Delon and Jessua's second collaboration, Traitement de choc (1973) being the first. Delon hired Astor Piazzolla to compose the film's score. French is the movie's main language but Italian, English and German are also spoken. Armageddon/Armaguedon did well at the French box office. It doesn't seem to have gotten a US release.

Armageddon/Armaguedon (1977) is worth watching if you're an admirer of Alain Delon or you're looking for a movie about the psychology behind mass murderers. Otherwise, this weird, macabre and ultimately empty thriller is one you may want to skip.





Armageddon/Armaguedon (1977) is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The Blu-ray edition comes with subtitles, trailers and audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Yearling (1946)

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling (1946) stars Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman as Penny and Ora, married pioneer farmers who live and work deep in the Florida backwoods. Their son Jody (Claude Jarman Jr.) is their sole surviving child. Fearing that her love and attention was responsible for the death of her other children, she exudes a cold demeanor to Jody as a way of keeping him alive. Jody finds joy in his close relationship with his father and with the domestic and wild animals that he encounters on a daily basis. When Penny has to kill a doe in order to gather its liver for life saving medicine, Jody takes the doe's orphaned fawn under his wing and names him Flag. Jody's relationship with Flag helps him through tragedy. Unfortunately, when Flag becomes a yearling he begins to cause much destruction on the family farm. Jody must learn that when every day is a struggle, heartbreak comes hand-in-hand with survival.

Directed by Clarence Brown, The Yearling (1946) is a visually stunning and ultimately heart-wrenching film about family, tragedy and the cruelty of mother nature. It's a difficult watch for animal lovers, like myself, who hate to see the poor creatures suffer. While the animals in the film were not harmed during production, they are depicted as severely injured or dead and that can be a lot to bear for someone with no tolerance for cruelty towards animals.

The Yearling was shot on location in the Ocala National Forest and Silver Springs, Florida with additional scenes shot in Lake Arrowhead, California. Author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings served as production advisor and helped with location scouting. Rawlings was originally from the area and the novel was based on her experiences and observations growing up in rural Florida. MGM had purchased the rights to the novel in 1938 and while production was meant to start in 1940, a variety of production problems including financial burdens, casting issues, the volatility of filming in nature and acquiring trained animals for filming, pushed back production until 1945. It was around that time that the studio finally cast Claude Jarman, Jr. after a long search for their Jody. This was Jarman's feature film debut.

The trio of stars, Peck, Wyman and Jarm, are absolute perfection. Gregory Peck is charming as the former soldier turned farmer and loving father who will do anything to protect his family. Wyman gives Ora a range of emotions underneath the cold demeanor. We witness the depths of her pain and frustration as well as her fleeting moments of tenderness. Claude Jarman, Jr. is the heart of the film and through Jody he conveys a sense of innocence and sheer joy that makes one want to shield his character from the impending heartbreak.

The film was shot in Technicolor which is brilliantly enhanced with the Warner Archive Collection's restoration. They sourced a 1080p HD Master from the 4k scan of the original Technicolor negative. The quality is absolutely breathtaking. The color is amazingly brilliant and nature seems to come to life through the screen. Facial details are very important and with the rich detail that can be seen in this restoration, Peck, Wyman, Jarman and the other cast members looked like contemporaries standing right before me rather than renderings of figures from decades past.






I highly recommend getting the Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray edition of The Yearling (1946) if you can. In addition to the gorgeous 4K restoration, the Blu-ray also features English subtitles, a Screen Guild Players radio broadcast, the Cat Concerto cartoon and restored theatrical trailer.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I feature titles from the Warner Archive Collection. Thank you to Warner Archive for sending me copy of The Yearling (1946).

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)



Directed by George Roy Hill, Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) stars Julie Andrews as the eponymous Millie. As a young woman living in New York City, Millie has big dreams. She sheds her out-of-date style for the new 1920s flapper look and sets her sights on a job so she can ultimately marry her boss and live a life of luxury and stability. Millie is staying at Mrs. Meers' (Beatrice Lillie) boardinghouse where the elevator requires its riders to tap dance for it to function and where a series of new tenants have mysteriously disappeared. Mrs. Meers is secretly running a sex trafficking ring with the help of a pair of Chinatown henchmen (Jack Soo and Pat Morita) who disguise themselves as launderers. She targets women who come to the city as orphans. Free of familial connections and with no one to miss them if they're gone, they're the perfect targets for Mrs. Meers to drug and sequester. Her new target is Miss Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore), a wide-eyed and naive young woman whom Millie quickly takes under her wing. Millie becomes the object of affection for paperclip salesman Jimmy (James Fox) but is adamant she will marry her boss Trevor Graydon (John Gavin) who really just has his sights on Dorothy. A series of events unfold including a wild party hosted by widowed millionaire Muzzy Van Hossmere (Carol Channing) and many attempts by Mrs. Meers to drug Dorothy. Will this quartet of love birds finally catch on to Mrs. Meers' machinations and save Dorothy before it's too late?

Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) is a fun and lively musical that has a grand ole time with song, dance, costumes, color palettes and 1920s style and culture. It doesn't take itself too seriously which adds to the light and frothy feel. This was the first musical for director George Roy Hill (best known for his later films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting). He's quoted as saying "I wanted it to be a soufflĂ©. I knew it had to stay afloat by its own mindless nonsense." And he definitely succeeded at that. The movie was produced by Ross Hunter who had made numerous big budget films for Universal Pictures including All That Heaven Allows (1955), Imitation of Life (1959), Pillow Talk (1959) and Flower Drum Song (1961). Hunter originally wanted to adapt the 1920s themed musical The Boy Friend but wasn't able to secure the rights so he decided to pursue the 1956 musical Thoroughly Modern Millie instead.

While the movie is not meant to be a wholly accurate portrayal of 1920s life, I was impressed on how many key cultural elements were shown that were indicative of the era. These include automobiles, aviation, (a reference to) automats, dance parties, '20s colloquialisms ("banana oil", "by jingo", etc), vaudeville and most notably "buildering" (the fad of climbing buildings that Harold Lloyd depicted in his 1923 silent comedy Safety Last!) There are references to silent films including various title cards which appear as thoughts for Millie when she breaks the third wall to deliver a quip to the audience. 

My favorite visual element of the film is the changing color pallette. The set design and fashion appear in muted colors of white, black, grey and beige with a pop of a singular color. This statement color becomes the visual focal point of those scenes. We see green, yellow, orange, pink, red, black, blue, gold then purple and eventually there are more references to previous colors.

Even though the lighter elements dominate, Thoroughly Modern Millie is ultimately a problematic movie. A sex trafficking musical that features really harmful Asian stereotypes is not going to sit well with contemporary audiences. And it's not like these themes are minor ones that could easily be edited out of the musical. They're really ingrained into the overall story. 

Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) was a critical darling and a box office hit. Julie Andrews is at the top of her game and both Carol Channing and Mary Tyler Moore really shine in this musical. The film was nominated for seven academy awards including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Carol Channing and Best Costume Design for Jean Louis. Elmer Bernstein earned the only win for the film with a Best Original Score Oscar. A sequel called The Jazz Babies was planned but never came to fruition.





The Roadshow Edition of Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) complete with full overture, intermission and exit music is available on blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The movie has been fully restored in 4K by Universal Pictures. It really benefits from this restoration especially since color is such an important element in the movie. The Blu-ray disc also includes English subtitles, audio commentary by film historian Lee Gambin and art historian Ian McNally and various theatrical trailers. 


Thank you to Kino Lorber for sending me a copy to review!


Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Classic Movie Books I've Been Reading (2)

 In my latest YouTube video I discuss the books and reviewing so far this year. Check it out!



Mentioned in the video: 
Charles Boyer: The French Lover by John Baxter
Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn by Robyn L. Coburn 
Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century by Dana Stevens
Girls on Film: Lessons from a Life of Watching Women in Movies by Alicia Malone
Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World by Wil Haygood 
Topper by Thorne Smith
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
Lana: The Lady, The Legend, The Truth by Lana Turner
Nazimova: A Biography by Gavin Lambert
Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley by Jeffrey Spivak

Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel to be alerted to new videos as they go live.

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

First Roundup: 2022 Classic Film Reading Challenge

 

I'm excited to share the first round-up of reviews for this year's Classic Film Reading Challenge. I'm so impressed with the reviews in this batch. A wide variety of selections and there are some very thorough reviews as well as great YouTube videos from Lee, Andy and Robert! Chris and Andy are the leaders of the challenge with 4 books reviewed by each so far. I'll be doing another round-up next month so stay tuned.


Alejandro on Goodreads

Image courtesy of Alejandro @alamofilmguy on Twitter


"The book is the portrait of a complicated man, and Eyman takes his time in delving into his subject’s multifaceted life with careful research and sharp reactions observation."


"It’s a rare look into the life of a Mexican-American actor building his career and the emotional toll that career had later in his life... But perhaps one day we will have a fuller text to explore all the areas of this extraordinary life. One can hope." 

The Original Sin by Anthony Quinn


Andy of Journeys in Darkness and Light




"This book is filled with great information and several surprises. If you're a fan of classic movies, you're going to love it."

Character People by Ken D. Jones, Arthur F. McClure and Alfred E. Twomey



"Bottom line, you can't go wrong with an Elmore Leonard work. Western or Crime."

Hombre by Elmore Leonard




"You watch Aldrich mature as a director and reflect on the successes and the failures, putting both into perspective."

Robert Aldrich: Interviews edited by Eugene L. Miller, Jr. and Edwin T. Arnold


Ari of The Classic Movie Muse

"[I] appreciated the additional insights into the characters from Inge’s text... We also gain a little more insight Hal’s family history and troubled background."

Picnic by William Inge


Brittaney of The Story Enthusiast

"Allanberger paints a portrait of a cunningly intelligent, often appealing woman whose independence and determination helped her succeed in a difficult business while also occasionally alienating people along the way."



Chris of Digging Star Wars


Image courtesy of Chris of Digging Star Wars


"Frankel knows how to collectively share massive amounts of research in a cohesive, entertaining story that is also history – both real, cinematic, and then some."


"Physically, the book is thin but printed in small type. In other words: it’s travel-sized but packed with information. It is also incredibly-smile-inducing for any Star Wars fan that is also a classic film fan."


"I loved this book. It educated me on so many levels of the Kung Fu film scene that started in the late 60s and even before that. It’s ballsy but honest. It also sets out on a mission and succeeds: these films – both good and “bad” – are a rich part of film and real world history that just can not be ignored.  


"let me conclude by simply saying “Hurrah!” for the please-take-a-free-book-and-keep-it library in the campground WiFi room where I found this literary treasure."

True Grit by Charles Portis


Chuck on Goodreads


Image courtesy of Chuck @Chuck7703 on Twitter


"Dolce Vita Confidential is an informative and fun read that will transport you back to that exciting time period of Rome in the 1950s."


"Hitchcock and the Censors is a unique and interesting look at Hitchcock's work through the prism of censorship that is a worthy addition to your film book library."

Hitchcock and the Censors by John Billheimer


"I would recommend this book to hard core Val Lewton fans or anyone with an interest in the American home during the war. Others may get bogged down in some of the analysis of this study."



Greg on Goodreads

"Anyone with interest in Film Noir or the Westerner genres, will be pleased to have this book as their gateway into the Sub-Genre of the Noir Western."


"Was expecting a little more from this book, but overall a good journey deep into classic Japanese cinema. Perhaps it's not as much about the filmmaking side of Japanese Cinema, but about the ideology behind and within it." 



Jess of Box Office Poisons: A Classic Movie Blog


Image courtesy of Jess from Box Office Poisons

 "ultimately this is the story of June's life as she wanted to tell it, and I guess you can't fault her for it." 

June Allyson by June Allyson

"I put this book down with the opinion that Loretta Young is a charming, eloquent, talented woman who was often ahead of her time in seeing trends and reacting to change, despite knowing that she was pretty pious and straight-laced and was never one to (openly) broker scandal."

The Things I Had to Learn by Loretta Young, as told to Helen Ferguson


Kara on Goodreads

"With each new installment, Lillian's Hollywood is fleshed out more fully with delightful cameos, recurring fan favorites like Bing Crosby and Barbara Stanwyck, and a rich (and ever-growing) cast of original characters."
Idle Gossip by Renee Patrick

"Not only are these stories fun and twisty mysteries featuring some of your favorite Golden Age of Hollywood stars, but they are also written in a way that is really enjoyable to read."

The Sharpest Needle by Renee Patrick


Lee on YouTube



"If you are of a philosophical bent... introspective narratives... purply prose... and you don't mind a spot of naval gazing... you can't go wrong with Nathan's novella."

Portrait of Jennie by Robert Nathan


Molly of Classic Mollywood


Image courtesy of Molly from Classic Mollywood


"This book is an easy read and you will get a sense of Granger’s personality and sense of humor."

Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway by Farley Granger with Robert Calhoun


Ralph on LibraryThing


"Agatha Christie successfully broke the rules with her dark story "And Then There Were None" that has no assured detective like Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to solve the mystery and foil the crime leaving readers to contemplate the darkness and self-deception present in people in all times and places."

And Then There None by Agatha Christie

"One of the great gifts of this book is how Ray Morton takes us behind the scenes to show the breakthrough innovations required by the special effects team lead by Douglass Trumbull as they needed to invent new ways to create the fantastic and realistic images Spielberg envisioned and demanded."




Raquel of Out of the Past


 

"Stevens offers a look at Keaton through a cultural history lens and readers with reap the rewards from all the historical context."


"I highly recommend this one for anyone who wants to go a lot further with their knowledge of film history and for anyone interested in black representation in media."



Robert B. of Robert Bellissimo at the Movies





"Highly recommended... it's a wonderful read."





"this is a very important book that I think should be given to every veteran actor or young actor or someone just entering into the field... the details of it are just really mind-blowing"



Sarah on Goodreads


"You can tell how much time and research the author put into her book, and her love for Keaton was evident."

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World by Wil Haygood

Colorization
One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World
by Wil Haygood
Knopf
464 pages
October 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 9780525656876


“If Black Americans were to fight back against what cinema had now done to them, they would need their own filmmaker. They needed someone to tell their stories, stories with nuance and honesty and respect and comedy and joy—all the things that this magical thing called cinema was offering to mainstream society. And if such a person were to emerge, he would have to possess fortitude, and a wide vision that would remain steadfast against the forces sure to rise and be arrayed against him.” — Wil Haygood

From the beginning of film history, black representation has been a struggle. Stereotypes and racist depictions caused harmful ripple effects in our culture that ultimately lead to real life consequences. Deeply rooted racism in Hollywood held back black performers and filmmakers from realizing their true potential. Even with all the obstacles in the business and in society at large, these black visionaries persisted. Oscar Micheaux, Paul Robeson, Lena Horne and Hattie McDaniel paved the way for Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Pam Grier and Melvin van Peebles who made strides for Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and Martin Jenkins. The industry still struggles with black representation on screen and off. While we still have a long way to go, understanding and appreciating black film history is crucial for making strides in the decades to come.

Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World by Wil Haygood is a rich resource of information on black film history that will both educate and enlighten. Haygood draws parallels between filmmakers and actors and the particular moment in history in which they were working. This book is filled to the brim with stories and related context. The focus is more on individuals however numerous films are discussed at length. Each chapter has a particular theme and some are followed by short "flashback" chapters that hone in on an important moment in film history as it relates to the previous chapter. For example, a chapter examining Sidney Poitier's life and career is followed by a flashback chapter which recounts the night of his historic Oscar win. 

Topics discussed include: 
  • D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation and its harmful impact on black representation
  • Oscar Micheaux's extraordinary career as an independent filmmaker
  • The relationship between authors Fannie Hurst and Zora Neale Hurston
  • Hattie McDaniel, "mammy" and black maid tropes, and her landmark Oscar win
  • The debacle that was Porgy and Bess.
  • The different paths Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte took with their careers.
  • The amazing story behind Melvin Van Peebles career.
  • The impact Pam Grier had on the representation on black female beauty.
  • Berry Gordy, Billy Dee Williams, Diana Ross and the films of Motown Records
  • and many more

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“The wonder of it all is that the moviemaking life didn’t crush Oscar Micheaux. He had come into Black filmmaking when it hardly existed, creating much of its origins and giving it ballast and a heartbeat.” 
On Baby Face “But to Negroes the real star of the movie was Theresa Harris…Chico and Lily were one of the first, more honest Black-white friendships to be showcased on a major motion-picture screen. They were equals, and the reality of this at the time was its own kind of shock.” 
“Sammy Davis Jr had the wherewithal to survive the sexual and interracial-marriage paranoia against the backdrop of Hollywood and America, but Dorothy Dandridge did not.”  
“Poitier and Belafonte have become cultural icons, two handsome Black men, defiant soul brothers who claimed their stake in the air of American celebrity…”


Colorization is quite dense and does take some patience to get through. There is a bit of jumping back and forth between subjects within in a chapter which made me go back to reread some parts to get back on track. However, it was well worth the effort because of the book's abundance of details, insights and context. Haygood does a superb job demonstrating the effect history had on film and vice versa. I took over 11 pages worth of notes because there were so many takeaways that I didn't want to forget.

I highly recommend this one for anyone who wants to go a lot further with their knowledge of film history and for anyone interested in black representation in media.



This is my second review for the 2022 Classic Film Reading Challenge.


Thank you to Knopf for sending me a copy of Colorization for review!

Sunday, July 3, 2022

New & Upcoming Classic Film Books (19)

It's that time again! I've poured over countless publisher catalogs to find some classic film book gems so you don't have to. Here is another robust list of new and upcoming releases with something for every classic movie enthusiast.

Are you new to my list? Here are the details. The books include biographies, memoirs, scholarly texts, coffee table books and more from a variety of publishers. For any scholarly books I make sure the ones included are affordable. There are also some reissues added to the bunch. Publication dates range from July to December 2022 and these are subject to change.

Links go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Powell's. I receive a small commission if you shop through some (not all) of my buy links. 




JULY




Agent Josephine
American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy
by Damien Lewis
PublicAffairs
496 pages — July 2022




All for Beauty
Makeup and Hairdressing in Hollywood's Studio Era 
by Adrienne L. McLean
Rutgers University Press
326 pages — July 2022




Gone With the Wind
1939 Day by Day 
by Pauline Bartel
Lyons Press
250 pages — July 2022




Inventing the It Girl
How Elinor Glyn Created the Modern Romance and Conquered Early Hollywood 
by Hilary A. Hallett
Liveright
464 pages — July 2022




Making Hollywood Happen
Seventy Years of Film Finances 
by Charles Drazin
University of Wisconsin Press
224 pages — July 2022




Marlene
by Marlene Dietrich
University Press of Kentucky
234 pages — July 2022




Marlene Dietrich 
Photographs and Memories 
by Marlene Dietrich
University Press of Kentucky
304 pages — July 2022




Marlene Dietrich's ABC's
Wit, Wisdom, and Recipes
by Marlene Dietrich
University Press of Kentucky
162 pages — July 2022





Norman Mailer. Bert Stern. Marilyn Monroe  
by Norman Mailer and Bert Stern
TASCHEN
276 pages — July 2022




The Queen of Technicolor
Maria Montez in Hollywood 
by Tom Zimmerman
University Press of Kentucky
472 pages — July 2022




Road Trip to Nowhere
Hollywood Encounters the Counterculture
by Jon Lewis
University of California Press
352 pages — July 2022




Rock on Film
The Movies That Rocked the Big Screen 
by Fred Goodman
Foreword by Michael Lindsay-Hogg
TCM and Running Press
288 pages — July 2022




Speaking of Harpo
by Susan Fleming Marx and Robert S. Bader
Applause
356 pages — July 2022



AUGUST




Creating Carmen Miranda
Race, Camp, and Transnational Stardom 
by Kathryn Bishop-Sanchez
Vanderbilt University Press
304 pages — August 2022




Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland, and the Golden Age of Hollywood  
by Melanie Gall
Lyons Press
288 pages — August 2022




Getting Carter
Ted Lewis and the Birth of British Noir 
by Nick Triplow
Soho Syndicate
August 2022




  The Hollywood Motion Picture Blacklist
Seventy-Five Years Later 
by Larry Ceplair
University Press of Kentucky
246 pages — August 2022




Hollywood Tiki
Film in the Era of the Pineapple Cocktail
by Adam Foshko and Jason Henderson
The History Press
176 pages — August 2022




The Maltese Falcon
Special Edition
by Dashiell Hammett
Vintage Crime
240 pages — August 2022




The MGM Effect
How a Hollywood Studio Changed the World 
by Steven Bingen
Lyons Press
360 pages — August 2022




The Postman Always Rings Twice
Special Edition
by James M. Cain
Vintage Crime
128 pages — August 2022



Roots of Film Noir
Precursors from the Silent Era to the 1940s
by Kevin Grant
McFarland
248 pages — August 2022




Ruth Roman
A Career Portrait
by Derek Sculthorpe
McFarland
218 pages — August 2022



SEPTEMBER




Bob Willoughby
A Cinematic Life
by Bob Willoughby
Chronicle Chroma
368 pages — September 2022




Captain of Her Soul
The Life of Marion Davies
by Lara Gabrielle
University of California Press
344 pages — September 2022




*Second Edition*
Carole Lombard
Twentieth-Century Star
by Michelle Morgan
The History Press
272 pages — September 2022




Ernest Lehman 
The Sweet Smell of Success 
by Jon Krampner
University Press of Kentucky
392 pages — September 2022




Expressionism in Art and Film
by Lisa Felicitas Mattheis, Kristina Jaspers and Marek Zidowicz
Silvana Editoriale
240 pages — September 2022



Godzilla
The Ultimate Illustrated Guide 
Toho Co. Ltd, Graham Skipper
256 pages — September 2022




**Expanded Edition**
Harlow in Hollywood: 
The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, 1928-1937 
by Darrell Rooney, Mark A. Vieira
Angel City Press
208 pages — September 2022




A Little Book About Movies 
Quotes for the Cinephile in Your Life 
Orange Hippo!
192 pages — September 2022




Running the Race
The "Public Face" of Charlton Heston
by Brian Steel Wills
Savas Beatie
456 pages — September 2022




Sunset Boulevard
by Steven Cohan
BFI
104 pages — September 2022




Viva Hollywood
The Legacy of Latin and Hispanic Artists in American Film 
by Luis I Reyes
Foreword by Jimmy Smits
TCM and Running Press
288 pages — September 2022




Working 9 to 5
A Women's Movement, A Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie
by Ellen Cassedy
Foreword by Jane Fonda
IPG
272 pages — September 2022



OCTOBER



A-Z Great Film Directors
by Andy Tuohy
Cassell
224 pages — October 2022




The Academy and the Award
The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 
by Bruce Davis
Brandeis University Press
512 pages — October 2022
AmazonBarnes and Noble




The Art of Film
Working on James Bond, Aliens, Batman and More
by Terry Ackland-Snow and Wendy Laybourn
The History Press
356 pages — October 2022




Audrey Hepburn
The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon
by Megan Hess
Hardie Grant Books
192 pages —October 2022




Cinema Speculation
by Quentin Tarantino
Harper
400 pages — October 2022




The Classic Movies Coloring Book
IglooBooks
48 pages — October 2022




Don Rickles
Merchant of Venom
by Michael Seth Starr
Citadel
320 pages — October 2022




The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man
A Memoir 
by Paul Newman
edited by David Rosenthal
Foreword by Melissa Newman
Afterword by Clean Newman Soderlund
Knopf
320 pages — October 2022




The Farrows of Hollywood
Their Dark Side of Paradise
by Marilyn Ann Moss
Skyhorse Publishing
312 pages — October 2022




Film Noir Portraits
edited by Tony Nourmand and written by Paul Duncan
Reel Art Press
256 pages — October 2022




From Russia With Love
   by Llewella Chapman
BFI
112 pages — October 2022




A Front Row Seat
An Intimate Look at Broadway, Hollywood, and the Age of Glamour 
by Nancy Olson Livingston
University Press of Kentucky
432 pages — October 2022




The Godfather, Part II
by Jon Lewis
BFI
96 pages — October 2022




It's a Wonderful Life Advent Devotional
by Anne Morse
Crosslink Publishing
123 pages — October 2022




Picnic at Hanging Rock
by Anna Backman Rogers
BFI
104 pages — October 2022




Picturing Indians
Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960
by Liza Black
University of Nebraska Press
354 pages — October 2022




Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop
The Team That Changed Children's Television 
by Mallory Lewis, Nat Segaloff
University Press of Kentucky
240 pages — October 2022




Straight Lady
The Life and Times of Margaret Dumont, "The Fifth Marx Brother" 
Chris Enss, Howard Kazanjian
Lyons Press
208 pages — October 2022




TCM Underground
50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema 
by Millie De Chirico and Quatoyiah Murry
Foreword by Patton Oswalt
TCM and Running Press
240 pages — October 2022




Vampire Cinema
The First 100 Years
by Christopher Frayling
Reel Art Press
272 pages — October 2022

NOVEMBER




The 50 MGM Films That Transformed Hollywood
Triumphs, Blockbusters, and Fiascos 
by Steven Bingen
Lyons Press
344 pages — November 2022




Aline MacMahon
Hollywood, the Blacklist, and the Birth of Method Acting 
by John Stangeland
University Press of Kentucky
416 pages — November 2022




Hollywood
The Oral History  
by Jeanine Basinger, Sam Wasson
Harper
800 pages — November 2022




Lawrence Tierney
Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy
by Burt Kearns
University Press of Kentucky
448 pages — November 2022




My Maril
Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood, and Me 
by Terry Karger with Jay Margolis
Foreword by Michael Reagan 
Post Hill Press
224 pages — December 2022




Our Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn's Life in Pictures
by Chiara Pasqualetti Johnson
Acc Art Books
224 pages — November 2022




There's a Body in the Window Seat!
The History of Arsenic and Old Lace 
by Charles Dennis
Applause Books
168 pages — November 2022




Tokyo Story
by Alastair Phillips
BFI
96 pages — September 2022




Tyrone Power
Gender, Genre and Image in Classical Hollywood Cinema
by Gillian Kelly
Edinburgh University Press
248 pages — November 2022



DECEMBER




100 Movies of the 1980s  
edited by JĂĽrgen MĂĽller
TASCHEN
824 pages — December 2022




101 Things You Should Know about James Bond 007  
by Michael Dorflinger
Schiffer
192 pages — December 2022




Cinema's Original Sin
D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture 
by Paul McEwan
University of Texas Press
272 pages — December 2022




Elizabeth Taylor
The Grit & Glamour of an Icon
by Kate Andersen Brower
Harper
512 pages — December 2022



Frank & Marilyn
The Lives, the Loves, and the Fascinating Relationship of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe 
by Edward Z. Epstein
Post Hill Press
256 pages — December 2022




Rochelle Hudson
A Biography and Career Record
by David C. Tucker
McFarland
178 pages — December 2022



In Case You Missed It!


Frank Sinatra on the Big Screen
The Singer as Actor and Filmmaker
by James L. Neibaur and Gary Schneeberger
McFarland
264 pages — June 2022




French Film History
1895-1946
by Richard Neupert
University of Wisconsin Press
392 pages — June 2022

(check roundup #18 for more 2022 titles)




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