Showing posts with label University Press of Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University Press of Kentucky. Show all posts

Friday, September 15, 2023

Designing Hollywood: Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age by Christian Esquevin

Designing Hollywood
Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age
by Christian Esquevin
Hardcover ISBN: 9780813197913
August 2023
University Press of Kentucky
 256 pages


"Modern glamour was born in Hollywood, where the combination of beautiful stars dressed in glimmering gowns traveled in movies and photos around the world." — Christian Esquevin


Author and researcher Christian Esquevin transports readers to the world of studio-era fashion in his new book Designing Hollywood: Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age. The book is organized into several chapters each focusing on a different movie studio: Universal, Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Columbia and RKO. These chapters are book-ended by an introduction and wrap-up. Each section chronicles the history of the studio, the work of their costume designers, the professional relationship between designer and star and whether or not the studio made any efforts to preserve their costume collections. The focus here is solely on women's costumes. The book contains various black-and-white publicity photos of actresses in notable costumes and a handful of photos of the designers themselves. There is also a small insert of full-color design sketches. The author also describes individual costumes to help with visualization where photos are not available. While this was not intended to be a coffee table book, the larger format and eye-catching cover design does make it a beautiful book to keep on display.

While Designing Hollywood was well-researched and informative, it suffers from an awkward format, limited context and little to no extrapolation. There is little discussion about the impact these costume designers had on the film industry and there only brief mentions of their influence on the general public and on the fashion industry as a whole. The narrative has little flow and lacked any real insight or takeaways that would have made for a richer experience for the reader. Some chapters are better than others. I preferred the Paramount, MGM, RKO and Warner Bros. chapters over those on Universal, Fox and Columbia.

In my opinion, the book should have focused on the careers of the individual costume designers rather than the studios. Chapters on Irene, Edith Head, Orry-Kelly, Adrian, Mary Ann Nyberg, Walter Plunkett, etc. would have read been more engaging and still could have maintained the studio-era theme.

Because the book chapters are organized by studio, the overall timeline feels disjointed. For example, costume designer Irene's work for Universal Studios is detailed at length in the first chapter. At one point the author quickly changes from Irene's career to her tragic death without any transition. “Irene designed Day’s costumes for this film… on November 15, 1962, Irene slit her wrist and jumped out of a window at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood.” In chapter six on MGM, Irene is introduced again: "Irene was born Irene Lentz on December 15, 1901, in South Dakota." It feels odd to read about her death in chapter one only to have her come to life again in chapter six. 

I did notice a few errors in the book. The author writes: “Ann Dvorak (pronounced vor-shack) had also starred in Scarface in the same year but here gave her finest performance as a woman on a downward spiral." Except that's not how its pronounced in this instance. Rather it's d-voh-rAHk. There is also a mention of the TCM Classic Film Festival but it reads that TCM sponsors the festival and not that they host it.

While Designing Hollywood has plenty of interesting information about studio-era costume design, it reads too much like a standard reference book to be engaging. 





This is my fourth and final review for the 2023 Classic Film Reading Challenge.


Thank you to University Press of Kentucky for sending me a copy of Designing Hollywood for review.

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Ida Lupino: A Biography by William Donati

Ida Lupino: A Biography
by William Donati
Paperback ISBN: 9780813196480
January 2023
University Press of Kentucky
360 pages


“Emotionally, Ida was a jumble of contradictions, infused with the polarity often present in intensely creative individuals.” — William Donati

Ida Lupino is one of the great outliers of the film industry. In a time when there were limited roles for women except for being an actress or writer, Lupino managed not only take on both roles but to also add director, producer and businesswoman to her list. To modern age audiences she's a feminist icon. But in reality Ida Lupino was a walking contradiction. Even as a pioneer female filmmaker who was fiercely independent she held onto traditional values when it came to gender roles. She leveraged her fame to advance her career but also advocated for her privacy. Some regarded her as a warm person and others pointed out her iciness. Lupino was not about to be pigeonholed into a single category of any kind. She was a complex person and unapologetically herself.

Originally published in 1997, William Donati's book Ida Lupino: A Biography chronicles the life of an actress-filmmaker who lived her entire life in show business. The book was originally meant to be Lupino's autobiography written with the help of Donati. But the project stalled and when Lupino died in 1995 Donati moved forward with a more traditional biography. The book was recently reissued this year by the University Press of Kentucky but I haven't been able to confirm if any notable changes were made to the original text.

The book begins with Ida Lupino's formative years as a member of the Lupino showbiz family, her close bonds with her father Stanley and mother Connie, her move from the UK to Hollywood to pursue a career as a film actress and her early days a Paramount contract star playing ingenue roles and her bout with polio. We learn about her friendship with Thelma Todd and the events of that fateful night when Todd mysteriously died (the author had also written a book about Todd). Then there were Ida Lupino's marriages to actor Louis Hayward, writer and filmmaker Collier Young and her particularly tumultuous relationship with Howard Duff which are all discussed at length. The author offers only brief glimpses into Lupino's mental health struggles and her fraught relationship with her daughter Bridget Duff. Almost every film that Lupino acted in and a majority of her television work is discussed. Her work with The Filmakers—the production company she started with her husband Collier Young— and the more involved projects she made while at Warner Bros. get the most coverage.

Some interesting facts I learned from the book:

  • Lupino was such a perfectionist that she often drove herself to exhaustion, illness and/or injury.
  • She greatly admired anyone who took the business seriously and preferred to work with people were as driven as she was.
  • Producer Mark hellinger stepped in to vouch for Lupino so she would get cast in the film They Drive by Night (1940). That film as well as High Sierra (1941) became breakout roles for both Ida Lupino and her co-star Humphrey Bogart.
  • Ann Sheridan and Lupino often got the same types of roles and replaced each other in different projects. For example, when Lupino turned down a role in King's Row (1942), it went to Ann Sheridan.
  • When Jack Warner offered her a 7 year contract he told her she'd be another Bette Davis for Warner Bros.
  • To prepare for Moontide (1942), Lupino took French actor Jean Gabin on a tour of the seedier parts of Los Angeles for a "first-hand look at vice and violence."
  • The Hard Way (1943) and Devotion (1946) were two of Lupino's most challenging productions due to complications with the studio, WWII and Stanley Lupino's death from cancer.
  • Agent Charles K. Feldman sought Lupino as a client and even bought the rights to Road House (1948) and sold them to Twentieth Century Fox with the stipulation that Lupino be cast in the lead.
  • Lupino enjoyed working with The Breen Office and welcomed their changes which she didn't view as censorship but rather as improvements.
  • For her hard-hitting drama Not Wanted (1949), which she produced and eventually directed, she couldn't use the title "Unwed Mother" because it was too salacious. But the restrictions did not apply to marketing materials so she plastered UNWED MOTHER in bold type in various newspaper ads to promote the movie.
  • She fostered new talent by casting Sally Forrest and Keefe Braselle in Not Wanted (1949) and Never Fear (1950).
  • Lupino and Young struck a deal with Howard Hughes to partner on three films between RKO and The Filmakers production company. Lupino was one of the few executives Hughes would actually agree to meet with directly. 
  • While the Motion Picture Association objected to the making of The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Lupino and The Filmakers went ahead with the production. Lupino had already gotten permission from prisoner Billy Cook and the two men he kidnapped. Their story was the basis of the movie.
  • Many of us know that The Bigamist (1953) had Lupino starring and directing in a film that also included her ex-husband Collier Young and his new wife Joan Fontaine. While that seems like it would have been an uncomfortable situation, Lupino and her third husband Duff were friendly with Young and Fontaine and the couples often spent time with each other.
  • According to the author, "with The Bigamist, Ida Lupino became the first woman to direct herself in a major motion picture."
  • Lupino was quick to adapt and in the early 1950s that meant transitioning to television. She insisted that her husband Howard Duff be her co-star in the TV sitcom Mr. Adams and Eve. The story idea was developed by her ex-husband Collier Young.
  • Producer William Frye personally chose Ida Lupino to direct which would be her last production The Trouble with Angels (1966). They originally wanted to cast Greta Garbo but couldn't get her out of retirement and was replaced by Rosalind Russell.
  • I love this quote from Rosalind Russell about Lupino: "The sex of a director doesn't mean a hoot. The one all-important thing is talent. Somehow it has evolved that directing is a man's profession. A woman has a tough, almost impossible time breaking down this caste barrier. Miss Arzner managed it. Ida is doing it now."


This biography suffers from inherent bias which was to be expected considering the book began its life as Lupino's autobiography. It's clear that the author very much admires and respects his subject. Lupino is treated with reverence but some of the more superfluous language feels cloying. However, the author does not shy away from exploring Lupino's self-destructive behavior, her contradictions and her co-dependent relationships with men. I was frustrated with some of the outdated language used and wondered if in this new edition some of that could have been edited out.

Ida Lupino: A Biography by William Donati is a mixed bag. While it offers the reader plenty of interesting information and a cohesive outline of Lupino's extraordinary career, it's plagued by some odd choices in narrative. I would recommend this anyone who is interested in learning more about Lupino. It's a good starting point it covers a lot of territory in just under 300 reading pages. Some of the more personal aspects of Lupino's life probably wouldn't have been revealed had it not been for the author's friendship with Lupino. There are some insights here that the reader might not find elsewhere that definitely add value to the text overall.




This is my third book review for my Classic Film Reading Challenge.


Thank you to the University Press of Kentucky for sending me a digital copy for review. And thank you to the Greater Boston Film Classics Club for inviting me to host a virtual discussion on this book!

Monday, July 31, 2023

The Classic Film Collective: Nazimova by Gavin Lambert

 This was originally published in the former The Classic Film Collective Patreon.

 


Nazimova: A Biography
by Gavin Lambert
University Press of Kentucky
Paperback ISBN: 9780813153421
432 pages



“When I first came to America I had so much luck it frightened me… And then the luck turned.” — Nazimova


With her dark and wild hair, her downturned eyes and her incredible confidence, Nazimova was bonafide star. This actress who made waves on stage and on the silent screen is the subject of Gavin Lambert’s 1997 biography, recently reissued in paperback by University Press of Kentucky.

Alla Nazimova was born Mariam Edez Adelaida Leventon in Crimea, Russia in 1879. Nazimova came from a Russian Jewish family and suffered from severe neglect after her parents’ divorce. She sought solace with acting and became part of the Moscow theatrical scene. The author goes into incredible detail about childhood and teen years thanks to Nazimova’s own unfinished autobiography that he used as reference. Towards the end of her life she spent countless hours detailing her origin story but never got to write about what happened after the age of 17. Luckily, she left behind many other details in the form of correspondence and diary entries that the author had access to and references frequently throughout the book.

What made Nazimova so special as an actress was her stage and screen presence, her ability to play characters much younger than herself, her incredible memory, her attention to detail and her personal and professional networking skills. She was a master at both the technical and social aspects of being an actress. It was natural that Nazimova would make her way to Broadway. Despite her heavy accent which some criticized, Nazimova soon became a star in the New York theatre world.

Metro Pictures came around with an incredible offer: a contract that would make her one of the highest paid actresses in silent film and give her approval of the director, leading man and the script. The author goes into detail about each of Nazimova’s films. There is a lot of detail for her early Metro Pictures films, including WAR BRIDES (1916), Revelation (1918) and TOYS OF FATE (1918), all of which are unfortunately lost. When Metro Pictures moved to Hollywood, Nazimova followed suit. She made silent films with them until a terrible falling out led her to start her own production company. Now with complete creative control, she produced and starred in films like CAMILLE (1921) and SALOME (1924). By 1925, Nazimova had abandoned films for the New York stage. She returned to Hollywood in the 1940s with small roles in films like ESCAPE (1940) and BLOOD AND SAND (1941). In fact, her final role in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944) was written specifically for her.

The crux of Lambert’s biography is Nazimova’s relationships with family, lovers and professional collaborators. Nazimova was queer and preferred to be in relationships with women. Her relationship with her common law husband Charles Bryant (they weren’t legally married but pretended to be so for many years) was a means to protect her professional image. He was also producer, actor and director for many of her films, which further gave Nazimova control over her projects. Lambert offers the reader many stories about key figures like June Mathis, Jean Acker, Rudolph Valentino, Natacha Rambova and many more. I was surprised to discover that much celebrated genre producer Val Lewton was Nazimova’s nephew! And of course, there are Nazimova’s homes including the The Garden of Allah and Who-Tok, both of which no longer exist although stories of these grand homes continue to be part of her legacy.

My biggest issue with Lambert’s biography on Nazimova is some of the outdated language. There are a few sexist and racist terms, direct quotations from people in Nazimova’s life, that I feel could have been nixed in the reissue. Fortunately, these are few and far between. There is quite a lot of details about Nazimova’s sex life but I felt it was done in a respectful manner. Lambert really does demonstrate how these relationships were key to her growth as a performer and were also how she navigated her social world.

Never salacious and always informative, Gavin Lambert’s biography captures the dramatic rise and fall of the late great Nazimova.


Thank you to University Press of Kentucky for sending me a digital copy of this book to review!

Monday, July 17, 2023

New & Upcoming Classic Film Books (21)

Hoo boy! Do I have a list of new classic film books for you! It took me a few weeks to gather this list and its finally here. I'm very impressed with what TCM/Running Press and University Press of Kentucky have coming up in their Fall catalogs. There are lots of good paperback editions of some big releases notably the Paul Newman memoir, the Elizabeth Taylor biography and Mark Vieira's George Hurrell's Hollywood. 

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 and paperback editions added to the bunch. Publication dates range from July to December 2023 and these are subject to change. These are U.S. release dates. International release dates and availability may vary.

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. 


I would love to hear what you think? Which books are you putting on your wishlist?


JULY



9780063026391
Bogie & Bacall
The Surprising True Story of Hollywood's Greatest Love Affair
by William J. Mann
Harper
656 pages — July 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781541700673
**Paperback Edition**
Agent Josephine
American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy 
by Damien Lewis
PublicAffairs
512 pages — July 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780813198408
**Paperback Edition**
Clarence Brown
Hollywood's Forgotten Master
by Gwenda Young
Foreword by Kevin Brownlow
University Press of Kentucky
454 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780806541945
The Exorcist Legacy
50 Years of Fear
by Nat Segaloff
Citadel
352 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780593467718
**Paperback Edition**
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man
A Memoir
by Paul Newman
edited by David Rosenthal
Foreword by Melissa Newman
Vintage
320 pages — July 2023




9798887712376
Lena Horne: The M-G-M Years
Hollywood’s First Black Star
by Stephen Bourne
Bear Manor Media
120 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781538183892
The Monster Movies of Universal Studio
by James L. Neibaur
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
228 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble Powell's




9781477327333
Selling Science Fiction Cinema
Making and Marketing a Genre
by J.P. Telotte
University of Texas Press
192 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781951213794
Still Laughing
A Life in Comedy 
From the Creator of Laugh-in 
by George Schlatter with Jon Macks
Foreword by Lily Tomlin
Afterword by Goldie Hawn
The Unnamed Press
239 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781803990354
When Harry Met Cubby
The Story of the James Bond Producers
by Robert Sellers
The History Press
352 pages — July 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




AUGUST



9781493062850
Becoming Nick and Nora
The Thin Man and the Films of William Powell and Myrna Loy 
by Rob Kozlowski
Applause Books
256 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781493074884
Breaking the Code
Otto Preminger Versus Hollywood's Censors
by Nat Segaloff
Applause
288 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780711283657
Clint Eastwood
The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work
by Ian Nathan
White Lion Publishing/Quarto Group
176 pages — August 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781631495809
Daughter of the Dragon
Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History 
by Yunte Huang
Liveright
400 pages — August 2023






9780813197913
Designing Hollywood
Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age 
by Christian Esquevin
University Press of Kentucky
256 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781474474009
**Paperback Edition**
Diana Dors
Film Star and Actor
by Martin Shingler
Edinburgh University Press
176 pages — August 2023




9780813197883
Eleanor Powell
Born to Dance
by Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère
University Press of Kentucky
360 pages — August 2023




 9781648230356
Gary Cooper
Enduring Style
by G. Bruce Hoyer
Foreword by Ralph Lauren
Afterword by Maria Cooper Janis
powerHouse Books
200 pages — August 2023




9781399066952
James Stewart at War
His Career in the USAAF 
by Pavel Türk
Air World
224 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780813199276
Monsters on Maple Street
The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream
by David J. Brokaw
University Press of Kentucky
280 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781496846051
Starmaker
David O. Selznick and the Production of Stars in the Hollywood Studio System
by Milan Hain
University Press of Mississippi
320 pages — August 2023




9780813198088
Strictly Dynamite
The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez 
by Eve Golden
University Press of Kentucky
488 pages — August 2023
Amazon Barnes and Noble Powell's




9781476687254
Theda Bara
Her Career, Life and Legend
by Roy Liebman
McFarland
120 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780813198019
The Warner Brothers
by Chris Yogerst
Foreword by Michael Uslan
University Press of Kentucky
360 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





SEPTEMBER



9781641609227
Bing and Billie and Frank and Ella and Judy and Barbra
by Dan Callahan
Chicago Review Press
400 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





9781623717148
Chaplin
The Tramp's Odyssey 
by Simon Louvish
Interlink Publishing Group
464 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781493076062
Double Solitaire
The Films of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder
by Donald Brackett
Applause
312 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780762484621
**Revised Edition**
Edith Head 
The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer 
by Jay Jorgensen
Running Press
400 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780063067660
**Paperback Edition**
Elizabeth Taylor
The Grit & Glamour of an Icon
by Kate Andersen Brower
Harper Paperbacks
512 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781911397625
The Final Curtain
Obituaries of Fifty Great Actors
by Michael Coveney
foreword by Sam Mendes
Unicorn Publishing Group
256 pages — September 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780762484607
**Revised Edition**
George Hurrell's Hollywood
Glamour Portraits, 1925-1992
by Mark A. Vieira
Foreword by Sharon Stone 
Running Press
416 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781978806504
Ideal Beauty
The Life and Times of Greta Garbo
by Lois W. Banner
Rutgers University Press
286 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781636810850
John Waters
Pope of Trash
by John Waters
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
256 pages — September 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780762481682
Kid Noir
Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey  
by Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt
illustrated by Forrest Burdett
Running Press Kids and TCM
32 pages — September 2023




9781477328330
**Paperback Edition**
Making the Best Years of Our Lives
The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation
by Alison Macor
University of Texas Press
208 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9780228018681
Queer Film Classics: Anders als die Andern
by Ervin Malakaj
McGill-Queen's University Press
176 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780228018780
Queer Film Classics: Maurice
by David Greven
McGill-Queen's University Press
208 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781770417427
Wrath of the Dragon
The Real Fights of Bruce Lee
by John Little
ECW Press
352 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839025419
The Deer Hunter
BFI Classics
by Brad Prager
BFI
120 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839023484
It's a Wonderful Life
BFI Classics
by Michael Newton
BFI
168 pages — September 2023
Amazon — Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781839025761
Point Blank
BFI Classics
by Eric G. Wilson
BFI
112 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





OCTOBER



9780762484263
A.K.A. Lucy
The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball 
by Sarah Royal
Foreword by Amy Poehler
Running Press
240 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781982176358
Charlie Chaplin vs. America
When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided
 by Scott Eyman
Simon & Schuster
432 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780762481040
**Revised and Expanded Edition**
Christmas in the Movies
35 Classics to Celebrate the Season
by Jeremy Arnold
TCM and Running Press
280 pages — October 2023
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's




9781838719173
The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger
edited by Nathalie Morris and Claire Smith
BFI
216 pages — October 2023
Amazon — Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781496838391
C'mon, Get Happy
The Making of Summer Stock
by David Fantle and Tom Johnson
Foreword by Savion Glover
University Press of Mississippi
304 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780228104506
Elvis Remembered
Interviews With the People Who Knew Him Best 
by Shelly Powers
Firefly Books
240 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781496846518
Ferocious Ambition
Joan Crawford's March to Stardom
by Robert Dance
University Press of Mississippi
400 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





9781922754677
Film Buff
The Ultimate Movie Quiz
by Smith Street Books
Smith Street Gift
200 pages (novelty book) — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781743798416
Grace Kelly
The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon
by Megan Hess
Hardie Grant Books
192 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780316526005
Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman
A Love Affair in Words and Pictures 
by Melissa Newman, 
edited by Andrew Kelly
Voracious
288 pages — October 2023




9780593542972
Hitchcock's Blondes
The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession
by Laurence Leamer
G.P. Putnam's Sons
pages — October 2023




9780307958921
Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties
The Collapse of the Studio System, the Thrill of Cinerama, and the Invasion of the Ultimate Body Snatcher
by Foster Hirsch
Knopf
672 pages — October 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780762475209
Lena Horne
Goddess Reclaimed
by Donald Bogle
TCM and Running Press
272 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble Powell's




9780785843689
Lucille Ball Treasures
Featuring Memorabilia and Pictures 
by Cindy De La Hoz
Chartwell Books/Quarto Group
176 pages — October 2023




9780785843740
Marilyn Monroe
A Photographic Life 
by Jenna Glatzer
Chartwell Books
176 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781639730766
The Method
How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act
by Isaac Butler
Bloomsbury Publishing
512 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble Powell's




9780814347768
Movie-Made Los Angeles
by John Trafton
Wayne State University Press
256 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble — Powell's




9780231206211
Teen Movies
A Century of American Youth
by Timothy Shary
Wallflower Press
192 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9780813197524
They Made the Movies
Conversations with Great Filmmakers 
by James Bawden and Ron Miller
University Press of Kentucky
392 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781803365084
The Wicker Man
The Official Story of the Film
by John Walsh
Titan Books
192 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781839022951
Mean Streets
BFI Classics
by Demetrios Matheou
BFI
112 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839026065
The Red Shoes
BFI Classics
by Pamela Hutchinson
BFI
112 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839024498
Rushmore
BFI Classics
by Kristi Irene McKim
BFI
120 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





NOVEMBER




9781909526938
1001 Movie Posters
The Essential Collection 
edited by Tony Nourmand
introduction by Christopher Frayling
Reel Art Press
552 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781636810607
Agnès Varda
Director's Inspiration  
by Agnès Varda
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
208 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781789099546
Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards
by Tony Lee Moral
Titan Books
144 pages — November 2023




9781476689708
Artie Shaw
Icon of Song
by Barnett Singer and Jesse Read
McFarland
164 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781915310125
Charlot
by Ian Masters
Monsoon Books Pte. Ltd.
336 pages — November 2023
Amazon Barnes and Noble



9781786751331
Cinema of the 70s
101 Iconic Movies
by John H. Foote
Palazzo Editions
224 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781538183571
Elmer Bernstein, Film Composer
An Authorized Biography
by Peter M. Bernstein
Rowman and Littlefield
296 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780063041417
The Fatal Alliance
A Century of War on Film
by David Thomson
Harper
448 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781493053957
Hello, Norma Jeane
The Marilyn Monroe You Didn't Know
by Elisa Jordan
Applause
360 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780063056954
**Paperback Edition**
Hollywood: The Oral History
by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson
Harper Paperbacks
768 pages — November 2023
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's




9781476686578
In Search of the Thin Man
Dashiell Hammett, William Powell and the Classic Film Series
by Philip Zwerling
McFarland
227 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781476687889
Mummy Movies
A Comprehensive Guide
by Bryan Senn
McFarland
329 pages — November 2023
Amazon — Barnes and NoblePowell's





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