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Backstory 2, the second volume of interviews with Hollywood's legendary screenwriters, covers those who thrived in the 1940s and '50s. It was a tumultuous period for the film industry, a time often referred to as Hollywood's golden age, even though it was also the era of the blacklist. Scenarists were hit particularly hard by McCarthyism: eight of the famous "Hollywood Ten" were writers. The focus of this rich volume is aptly summarized in the introduction by editor Patrick McGilligan: "There are updates on the studios and the chieftains of the 1940s and '50s; vignettes of directors (like [George] Cukor) who respected the script and others (like [Howard] Hawks) who fiddled with it; glimpses and anecdotes of eminent colleagues, including an assortment of tales about Faulkner, insights into the tricks, traps, and technology of films; philosophy about the illusions and realities of the craft."
From Publishers Weekly
Fourteen Hollywood screenwriters relive the 1940s and '50s--an era of political turmoil, massive studio layoffs and rising aesthetic production values--in these sparkling interviews, a sequel to Backstory. Arthur Laurents asserts that the blacklist made "Hollywood what it is today, cardboard people running around on Styrofoam." Ben Maddow, blacklisted in 1952, speaks out for the first time about his role as HUAC cooperative witness. Walter Reisch reminisces about working with Darryl Zanuck, Louis B. Mayer and Ernst Lubitsch. Leigh Brackett, who adapted Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep to the screen, calls that novel "a confusing book." Other interviewees include Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Garson Kanin, fantasist Curt Siodmak, Philip Yordan and Dorothy Kingsley. This treasure trove is an irresistible mix of film lore, behind-the-scenes history, gossip and shoptalk. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
