Towards a Cinema of Anthropological Speculation (Kindle Users Movie Guide Book 1)

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What an insufferable jackass he was. He lorded it over the production of Doctor Doolittle as if he were god's gift, motivated by professional jealousy and an inflated sense of his own importance. Occasionally, however, Harris touches on rumors better left on Page Six. Were Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn bisexual? He brings it up but fails to really address it, so you'll end up remembering the rumor without any idea if it's plausible or even where it originated. Despite its minor failings—the author worked for Entertainment Weekly sniff so what can you expect?

Even if you aren't interested in these specific films, the book is valuable as an excavation of the shrine to New Hollywood. And it's also a surfeit of riches with its tangential anecdotes, like the story of the death throes of the Hollywood Production Code. Sure, none of this is very important in an absolute way, but I pity the poor souls who are immune to thrills of celebrity tattle. A life that's purely necessary is anything but a life, if you ask me.

Yes, that's my rationalization. View all 17 comments. Dec 13, Carol Storm rated it it was amazing. Five movies were nominated for Best Picture that year. Each movie had something to say about how Old Hollywood was coping -- or not coping -- with the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Sixties. This is the most wonderful, amazing, and insight Five movies were nominated for Best Picture that year.

Mark Harris describes the making of all five movies in great detail, with amazingly candid quotes from the stars, the writers, the directors, and the leading movie critics of the day.

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The book is a gold mine of fascinating personal anecdotes, everything from prim and starchy Katherine Hepburn's slavish, Geisha like submission to the cruel, drunken, derelict Spencer Tracy, to Warren Beatty's gelatinous, oozy charm being unleashed like a secret weapon against the world of the aging studio heads. Even though I raced through this book in a matter of days, and even though I recommend it to anyone who enjoys exciting books about the movies, there were a few things that irritated me.

Both movies have a smug, smirking, hipper-than-thou tone that is not justified by any real power in either the acting performances or the writing. I understand the real point of the book, though. Aug 06, Jason Pettus rated it it was amazing Shelves: Over at the film-nerd social network I belong to, Letterboxd. An ingenious blend of Hollywood insider tale and legitimate history text, Harris takes the five movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar Over at the film-nerd social network I belong to, Letterboxd. Dolittle -- then simply recounts the stories of how all five got made in the years previous, showing the sometimes very different circuitous routes based on what kind of production it was.

Dolittle , on the other hand, a desperate last attempt by Hollywood's old guard to have another hit on the level of the recent My Fair Lady , was warmly embraced by the studios from day one, even as its budget eventually swelled to today's equivalent of half a billion dollars, at the same time that test audiences were giving every indication that it would become the massive disaster that it eventually turned out to be.

By stringing all these stories together, then, and especially interspersing their development details based on the chronological order of all five, Harris almost accidentally tells a much grander story about the changing nature of the American arts in general during these years, enfolding a series of related moments that were happening at the same time that helped turn this particular year in film history into a watershed moment that we now know as the birth of "New Hollywood.

Full of literally hundreds of anecdotes that are just begging to be retold at dinner parties to impress your friends, this is an astute, insightful, yet highly entertaining read, a page tome that I blew through in just a day and a half because I literally couldn't put it down. It comes strongly recommended not just to film buffs but to anyone who's interested in learning more about how the countercultural era came about in the first place. Dec 06, Charles Matthews rated it it was amazing.

Oscar plays it safe. But Harris does something more difficult and far more illuminating: He weaves together the stories of how each movie was conceived, crafted, released, critiqued and received. He writes about the five or six years in which the filmmakers, some of them old pros and some of them rank novices, struggled with a studio system in collapse, an audience whose tastes and enthusiasms seemed wildly unpredictable, and a culture being transformed by volatile social and political forces. The book has what Hollywood publicists used to brag about: Poitier figures in the stories of three of the movies — "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," in which he acted, and "Doctor Dolittle," in which he was cast in a featured role until its chaotic filming led to his being written out of the script.

His drawing power was a shock to an industry that had, until recently, treated his employment in movies as something akin to an act of charity. The panic came later — a good deal, but not all, of it caused by the irascible and demanding Harrison, whom Harris presents as a man filled with "anger and paranoia. Jul 01, Jennifer rated it really liked it Shelves: This book was a honking huge volume.

Luckily, I really enjoy books about production history, I was already familar with all of the films So, I came into the book knowing that I would love it. Oh, boy, did I ever. Mark Harris really delves into a detailed history of each movie, from conception to pitching to production to marketing to the actual Academy Awards ceremony. I lov This book was a honking huge volume. He used a very strict chronological timeframe, so his descriptions of projects often bled into each other if things happened at the same time.

I couldn't really differentiate chapters and couldn't actually understand the point of the divisions in the structure of the book.

Despite that little construction issue, I really loved the included pictures, the funny little anecdotes, and the cultural background that Harris included. As someone who wasn't around during the s, I appreciated Harris' descriptions of influential films and political events that shaped a lot of the decisions of the major players. I had never imagined how incestuous Hollywood was at that time.

He was also supposed to be involved in Dr. Even the sections about Bonnie and Clyde and the Graduate mentioned him in passing.

Harris doesn't refrain from being a bit gossipy in his prose, either. I got to hear stories about Rex Harrison and his drunken lush of a wife; Katherine Hepburn and her amazingly enigmatic relationship with Spencer Tracy; Sidney Poitier's inner turmoil at being the token black actor of Hollywood; Dustin Hoffman's reluctance about being a film actor I really read this book with IMDB at my side. I looked up almost every figure to see what they've done recently, what they did before.

In a way, reading the book with IMDB was a bit like skipping to the end and seeing spoilers This was an amazing work.

If someone was even moderately interested in film history, they would love this. Jun 17, Megankellie rated it really liked it Recommends it for: This is pretty film-geekily interesting and just the complete detail you want behind the scenes of the five movies that were nominated for Best Picture in - In the Heat of the Night, The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and Dr. Great history and context and the detailed battle of getting something produced and marketed. So detailed, you start from the second the screenwriters behind Bonnie and Clyde thought of the script and the million years until they sa This is pretty film-geekily interesting and just the complete detail you want behind the scenes of the five movies that were nominated for Best Picture in - In the Heat of the Night, The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and Dr.

So detailed, you start from the second the screenwriters behind Bonnie and Clyde thought of the script and the million years until they saw it on screen. Rex Harrison and his wife were legendary drunks, her main booze-trick was barking like a dog. Other highlights in polite company include a drunk handstand in a skirt while wearing no underwear and the all time, best reason Liz Taylor and Richard Burton thought "don't invite them to any more parties, I don't care if we have stuff in common and it's Italy and we don't know that many people": Comedy nerds will be very happy to find information about Nichols and May and Arthur Penn and Mike Nichols being a dick at a Hollywood party and finding an awesome friend that way bad life lesson?

Also the Sidney Poitier-ness of Sidney Poitier and how so many college kids stopped Dustin Hoffman on the street when the Graduate was in theaters and said like "we're just like you" and he would say "no--I'm 30 years old! This book is journalism at its absolute best; impeccable research and a wonderful story.

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The best histories are not just about their own subject, but give you a whole feel for the time and place. Harris has got into every part of this story; he's spoken to everyone, and read everything, but most of all he can really tell a great story. One of the best film books I've read, and I've read many. This is up there with Steven Bach's Final Cut for me. Phenomenal, both as film history and as an exploration of the cultural upheaval of the sixties. Aug 09, Brent Ecenbarger rated it it was amazing Shelves: My friends and family know I love movies.

Beth and I watch a new release every weekend and have for about 5 years now, but we also own tons of dvds and watch them regularly as well. Likewise, I know who Mr. However, none of the films had been a must see for me because they were always around, or replaying on tv somewhere.

New Hollywood types like Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, and Mike Nichols became rich and successful in the industry, while others like Jack Warner, Sydney Poitier and Spencer Tracy either peaked or made their final imprints on that same industry. The five movies chosen by Harris to focus on are the best picture nominees for that year, which opens up a whole other can of worms. Harris writes the book from an objective perspective, sharing critical reviews by critics from to show how films were received.

Those are quibbles about a really fantastic book though. Likewise, his knowledge of box office data is second none, and he shows off both areas of expertise frequently in this book. While Nichols was an interesting cog in this book, his story seemed less interesting than that of Poitier, Hepburn, Jewison or Beatty to this reader. This is highly recommended for fans of film, or great non-fiction storytelling in general. Mar 18, Michael rated it it was amazing.

This comprehensive, engaging, and dishy account of the five Best Picture nominees from is one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while. Rather than tell the story of each film o This comprehensive, engaging, and dishy account of the five Best Picture nominees from is one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while.

Rather than tell the story of each film one by one, Harris weaves their production histories together chronologically. The result is a cultural history that reads more like an epic novel about art, politics, race, and American values in the civil rights era. As for the films in question: May 20, Kris rated it it was amazing. This is your book if you appreciate thoroughness, historical accuracy and narrative momentum with your cinema journalism. Mark Harris captures the essence of mids filmmaking in a bottle, exhaustively documenting the making and promotion of the five films nominated for the best picture Oscar in Harris masterfully weaves the story of each film's creation into a united t This is your book if you appreciate thoroughness, historical accuracy and narrative momentum with your cinema journalism.

Harris masterfully weaves the story of each film's creation into a united thread instead of dividing his story into static chapters on individual films, so the reader can fully appreciate the tectonic shift that took place during this era. Eye opening, fascinating stuff. If you're a big movie and movie history buff like me, this book is a must-read! It's a wonderful glimpse into what it was like right at the cusp of "old" and "new" Hollywood, full of direct quotes from many of the actors, directors, screenwriters, and producers who weathered the changes.

It mainly focuses on 5 movies that, in their own ways, heralded the change: It was quite fascinating! Jan 30, Michael rated it it was amazing Recommended to Michael by: I've just finished this terrific Oscar-themed book, Pictures at a Revolution: Though it was published in I missed it when it came out. Gerwig said of it: The author is a longtime writer and editor at Entertainment Weekly, The scheme of his book is brilliant—and brilliantly executed.

He looked deeply into the five Best Picture nominees for , choosing that year as a turning point in the revolution from the old studio system to the new Hollywood era of independent production. The drama of the first third of Harris's book is the drama of getting the five films to the screen. Some of them were writer-driven. None of them had a straightforward journey from concept to screen. The book follows all five in parallel as the participants fought and struggled to steer the projects to meet their own vision, interests, and schedules.

Because the author had access to memos, treatments, and multiple script drafts, he's able to dig into the process of shaping and trimming stories to meld the vision of the creators with the realities of budget and the marketing expectations of the studios—and, in many cases the whims and insecurities of the stars.

Act II of the book, covers the production of these movies, described with a breadth of detail for the specific contributions of screenwriters, directors, producers, actors, production designers, cinematographers, editors, and publicists. Oh, and, of course, studio production executives and accountants. I've rarely read a book that dug so deeply and broadly into the contributions of the various departments that contribute to what we see on the screen.

Act III covers the release, reception, and the Awards ceremony itself. Harris spent four years researching the book, getting a huge number of direct interviews with surviving participants—and with family members of those who had passed on. He also had access to archives of treatments, script drafts, deal memos, correspondence, and more. He built his colorful narrative from recollections of lunches, dinners, parties, and phone calls marking milestones of options, hirings, firings, re-hirings as the participants drove each of these five projects from concept through release and on to the Oscar ceremony.

The granularity of what Harris managed to dig up is impressive. I don't know a better book that covers the personal and corporate struggles of getting a film made. Not just how to make a movie Harris gives us a sense of the careers of the people writers, producers, actors, cinematographers, and directors involved that bring them to the point of being involved in these films. Zooming out from there that, he offers a vivid snapshot of Hollywood at the moment that it flipped from the old studio system to the era of indies.

While the five nominated films are the core of the story, the book brings in many other films that influenced these five and that shaped the careers of the participants. And zooming still further, he reminds us of the political and cultural forces that shaped these films and the audiences that embraced them.

Two of the films, Bonnie and Clyde , and The Graduate originated outside of Hollywood—completely outside the system by people trying to break in. You can measure how much progress we made—and failed to make—on the issues of race and diversity by comparing these films with today's. In the time-frame of this book, our major Civil Rights laws had just been passed, we had urban riots, but, then in the week before the Oscar ceremony, Dr. The last film, Doctor Dolittle was a bloated, leaden, extravagant musical misfire that, in the book, is a perfect stand-in for the studio system that was dying.

This is film history at its most entertaining, flavored with rich anecdotes from every stage of production. If there's one thing that people in the business do well, it's tell stories. And Mark Harris has dug up some terrific stories about people who tell stories for a living.

Dec 15, Yagori rated it it was amazing. I got it as a present due to my fondness for cinema, and it looked very promising. Harris is able to create a cinematic universe in his book about cinema, where he manages to make readers cheer for production A or to create animosity towards production B, as if it were a fictional war. The astonishing amount of information all of which perfectly arranged and indexed is, in my opinion, at no time an impediment to the fluidity of the story.

All in all, I find this book should be in the library of every cinephile. Aug 05, Jo Marie rated it it was amazing. A wonderful book for movie lovers, or anyone interested in how movies are made. This is about the five movies nominated for the best picture Oscar yes, but it's full of observations and anecdotes about other movies as well. Fascinating accounts of actors, producers, directors, writers - really everyone involved in the movie business. Feb 04, Paul rated it it was amazing Recommended to Paul by: From the first plans by the writers to the night of the awards.

Now I have to go watch all of those films again. Dec 07, David Keaton rated it really liked it. Available for download now. Only 2 left in stock more on the way. Australian Film Tales by Robert Cettl Robert Cettl] published on October, Schwarzenegger's Raw Deal Oct 01, Provide feedback about this page.

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood

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