In November,Quentin Tarantinopublished abook of essayscalledCinema Speculation. It’s one of the most enjoyable film books in years, but QT is not the only director who has written a great book about the movies. Some of the most iconic filmmakers of all time, likeFrançois TruffautandSidney Lumet, have published books about their lives and thoughts on cinema.
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These books range from memoirs to reviews to how-to guides. They shed light on their authors' creative process and include many useful tips for aspiring filmmakers, but they should appeal to anyone with a passion for the movies.
‘Rebel Without a Crew’ (1996) - Robert Rodriguez
Rebel Without a Crewdocuments the making ofRobert Rodriguez’s first filmEl Mariachi. It was filmed in a guerilla style on budget of just $7000, but turned into a big hit, propellingRodriguez to Hollywood. In the book, Rodriguez explains how the film came together and offers advice to young filmmakers.
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He also describes plenty of memorable moments on set. For instance, one day they went to an actual prison to film a scene where a character aims a gun between the bars of a cell. “As we did, one prisoner woke up, saw the guns pointed into the cell, and started screaming,” Rodriguez writes. “He’d been asleep the whole time and didn’t know what was going on. The cops laughed. Great fun.”
‘Hitchcock’ (1966) - François Truffaut
Hitchcockis a collection of interviews between French New Wave director François Truffaut and themaster of suspensehimself,Alfred Hitchcock. The two of them have infectious chemistry, constantly bouncing ideas back and forth, and are both great at expressing their thoughts and theories on film.
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Truffaut says that the frightening, violent content of Hitchcock’s movies reflected the issues he was concerned about. “[Hitchcock’s] mission is simply to share with us the anxieties that haunt [him],” Truffaut writes. “Consciously or not, this is [his] way of helping us to understand ourselves, which is, after all, a fundamental purpose of any work of art.”
‘This is Orson Welles’ (1998) - Peter Bogdanovich
Director and film historianPeter Bogdanovichwas a close friend ofOrson Welles, and here he collects their best conversations. Bogdanovich has deep film knowledge and great affection for his subject, making for an engrossing read about one of cinema’s most influential pioneers.
“One of Orson’s most affecting qualities, I think, was his seemingly perpetual youth,” Bogdanovich says. “He never became an old veteran, but rather kept to the end a sense of that first flash of irreverent and innovative genius with which he fired all the art forms he touched, all the artists he inspired.”
‘On Directing Film’ (1992) - David Mamet
David Mametis a giant of the stage and screen, having written dozens of plays and scripts, includingGlengarry Glen RossandThe Untouchables. His dialogue tends to be witty and fast-paced. He also has serious chops as a director. His filmsHouse of GamesandState and Mainare particularly strong.
On Directing Filmis packed with advice and practical knowledge. In the book, Mamet says the director’s job is mainly to answer three questions: “‘Where do I put the camera?’ and ‘what do I tell the actors?'; and a subsequent question, ‘what’s the scene about?'”
‘Spike Lee’s Gotta Have It’ (1987) - Spike Lee
Spike Leeis an idiosyncratic director, who has been making powerful and thoughtful films for almost four decades. In this book, he tells the story of the making of his debut featureShe’s Gotta Have It. It’s full of charming anecdotes and tips for aspiring artists.
“You’ve got to have heart and you’ve got to have drive," Lee hassaid. “And when you get knocked down you’ve got to pick yourself up – put your hands up on the ropes and pull yourself to your feet. Because, if you can’t take a hit, you’re not going to last long, that’s for sure.”
‘I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections’ (2010) - Nora Ephron
I Remember Nothing and Other Reflectionsis a memoir by writer and directorNora Ephron. She is best known for her smash hit romantic comediesWhen Harry Met Sally…andSleepless in Seattle. Her best work as a director is probably 2009’sJulie and JuliastarringAmy AdamsandMeryl Streep.
Ephron’s book chronicles her beginnings as a reporter through her entry into screenwriting and finally stepping into the director’s chair. The book is often moving, especially when Ephron writes about the personal struggles she faced along the way. “One of the best things about directing movies, as opposed to merely writing them, is that there’s no confusion about who’s to blame,” she quips. “You are.”
‘Sculpting in Time’ (1989) - Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovskywas a Soviet filmmaker who directed several incredibly influential movies between the 1960s and ’80s, likeAndrei RublevandMirror. In this poetic book, he shares his thoughts about his work and art in general.
“I think that what a person normally goes to the cinema for istime: for time lost or spent or not yet had,” Tarkovsky writes. “He goes there for living experience; for cinema, like no other art, widens, enhances and concentrates a person’s experience—and not only enhances it but makes it longer, significantly longer. That is the power of cinema.”
‘Making Movies’ (1996) - Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumetis one of the most acclaimed directors ever, with a filmography that includes masterpieces like12 Angry MenandNetwork.Making Moviesis his clear, practical book about directing. He reveals the challenges he faced in creating his films and the moments that made it all worthwhile.
“Sometimes, on particularly good takes, I’m so moved that I stop “doing” the scene and just watch in awe at the miracle of good acting,” Lumet says. " That’s life up there. When it flows like that, that’s when I say ‘Print.'”
‘The Magic Lantern’ (2007) - Ingmar Bergman
Swedish directorIngmar Bergmanis an icon of the medium. He directed dozens of movies between the 1940s and 1980s. His best films, likeWild Strawberries,The Seventh Seal,andPersona, are dramatic and philosophical.The Magic Lanternis his account of his life from his childhood to the height of his success, as well as issues in his personal life.
“No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul,” Bergman writes. “At the editing table, when I run the strip of film through, frame by frame, I still feel that dizzy sense of magic of my childhood.”
‘Something Like an Autobiography’ (1983) - Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawais a film legend and the godfather of Japanese cinema. His career spanned five decades and included some of the most powerful movies of that era, likeSeven Samurai,Yojimbo,Rashomon, andIkiru. He was involved in all spheres of filmmaking, from writing and directing to cinematography and editing. He took inspiration from Western cinema and Japanese storytelling to craft his own style.
“I think my father’s attitude toward films reinforced my own inclinations and encouraged me to become what I am today,” Kurosawa explains. “He was a strict man of military background, but at a time when the idea of watching movies was hardly well received in educators’ circles, he took his whole family to the movies regularly. Later in more reactionary times he steadfastly maintained his conviction that going to the movies has an educational value, that never changed.”
