American Cinematographer - May 1992 - 81

The

Bookshelf

Now You
Can Leave
Home
Without It.

by George L. George
Written

by a director to help other directors

achieve mastery of their craft, Ron Richards'
A Director's Method for Film and
Television is a practical treatise combined
with an inspirational pronouncement.
Based on the author's rich experience as
both a filmmaker and a teacher, the book
outlines well-planned and clearly enunci¬
ated procedures that probe the director's

challenges and blend them into a cohesive
system. Reaching into the technical, kinetic
and psychological components of his craft,
Richards provides a keen understanding of
the disciplines of acting, writing, directing
and production, all essential to a successful
directorial achievement (Focal Press,

Stoneham, MA, $26.95).
A massive, 1,000-page world¬
wide biographical reference work diligently

compiled by Jeffrey Oliviero, Motion
Picture Players' Credits documents the
careers of 15,000 performers active be¬
and 1980. All known 1905-1983
credits are also included, listing film title
and year of release, as well as vital statis¬
tween 1967

terfly" and Tootsie. Professor Garber iden¬
tifies the nature of this widespread phe¬
nomenon and its perverse fascination
throughout the ages (Routledge, NYC, $35).
InGlasnost-Soviet Cinema

Responds, Nicholas Galichenko offers a
first assessment of the liberating effect of
the new Russian revolution on the work of
Soviet directors. Included is an informative

filmography of the most significant directors
with a comprehensive list of their films (U.
of Texas Press, Austin, $25/$10.95).
Traditional plotting modes in
Hollywood movies are tracked down in
Beyond the Stars (Studies in Ameri¬
can Popular Film, Vol. 2). Edited by Paul
Loukides and Linda K. Fuller, it examines the
and validity of such standard de¬
vices as story lines, themes, characters,
material objects and locales (Bowling Green
U. Press, Bowling Green, OH, $18.95).
The properties of off-screen
essence

commentary are discussed by Avrom
Fleishman in Narrated Films. This infor¬
mative

tics, addresses, and a concise personal and

study of the various styles of
storytelling ranges from straight voice-over

professional profile for each individual

to "mind-screen"

(McFarland, Jefferson, NC, $145).
The

versatility of Great Britain's
production is brought out by
Marcia Landy in British Genres. The book
covers a wide variety of genres-historical
and warfilms, melodramas, science fiction,
comedies
which, despite a generally
hostile reception, strikingly reflect the re¬
1930-1960 film

-

alities of British life (Princeton U. Press,

Princeton, NJ, $65/$19.95).

narration, a cinematic
version of fiction's interior monologue

(Johns Flopkins U. Press, Baltimore, MD,
$34.95).
Turning factual or fictional ma¬
terial into screenplays is explored by Linda
Seger in The Art of Adaptation. This is a
practical and precise guide to a technique
responsible for a large majority of scripts
used in film and television (Holt, NYC,
$14.95).
A boon to television viewers and

The

filmgoing experience is ex¬
plored by 23 literary personalities in The
Movie That Changed My Life, a reveal¬
ing anthology edited by David Rosenberg.
While the individual anecdotes may differ,
all identify movies as a formative process
as well as a mirror of our perception of the
world (Viking, NYC, $21.95).
A sweeping history of cross¬
dressing, Marjorie Garber's Vested In¬
terests devotes considerable space

to

performing arts, from
Shakespeare's Rosalind to "Madame But¬

transvestism in the

video devotees, Leonard Maltin's Movie
and Video Guide 1992 includes over

19,000 films shown

on

the home

screen,

identifying those available on videocassette
or laserdisc. Each entry lists director, cast,
production data, plot summary, rating, and
critical comment (Penguin/Signet, NYC,
$7.99).
Kathleen Turner, Brooke Shields,

FILM

Arriflex

Tyler mounts

Unilux Strobes
Power Pod head
Enluva II crane
1 50-600

Telephoto lenses
Innovision lenses
VIDEO

Sony Betacams
Nightscope
Canon LI

appeared

onscreen

HI-8

Gyrozoom
Plus

our

stage

with the

biggest

eye
In town.

Film/Video

Equipment

Kevin Costner, Melanie Griffith and Mich¬
elle Pfeiffer are just a few performers who
have

zoom

Service Co.
Denver, Colorado

in various stages

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May 1992

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79
American Cinematographer - May 1992

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