Now in Paperback! Ronald Neame's autobiography takes its title from one
of his best-loved films, The Horse's Mouth (1958), starring Alec
Guinness. In an informative and entertaining style, Neame discusses the
making of that film, along with several others, including In Which We
Serve, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, Tunes of
Glory, I Could Go on Singing, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Scrooge,
The Poseidon Adventure, and Hopscotch. Straight from the Horse's Mouth
provides a fascinating, first-hand account of a unique filmmaker, who
began his career as assistant cameraman on Hitchcock's first talkie,
Blackmail, and went on to direct Maggie Smith, Judy Garland, Walter
Matthau, and many other prominent performers. The book includes tales of
the on-and-off-the-set antics of comedian George Formby, and original
accounts of his experiences working with Noel Coward and David Lean.
This is not simply an autobiography, but rather a history of British
cinema from the 1920s through the 1960s, and Hollywood cinema from the
1960s through the present. Aside from Neame's own writing, the book
contains original commentary by many of his contemporaries and
associates including Alec Guinness, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Shirley
MacLaine, Walter Matthau, John Mills and Shelley Winters. Includes more
than 40 photos!