From Turner Classic Movies, this is the essential guide to all the
must-know detail on the style, achievements, and landmark films of the
most influential directors in cinema history from the silent era through
the 1970s.
For well over a century, those who create motion pictures have touched
our hearts and souls; they have transported and transformed our minds,
intoxicated and entranced our senses. One artist's vision is the single
most prominent force behind the scenes: the director. The Essential
Directors illuminates the unseen forces behind some of the most notable
screen triumphs from the aesthetic peak of silent cinema through the New
Hollywood of the 1970s. Considering each artist's influence on the
medium, cultural impact, and degree of achievement, Turner Classic
Movies presents a compendium of Hollywood's most influential filmmakers,
with profiles offering history and insight on the filmmaker's narrative
style, unique touches, contributions to the medium, key films, and
distinctive movie moments to watch for. The work of these game-changing
artists is illustrated throughout by more than 200 full-color and
black-and-white photographs.
In The Essential Directors you'll read how Cecil B. DeMille revamped
religion to define an era, and how Oscar Micheaux broke barriers to
become the most influential Black filmmaker of the 1920s. You'll marvel
at the efficient artistry of "One-Take Woody" Van Dyke and fall in love
again with the sophisticated studio-era classics
of George Cukor. You'll gain insight into how women like Dorothy Arzner
and Ida Lupino built thriving careers in an industry ruled by men and
discover what drove Mike Nichols to mix comedy with tragedy, becoming
the highest-paid director of his day in the the process. The Essential
Directors presents the work of these game-changing artists and dozens
more in this stunning volume.
