The Best Film Related Books and Biographies

I'd suggest picking up "Kate Remembered"... it actually makes a good companion piece to "Me". But from the outside looking in.

Reply

Jay Leno's "Leading With My Chin" was hilarious. I also loved William Goldman's books.

I love reading film biographies and autobiographies, so this topic is pretty interesting to me.

Reply

I loved the Judy Garland bio, "Get Happy". I'm delighted they're making it into a biopic, especially if Anne Hathaway plays Judy!

Reply

Good to know. I have wanted to read it for years, but kept putting it off. Now, I think I will add it to my list.

Reply

I really liked Steve Martin's Born Standing Up - short, witty and insightful. I would also love a Spielberg autobio, just because that guy is a genius.

Reply

Buster Keaton's INTERVIEWS for the insight it sheds on the man and the high-quality interviews it culls. HERZOG ON HERZOG, because it inspires one to make movies, it shares with ME some self-help advice (Herzog will not allow you to feel sorry for yourself), and it makes him sound...less insane.

Reply

Dirk Bogarde - "Ever, Dirk" (A collection of his letters to all sorts of people

Reply

Some of the best film books I've read over the last few years:

THE JAWS LOG (Interesting in that it not only covers the troubled shoot, it also offers the reader a vivid picture of a young filmmaker at work.)

SPIELBERG, TRUFFAUT & ME (Written by Bob Balaban, this chronicle of the making of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is just as good as THE JAWS LOG.)

THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES NEVER MADE (Completely fascinating. Totally hearbreaking. That any good movie ever gets made is a miracle. The chapters on STAR TREK: PLANET OF THE TITANS and NIGHT SKIES alone are worth the cover price.)

LULU IN HOLLYWOOD (I saw PANDORA'S BOX a few years ago and had to learn more about its star, Louise Brooks. This memoir recounts her stormy years in Hollywood.)

THE IMMORTAL COUNT: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF BELA LUGOSI (I've been intrigued by Lugosi since I was a kid. This scholarly, yet highly readable work was written with care and affection.)

THE KILL BILL DIARY (Not as insightful as I wanted it to be, but Carradine's a good writer.)

MY WONDERFUL WORLD OF SLAPSTICK (Buster Keaton's autobiography. What I imagine chatting with the man must have been like.)

THE MONSTER SHOW (If you're a classic horror fan, this overview of the genre's golden age is indispensable.)

Reply

Read Bogart's bio by his son, Stephen. Also, all film fans have been waiting for Olivia De Havilland's bio to come out (supposedly, this spring).

Reply

If you haven't had enough of Kate yet, then try "The Making of THE AFRICAN QUEEN -or- How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind". I was lucky enough to find a copy in a used bookstore several years ago. It's a casual, quick, fun read and offers a glimpse of movie-making back in the day. Lots of great pictures, too.

Reply

Film books are virtually the only ones I read nowadays as they are easier to dip in and out of than novels. As a film student, I find myself getting more and more into books on film history and stardom and have pretty much every book going on Audrey Hepburn. I'm also a fan of such books as 1001 Films to Change Your Life, 501 Films to See Before You Die and 10 Bad Dates With De Niro

Reply

I would suggest Stig Bjorkman's "Woody on Woody" which consists of interviews with Woody Allen. It's humorous and very insightful.

Reply

these aren't biographies but entertaining and very informative snapshots of the industry.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind
Down and Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind
The Devil's Candy by Julie Solomon

i found it fascinating to read about the actual personalities behind some of the most influential (or notorious in the case of The Devil's Candy) films and forces that have shaped the film industry.

Reply

I think for me reading about how films are made can be very informative. My first love is acting. I never went to film school, but being on set for 16 hours is a great learning environment. If you love films try being an extra; Its not great pay, but you can see your favorite star and be on the inside. These books helped me out. http://www.independentfilmmakerblog.com/

Dale http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2366832/

Reply

I'll read just about any golden-era actress' autobiography, even for actresses I'm not familiar with or a fan of. My first such read was Carroll Baker's "Baby Doll: An Autobiograpy," which I picked up at a thrift store when I was a teen, before I'd ever seen her in a film. I also loved reading Lana Turner's scandal-centered autobiography "Lana."

My very favorite, though, is Ingrid Bergman's "My Story," which is kind of like a fusion of biography and autobiography with intertwining narratives from Bergman and co-author Alan Burgess. Filling in the narrative are a whole ton of letters of correspondence. I guess I'd compare the format to Stoker's Dracula. I guess that'd make Roberto Rossellini the vampire?

Reply

Books I recommend:
My First Movie, edited by Stephen Lowenstein - Directors Oliver Stone, Kevin Smith, The Coen Bros., Ang Lee, Anthony Minghella, Pedro Almodovar, and more discuss making their first film.

Rebel Without a Crew, by Robert Rodriguez - All about how he made and sold El Mariachi.

Reply