Nestor Almendros, John Alcott, and Roger Deakins. Of this great triad of Gods of Cinematography, only Deakins is still with us, working at full throttle. Nestor Almendros Spanish by birth (Catalan to be exact), Cuban by adoption, French by most…
Category: FILMMAKING
About film. Things you should know (or think about).
The Essential STAR WARS in 5 1/2 Books
The Star Wars canon is inhabited by zillions of books. This is a selection of a few books which, in my opinion, comprehend very well the soul of the main Star Wars films. This is not about those fiction books…
Absolute Magic
How the new VFX changed the whole game. The level that visual special have reached in movies is memorable. Below, a short video (over 5 mins) about how Avengers Endgame was achieved. If you like that, HERE there’s a longer…
Orson Welles and Superman teaming up to save the world!
They did so 70 years ago, in 1949. Maybe you didn’t know that renowned filmmaker Orson Welles became a key character, not in one Martian invasion, but in two. The first one you may know, as it happened while broadcasting…
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For Screenwriters: How Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut Was Written
Frederic Raphael: There’s a lot of talk. You want a lot of talk? Stanley Kubrick: I can’t say what I want. I want to do Arthur’s story (Schnitzler’s “Traumnovelle”), but in New York, now. That’s all I can tell you.…
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Best “Making Of” Books Ever: EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS
How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock ‘n’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. This must be THE book about American movies from the 60s to the 80s. We are not technically dealing with a “Making Of” book here, but this marvellous piece of work tells…
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King Vs Kubrick: Doctor Sleep?
The tension that raised between the master of horror Stephen King and the master of film Stanley Kubrick about the movie The Shining is a well-known story. Let me summarise here the basic tale. This story starts at the end…
Joseph Cotten, a great autobiography
Joseph Cotten was one of those players who shaped movies the way they are now. You don’t know who Joseph Cotten is? Let’s fix that straight away. Joseph Cheshire Cotten (1905–1994) was an actor who started his film career with…
Best “Making Of” Books Ever: BLADE RUNNERS, DEER HUNTERS & BLOWING THE BLOODY DOORS OFF
Imagine that you are a film producer whose credits include The Italian Job (1969), The Man who Fell to Earth (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978, for which you win an Oscar) and Blade Runner (1982). Then your name would be…
Best “Making Of” Books Ever: The Creation of Dino de Laurentiis’ KING KONG (1976)
The creation of Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong is a great account of how this super-production came to be in the mid-70s. “Making Of” books tend to be either about big successes (The Jaws Log, which we reviewed here; Alfred…
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