501 Movie Directors: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Filmmakers [Hardcover]

Steven Jay Schneider (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

A copy of this valuable book is destined to find its way into the home of every true movie fan, cinema scholar, and film critic. It's a chronological compendium that profiles the 501 most important film directors of all time. Entries--augmented with a photo of each director plus movie stills from his or her films--describe such major figures as Sergei Eisenstein, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, Leni Riefenstahl, Orson Welles, Federico Fellini, Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman, and many, many others. Written by an expert team of film critics and historians, this book was compiled under the direction of editor Steven J. Schneider, who's 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die has sold a half-million copies worldwide to date. Readers will learn--

Why D. W. Griffith is called the father of filmmaking

The details surrounding Martin Scorsese's fascination with New York

The truth about Alfred Hitchcock's stunning blondes . . . and much more

All filmmakers receive at least a one-page entry, which includes discussion of their work and influences, their complete filmography, and listing of awards they have received. Seventy-five directors of special importance are profiled in larger entries--two-page spreads--while 15 internationally acknowledged master directors are discussed and examined in two double-page spreads. Here is a comprehensive survey of the creative imaginations behind more than a hundred years of filmmaking. It's a wonderful book for browsing, for reference, and for gaining insights into the personalities who directed the most memorable movies ever made.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"These hefty, valuable volumes are stuffed with tons of information about all your favorite filmmakers."


—Scene, January 29, 2008

From the Inside Flap

(back cover)
Includes: Woody Allen • Pedro Almodovar • Robert Altman • Wes Anderson • Michael Apted • Dario Argento • Darren Aronofsky • Mario Bava • Warren Beatty • Ingmar Bergman • Busby Berkeley • Bernardo Bertolucci • Luc Bresson • Danny Boyle • Nick Broomfield • Luis Bu±uel • Tim Burton • James Cameron • Frank Capra • John Carpenter • Youssef Chahine • Joel Coen and Ethan Coen • Sofia Coppola • Wes Craven • George Cukor • Cecil B. DeMille • Walt Disney • Marguerite Duras • Clint Eastwood • Federico Fellini • John Ford • Stephen Frears • Peter Greenaway • Hal Hartley • Amy Heckerling • Alfred Hitchcock • Peter Jackson • Derek Jarman • Jim Jarmusch • Spike Jonze • Abbas Kiarostami • Elia Kazan • Krzysztof Kieslowski • Takeshi Kitano • Stanley Kubrick • Akira Kurosawa • Beeban Kidron • Spike Lee • Ida Lupino • Terrence Malick • Fernando Meirelles • Georges Melies • Russ Meyer • Takashi Miike • Michael Moore • Gaspar No© • Roman Polanski • Otto Preminger • Sam Raimi • Satyajit Ray • Jean Renoir • Roberto Rossellini • Martin Scorsese • Ridley Scott • Mack Sennett • Don Siegel • Aleksandr Sokurov • Steven Spielberg • Quentin Tarantino • Bela Tarr • Lars von Trier • Wong Kar-wai • John Woo • William Wyler • Zhang Yimou

(front flap)
Lights, cameras, action! The world of movies is full of glamour and romance--but it is the men and women behind the camera who call the shots, crafting cinema experiences that have enthralled generations of moviegoers.

The successor to the best-selling 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 501 Movie Directors is a comprehensive guide to the masters of the big screen, from Woody Allen (Annie Hall) to Fred Zinnemann (High Noon), and from Takashi Miike (Audition) to Ingmar Bergman (Persona). Every auteur and action hit maker, comic genius and horror maestro is here, in one beautifully illustrated and fact-filled volume.

From the pioneering Buster Keaton to French New Wave director Lean-Luc Godard and enfant terrible Gaspar No©, all the giants and emerging geniuses of world cinema are included, making this the most comprehensive guide to movie directors ever produced. Each filmmaker receives at least a full-page entry, complete with a critically selected filmography and fascinating facts about his or her influences, trademarks, and creative partnerships. Did you know that Alfred Hitchcock made cameo appearances in thirty-seven of his movies? Discover Martin Scorsese's New York, and how 1960s Italian gothic cinema shaped modern directing styles.

Written by an international team of film critics, film historians, and journalists, this is a complete biography of the creative forces behind more than a century of film. Whether you read it from cover to cover or dip into it from time to time, 501 Movie Directors will broaden your love and appreciation of cinema . . . and continue to do so for many years to come. .
.
(back flap)
Steven Jay Schneider is a film critic, scholar, and producer, with M.A. degrees in Philosophy and Cinema Studies from Harvard University and New York University, respectively. He is the general editor of the best-selling 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and 501 Movie Stars, both also available from Barron's.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764160222
• ISBN-13: 978-0764160226
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Jay Schneider is a film critic, scholar, and producer with M.A. degrees in Philosophy from Harvard University and in Cinema Studies from New York University. He is the author and editor of numerous books on world cinema, most notably in the horror genre. They include Eurohorror, The Cinema of Wes Craven: An Auteur on Elm Street, Designing Fear: An Aesthetics of Cinematic Horror, Killing in Style: Artistic Murder in the Movies, Understanding Film Genres, and Traditions in World Cinema. He is also a consultant for film, television, and home video/DVD production companies, a curator for world horror film programs, and a staff member in development for Paramount Pictures. Among his recent titles are 501 Movie Stars and 501 Movie Directors, both available in North America from Barron's. Two additional titles from Barron's are scheduled for publication in Spring 09. They are 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die and 101 Sci-Fi Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for film students, film buffs and movie watchers!, March 17, 2011

By 

J. M. LANSING "Proud Mudder!" (Amherst, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 501 Movie Directors: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Filmmakers (Hardcover)

This is a great book for film students (I bought it for my daughter who is a film major at Syracuse University), film buffs and for us folks who love to watch movies!
As General Editor of this book, Steven Jay Schneider (who also wrote 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)aptly summarizes, "This book is a love letter to those men and women who have changed our lives as a result of their celluloid dreams." Sit back and imagine the movies you have seen and how they impacted your life... perhaps prompted you to some action whether of the heart or for society? Moved you to tears or laughter? A great director's fine tuning of a writer's vision onto a screen does just that.

This book has colored tabs on the side of the pages for the director's birth year decade - beginning with the man who invented movies, George Melies, born in the 1860's in Paris, France, right through to David Gordon Green, born in the 1970's, writer and director of Southern Gothic coming of age dramas. The first pages of the book is a solid Table of Contents A-Z of all 501 of these great directors. Each director's page(s) has a photo of the director and some have movie stills from his or her films. Some of the diectors included in this great compendium are Alexander Korda (who helped put the British film industry on the map); John Ford (a titan in the industry who even influenced Spielberg when Steven was a runner on the 20th Century studio lot! Steven went into Ford's office and Ford 'taught' Spielberg to really "look at" his landmark sweeping vista shots carefully...'what do you see?'); George Cukor (Dinner at Eight, Grand Hotel, My Fair Lady); George Stevens (who, as the book states, had "A legendary sharp eye for detail that enhanced visual storytelling; rapport with actors produced memorable performances from Hollywood greats." and other such greats as Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Margarethe von Trotta and Kathryn Bigelow.

The "Top Takes..." of each director's body of work are listed to the right of each director's description of his/her piece in film history including their backgrounds, their influences...what led them to their signature styles.

My particular book came with no cover which was a disappointment as I really admire Steven Spielberg, but the inside history is 100% readable and enjoyable....and moves me to want to read more about my favority directors and to see works I have not yet screened!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide to the great directors, December 4, 2009

By 

Robert Caird "infidels and pop stars" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 501 Movie Directors: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Filmmakers (Hardcover)

You'll have your work cut out for you after reading this book... lots of great movies to check out.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars was a bday gift for an ex, March 21, 2011

By 

D. Whiteside "dani girl" (philadelphia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 501 Movie Directors: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Filmmakers (Hardcover)

its a good book, i believe it came with very minimal wear and tear on the exterior - inside no problems . came in timely fashion before bday