Customer Reviews

The American Film Institute Desk Reference: The Complete Guide to Everything You Need to Know about the Movies

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"In Hollywood, anything can happen. Anything at all." ~Raymond Chandler

If you are looking for a one-volume source containing the information about movies and the people who produce them, this is an excellent reference manual. If information makes you high, this book will make you feel slightly heady. There is information on everything from film history to the biographies of major players. I enjoyed the hundreds of photos, quotes and factoids.

This desk reference is divided into five main sections:

1. Movie History - Take a journey from 1830-2002, decade by decade.

2. Movie Basics - An outline of who, what, when and where. This includes information on studios, creative people, how to break into the movies, buzzwords and coveted salaries.

3. Movie Crafts - The hands-on aspects of movie making. Producing, directing, writing, acting, cinematography, production design, costumes, makeup, hair, special effects, sound and music, editing, distribution and critiquing films.

4. People in Film - Profiles of historical and contemporary film-industry producers and players.

5. Films - Dream lists for the movie lover in you! See if you agree with the AFI's 100 Funniest movie list or read about the top 50 all-time box office hits. The movies are listed, then listed again with additional information. You can also read about the movies again in various parts of the book and page numbers are given for easy reference. Like "Some Like it Hot" is listed in AFI's Top 100 American Movies and while it is listed under AFI's 100 Funniest American Movies, they save space by referring you to pg. 383 for the detailed information.

This section also has a collection of "movie quotations" like: "I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair." ~Bette Davis (Madge), Cabin in the Cotton (1932)

If you enjoy watching Foreign Films, this chapter has information about films around the globe. There are lists of films from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Sources - Addresses, phone numbers and websites for every facet of the film world. If you want to know about film projects in development, there are places you can find this information online.

You can find out information on:

What you have to do to sell your screenplay to Hollywood.
Where you can rent cameras if you wanted to make a film.
Why films get chosen for the Cannes Film Festival.
How the Oscar got its name.
The stars names found on the Holly wood Walk of Fame.

The main features in this book include: Lists of movies, essays, articles giving information about who's who, detailed cinema history, fascinating anecdotes, gossip, trivia and quotes from film personalities in side columns. Information on "screenplay formats and terminology" is a real bonus. It is pretty amazing to find all this information in one book! If there is another book out there that can compete, I haven't seen it.

Essential reading for any film critic and movie lover. If you are looking for movies to add to your must-see list, this book will have you adding hundreds of movies to your list. The Index is very helpful for finding movie information super fast (although I think they should consider expanding the index even further in future editions) and the AFI has gone out of their way to make this book a dream to read.

The perfect gift for anyone who loves movies.

~The Rebecca Review

As a real old-time film buff, I welcomed the sight of the AFI Desk Reference book, but upon closer examination I was dismayed to find many errors throughout its pages and some questionable decisions about what to include and what not to.

The beginner is treated to an interesting year-by-year breakdown of film history starting at the turn of the last century. This summary includes "Notable Films" for each year and births and deaths of film notables. Lots of nice color illustrations too. So far so good. But then I noticed mistakes. For example, British actor Robert Morley, who many will remember for his British Airways TV commercials in the 1980s, is listed as having died in the 1940s. But just in case there are two Robert Morleys, the biographical index of actors does not list him at all. Playwright and screenwriter Sidney Howard (Gone With the Wind) who died in 1939 manages to live until 1946 in this book. Many people listed under "deaths" will remain just names for the neophyte who will not learn who they were within the covers of this book. Same thing for many "notable film" titles that are merely listed but not otherwise discussed.

I found one of my favorites, 1937's History Is Made At Night, listed under 1931. In a photo from Mutiny on the Bounty, an actor is incorrectly identified as Donald Crisp. I could go on but you get the idea. My guess is that the editors tried to cover too much ground and may have been too familiar with the subject matter to realize that newcomers would become more baffled than informed. It would have been wiser to decide that anybody or any film deemed important enough to list in the yearly summaries should be cross-referenced in the alphabetical subject listings. Many are listed, but many others are not.

This handsome volume mainly serves to reinforce the names of well known celebrities and films, while missing the numerous opportunities to whet the readers' appetite to rediscover neglected individuals and their films. In sum, this is a big book that misses some big opportunities to enhance the readers' knowledge of film history.

I guess I should have realized from the title that this wouldn't be a comprehensive and in-depth guide. It is a good overview of film history and important movies for those just coming to know classic cinema. Otherwise, it is a bit basic and leaves a lot to be desired. The photos are great, the paper glossy, it's just that the message is a bit on the thin side.

This compendium is absolutely crammed with all kinds of information about, literally, every aspect of film, no matter how obscure. Moreover, the pictures it contains are marvelous and evocative>
Why, the, only 3 stars?
Because I have serious doubts about its completeness! Quantity is NOT necessarily an indicator of quality!
One example from early on: Within the first few pages we are treated to both a narrative and "time line" history of the early development of film, beginning in 1830.

Yet there is no mention, whatsoever, here or anywhere else, of Willian Friese-Green!
Who is he? If you ask the British, he is THE inventor of modern motion pictures!Superceeding even Edison's claim.
Opinions vary as to HOW important he was to the process, but there can be no doubt that he WAS important! (See:-if you can find it-"The Magic Box" [1951].
If the book doesn't even include him, who/what else has been omitted?
Anyway, get the book for what is HAS, but don't consider it definitive!

This is a great reference book and one that is very reader friendly. Plenty of infomation and the book is designed for flipping about for quick reference. It isn't an encyclopedia, nor should it be but rather a great book for my desk at work and I have another next to my DVD. It was a gift and I went out and bought another one for myself.

For anyone who appreciates every aspect and every fibre on the history of the Hollywood film system, this is a great guide to keep by your bedside.

Not only are you given a timeline that follows over a hundred years worth of events and headlines, but the book also covers the technical side of todays modern day film making, and also the language used by todays truly acclaimed filmakers.

...especially if you are a film student and/or studying for a movie trivia game show. I love that it has loads of pictures and tables/lists. Plus, it has any and everything you need to know about the movies. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who would like to know more about film. I promise, you won't be disappointed! :-)

This is a good book with lots of beautiful pictures. It's not something I want to sit down and read through, I'd rather flip through it and look for interesting things. The facts on the sides of the pages are the most fun to read.

Just because it boasts the "American Film Institute" name (and just because Clint Eastwood penned the intro) doesn't mean this book is the ultimate reference tool it claims it is. There are too many omissions (no career info on Julie Harris?) and the type is much, much too small to be read or taken seriously. The photos are pedestrian (nothing new, really) and the book is much too heavy to make for "easy" reading. Stick to Halliwell.

Great one. All types of information and fun. Just get it!