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Autobiography Of British Cinema (Methuen Film)

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This is a handy and entertaining guide to the British cinema with scores of interviews on the greats in all basic categories, from performers to directors to producers to writers to cinematographers. The brief interviews cover main points of the individuals' careers. McFarlane also provides chronological lists of films pertaining to his subjects.

It is great to read the insights of film figures of the stature of Moira Shearer, the dazzling redhead who wowed moviegoers in "The Red Shoes" as well as an interview of director John Schlesinger, who was such a profound influence on British and world cinema with timely works such as "Sunday, Bloody Sunday!" and "Billy Liar." The book also includes a foreword by Julie Christie, who notched a Best Actress Oscar starring in another of Schlesinger's timely sixties' social rebellion films, "Darling," which also starred Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey. Ken Annakin's interview relates how he became involved in film directing as a protege of Sir Carol Reed, and includes his perspectives on Walt Disney and Darryl F. Zanuck, for which he turned out enduring films such as "The Swiss Family Robinson" and "The Longest Day." Oscar-winning cinematographer Guy Green tells about working with David Lean in "Oliver Twist" and "Great Expectations," the latter of which earned him his Academy Award.

A nice feature of this book is that the reader can easily approach the subject matter without regard to sequence, covering the individuals interviewed in order of interest. Just open to the table of contents and look up your favorites.