City Secrets Movies: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Cinema's Hidden Gems: A City Secrets Book [Hardcover]

Robert Kahn (Editor)

Book Description

Series: City Secrets | Publication Date: February 10, 2009

Called "the best literary gift to travelers since the Baedeker and Henry James" (Financial Times), City Secrets guides are charming travelers’ companions to the world’s most fascinating cities. In New York, London, Rome, Florence, and Venice, City Secrets offers reflections and discoveries from the authors, artists, and historians who know each city best. Movies takes this intimate, insider’s approach to the arts, featuring brief essays and recommendations by esteemed figures in the film industry—including actors, directors, producers, and critics—and other writers and figures in the arts. Some have written on a film, or an aspect of a film (a performance, style, or theme) that they feel is overlooked or underappreciated. Others have chosen a well-known film for which they can offer personal insights or behind-the-scenes observations. Contributors include Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Ken Auletta, Milos Forman, Anjelica Huston, Barbara Kopple, Sidney Lumet, Simon Schama, and many others. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to The Film Foundation, an organization founded by Martin Scorsese that raises funds for film restoration and conversation, and promotes awareness about motion picture history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Ultimate Insider's Guide transforms the annals of Hollywood back into a pulsing observatory." ~Hollywood Life Magazine

"...a perfect gift for the movie lover in your life, and for the cynic in your life who says they have seen everything. This book shines the light on movies I’ve never seen, and offers great insights from a wide range of interesting people." ~ThreeGuysOneBook.com

"...my advocacy of this book was solidified by what producer Mark Johnson notes about an early Bertolucci film." ~IdentityTheory.com

"Movies: The Ultimate Insider’s Guide is an offbeat, expertly curated compendium of hundreds of movies you may have missed." ~VeryShortList.com

"There's a lot of film fun packed into this small volume. Aimed more at the cinéaste..." ~The New York Post

About the Author

Robert Kahn is an architect in private practice. His work includes academic, institutional, residential, and commercial projects, and has been featured in many leading publications in the field. He is also the creator and editor of the City Secrets series.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Universe (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789318644
• ISBN-13: 978-0789318640
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing little book on films, October 27, 2009

By 

Carbonadam "Ladies and gentleman, I hope that... (USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: City Secrets Movies: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Cinema's Hidden Gems: A City Secrets Book (Hardcover)

This is an amazing little book on films and well worth the wait on Amazon. Not sure why it takes so long to get this book but either way it's great. Inside you will find an eclectic mix of films as listed by many film insiders. When I got the book I was happy to see favorites of mine like Nausicaa, It's A Gift, Buckaroo Banzi, Against All Odds, After Hours, Dead Man, Gattaca, Liquid Sky, Stardust Memories, and The Third Man. While no book like this can ever have everything I was hoping to see a listing for Never Cry Wolf, a personal favorite of mine, and a much overlooked film. Still, this book is great and there are dozens and dozens of films I have never seen so there is a lot to keep me busy. That is why I bought the book, to get introduced to others much lauded diamonds in the rough.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing, no doubt will become a classic (and not so secret anymore), April 29, 2009

By 

julio - See all my reviews

This review is from: City Secrets Movies: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Cinema's Hidden Gems: A City Secrets Book (Hardcover)

I have to confess, although i love movies and have a decent "background", i don't watch them as often as i wish. But this book is sooooo good, that it makes me feel as if i am in the theater... I read it as a novel, or a collection of unforgettable short stories, and would like to see each and every one of the movies in it. There are secrets and descriptions, anecdotes, connections between famous movies and the ones overlooked or forgotten... And it is not every day you get great filmmakers to tell you their favorite movies!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my netflix queue just balloooooooooned!!!!!, April 16, 2009

By 

Jesse Smith (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: City Secrets Movies: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Cinema's Hidden Gems: A City Secrets Book (Hardcover)

How did I not already know of all these lost cinematic gems? This book is a wonderful foray into the motion pictures that may have slipped by without the recognition they deserve as the classics they truly are from some of the industry's foremost authorities.

A must have for any true cinephile or anyone simply looking to broaden their horizons.