The Donnie Darko Book [Paperback]

Richard Kelly (Author), Jake Gyllenhaal (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0571221246 | ISBN-13: 978-0571221240 | Publication Date: October 31, 2003 | Edition: First Edition

A companion volume to "one of the most original works of recent American Cinema"*

Donnie Darko was the surprise cult hit of 2001. Appearing nationwide on critic's year-end top-ten lists, the quirky independent film's effortless blending of science fiction, horror, adolescent angst, and social satire defied description while simultaneously providing "an unexpectedly poignant catharsis for Sept. 11 blues" (Jan Stuart, Newsday). Its Möbius strip-like narrative about Donnie, a troubled teenager who can see into the future, continues to inspire fans to obsessive heights. The Donnie Darko Book includes the film's screenplay, an in-depth interview with writer-director Richard Kelly, facsimile pages from The Philosophy of Time Travel book that Donnie uses to go back in time, as well as photos and drawings from the film and the artwork it inspired.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Few filmmakers of any age have blended the sensibilities of pop and art so effortlessly, or combined them with such a haunting tale of loss and redemption."--Andrew O'Hehir, Salon*

"The most original and venturesome American indie I've seen this year." --J. Hoberman, Village Voice

"[The] kind of movie that calls out not merely to be experienced but to be solved."--Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

About the Author

Richard Kelly is currently at work on his latest feature film, Knowing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; First Edition edition (October 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571221246
• ISBN-13: 978-0571221240
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting find, October 23, 2003

By 

H. Jenkins - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Donnie Darko Book (Paperback)

While this doesn't provide any definate answers as there are many interpretations, it does provide a foreword by Jake Gyllenhaal, an interview with Richard Kelly (info on the film), the screenplay, images from Roberta Sparrow's Philosophy of Time Travel, artwork and images from the movie and additional artwork from the "They Made me Do It" exhibition.

Not exactly what I was expecting, I thought it would be more of a novel. But it's definately not your average movie book. You don't have to be a fanatic to read this either, it's an interesting read.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a screenplay, March 22, 2005

By 

Nicholas Carroll (Portland OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Donnie Darko Book (Paperback)

I like how popular films can cause a demand in which the screenplay is released in book form for all those inspiring actors and screenwriters out there to read, act and learn from. Most of them are just the screenplay and nothing else, so its a pleasant surprise to see one like this, which includes a lengthy interview with the writer/director, some drawings, and a peek at the prop Time travel book by Roberta Sparrow. Some overzealous fans mistakenly thought it was a real book and on the Director's Cut dvd, you see a special documentary by one such fan who demanded of the director the rest of this fictional book. Give Director Richard Kelly a break...the book was nothing more than a prop for the film's characters.

This book is worth having for any Donnie Darko fan. For me, the best part of the book is the interview, as it is nice to hear the thoughts and ideas of Richard Kelly about his famous first movie. What he says embodies a lot of our generation in terms of cultural influences and how we grew up...a world perhaps vastly different to the current generation growing up in the hip-hop drenched, corporate universe. This book will be a keepsake for that distant future, when Richard Kelly will be known as our generation's Steven Spielberg, with a library of unique films. Don't expect to find this book then, because it'll probably be out of print and hard to find. Get it now when its still available! Donnie Darko is probably the film that will still be remembered 25 years from now.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you liked the movie!, September 18, 2007

By 

Darryl Del D. "Tree Farmer" (Purple Filth, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Donnie Darko Book (Paperback)

If you are a fan of this great flick, this book goes right along with it. It has an interview with the director/writer and also Jake G. (cannot spell his name).

It also contains numerous pictures from and inspired by the movie.

My favorite part is that it has the actual pages from Roberta Sparrows book, so if you're interested, this is a killer movie memoribilia to own!