Dreaming Aloud: The Films of James Cameron [Paperback]

Christopher Heard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 1998

This revised edition of Dreaming Aloud chronicles the career of filmmaker James Cameron, from his earliest work through to his acceptance speeches on winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Titanic.

The opening chapter focuses on Cameron's early life in northern Ontario, then follows him to Orange County, California, where he took his first film job with schlock-horror film master Roger Corman. His apprenticeship with Corman was elemental in Cameron's creation of The Terminator, his first major film, which was a huge international success, proving Cameron had the talent and insight necessary to create blockbuster movies.

With Hollywood's door now wide open, Cameron went on to make some of the most expensive, popular films in cinematic history -- a second Terminator film, the Oscar award-winning Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies and now Titanic.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

This revised edition of Dreaming Aloud chronicles the career of filmmaker James Cameron, from his earliest work through to his acceptance speeches on winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Titanic.

The opening chapter focuses on Cameron's early life in northern Ontario, then follows him to Orange County, California, where he took his first film job with schlock-horror film master Roger Corman. His apprenticeship with Corman was elemental in Cameron's creation of The Terminator, his first major film, which was a huge international success, proving Cameron had the talent and insight necessary to create blockbuster movies.

With Hollywood's door now wide open, Cameron went on to make some of the most expensive, popular films in cinematic history -- a second Terminator film, the Oscar award-winning Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies and now Titanic.

About the Author

Christopher Heard is a Toronto film critic who appears regularly on CBC Newsworld's "On the Arts." His biography of film director John Woo, Ten Thousand Bullets, will be published by Doubleday Canada in Spring 1999.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Canada; Revised edition (December 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038525816X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385258166
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,776,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars been there, heard that, January 5, 1999

By 

Kurt Pfeifer ([e-mail]) (Kirkland, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreaming Aloud : the Life and films of James Cameron (Paperback)

If you've done any significant reading on James Cameron through magazine articles or seen him speak in interviews, you've already gotten most of what you'll get out of this book. It covers more personal background, and gives more detail on the early work (Pirahna II) than is usually discussed, but there is far too much Cameron worshipping in this book and not enough thorough details.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the price, March 29, 1998

By 

"svk13" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreaming Aloud : the Life and films of James Cameron (Paperback)

For those who have become fans of Cameron because of Titanic, this book might be a pleasant introduction to this filmmaker. But to others who have read Cameron interviews/stories in magazines like Premiere, Esquire, Movieline, etc...this book is an outright bore. None of the information is new and the quotes are all ripped from past interviews. This book is on par with the Leo DiCaprio books that litter the Times Best Seller list right now, which isn't saying much.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An unauthorized book on Jim Cameron, May 8, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Phoenix, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreaming Aloud : the Life and films of James Cameron (Paperback)

I have to agree with the comment by SVK, it may not be worth buying if you've read too much of all sources Chris derived to use for his so-called "unauthorized" book. Other than that, it's more interesting to learn more about the man who blew the audiences away and held Hollywood hostage at his feet. Paula Parisi's book would be a safe bet to satisfy your appetite for knowledge of the wildly successful and most recognized filmmaking genuis since Spielberg.