Independent films have long held a certain cachet. This volume concentrates on the directors of U.S. films and the New York independent film scene as perceived by a film instructor.
Entries cover a few definitions (e.g., Bolex camera, Deferred payments, Sexploitation films ); many directors (about 90 percent of the book's content); and a few film titles treated separately from their directors (e.g., Pull My Daisy, Stand and Deliver ). Most entries are one to two pages long, with a few directors, such as Brian De Palma and George A. Romero, given four pages. The length of the article does not always correlate with the achievements of the director; for instance, the entry for Norman Mailer is almost as long as the one for David Lynch. Brief bibliographies follow a few of the entries. A few black-and-white photos supplement the text. Three appendixes complete the volume: "100 Significant Independent Films" (for which there are no criteria); winners of the Sundance and Independent Spirit Awards; and independent film distributor names (no address or other contact information). A bibliography and index follow.
Women and directors of color are underrepresented; the longest entry relative to women is Women in prison films. On the other hand, B movies (especially gore and porn) are overrepresented, while animation, documentaries, and children's films are barely mentioned or have outdated information. Actors and producers are rarely noted, and despite the book's title there is very little on the filmmaking process. Sundance and Slumdance festivals are covered, but other regional film festivals such as the Mill Valley festival are overlooked; indeed, an entry for film festivals would have been welcome. Better editing would have prevented misuse of the word nadir in the entry Merchant-Ivory Productions.
The work is valuable for coverage of obscure directors. However, it is not an exhaustive or evenhanded volume on the topic. Recommended to supplement collections with heavy film content. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"[P]rovides insightful observations about a vast field that spans the history of film ... a welcome addition to the handful of books that survey the field ... It is definitely a worthwhile addition to university, college, and public libraries. For those interested individuals who can afford a copy of their own, it will be eminently useful as a reference book."-Journal of American Studies
