John Huston's Filmmaking (Cambridge Studies in Film) [Paperback]

Lesley Brill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0521586704 | ISBN-13: 978-0521586702

John Huston's Filmmaking offers an analysis of the life and work of one of the greatest American independent filmmakers. Always visually exciting, Huston's films sensitively portray humankind in all its incarnations, chronicling the attempts by protagonists to conceive and articulate their identities. In this study, Lesley Brill shows Huston's films to be far more than formulaic adventures of masculine failure, arguing instead that they demonstrate the close connection among humanity, the natural world, and divinity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'In this thoughtful study Brill accounts for Huston's critical neglect by pointing the finger squarely at 50s and 60s auteur critics ...'. Sight and Sound

Book Description

John Huston's Filmmaking offers an analysis of the life and work of one of the greatest American independent filmmakers. Always visually exciting, Huston's films sensitively portray humankind in all its incarnations, chronicling the attempts by protagonists to conceive and articulate their identities. In this study, Lesley Brill shows Huston's films to be far more than formulaic adventures of masculine failure, arguing instead that they demonstrate the close connection between humanity, the natural world, and divinity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521586704
• ISBN-13: 978-0521586702
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting case for Huston as an auteur, June 25, 2011

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Adam Zanzie - See all my reviews

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This review is from: John Huston's Filmmaking (Cambridge Studies in Film) (Paperback)

Professor Brill's deeply analytical study of about 12 or so of Huston's greatest films was an invaluable study aid for me when I launched a "John Huston Blogathon" in August of 2010. Huston is without question one of the greatest of all American filmmakers, and yet it's always been difficult to make a case for him as an artist, as an intellectual, etc.

Brill's book, written in the 1990's, was only the first book to ever really consider the prospect of Huston as an auteur, so it's quite understandable how Brill only covers a dozen of the master's works. There are certain important titles I wish Brill had covered, such as The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Wise Blood (1979), Under the Volcano (1984) and Prizzi's Honor (1985), but perhaps those titles weren't as highly regarded back then as they are today.

The book itself is fantastic. Brill has done a better job than anyone else in evaluating what makes films like Maltese Falcoln, Let There Be Light, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Misfits, Fat City and The Man Who Would Be King so brilliant. The chapter on The Dead is particularly beautiful, and helped me appreciate that painfully-unrecognized masterpiece even more.

All in all, Professor Brill's book is an essential stepping stone in understanding what made Huston an artist. Now I'm eagerly waiting for some brave soul to write a comprehensive biography of this great director! Anyone wanna step up to the plate?