Customer Reviews

John Huston's Filmmaking (Cambridge Studies in Film)

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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?