My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film [Paperback]

Various (Author), Stephen Lowenstein (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 2002

In these vivid and revealing interviews, a diverse collection of filmmakers talk in extraordinary detail and with amazing candor about making their first films. Each chapter focuses on a director's celebrated debut and tells the inside story of the film's creation. Along the way, every aspect of the movie industry is explored-from writing the script and raising the money to casting the actors and assembling the crew, from shooting and editing to selling the movie and screening it. These interviews are not only memoirs of particular movies; each one is also an emotional journey in which the director relives the pain and elation, the comedy and tragedy, of making a first feature film.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

They say you never forget the first time, and 20 prominent directors reminisce vividly about their inaugural efforts behind the camera in this collection of original interviews. Editor Lowenstein, a filmmaker himself, elicits candid and revealing responses from subjects representing mainstream Hollywood (Oliver Stone, Anthony Minghella), American independent (the Coen Brothers, Kevin Smith), British (Mike Leigh, Neil Jordan), and foreign-language filmmaking (Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar). Most are very forthcoming about insecurities and blunders as they impart information that is alternately entertaining and technical, though many admit to surprising technical ignorance when they launched their careers. Despite their varied personalities and filmmaking approaches, the directors radiate enthusiasm, and Lowenstein speculates that they enjoyed the rare opportunity to talk about a movie they weren't trying to sell. They have learned to appreciate the freedom they enjoyed on their first films, when they had no reputations or expectations to live up to. Wanna-be directors may get the most out of this, yet anyone interested in the filmmaking experience may find it valuable. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Enthralling...full of inside information and sordid instructions." —Los Angeles Times



"A pleasure." —Variety

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (October 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142002208
• ISBN-13: 978-0142002209
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, April 6, 2002

By 

yarden "yarden" (portland, or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk About Their First Film (Hardcover)

It is all too rare an occurrance to actually find out anything about the PERSON who makes a movie. Most "behind-the-scenes" documentaries and interviews end up being thinly-disguised promotional trailers for movies. Luckily, filmmaker Stephen Lowenstein interviewed 20 filmmakers of various origin, style, and age to bring us this collection of interviews about the experience of making a first film.

Each interview is different, just as each filmmaker's first moviemaking experience was different. Every interview is illuminating and serves to broaden the reader's view of filmmaking, as well as increase appreciation for the sheer hard work and endurance required to get a movie to the point of completion.

I found myself riveted by each director's account of their first movies, of the experience of getting the film to the point of being made, to the casting, to the pre-production, to the first day of filming, to editing and then trying to find a place to screen the darn thing. It was very interesting to get to know each filmmaker, the places they were in the beginning stages of their careers, and the places their films took them to.

I appreciated reading interviews with filmmakers I greatly admire (the Coen brothers), to those I am familiar with and jealous of (Kevin Smith), and especially the interviews with female filmmakers such as Allison Anders and Mira Nair (since I myself am female). Some other interviews I particularly enjoyed: P.J. Hogan ("Muriel's Wedding"), James Mangold ("Heavy"), and Ang Lee ("Pushing Hands").

If you like this book, I highly recommend "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez, as it is a complete diary of the entire process of the making of his first feature film.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Collection of Stories, October 15, 2001

By 

Thor Vader "Herr Director" (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk About Their First Film (Hardcover)

"My First Movie" is a collection of interviews edited by Stephen Lowenstein with 20 of the independent world's most celebrated directors. Like any collection, some interviews are more informative than others. Nevertheless, I found this book to be entirely entertaining as I was brought into the world of other directors' first experiences.

Throughout all of the interviews, I found the same recurring theme of panic surface. I was particularly impressed with the interview with Ang Lee where he discusses his quick success out of NYU and then 7 years of drought, as well as James Mangold's rocket to stardom taken down by his snide remarks to Katzenberg.

This book is probably more properly titled "Self Help" book for anyone that wants to make a movie, as you realize that the directors featured in this book are really no different from anyone else. In a few cases (I'll refrain from telling you), I actually found myself saying, "Why WOULD anyone have ever let this person direct a film." Thus, the reader will be comforted to know that if he or she keeps pushing, eventually they will get their project made.

Overall, the book is a wonderfully delightful read. My recommendation is to read a chapter a day, and then watch the director's movie... this will maximize the pleasure and reading experience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is edu-tainmen! (Or should that be 'enter-cation'?), December 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film (Paperback)

I'm only a hundred pages into 'My First Movie' (so my review is not exactly a complete one), but by what I've read so far, this is an educational and entertaining book of insights into the filmmaking world. I think that each separate interview had at least one pearl of wisdom that aspiring film-makers (both in the highest and lowest senses) can take from this book. And for those who aren't necessairily interested in a career in the movies, this book still has plenty of intrigue and gossip in it's pages to enjoy.
I got this as a Christmas present, and I hope that a sequel is in the works.
CIAO!