So You Wanna Be a Director? (Paperback)

by Ken Annakin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A detailed resume of the author's life in films as recounted in this book by Ken Annakin..." -- Saga, November 2001. "...traces his career from early British movies to Hollywood..." -- Viewfinder, March 2002. "A hilarious anecdotal read..." -- DVD Review, August 2001. "Mike Leigh who wrote the introduction to this book knows a good story when he hears, or reads, one..." -- Post-Gazette.com, May 2002.

Product Description
Yorkshire-born Ken Annakin was one of the greatest international film directors. The last of the English directors to make it in the international arena (others included Hitchcock and Lean), this autobiography traces Annakin's career from his early British films through to Hollywood. He has directed, written and produced over 50 feature films in Africa, India, Malaysia, Scandinavia, China, Europe and the United States. His films include: Swiss Family Robinson, The Longest Day, Battle of The Bulge, and Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines. His autobiography includes personal and revealing insights into many film personalities including: Walt Disney, Claudette Colbert, Edward G. Robinson, Peter Sellers, Charlton Heston and Raquel Welch. Ken Annakin's book is forthright and pulls no punches; it will soon become a classic among director's autobiographies. Detailing his own frustrations with sex-mad producers, drug-addicted actors, and politics which sabotaged multi-million dollar fims, Ken Annakin describes a career of dizzying highs and bleak lows. This master of "family entertainment" also sounds a clarion call for a return to motion pictures which are fun for the whole family. So You Wanna Be A Director? is an entertaining and witty travelogue, as well as an important document of film history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Tomahawk Press (GA) (May 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0953192652
• ISBN-13: 978-0953192656
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,695,004 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Giant From An Era of Giants, July 3, 2001

By	William Hare (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ken Annakin, one of fildom's greatest international directors, has written an autobiography every bit as entertaining as it is informative. His globetrotting film adventures gives "So You Wanna Be a Director?" the kind of page-turning narrative thrust of a mystery novel while, at the same time, providing astute analysis of the world cinema past and present. Annakin learned his craft well, a protege of Sir Carol Reed who launched his career with the hugely successful Hugget series, family entertainment resulting in major box office on both sides of the Atlantic. Annakin later became a premier filmmaker for Walt Disney and Daryl Zanuck. His Disney family classic, "The Swiss family Robinson," filmed entirely on the island of Tobago, remains one of the top grossers in world film history. His 1957 classic, "Across the Bridge," was one of the most intriguing film noir spellbinders ever made and helped propel into high gear the career of its star, Rod Steiger. Annakin's "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" was the most inventive satire ever filmed about the early days of aviation, earning him an Oscar nomination for "Best Original Screenplay" along with co-writer Jack Davies. Annakin sketches enduring portraits of Sir Carol Reed, Walt Disney, Daryl F. Zanuck, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, Raquel Welch, Glynis Johns, Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, and many others. For cinema lovers this is a "must read."