I'm sure that this book will soon find it's way back into print after Knight's dismissal from Indiana University. Whether you believe that Knight was the greatest college basketball coach of all time, or the biggest bully of all time, you owe it to yourself to read Mellen's book. Say what you will, Knight is not a simple man. After reading this book, you may not have any symphathy for Knight, but you can't dispute his knowledge of the game, determination, and committment to excellence.

Joan Mullen's book is an eye-opening experience for the typical college basketball fan. She looks past all of the hype surrounding one of the game's greatest coaches and gets down to his true passion: The success and development of the young men trusted to his care. This is great book and illustrates the many facets of Coach Knight. I highly recommend it, especially for those of you who have already read Feinstein's book, A Season on the Brink. This book offers a more objective approach.

This book is a fascinating look at the general, Robert Montgomery Knight, one of the most interesting coaches in all of sport. This book follows him through a season to give you a total picture of the man. It shows you far more than the narrow, negative view John Feinstein took, and it also debunks many of the myths about Knight the media has created. Through it all you see Knight's humor, wisdom, candor, ability, and yes ocassionally his temper. You see why he is the character, and the winner he is. You also see why his players love him.

One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of several generations of a Colombian family while supernatural occurrences and unbelievable events are described with unblinking sincerity. Marquez, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982, commands such mastery of language that his prose reads like verse. The beauty of his words wraps the reader inextricably into the fates of the Buendias. Their loves, their wars, their brutality, their death and dreams, are all told with Marquez's special gift of prose. One Hundred Years of Solitude is probably Marquez's finest work, destined to be a classic of world literature.

It has been years since I have seen "The Seven Samurai," a movie I greatly admire. Reading Mellen's book brought back all the things I love about that film.

Mellen goes into the origins of the film, into Kurosawa's script and his ideas about history. She discusses how the different characters represent aspects of the samurai class. Her analysis of the last scene, where the surviving samurai leave the village, is quite powerful and accurate.

If the book has a flaw, it is that Mellen devotes a bit of time to bashing those writers who are critical of "The Seven Samurai." If they can't appreciate Kurosawa's film, that is punishment enough.

If you enjoy "The Seven Samurai" this book will amplify your understanding of that film and thus increase your enjoyment when you watch the movie again.

I saw my first Kurosawa film when I was quite young. I was just a 13 year old kid in front of the TV and I was browsing through the channels when I came upon this black and white film. I still don't know why I kept on watching it, even though it was in Japanese and watching films with subtitles wasn't my favourite thing. I still remember the images. But, being a 13 year old kid after a while I changed the channel. A few days later I saw a bit of another similar film. Earlier this year a friend of mine informed me that this book had just arrived in a local bookstore. I learned its price and was off to sell a few of my sisters Mills & Boon or similar. I bought the book with the money and started reading as soon as I was home. It was so interesting for me since Donald Richie had divided every film's chapter into its various components like characterisation, story, etc. This along with being well formatted with pictures of the film's frames. It was while reading this book that I realised those bits of some black and white film I had scene at 13 was infact Kurosawas Throne of blood and The hidden fortress. I was overwhelmed with the information that was being carefully fed to me. I thank Donald Richie for writing such a good book and honouring the memory of a genious-Akira Kurosawa. This book is a must for all Kurosawa Film lovers. I know 'cause I'm one of them.

if you've ever seen a kurosawa film and weren't moved beyond words don't bother reading this book. for all the rest of us, sit back and enjoy. a thoughtful, insightful, magnificent look at the master. superb. (for the record, my favorite kurosawa films: (1) the seven samurai (2) ikiru (3) ran.)

Richie shows a passion for one of the world's greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema. He focuses on the films themselves instead of relying to much on biographical information to show the real Kurosawa. He looks at all of his films regardless of their obscurity. I think the great thing about Richie is his particular attention to how moving and humanistic Kurosawa's movies were and still are. Richie argues that his humanism is what allows KUROSAWA to stand head and shoulders above most filmmakers. The film stills are the real treasure in this book. They give a unique look at the films as artistic masterpieces, and how Kurosawa made good use of his training as a painter in his early years. All in all this book is absolutely essential for people who love film in general and Kurosawa fans.

A long but extremely rewarding read! Meticulous research brings these two brilliant writers to life. A longtime fan of both of these writers, I had originally planned to buy this book at the time of publication. However,plans did not go accordingly, and when I finally did, I could not find a copy. It was until a recent book fair at the local mall that I was able to find a copy. I spent many nights glued to this book fascinated by this turbulent relationship.This is a biography I will read again and again. I had never read anything by Joan Mellen-She is a wonderful writer!

This book provides a feminist viewpoint to Marilyn's films and life. When the book was written in the 1970s, the author provided a fresh insight into Marilyn. Now it might be considered "old hat" since so many authors now take the same viewpoint. Remember, Marilyn was not especially admired by women when she died. This book is written by a woman who is sympathetic to Marilyn's life and desire to improve herself. This book is valuable to those who are Marilyn collectors. Otherwise, pass on this one.