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Book reviews for "Scorsese,_Martin" sorted by average review score:

Agee on Film: Criticism and Comment on the Movies (Modern Library the Movies)
Published in Paperback by Modern Library (07 March, 2000)
Authors: James Agee, Martin Scorsese, and David Denby
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Resurrected Film Study
James Agee was short for this world, having died in his mid 40s. In that span of time he wrote a famous book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, and a couple of classic screenplays, AFRICAN QUEEN and NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. This collection of magazine film reviews and essays is in many ways the leftover part of his work, and yet it feels like enough to make a reputation on. His reviews span just one decade, the 1940s. Many of them tackle foreign films that may be unavailable for all I know.

Interesting to me is that he spends three weeks discussing Chaplin's MONSIEUR VERDOUX, which is a most unusual movie and mostly forgotten today. This might be because he saw it as his only chance to write a poignant piece on the greatest living film artist, or it may be because he identified with the plight of mankind theme that Chaplin was reaching for. You can pick another reason, yourself, but it was a bold decision, because most critics panned the film (according to him) and most readers probably couldn't even see the movie in their small towns. It was as if he knew he would be writing for posterity. Like all critics, he cultivated his darlings. He saw much in the work of John Huston and was very skillful in his sizing up of TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. I was impressed that he predicted the all-time classic nature of the film, but also understood the studio system gimmicks that took away from the genius.

You don't have to be literary minded like W. H. Auden to enjoy this book. You'll like it, if you like movies.

James Agee, an inspiring critic
Ever wonder what causes a movie reviewer to *become* a movie reviewer? When I was a ten-year-old kid just getting into classic movie comedies, I went to the library and checked out the book AGEE ON FILM solely because it had references to Charlie Chaplin and W.C. Fields. Thus was my introduction to high-quality film criticism.

James Agee made his reputation writing sterling movie reviews for Time and The Nation magazines in the 1940's. Among other glories, he wrote a much-heralded essay titled "Comedy's Greatest Era" that helped to bring silent-comedy icons (most notably Harry Langdon) out of mothballs and caused them to be re-viewed and discussed seriously among film historians. He later went on to work on the screenplays of a couple of gems titled The African Queen and Night of the Hunter.

Unfortunately, many people who regard the critics Pauline Kael and Stanley Kauffmann have either forgotten Agee's work entirely or have assigned his own work to mothballs. But among the faithful are film director Martin Scorsese, who serves as editor of the "Modern Library: The Movies" series of film books. The series has recently reissued the AGEE ON FILM book, and re-reading Agee's work (or reading it for the first time, if you're lucky enough) proves that film criticism can make for reading material as compelling as any fictional novel.

Agee passes the acid test for any film critic: Even if you don't agree with him, his writing is so lively that you can't help enjoying it. His work ranges from three separate columns (three weeks' worth, in print terms) to Chaplin's much-maligned (at the time) MONSIEUR VERDOUX, to the most concise, funniest review ever: Reviewing a musical potboiler titled YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME, Agee replied in four simple words, "That's what *you* think."

If you want to see what high-caliber movie criticism meant in the pre-Siskel & Ebert days, engross yourself in this sprawling book. It'll make you appreciate the decades before every newspaper, newsletter, and Internet site had its own minor-league deconstructionist of Hollywood blockbusters.

More than we ever deserved . . .
James Agee wrote film criticism in America at a time when the American film industry hardly deserved his attention. His celebrations of silent film comedy, of Preston Sturges, of John Huston [for whom he later wrote the script for The African Queen], and of the handful of worthy foreign films that he managed to see are what make this volume worth reading. Besides Agee's beautiful prose and above all his compassion. Interestingly, Agee was a fan of Frank Capra's comedies (It Happened One Night) and bemoaned the director's decent into serious social films (Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Meet John Doe). His negative review of It's a Wonderful Life, which has never been in print since it appeared in 1946, reveals the extent to which Agee was perhaps too far ahead of his time, and even of ours.


Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson
Published in Paperback by DaCapo Press (1994)
Authors: Alan Greenberg, Stanley Crouch, and Martin Scorsese
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Not a bad book, just not the place to start.
Any author who tries to su up the life of Robert Johnson is going to have a hard time. The life of this man is a mystery beyond belief. The one thing that stands out is the music. I really feel that owning Johnson music is better than any book. Pick up the two CD set that has the booklet. Read that booklet and then put the CD's in and get ready for an experience this book can not give you. This book is good after you have done this. The music helps explain things a little more.

When will someone turn this into a movie?
It's a long way from the Mississippi Delta to Australia but this screenplay allowed me to visualise and feel the passion and raw edge to the music and landscape of Robert Johnson. It seems a shame that no Director has been brave enough to attempt to put this tale onto film as it could surely be an outstanding work if properly attacked. The comprehensive attached notes provide the reader with an opportunity to fill in any gaps in their knowledge to the point where one can almost picture the juke joints with their duelling musicians. The brutality of life in this community was shocking to me and the early death of Robert Johnson now seems to be less of a tragedy and more of an inevitability.

Groundbreaking Book
I never read anything like this before--it was like watching an amazing movie in written form. This unique book is an undiscovered gem.


The Age of Innocence
Published in Paperback by Newmarket Press (1993)
Authors: Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks
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Fine script for an under-rated film
Not being familar withe book, Scorcese and Cocks came up with a excellent film of class hypocrisy and repression. Well worth reading on its own right, hopefully this film will get the acclaim it deserves. Those that did like this film should also examine Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon', a film which was one of Scorsese's main influence during the making of the film.

a glimpse into our heritage
This book really can be called a "work of art". It includes some stunning pictures and paintings that later inspired the making of the film "The Age of Innocence". It's really an uncommon chance to glimpse into our own pictorial heritage, as seen through the eyes of one of America's most important filmmakers. Included is also the shooting script and a series of quotations from the period's writers that help in the building of the 19th century athmosphere. Strongly reccommended to the lovers of this film and to the ones who want to appreciate more and understand where the "inspiration" comes from. Massimo Benvegnu


The Future Of The Movies
Published in Paperback by Andrews McMeel Publishing (01 January, 1991)
Author: Ebert
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The Future is Now
In this little book, two of film's most visible critics, Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel, interview three of the most influential film directors of the last 30 years: Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. (Scorsese is interviewed by both Ebert and Siskel. Spielberg is interviewed by Siskel; Lucas by Ebert.)

Much of the focus of this little book is directed toward film preservation, although the title of the book also refers to trends in filmmaking. It is interesting to see the predictions that all three directors made for the future of film when these interviews were conducted in 1990. Along the way, we gain a bit of insight into the passion these three directors (and these two critics) have for films and their future. An interesting look for the casual fan or the serious film lover.

116 pages

Excellent commentary by prominent film makers and critics.
A must-have for film fans. In what other book can one get so intimate about films with acclaimed film makers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and George Lucas, along with prominent film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Simply put, facinating, and a pure joy to read. Plus, the proceeds go to restoring films, such as JAWS, that are literally disappearing.


Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall
Published in Paperback by Johns Hopkins Univ Pr (2001)
Authors: Chris Fujiwara and Martin Scorsese
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Excellent Guide to Tourneur's Films
Jacques Tourneur was a uniquely talented director with a string of distinctive films to his credit, including Cat People, Canyon Passage, I Walked With a Zombie and Out of the Past. Tourneur's best films look and sound like no one else's, stylish, subtle and strangely...quiet. At last there is an intelligent, discerning book on the subject of the talented Frenchman. Perhaps a bit more background on the making of the films would have been appreciated, otherwise this is an excellent and eye-opening bit of original film scholarship.

A Beauty
Chris Fujiwara is one of the world's best film critics. (Look for his soon-to-be-published work on Otto Preminger.) "The Cinema of Nightfall" is specifically about the great(and vastly underrated) Jacques Tourneur, but it is much more than that. It is one of the best books ever written about how to see and experience movies. Fujiwara goes inside the process of just how a film creates meaning, using Tourneur's very subtle genius as his base. The chapters on the more famous works("Cat People", "I Walked with a Zombie" and the immortal "Out of the Past") are the best analyses ever written on those titles. However, perhaps the most impressive part of Fujiwara achievement is his coverage of the more obscure Tourneurs: "Stars in My Crown", "Canyon Passage", "Berlin Express", the shorts. (His chapter on "Nightfall" is worth the price of admission -- a whole film theology in miniature.) "Cinema of Nightfall" is a model of film understanding and film love.


The Scorsese Connection (Perspectives (Bloomington, Ind.).)
Published in Hardcover by Indiana University Press (1995)
Author: Lesley Stern
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Finding Scorsese's Connections and Inspirations
Film professor Lesley Stern has written what amounts to an enthusiastic love letter to the great postmodern film director, Martin Scorsese.

It's a good read, though text does not follow the usual stylistic protocol of essay or non-fiction book writing. Full of gushing observations about postmodernist connections between Scorsese's work and that of other film directors.

That's okay, because Scorsese is a brilliant postmodernist and pure film buff who happily steals (Hitchcock would be proud) from all kinds of filmic sources.

However so much fun reader will have, going after all the videos this book praises, the pace and path of the writing can be almost overwhelming. It is full of ricochets and breathless connections to all kinds of sources. I found it annoying, sometimes, how rather reactive the text could be... this is like this is connected to this is from this is similar to this, etc etc.

But I give it four stars because anyone who likes Scorsese will probably enjoy reading this.

fabulous book!
The reader really gets a sense of Scorsese; the master of film direction. Beautifully written in extreme elegance. Whitty---well done...a must read!


Casino
Published in Paperback by Faber & Faber (1996)
Authors: Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese
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Pileggi Sans Scorsese
My rating on this book is really a three and a half, if given the option to rate a half-star, that is.

I enjoyed tremandously learning about the Teamsters, the politicians and of course the Mafia involvement in the Las Vegas casino operations. The book exceled in the abundance of information.

However, the writing itself was not so great therefore lowering the reading experience. Just as in real life, when people tell you their side of the story, it hardly ever concurs with someone else's account. Since the book was really a collage of vaious narrations, the author had a hard time weaving together different points of views and tones. Sometimes readers are left wondering what really happened.

I would recommend this book for people who are interested in information and stories regarding the Mafia. The topic is very interesting, but for those who prefers a bit more drama and fluency of writing, then this may not be your top choice.

Gripping Mob Narrative
This gripping narrative exposes Midwest mob influence in Las Vegas during the 1970-80's. Author Nicholas Pileggi focuses on four major characters. The most prominent was ex-sports handicapper and bookie Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who became an innovative casino manager. Lefty ran the casino at the Stardust Hotel, the location from where the Chicago and Kansas City syndicates skimmed millions in gambling revenues. We also read about Lefty's friend and mob enforcer Tony Spilotro, front man Allen Glick, and Lefty's glamorous but volatile wife Geri. The author describes casino operations, financing by teamster pensions, and gambling executives who knew enough to look the other way. We also see how unchecked greed and ego can destroy casino operators as surely as it does some of their customers. The book's only weakness was that Pileggi seemed to go easy on a couple of the major characters.

"Casino" became a 1995 movie of the same name. Pileggi also wrote "Wiseguy," basis for another excellent mob film ("Goodfellas") by Martin Scorsese. "Casino" doesn't quite match "Wiseguy," but it's a highly readable and informative book.

I couldn't put it down
I found 'Casino' to be an exciting true life story of the real Vegas of the 70's & early 80's. Nicholas Pileggi, has written this book with obvious research and passion, painting a tremendous mental picture of the Mafia and thier control over Las Vegas.

Excellent, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in true life mafia stories and Las Vegas life.


Gangs of New York: Making the Movie
Published in Paperback by Talk Miramax Books (15 January, 2003)
Authors: Martin Scorsese, Leonardo Dicaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Mario Tursi, and Brigitte Lacombe
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Book marred by poor interviews
The movie is astounding, but this book is less than great because the interviewer of cast and crew was amateurish at best. EVERYONE was asked: "What did you think of the sets?" and "What was it like working with (fill in the blank)?". Those are the type of questions one would expect of a high school journalist. Some of the interviewees, however, managed to rise above the questions and provided some interesting insights into the film and it's making. The photos are very good, but don't show much of the "behind the scenes" perspective that would have been interesting. Get the book if you loved the movie as I do, but be aware that it is more of a coffee-table book than an exhaustive making-of book.

The book and the movie
I have seen the movie and read this book about the making of the movie. I am struck by the interviews done with the actors and the production people involved with the making of this movie. They all agree on two things: That Martin Scorsese is a genius and that they were not terribly impressed with "The Gangs of New York" by Herbert Asbury upon which this movie is based. Scorsese may be a genius but his movie is not a work of genius. It is a flawed work which never quite comes together and therefore does not satisfy. Asbury's book will live on long after the movie is forgotten.

The Making of an Epic
It's a given: if you love a movie, you'll love every "The Making Of..." that comes out about it. This is no exception. I loved this film. I enjoyed reading the script, and all the interviews and photographs were delicious gravy. The story of how Scorsese and his team captured, very accurately for the most part, the way The Five Points looked is itself worth the price. If there is anything negative to be said, it's that some of the photographs are not of the best quality. But I'm nitpicking. Treat yourself to this superb book!


Martin Scorsese: Interviews (Interviews With Filmmakers Series)
Published in Paperback by Univ Pr of Mississippi (Trd) (1999)
Authors: Martin Scorsese and Peter Brunette
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Scorsese in his own time and words
Martin Scorsese is the greatest living film director. There is little doubt of that. Much can be gained by hearing what he has to say on the topic of film. He does provide a lot of it here. Scorsese divulges more about his films here than most might ever want to know. In one particularly dizzying section, he is asked questions about "Mean Streets" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" for fifty plus pages. The most intriguing thing is that all the interviews come from different eras, and it is quite interesting to see how he has changed throughout the years. I thought this was a great quick read and enjoyed it throughly. This book is essential reading for all Scorsese and cinema fans.


The Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Modern Library the Movies)
Published in Paperback by Modern Library (07 March, 2000)
Authors: Stephanie Schwam, Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks, Modern Library, and Stephanie Schwan
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the making of 2001: a space odyssey
this book was a disappointment. there was very little information about the actual making of the movie. there were pages and pages of reviews of the movie, and general information about what the movie may mean. there was none of the "behind the scenes" stuff that can be so interesting. and no pictures!!

Making of... an average book
The Making of... book is like many others, written by a fan for a fan, in this case this tiny paperback book seems to be a scrapbook of pictures and articles from the original release of 2001 at the cinemas. Unfortunately the pages dedicated to two legends, Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrik, are pretty much non existant. There are few diagrams and sketches made by the two that are fascinating, but this book is by an means a companion to the movie, it doesn't try to break down those great mysterious walls that surround this movie. For example, How did that monkey throw the bone when it is physically impossible for any moneky to do that kind of action? What happened to the monolith on the Moon? And so on.

This book will not bring new conversation to the flogging 2001 fan who is desperate to learn every possible secret there was about this movie, instead, it works on a more basic level really being a Making of... book that goes through various trouble during production and how special effects were mastered. A book that obviously had no input from Arthur C Clarke. To be truely captivated by the movie, but you probably already have it, so buy the sequel, and the book sequels, then buy this one. It'll sit nicely next to the rest of the Making of... books that are around.

Rather disappointing due to the lack of insight into the REAL making of 2001, which in my opinion is not in a studio but at desk writing a script, we never find out what Clarke was thinking whilst he making this masterpiece with pen and paper!

A Great Glimpse into the Past
This small 300 page book offers an intriguing glimpse into the past in which 2001 was made. The title is a bit misleading as the focus here isn't on the actual production of the film and the nature of it's construct, but an examination of the period which developed it. It's quite facinating and offers intriguing new tidbits of information. The book presents the original Arthur C. Clarke short stroy on which the film is based, The Sentinal, in it's entirety giving insight as to how much had to be extrapolated from it to make a feature. Other highlights are; a production calander wich details not only script writings and screenings, but significant scientific developments as well (such as the first space walk, the launching of probes), essays on the building of the various ships, a discussion of the special effects, testimonies from various scientists, consultants, art directors and more on their experiences with the film, the full original press release, multiple reviews from 1968-69, and interviews with Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick himself. What more could you ask for? It's breathtaking! I'm confounded by some the the harsher reviews. So much is presented, all in one book, that this is easily the most complete collection of information on 2001 : A Space Odyssey I've ever come across.

The book succeeds in giving the reader a sense of time and placement in history for 2001 as well as revealing some of the production secrets and offering some film analyzation. The film reviews alone were incredible in their revelation of reactions to the film. If you want to more about the actual process of the 2001 production, Filming The Future by Piers Bizony is a better choice. Get this book for a clear understanding of where 2001 came from, how it came to be and what effect it had. If you come to it with this in mind, I'm sure any film fan, and certainly any 2001 fan, will be blown away by the amount of information and insight presented. Don't pass this up!


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