You had the same idea of topic 2 minutes before me!
http://www.boutique-cahiersducinema.com/boutique/liste_produits.cfm?code_lg=lg_fr&type=17
I started to own this collection by buying Robert Bresson and ordering Bergman…(french only I think)
Notes on the Cinematographer by Bresson is both a handbook for filmmaking and a guidebook to Bresson’s version of truth.
HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT is the best..
fantastic link, efe… that’s gonna take some exploring. good to hear there’s a lot more than the text.
“Notes on the Cinematographer by Bresson” sounds excellent. going to have to track that one down.
What is Cinema? Vol 1&2 by Andre Bazin
Essays on Chaplin by Andre Bazin
I really enjoy the essay compilation books (there is a great series released by Harvard University Press the categorizes Cahiers Du Cinema ex. The 1950s: Neo-Realism, Hollywood, New Wave and they are just a collection of essays and discussions of films, theories, trends, etc.).
Les Tendances du Cinémas Contemporain by Henri-Paul Chevrier, great book about the contemporary tendancies since La Nouvelle Vague, from the Interiorisation with Bergman, Dedramatisation with Antonionni, Minimalism with Wenders, Abstract filmmaking from Bunuel and many more. It is a MUST (ONLY IN FRENCH).
I’ve recently bought Le Plaisir des Yeux, it is a book containing many articles written by François Truffaut, from the early years until the late years, including some articles and prefaces concerning his collaboration with Spielberg on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It was a very good book, many many many underlined quotes. I mean, Truffaut’s a real genius.
And, I’m starting a book entitled La Nouvelle Vague. I want to learn more and more about that incredible Wave. It includes interviews with Rohmer, Godard, Truffaut and Resnais. There is also some articles from Bazin.
QUOTE FROM MEZMORIZED
I really enjoy the essay compilation books (there is a great series released by Harvard University Press the categorizes Cahiers Du Cinema ex. The 1950s: Neo-Realism, Hollywood, New Wave and they are just a collection of essays and discussions of films, theories, trends, etc.).
I think the book entitled LA NOUVELLE VAGUE is from that collection, from Cahiers du Cinéma. There was also Mai 68.
+ Notes sur le cinématographe par Robert Bresson. Ce lit rapidement, mais à plusieurs reprises. Le livre est remplis de belles notes, homme très poétique.
Dave McDougall read that book, but I read it in french.
Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (Laura Mulvey_)
Alienation (_Istvan Meszaros) – influenced my thinking about film, how to think about it, heavily.
Everything from Film Culture Magazine.
Richard Roud’s book “A Passion for Films” on Henri Langlois and the Cinémathèque Française is a must read for any cinephile!
also James Monaco’s “The New Wave” is must have classic, a good overview of the French New Wave written in the mid 70s
and of course Tom Milne’s English translation of “Godard on Godard” is a great collection of Godard’s critical writings/thoughts about cinema up to the late 60s
Cassavetes on Cassavetes
Fellini on Fellini
Hollywood, Charles Bukowksi. OK, it’s more about personality and industry, but it’s very real, and sadly it’s very true.
I am finishing up James Monaco’s “How to Read a Film.” While not richly detailed, it serves as a nice starting point for those looking to familiarize themselves with the terminology of different theories, movements etc.
Does anybody have any recommendations for a good read on film semiotics? Preferably for someone with minimal exposure to the topic.
V.F. Perkins’ Film as Film is pretty canonical, though I came to it a little too late in my education.
There is a good section on semiotics and cinema in Peter Wollen’s “Signs and Meaning in the Cinema” that might be a good starting point. Or else from what I remember Jean Mitry’s “Semiotics and the Analysis of Film” is a good introduction and also Robert Stam’s “New vocabularies in Film Semiotics: Structuralism, Post-structuralism, and Beyond” is also a good introduction and overview of semiotics and film semiotics.
I appreciate the answer. I will definitely be looking those up.
Notes on the Cinematographer by Bresson, Hitchcock et l’art
Sir Christopher Frayling’s Something to Do With Death is a mandatory read for any fan of Leone movies and very informative (well, it’s over 500 pages) on Italian cinematic culture as well. Frayling has researched his subject thoroughly and is very analytical in his conclusions. Another favorite is Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Richie. I have my problems with how he treats Kurosawa’s later works, but still a brilliant book on the man’s film-making, technique and influences.
Lynch on Lynch
‘The Story of Film’ and ‘Imagining Reality’ by Mark Cousins are great too.
As a Film Student I immensely enjoyed reading Andre Bazin’s ‘What is Cinema?’ and ‘Notes on the Cinematographer’ by Bresson. They helped me to shape a lot of my opinions on Cinema. Currently, I am reading “Contemporary World Cinema” by Edinburgh University Press. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a general overview of the world cinema today. The book is extremely well-written, , resourceful, detailed, sophisticated and very intriguing. Along side essays on the Current film trends of many different countries and regions of the world, the book also has many detailed analysis of popular current films and directors from these regions and countries.
As a Film Student I immensely enjoyed reading Andre Bazin’s ‘What is Cinema?’ and ‘Notes on the Cinematographer’ by Bresson. They helped me to shape a lot of my opinions on Cinema. Currently, I am reading “Contemporary World Cinema” by Edinburgh University Press. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a general overview of the world cinema today. The book is extremely well-written, , resourceful, detailed, sophisticated and very intriguing. Along side essays on the Current film trends of many different countries and regions of the world, the book also has many detailed analysis of popular current films and directors from these regions and countries.
As a Film Student I immensely enjoyed reading Andre Bazin’s ‘What is Cinema?’ and ‘Notes on the Cinematographer’ by Bresson. They helped me to shape a lot of my opinions on Cinema. Currently, I am reading “Contemporary World Cinema” by Edinburgh University Press. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a general overview of the world cinema today. The book is extremely well-written, , resourceful, detailed, sophisticated and very intriguing. Along side essays on the Current film trends of many different countries and regions of the world, the book also has many detailed analysis of popular current films and directors from these regions and countries.
Another interesting film book that I have read recently was the book “Wong Kar-Wai’s Happy Together” by Jeremby Tambling. It was basically an in-depth analysis of Happy Together. Since I really like the movie, I thought the book was extremely interesting, and I also love the fact that Tambling looks at the movie from many different angles and school’s of thoughts… It totally made me worship Wong Kar Wai even more…
Richard Brody’s “Everything is Cinema” is a comprehensively critical bio of Jean-Luc Godard, it provides great insights into Godard’s filmmaking processes and gives a good build up to the French “New Wave” and also the events of May 68. There are numerous entertaining stories of Godard’s ‘adventurous’ past, as he pretty much did whatever it took to become a filmmaker. Brody’s book is a good summary for avid fans of Godard and a great intro for those who are new to him.
“Histoire(s) du cinema” the book based on the film series by Godard. Pure poetry.
Yeah Geronimo, I used to covet the “Histoire(s) du cinema” book series in my university library! The reproductions are absolutely stunning.
“Jean-Luc Godard: Son + Image” from the exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1992 is also a thing of beauty, it covers his work from the mid 70s up to “Histoire(s)”, again beautiful reproductions and some great essays from Colin McCabe, Peter Woolen, Laura Mulvey, Raymond Bellour, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Serge Daney and others.
This is an excellent topic. KEEP OLD POSTS ALIVE.
PAINTING WITH LIGHT by John Alton: The BEST book on cinematography, essential reading for anyone interested in film (mandatory for lovers of film noir)
GODARD ON GODARD (after his films declined significantly in quality, the man could still give a good, insightful, intriguing interview (probably still does)).
A HISTORY OF THE FRENCH NEW WAVE CINEMA by Richard Neupert (along with Michel Marie’s THE FRENCH NEW WAVE: AN ARTISTIC SCHOOL (translated by Neupert)). The two best books, available in English, on the subject.
FEDERICO FELLINI: THE BOOK OF DREAMS by Federico Fellini (own this! own this! own this!)
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS by Wes Anderson (few screenplays read as well as Anderson’s)
TRUFFAUT by Antoine de Baecque and Serge Toubiana (one of the greatest director biographies)
THE FILMS IN MY LIFE by François Truffaut (you will agree with him on nothing)
THE BOOK OF FILM NOIR by Ian Cameron (mandatory)
A LIFE IN MOVIES: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Michael Powell (again, just plain mandatory)
JEAN RENOIR: THE FRENCH FILMS, 1924-1939 by Alexander Sesonske (the best survey of (and some of the best insights on) the directors work through THE RULES OF THE GAME).
Hitchcock/Truffaut
The Films in my Life (Truffaut)
On Filmmaking
TASCHEN puts out some amazing books. I love the Stanley Kubrick archives also im currently reading the Paul Verhoeven book they put out.
Also FAB PRESS puts out some great books , the book on Shinya Tsukamoto is great.
FOREVER GODARD ed. Michael Temple, James S. Williams, Michael Witt (a really interesting and not-at-all run-of-the-mill collection of essays about all aspects of Godard’s work past and present).
THE RELUCTANT FILM ART OF WOODY ALLEN by Peter J. Bailey (at times a little over-intellectualized, but one of, if not the best, critical survey of Allen’s work. Really good essay on MANHATTAN).
WOODY ALLEN ON WOODY ALLEN by Woody Allen and Stig Bjorkman (very interesting book length interview with Allen where the Swedish director survey’s the films and gets plenty of non-answers, intellectualized answers, claims of being non-intellectual, and gushing over Fellini and Bergman).
MY LIFE AND FILMS by Jean Renoir (it is what it is).
Al Ruel
I was thinking about that perfect film question someone else posted, and dug up some quotes from Bergman, as i’d read his autobiography and some other things… it got me thinking, what are other people’s favorite books on film, filmmakers.
I love the Bergman ones i have, several actually… “the magic lantern” is a good read.
but hands down, my favorite book on film, is “HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT”… Truffaut’s interviews with Hitch are priceless. Totally candid.
probably an obvious choice, but if you haven’t read it, get it!
i’d be interested in other people’s favorite books on directors, film-making in particular, or cinematography, film studies, or even actors/acting… what are the absolute classic books on film?