Films have an undeniable place in 20th-century popular culture. People of every background and age are able to find in movies the expression of their deepest hopes, dreams, anxieties, fears, and emotions. They are often touched by the lives of the characters portrayed or by the times or places in which a film is set. In the movies, the past, present, and future are often combined in imaginative ways, and the audience is free to suspend their disbelief. As much as skillful actors, excellent stories, and beautiful cinematography contribute to creating the greatest films, it is the filmmakers who are ultimately responsible for a film's final form. From the early days to the present, the directors' visions translated into film have played an important role in determining how audiences react to the films they see. In two comprehensive volumes, The Encyclopedia of Filmmakers provides a wide-ranging survey that profiles more than 350 filmmakers from every branch of the industry, including independent films, French new wave, documentaries, Hollywood blockbusters, silent films, and much more. Each filmmaker has been chosen for the strength of their cinematic vision. Carefully researched and written by a team of film scholars, each entry features a biographical portrait of the filmmaker, a glimpse at his or her early work and entry into the industry, and a discussion of key films and the major themes within them. A critical analysis places each filmmaker in the context of his/her culture and time. Written in an accessible style, the text is further complemented by more than 80 photographs and drawings that provide compelling portraits of the faces rarely seen on-screen. An index and bibliography provide sources for further reading and research. Filmmakers profiled include: Woody Allen Allison Anders Ingmar Bergman Bernardo Bertolucci Jane Campion Francis Ford Coppola Walt Disney Nora Ephron Milos Forman Jean-Luc Godard Werner Herzog Norman Jewison Akira Kurosawa David Mamet Martin Scorsese John Singleton Stephen Spielberg Francois Truffaut Billy Wilder Franco Zeffirelli. Excerpted from The Encyclopedia of Filmmakers by John C. Tibbetts, James Michael Welsh All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
