Film talk : directors at work /

Dixon (Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln) presents interviews with 11 directors, some of whom have done valuable work but are unfamiliar in the critical literature. Under "The Old Masters" are, among others, Ronald Neame (The Horse's Mouth, 1958) and Val Guest (The Quatermass Xperiment, 1955); under "Cult Visions," Jack Hill (Foxy Brown, 1974) and Robert Downey Sr. (Putney Swope, 1969); under "New Voices," Jamie Babbit (But I'm a Cheerleader, 1999) and Bennett Miller (Capote, 2005). Some of the directors offer surprising comments. Budd Boetticher (Buchanan Rides Alone, 1958), who died in 2001, resented being pigeonholed as a director only of Westerns. Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, 1970) is frank about the fact that the need for money dictated certain methods in his filming. Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop, 1971) exposes some of the lowlifes in the film business. Anyone interested the film business (including its dark side) will enjoy these interviews. The book includes a lengthy index but no bibliography. Too bad. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers, all levels. R. Blackwood emeritus, City Colleges of Chicago