The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema's Most Influential Filmmakers (Turner Classic Movies) Paperback – November 23, 2021

I bought the book as a gift for a young man that has been writing, and directing documentaries. He was very happy to receive it.

The burgeoning works of Sloan De Forest on various aspects of primarily American cinema are indispensable for people interested in this arena of the artistic world. Her work is coming out under the imprimatur of Turner Classic Movies and has been preceded by Dynamic Dames and Must-See Sci-Fi. Her most recent work is the one under review here, i.e., The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema’s Most Influential Filmmakers. This beautiful book is a top-scale production comprising six chapters dealing with the principal stages of American cinema from the Silent Era to, as Ms. De Forest put it, the Whole New Hollywood, from Charlie Chaplin to Steven Spielberg. As expected, this history is largely one of the cinematic doings of white men, since they have dominated the American cinematic experience from its beginning. De Forest discusses the work of only four (!) women, including Lois Weber, Dorothy Arzner, Ida Lupino, and Elaine May, and only a single person of color (!!), Oscar Micheaux. The years covered range from about 1915, beginning with the regrettable The Birth of a Nation and terminating with the 2017 film of Steven Spielberg The Post. Each chapter dealing with a particular director surveys the life and work of that person, provides a list of “must-see” movies and then discusses a “key scene to watch.” Each chapter includes a quote from someone commenting on the director covered in the chapter. The photographic illustrations are exquisite and are primarily in luminous black & white. Only a few are in color, which is appropriate and desirable. This important book is worthy of serious study by cinephiles of all stripes, especially those who can appreciate non-CGI cinema. I highly recommend this book to be purchased for one’s own library but also for the library of your friend with whom you “talk movies.”

I found myself speeding through this book and reliving so many great films I’ve seen over the years on TCM, as well as movie revival houses, public TV, home video, streaming services and other channels. Sloan De Forest provides entertaining descriptions of the careers and films of so many favorite directors, including Hitchcock, Welles, Hawks, Spielberg, Scorsese, Lubitsch and many, many more. The book focuses its chapters mostly on individual mainstream Hollywood directors, interspersed with some breezy roundups of groups of foreign and indie directors. De Forest also calls attention to some lesser known women directors in a few chapters, some dating back to the early days of silent film, which sent me searching for clips on YouTube of them. The book made me hunger to watch and rewatch so many great movies. It’s a great read for any film buff, plus the photos and layout are top notch, even in ebook format.

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The media could not be loaded. An enormous topic to tackle! I continually wanted to stop reading and go watch a film that was being discussed. A good reference for a person who knows a little bit...

It was a gift for my wife. She is a fan of TCM and old classic movies. She loved the book and has loaned it to several friends who have enjoyed it as well. The book is highly recommended.

The book is insightful and an excellent introduction to a much overlooked aspect of filmmaking.

it was a gift for a relative who is a movie fanatic. He loves it.