A Short History of Film by Wheeler Winston Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, 10 out of 10

A Short History of Film by Wheeler Winston Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster

10 out of 10

Notes and thoughts on other books are available at:

-              https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E and   http://realini.blogspot.ro/

A History of Film is fascinating, even when short.

And the brevity of the work is relative.

At fifteen hours in audiobook format, it is not exactly an afternoon read, even if it would definitely be enjoyable at the beach.

It is not light and the subject matter is colossal in magnitude and scope, so in this sense it is appropriate to call it short.

It is a joy ride that is also instructive, for it will familiarize the reader with names that might have escaped him.

We hear about the evolution of the Coen Brothers, from their first film noir Blood Simple, moving to Raising Arizona, Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowsky and more recent hits like No Country For Old Men.

Werner Herzog is another of the many cineastes mentioned in this gem of a book, with his first production that was made with an apparently stolen camera, his collaboration with the edgy, haunted, magnetic, incandescent and uncontrollable- because probably somewhat mad-Klaus Kinsky on magnificent works like Aguirre- The Wrath of God, the adventurous Fitzcarraldo and what extraordinary that entailed.

In fact, in a documentary on his cooperation and frequent clashes with “His Dear Friend” Klaus Kinski, Werner Herzog explains and shows the wild territories were they filmed, the leading actor fought with colleagues, accidents and injuries, with the incredible transportation of a whole ship across the mountain, which takes place in Fitzcarraldo and was actually done in real life and not brought to screen with any special effects.

The list of important artists, directors, heads of studio, actors and finally various financial and multinational companies involved in the film industry and mentioned in this fantastic book is impressive.

The reader finds about Charlie Chaplin and his on screen and real life events, with his inclusion on the infamous black list, together with other celebrities- Trumbo, Edgar G. Robinson and others, sometimes named by their colleagues.

Neorealism in Italy and its influence on the so many other directors is emphasized with masterpieces as The Bicycle Thief- one of the best ten movies ever made on various lists- La Terra Trema, Paisan, with the latter mentioned by Martin Scorsese in the documentary American Cinema as one of the productions that have had a huge impact on him.

Some films that have marked a landmark, like the aforementioned Bicycle Thief have their story briefly narrated, with details once in a while, regarding the production, backstage or technological achievement.

Film makers from around the world are also mentioned with the homage they deserve- Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini and his affair with Ingrid Bergman, who had a child with the director, compromising their careers.

In more recent times, the ascension of Spike Lee is mentioned, up to his later achievements, like Malcolm X, which had serious financial problems, with backers pulling out afraid that the subject and hero will inflame spirits and cause riots, so that the director had to enlist Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby to support the film

Kathryn Bigelow is one of the women directors that have achieved great success, even if the book was completed before her crowning achievement in 2008 with the Hurt Locker; it touches on her success Point Break and K-19.

In the past, the studios have had a tremendous power over stars and staff who had been under contracts, up to the Olivia de Havilland ruling, in which the actress won, a victory that had eluded Bette Davis when she had tried years before.

It may be an exaggeration in the other direction today, when a few celebrities have an astonishing power to launch or sink projects, their name on the short list could send the film beyond the sixty million dollar budget, before any scene is even shot, for some stars have passed the twenty million dollar benchmark a long time ago.

Alas, many if not most are in a category that I have no desire to watch- Avengers, Transformers and stars that I personally do not like in any case, like Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”, fantastically nominated as the best actor of 2016, or 2015 and Melissa McCarthy, in the same spot for actresses.

It is exhilarating to read about a genius like Elia Kazan and his involvement in masterpieces like A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, with the latter now seen as a condemnation of trade unions.

At the same time, the director, John Wayne, Ronald Regan and others seemed to have been involved in fighting the communist influence in Hollywood and therefore Elia Kazan was cheered by some in audience and disapproved of by many who attended the Academy Awards ceremony at which an honorary prize was given to the latter.

On both sides of the barricades we could find Ayn Rand, Robert Taylor- as one of the first friendly witnesses- Walt Disney, Gary Cooper and opposing them Humphrey Bogart, John Huston, Gene Kelly and others who had to abandon their “committee for the first amendment”