I can second that. A fast read despite its length (borrow from your local library if you're not inclined to buy it). I finished "Pictures at a Revolution" last March and the passages about how "The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" were made were especially riveting. The book makes the case that 1967 was as key to film history as 1939, with 1967 being a turning point that split the old guard to make way for a new wave of "younger, off-beat, counter-culture" pictures. Hence it focuses on the 1967 nominees for Best Picture to illustrate its point, e.g., "The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" vs. "In the Heat of the Night," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and (of all things), "Dr. Doolittle." Sidney Poitier was the industry's biggest box office star -- with three #1 films in 1967 alone when you throw in "To Sir, With Love." The influence of "The Graduate" on critics was particularly spectacular, with the New Yorker Magazine, as an example, devoting an astounding 26-pages in one of its issues analyzing the picture to death. Plug: I have a copy of this New Yorker issue in VG condition available for $20 with free shipping if anyone is interested, complete with no cut-outs or pages missing. -d. -----Original Message----- Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2009 13:37:52 -0600From: [email protected]: RECOMMENDED: PICTURES AT A REVOLUTION by Mark HarrisTo: [email protected] Just a spectacularly entertaining and factual book about this pivotal period in the history of film. One of the best books of 2008 rated by the Times.
Kirby http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/books/11masl.html Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
