glennmiller5309's review against another edition
5.0
Harris's account of the American film scene in the late '60s is comprehensive. He uses the five films nominated for Best Picture in 1968 as a means of differentiating Old Hollywood, which was dying off, from New Hollywood, which was just beginning to have impact in film production. He entertainingly details the changes in film technique, acting styles, criticism, and subject matter content. The book is exhaustively researched, almost to a fault, but Harris's breezy and engaging writing style makes for a page-turner. Recommended for those interested in the film industry or the cultural changes occurring in America in the late '60s.
alibi313's review against another edition
4.0
A great read for cinephiles, focusing on a pivotal year in filmmaking. The 1968 Oscars marked a turning point, driven largely by the social upheaval of the time and the emergence of that dominant force known as the Baby Boomers--pitting the last vestiges of "Old Hollywood" (represented by Dr. Doolittle and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) against the new wave (Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate).
carmenere's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyable read taking a look back at the five movies nominated for best picture for 1968 Academy Awards. This book offers a lot of intriguing information regarding; Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night and Doctor Dolittle, five movies which give birth to a new Hollywood.
Very interesting information regarding each movie and the actors and directors involved. I nice little Epilogue sheds light on their careers after these ground breaking movies were released.
One downside is the fact that the information is scattered throughout the book and not in chronological order. Place a bookmark on the index for easy access as you'll refer to it often.
Very interesting information regarding each movie and the actors and directors involved. I nice little Epilogue sheds light on their careers after these ground breaking movies were released.
One downside is the fact that the information is scattered throughout the book and not in chronological order. Place a bookmark on the index for easy access as you'll refer to it often.
shachargannot's review against another edition
4.0
I can’t believe it took me this long to start reading books about movies. Pictures at a Revolution was my first introduction to it, and a worthy one at that.
Mark Harris’ book is so well researched, it’s astounding. Just skimming the footnotes and realizing how many interviews he conducted and primary sources he consulted was overwhelming. Us cinephiles owe him a debt of gratitude.
I watched Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? at the beginning of my film journey. I knew they were all important works, but now being able to place them in film history adds a level of understanding that I didn’t have before. I watched In the Heat of the Night earlier in 2020. I knew it was on the AFI’s Top 100 list, but wasn’t as impressed as I would have been had I known for a long time how apparently important it was. Again -- Harris’ work illuminated a lot.
Oddly, I appreciated the stories about other films I’ve seen even more at times. For instance, the backstory to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was fantastic. I did not even remember that Nichols directed it! And I also didn’t know just how prolific he was as a theatre director. Pictures shows you both how important certain works are in defining a historical moment, but also how these really are just one of many work products made. And once one is, the creative crew moves onto the next venture and continues churning these out. It really is astounding.
Mark Harris’ book is so well researched, it’s astounding. Just skimming the footnotes and realizing how many interviews he conducted and primary sources he consulted was overwhelming. Us cinephiles owe him a debt of gratitude.
I watched Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? at the beginning of my film journey. I knew they were all important works, but now being able to place them in film history adds a level of understanding that I didn’t have before. I watched In the Heat of the Night earlier in 2020. I knew it was on the AFI’s Top 100 list, but wasn’t as impressed as I would have been had I known for a long time how apparently important it was. Again -- Harris’ work illuminated a lot.
Oddly, I appreciated the stories about other films I’ve seen even more at times. For instance, the backstory to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was fantastic. I did not even remember that Nichols directed it! And I also didn’t know just how prolific he was as a theatre director. Pictures shows you both how important certain works are in defining a historical moment, but also how these really are just one of many work products made. And once one is, the creative crew moves onto the next venture and continues churning these out. It really is astounding.
brokenrecord's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I was interested in checking this out after enjoying Mark Harris's Mike Nichols biography so much, and in general I love old Hollywood history. I've seen 4 of the 5 movies this book focuses on (never got around to Dr. Dolittle and I still don't have a strong urge to), but the book is really more about the context of Hollywood when these movies were in production. I don't think you'd need to have seen all or most of the movies to still get a lot of enjoyment out of this as long as you're interested in the state of Hollywood in the 60s and are generally familiar with the films' plots and stars. There were a lot of interesting areas this book covered, like Sidney Poitier's career and position in Hollywood, and how the production code changed during this period. I found it all really fascinating, and it was a really easy read, which isn't always the case with non-fiction books. I'm definitely planning on reading Five Came Back sometime soon.
quinndm's review against another edition
4.0
It’s always fascinating to learn more about some of Hollywood’s most impactful and successful films and just how difficult they were to get made.
snommers's review against another edition
5.0
Detailed, thorough, and fascinating investigation into the history of five films of 1967 (The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In The Heat Of The Night, and Dr. Doolittle). Honestly, I thought I knew about these films, but I learned so much about how the screenwriting came together, production and money issues, stars that came and went. I was hooked from start to finish.