The new book Secret Lives of Great Filmmakers is the latest in a series of books from Quirk, which has included the Secret Lives of Great Authors, Great Artists, and Great Composers. I'm guessing we'll soon be graced with Political Figures and maybe even Porno Stars. Or maybe that will be one book. There's not too much separating the two.
The entire series is a fun look at famous persons, both living and dead. All the books have a uniformly great design with some wonderful cartooning inside. The Filmmakers one is the first one I've bought and read pretty much cover-to-cover. Written by Robert Schnakenberg (who also wrote the "Great Authors" volume) and illustrated by Mario Zucca, it's an enjoyable romp through Hollywood--and worldwide--cinema, digging up dirt on famous directors and producers, including Cecil B. DeMille, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and many more. Some of the stuff is pretty much common knowledge--Disney's supposed freezing, Chaplin's thing for young girls--but other stuff is brand new (to me, at least) and all of it is presented in a fun, easy-breezy format that's great to read. I don't think there's anything too shocking here. Filmmakers, after all, are also human beings and we all have our own sets of peccadilloes locked away somewhere. This book is an enjoyable read full of information you'll probably never use, unless you're drunk and want to try and impress people at a party or bar. But trust me, "Cecil B. DeMille was a toe-sucker" is never a good ice-breaker. Go instead with "Quentin Tarentino IS a toe-sucker." It's more current and relatable.
Some things in Hollywood NEVER change.
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