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Reading the Reels: 10 Books For Cinephiles
10 books to transport you inside the glamour of Hollywood and the movie-making machine / BY Nathalie Atkinson / December 14th, 2023
The dawn of movies, classic Hollywood, the death of the studio system, the rise of television and the birth of New Hollywood: Between those book picks (and our earlier, Oscar-season instalment of the latest books for film buffs), we’ve got all the cinephiles and culture vultures covered.
Obsessive Book Buyers: Zoomer editors have carefully curated our book coverage to ensure you find the perfect read. We may earn a commission on books you buy by clicking on the cover image.
1Outrageous This timely and engaging book examines the evolution of outrage in comedy – and viral anger in general popular culture – and tracks catchphrases like “cancel culture” or “political correctness” back to their roots in generational divides, beginning with blackface minstrel shows of the 1830s.
This timely and engaging book examines the evolution of outrage in comedy – and viral anger in general popular culture – and tracks catchphrases like “cancel culture” or “political correctness” back to their roots in generational divides, beginning with blackface minstrel shows of the 1830s.
2Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties A professor of film at Brooklyn College, Hirsch pays close attention to the output and business of 1950s Hollywood, the waning days of the traditional studio system and the rise of TV entertainment, against the backdrop of the Cold War climate, and explains how the movies reflected the seismic cultural shifts.
A professor of film at Brooklyn College, Hirsch pays close attention to the output and business of 1950s Hollywood, the waning days of the traditional studio system and the rise of TV entertainment, against the backdrop of the Cold War climate, and explains how the movies reflected the seismic cultural shifts.
3Remembering Annie Hall This lively essay collection considers the 1977 comedy that won four Academy Awards and its continuing influence on contemporary filmmakers like Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson. It also covers the debates within the industry about the limits of auteur theory as it relates to the accusations against director Woody Allen by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow.
This lively essay collection considers the 1977 comedy that won four Academy Awards and its continuing influence on contemporary filmmakers like Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson. It also covers the debates within the industry about the limits of auteur theory as it relates to the accusations against director Woody Allen by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow.
4The Path to Paradise“The establishment wants no part of the young filmmakers,” Francis Ford Coppola, as a student, said, “and the young filmmakers want no part of the establishment.” Wasson, a Hollywood chronicler who has written books on Chinatown and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, recounts how the promising young director gave up a lucrative career path in favour of creative freedom, replete with inside stories – including what really went on between Coppola and Martin Sheen during the filming of Apocalypse Now.
“The establishment wants no part of the young filmmakers,” Francis Ford Coppola, as a student, said, “and the young filmmakers want no part of the establishment.” Wasson, a Hollywood chronicler who has written books on Chinatown and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, recounts how the promising young director gave up a lucrative career path in favour of creative freedom, replete with inside stories – including what really went on between Coppola and Martin Sheen during the filming of Apocalypse Now.
5Charlie Chaplin vs. America A well-regarded American film historian tackles the early Hollywood superstar who went from poverty to global celebrity, specifically looking at how the “little tramp” creator’s scandalous personal life and increasingly political movies ran afoul of the U.S. government, which forced him into exile in 1952.
A well-regarded American film historian tackles the early Hollywood superstar who went from poverty to global celebrity, specifically looking at how the “little tramp” creator’s scandalous personal life and increasingly political movies ran afoul of the U.S. government, which forced him into exile in 1952.
6Black TV The Washington Post pop culture writer surveys five decades of groundbreaking television and pioneering series, from the 1968 Diahann Carroll vehicle Julia through Good Times, Soul Train and 227 to Black-ish, Atlanta and Abbott Elementary, and how they led to a golden era of television for Black creators.
The Washington Post pop culture writer surveys five decades of groundbreaking television and pioneering series, from the 1968 Diahann Carroll vehicle Julia through Good Times, Soul Train and 227 to Black-ish, Atlanta and Abbott Elementary, and how they led to a golden era of television for Black creators.
7You Talkin’ to Me? Every film buff will want this collection of backstories about hundreds of the most iconic quotes from Hollywood movies, by the author of oral histories about Die Hard and David Letterman. The book goes into which quotes were serendipitous takes, which were ad libs and their long, long afterlife in pop culture.
Every film buff will want this collection of backstories about hundreds of the most iconic quotes from Hollywood movies, by the author of oral histories about Die Hard and David Letterman. The book goes into which quotes were serendipitous takes, which were ad libs and their long, long afterlife in pop culture.
8Surely You Can’t Be Serious The 1980 comedy classic Airplane! was filmed for US$3.5 million and made an unexpected US$200M. The phenomenon’s trio of writers and director leave no stone (and never-before-told, behind-the-scenes detail) unturned here. Their experiences in their live comedy sketch troupe, Kentucky Fried Theater, and of moving to 1970s Hollywood, are crucial to how the movie came together; and to how, as forerunners of goofy satire and visual gags, they continue to influence subsequent generations of comedians.
The 1980 comedy classic Airplane! was filmed for US$3.5 million and made an unexpected US$200M. The phenomenon’s trio of writers and director leave no stone (and never-before-told, behind-the-scenes detail) unturned here. Their experiences in their live comedy sketch troupe, Kentucky Fried Theater, and of moving to 1970s Hollywood, are crucial to how the movie came together; and to how, as forerunners of goofy satire and visual gags, they continue to influence subsequent generations of comedians.
9The Needle and the Lens Each of the music writer’s essays is an in-depth look at how the creative use of pop music in film – think Saturday Night Fever or Apocalypse Now – has shaped and shifted cinematic and music history since the 1960s.
Each of the music writer’s essays is an in-depth look at how the creative use of pop music in film – think Saturday Night Fever or Apocalypse Now – has shaped and shifted cinematic and music history since the 1960s.
10Vanity Fair Oscar Night Sessions Because sometimes you just want to see glossy photos of people all dressed up, page through the last decade of portraits from Vanity Fair’s after parties on Hollywood’s prom night, featuring Lady Gaga, Robert De Niro, Spike Lee and others – a chronicle of up-to-the-minute celebrity. The glamour!
Because sometimes you just want to see glossy photos of people all dressed up, page through the last decade of portraits from Vanity Fair’s after parties on Hollywood’s prom night, featuring Lady Gaga, Robert De Niro, Spike Lee and others – a chronicle of up-to-the-minute celebrity. The glamour!