William Wyler: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Most Celebrated Director (Screen Classics)
*Starred Review* If you mentioned the name William Wyler to average movie fans today, would they know whom you were talking about? Sure, he retired from making movies more than 40 years ago (and died more than 30 years ago), but still: he made Ben-Hur, for crying out loud, and Jezebel, and Mrs. Miniver, and Funny Girl, and The Best Years of Our Lives, and Wuthering Heights, and The Collector—classics all. He was nominated for an Academy Award as best director 12 times and won 3 times. His deep-focus style, which took film composition to new levels of artistry, influenced moviemakers for generations. This insightful and incredibly detailed book is film criticism posing as biography, or possibly it’s the other way around: the life of a great American film director told through a close analysis—almost frame-by-frame analysis—of his films. Miller’s writing style is fluid and accessible, even when he delves into seriously technical material, and his respect and admiration for Wyler comes through loud and clear on every page. Bafflingly little known today among moviegoers, Wyler was a giant of American film, and, upon its publication, this book instantly becomes an essential addition to any film collection. --David Pitt