A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: A Life in Hollywood
Director-producer Kramer personifies independence. Here, he candidly considers mistakes made, opportunities lost, and battles won in a career that has so far spanned over half a century. Most evocative is the travail of an aspiring producer in 1950s Hollywood. For someone with ideas, organizational skills, and formidable persuasive powers, the transition from studio to independent production during this era was ideal. Less beholden to moguls (but not necessarily financiers), Kramer exercised creative input in the selection of material and in casting and directorial decisions. Bolstered by the confidence of his convictions, he has at times shown a penchant for expose themes and has often courted controversy to his own detriment. But for every fistful of flops, there has been a masterpiece?The Caine Mutiny, The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. As with most film biographies of this ilk, it invariably helps to have seen the films discussed, but for such readers this is a richly satisfying work.-?Jayne Plymale, Univ. of Georgia Lib., AthensCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.