Hollywood Auteur Book

"In this extensive, critical survey of Francis Coppola's films, Chown attempts an auteur theory analysis tempered with an interesting overview of the turbulent economic and corporate controversies that have surrounded Coppola. The book follows Coppola's career in chronological order, from You're a Big Boy Now (1967) to Gardens of Stone (1987). Chown is less concerned with Coppola's themes than with his financially ruinous quest for a cinema that is both commercial and personal, and publicly accessible as well as visually experimental and narratively nonlinear. Chown concedes that these seemingly contradictory goals are not always achieved by Coppola, but he presents a timely defense of one of the most important new Hollywood filmmakers of the 1970s. The book also offers a much needed introduction to Coppola's work as a screenwriter in the 1960s, contrasting his early narrative skills with his evolving desire to break away from narrative structure. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries, community college level up." ChoiceRead More