Product Description

Boorman begins with his archetypal English suburban boyhood in the 1940s and 50s, then recounts his big break during the "gold rush" era of British television in the 1960s, and his subsequent graduation to feature film making: initially with pop stars The Dave Clark Five on "Catch Us If You Can", then with the legendary Lee Marvin on his first Hollywood picture - and first masterpiece "Point Blank". Among the many vivid portraits of friends and collaborators that Boorman offers are those of Marvin, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Marcello Mastroianni, Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren and Nicol Williamson.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #685841 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

Review
Suburban origins, yes, but there's nothing remotely suburban about this boy's adventures with the biggest box of toys ever invented: Hollywood. John Boorman has made many classic films, notably Deliverance, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest and Hope and Glory, but he can also write well about the filmmaking process, as many readers will know from his contributions to the Faber film magazine Projections, which he also edited. This autobiography tells the utterly engaging story of one man's life in film and is packed with fascinating revelations about the industry and the personalities behind the movies themselves. A must for all film buffs but also a work of art in its own right as a brilliant autobiography; candid, exciting and written with a filmmaker's eye for telling imagery.

From the Back Cover
John Boorman, hailed by the Observer as ‘arguably Britain’s greatest living director’, offers an enthralling memoir of a creative life spent turning dreams into celluloid, and money into light.

One of cinema’s authentic visionaries, Boorman nevertheless enjoyed an archetypal English suburban boyhood in the 1940s and 50s, attending Catholic school and finding his first employment in a dry-cleaner’s. But his abiding passion was for film, and he got his first break during the ‘gold rush’ era of British television in the 1960s. After directing several innovative documentaries for the BBC, he graduated to motion pictures, first filming pop stars The Dave Clark Five for Catch Us If You Can, then venturing to Los Angeles to make his first Hollywood picture – and his first masterpiece – Point Blank. The film inaugurated Boorman’s profound friendship with star Lee Marvin, which also led to a second professional collaboration on Hell in the Pacific.

What follows are accounts of Boorman’s joys and agonies in the making of such extraordinary pictures as the terrifying backwoods adventure Deliverance, the fantastical epics Zardoz and Exorcist II: The Heretic, the glorious Arthurian legend Excalibur, his magnificent drama of imperilled Amazonian tribes, The Emerald Forest, and his semi-autobiographical, multi-Oscar-nominated Hope and Glory. Among the many friends and collaborators of whom Boorman offers vivid portraits are Lee Marvin, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Marcello Mastroianni, Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren and Nicol Williamson.

About the Author
John Boorman was born in London in 1933. After working as a film reviewer for magazines and radio, he joined the BBC in 1955 as an assistant editor, and later directed a number of documentaries. His first feature was Catch Us If You Can in 1965. His latest film, Country of My Skull, opens in 2003. He is a five-time Academy Award-nominee, and was twice awarded Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for Leo the Last (1970) and The General (1998). He is the author of Money Into Light: The Emerald Forest – A Diary, as well as the being the co-founder and editor of Faber and Faber’s long-running series Projections: Film-makers on Film-making.

Customer Reviews

A beautiful read, and real insight, from the heart
If you are looking for a well written and genuinely insightful perspective on Hollywood, film making, stars and Boorman's movies, this it it. A great story, little self-indulgence, and a sensitive account of his life and times. It offers lots of detail and reflection, and was a compelling read.The last chapter stays with you- a great life and contribution to film, but with it's share of sadness and regret. Only a few in today's celebrity culture have the stature and strength to say as much, and John Boorman is one of them.This is a great book about a career in film, and the genuine feelings of a sensitive and creative director.Surely one of Britain's finest.

Pain, Passion and Pleasure of an Honest Filmaker
This is a very personal account from a dedicated and distinguished filmaker. In particular, in Boorman's accounts of his relationships with Lee Marvin and his own family. It also reveals the heartache and struggle through which a filmaker has to go in order to realise their vision in making a film. The early parts of the book deal with Boorman's life growing up in London but also sets the backdrop for the relationships that have sustained him throughout his life. His respect for nature pervades the book, especially his past and present life in Ireland. The descriptions of the various films that he has made and the personalities involved are all excellent and very vivid. However, it was the personal reflections on the tortuous process in bringing a film to realisation and the subsequent cost to John Boorman and his family that stayed with me after I finished reading this book. Fantastic. Highly recommended.