Synopses & Reviews
"You played it for her, Sam. Now, play it for me." Everybody loves a good movie, and
Casablanca is just one of the classics described in this, the ultimate book about movies!
This volume's expert team of authors spans a full century of production, concisely describing 1001 of the best films from around the world. The listings are dramatically aug-mented with memorable photos, both in color and black and white. The book is a chronological survey covering the best cinematic dramas, comedies, westerns, musicals, suspense and horror films, gangster classics, films noir, sci-fi epics, documentaries, and adaptations of novels and stage plays.
Starting in 1902 with the French production, Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) and the famous 1903 American short, The Great Train Robbery, this immensely enjoyable read moves forward chronologically. Film fans review the 1920s silent classics of D. W. Griffith and the comedies of Chaplin and Keaton, then go on to the era of sound films, beginning in 1927 with Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer. Soon to follow were von Sternberg's 1931 classic with Marlene Dietrich, Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel), the Bela Lugosi portrayal of Dracula, and the inimitable King Kong. Other highlights from the 1930s include screwball comedies like It Happened One Night and Bringing Up Baby, the elegant song-and-dance fests that paired Astaire and Rogers, the crazy antics of the Marx Brothers, and the classic Warner Brothers gangster films where James Cagney, George Raft, and Edward G. Robinson were brought to justice in the final reel.
In the 1940s, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca made Humphrey Bogart a household name and spanning nearly a half-century, from the 1930s to the '80s, Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classics thrilled millions. Also well represented are the post-World War II European New Wave directors, including Pasolini, Fellini, and Antonioni from Italy, Resnais and Truffaut from France, and many others. Here too in words and photos are the classic westerns, from epics starring John Wayne and Gary Cooper to those in which Clint Eastwood shot it out with the bad and the ugly. And certainly not to be overlooked are the great musicals, from Singin' in the Rain to Chicago.
Readers who open this book to any page will find a major film described with a complete list of credits, an essay summarizing its story line and screen-history, and still shots of some of the film's memorable scenes. At the back of the book, both an alphabetical index and a genre index will help readers find any film they're looking for in a hurry. Collectors of DVDs and video tapes will find this volume a must for their book-shelf, but even casual moviegoers will enjoy browsing through this big, entertaining reference book. For students of cinema, for discerning film buffs, for general movie-goers, and for readers who enjoy reminiscing over unforgettable lines of dialogue, here's the best place to start.
Review
"1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is one heavy, fat tome, but it's a great motivating guide to cinema. After reading one of its engaging, often profound entries on a missed film, you want to run out to Premiere Video and rent it. Best of all, it includes international, silent, animated and recent films such as City of God. And yes, Richard Linklater's Slacker is here."
Dallas Morning News, April 29, 2004
"Instead of simply summarizing the plot, Schneider and his team of experts briefly explain why each film is a must see. … Schneider's choices are irrefutable. Highly recommended for all film, general public, and academic reference collections."
Library Journal, April 15, 2004
"An excellent new film anthology from Barron's Publishing… 1001 Movies will serve as one of your ultimate movie guides. It presents everything you need to know about the must-see films… For students of cinema, for discerning film buffs, for enthusiastic fans, and for readers who enjoy thumbing through reminiscing over unforgettable screen memories, here's the place to start reading."
The Wave Channel Guide, February 14, 2004
"…the book is a pretty good one, Schneider's sources are solid… the book is much more reliable that the New York Times book of '1,000 Movies Ever Made.' … illustrations often opt for choice rarities rather than ordinary iconography."
Buffalo News, February 22, 2004
"The critical essays that I've sampled are concise and intelligent.
Style: *** 3 Stars
Usefulness:*** 3 Stars"
Charles Matthews, Mercury News, February 29, 2004
"If you're constantly wondering what to pop into the VCR or DVD player, get this book!"
The Star, March 8, 2004
"A mammoth-size, newspaper-weight coffee table book celebrating the twentieth century celluloid canon…"
Gotham, April 2004
"Every essay demonstrates Rosenbaum's fervent dedication to the cinema and more important that he has the knowledge and insight to support his impassioned opinions. … compiled with an eye to historical importance and popular acclaim. … a useful guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike."
Gordon Flagg, Booklist, April 1, 2004
Review
"Packed with color photos throughout, this is eye candy at its best."
Booklist, June 2004
Review
“1001 MOVIES You Must See Before You Die ... a great motivating guide to cinema. After reading one of its engaging, often profound entries on a missed film, you want to run out and rent it.”
Dallas Morning News
“If youre constantly wondering what to pop into the VCR or DVD player, get this book!” The Star
“An excellent new film anthology...1001 Movies will serve as one of your ultimate movie guides. It presents everything you need to know about the must-see films...” The Wave Channel Guide
“Instead of simply summarizing the plot, Schneider and his team of experts briefly explain why each film is a must see.... Schneiders choices are irrefutable. Highly recommended...” Library Journal
“... a browsers delight as well as a useful guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike” Booklist
“...Schneiders sources are solid...” Buffalo News
Review
[back cover]
What the critics are saying...
“1001 MOVIES You Must See Before You Die ... a great motivating guide to cinema. After reading one of its engaging, often profound entries on a missed film, you want to run out and rent it.”
Dallas Morning News
“If youre constantly wondering what to pop into the VCR or DVD player, get this book!”
The Star
“An excellent new film anthology...1001 Movies will serve as one of your ultimate movie guides. It presents everything you need to know about the must-see films...”
The Wave Channel Guide
“Instead of simply summarizing the plot, Schneider and his team of experts briefly explain why each film is a must see.... Schneiders choices are irrefutable. Highly recommended...”
Library Journal
“... a browsers delight as well as a useful guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike”
Booklist
“...Schneiders sources are solid...”
Buffalo News
[front flap]
Here is everything you need to know about the movies you simply must seeall 1001 of them! Whether you want to look up details about a film you thought you knew by heart, or if youre simply trying to decide what to watch tonight, 1001 Movies will serve as your ultimate movie guide. It presents everything you need to know about those magnificent, must-see filmsnot only the ones you shouldnt have missed the first time around, but also the classics that are worth seeing again and again.
Open this book to any page and youll find a major films vital statistics, plus a few facts about it that might surprise you. If you collect DVDs and VCRs, youll find this volume a must for your bookshelf. But even if youre simply a casual moviegoer, youre sure to enjoy browsing through this big, entertaining volume.
For students of cinema, for discerning film buffs, for enthusiastic fans, and for readers who enjoy thumbing through and reminiscing over unforgettable screen memories, heres the place to start reading. Youll find information and reviews covering nearly a century of memorable movies.
So read, enjoy, and relish!
[back flap]
Steven Jay Schneider is a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at Harvard University, and in Cinema Studies at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts. He is the author of Designing Fear: An Aesthetics of Cinematic Horror (Routledge); editor of The Horror Film and Psychoanalysis: Freuds Worst Nightmares (Cambridge University Press), and Fear Without Frontiers: Horror Cinema Across the Globe (FAB Press); and co-editor of Understanding Film Genres (McGraw-Hill), Horror International (Wayne State University Press), and Underground U.S.A.: Filmmaking Beyond the Hollywood Canon (Wallflower Press).“1001 MOVIES You Must See Before You Die ... a great motivating guide to cinema. After reading one of its engaging, often profound entries on a missed film, you want to run out and rent it.” Dallas Morning News
“If youre constantly wondering what to pop into the VCR or DVD player, get this book!” The Star
“An excellent new film anthology...1001 Movies will serve as one of your ultimate movie guides. It presents everything you need to know about the must-see films...” The Wave Channel Guide
“Instead of simply summarizing the plot, Schneider and his team of experts briefly explain why each film is a must see.... Schneiders choices are irrefutable. Highly recommended...” Library Journal
“... a browsers delight as well as a useful guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike” Booklist
“...Schneiders sources are solid...” Buffalo News
Synopsis
back cover
These are the films nobody should miss—from 12 Angry Men to Z, from art house classic to western—their selection for this book based on historical, popular, and critical acclaim. This huge volume gives you the reviews, often witty, always informative, and written by a team of internationally published critics. Once you open 1001 Movies you’ll never be at a loss for a film choice again.
flap copy
Here is everything you need to know about the movies you simply must see—all 1001 of them! Whether you want to look up details about a film you thought you knew by heart, or if you’re simply trying to decide what to watch tonight, 1001 Movies will serve as your ultimate movie guide. It presents everything you need to know about those magnificent, must-see films—not only the ones you shouldn’t have missed the first time around, but also the classics that are worth seeing again and again.
Open this book to any page and you’ll find a major film’s vital statistics, plus a few facts about it that might surprise you. If you collect DVDs and VCRs, you’ll find this volume a must for your bookshelf. But even if you’re simply a casual moviegoer, you’re sure to enjoy browsing through this big, entertaining volume.
For students of cinema, for discerning film buffs, for enthusiastic fans, and for readers who enjoy thumbing through and reminiscing over unforgettable screen memories, here’s the place to start reading. You’ll find information and reviews covering nearly a century of memorable movies.
So read, enjoy, and relish!
Synopsis
Updated with brand-new entries to describe the most recent major motion pictures, this critically-acclaimed volume spans more than a century of moviemaking, concisely describing 1001 of the best films from around the world. New in this edition are entries to describe such film hits as
Lord of the Rings, Mystic River, Farenheit 9/11, and
Million Dollar Baby. But in fact, this volume's team of critics goes back to 1902, describing such films as
The Great Train Robbery, and progressing chronologically across the decades to cover the best cinematic dramas, comedies, westerns, musicals, suspense and horror films, gangster classics,
films noir, sci-fi epics, documentaries, and adaptations of novels and stage plays made by filmmakers around the world. Each entry includes a full list of cast and credits, awards won by the film, an essay summarizing the story line and screen-history, and still shots of the film's memorable scenes. At the back of the book, both an alphabetical index and a genre index will help readers find any film they're looking for. Movie fans will find descriptions of great musicals like
Singing in the Rain, westerns like
High Noon, science-fiction classics like
Star Wars, dramas like
Chinatown and
Schindler's List, and international classics from master directors who include Fellini, Antonioni, Resnais, Truffaut, Eisenstein, Kurosawa, and many others. Here is a volume that belongs in the personal library of film buffs, movie reviewers, collectors of DVDs-and every reader who enjoys reminiscing over great movies of the past and present. Hundreds of movie still shots in color and black and white. "... a great motivating guide to cinema. After reading one of its engaging, often profound entries on a missed film, you want to ... rent it. Best of all, it includes international, silent, animated, and recent films."
--Dallas Morning News
Synopsis
"We at
Gotham love, love, love our movies. So when we received
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die'we started taking notes for our next Netflix order.
1001 Movies is a cinephile's dream: From the silents (
The Birth of a Nation) to 1940s film noir (
The Maltese Falcon) to the first of the independents (
Cassavetes' Shadows) to 2004's Oscar-winning
Million Dollar Baby, the book gives an extensive history of each film, with most entries accompanied by stills. We found plenty of little-seen gems, too, like Japanese director Kon Ichikawa's
The Burmese Harp from 1956."
Gotham
"This gargantuan volume is the perfect tip sheet for cinephiles, and includes everything from 1920's A Trip to the Moon to last year's Million Dollar Baby. Its balanced diet of indisputable classics (The Godfather), cult flicks (Eraserhead), and obscurities (The Ear) oughta keep you and your DVD player busy for many, many years'or until Ben Affleck makes a movie worthy of inclusion."
Scene
"'terrifically useful. You can reacquaint yourself with old favorites you haven't seen for years and remind yourself of what to pick up for home viewing. Editor Steven Jay Schneider and his team deliver succinct plot summaries and smart comment."
Houston Chronicle