Synopses & Reviews
This is the most comprehensive study to date of the work of Milos Forman, best known for his Academy Award winning direction of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and AmadeuS≪/i> (1984). The work begins with a brief biography that emphasizes the relationship for Forman's life to his philosophic and artistic development. The major portion of the work consists of a critical filmography with annotations based on the author's direct study, and an annotated bibliography with an introductory essay.
Review
Slater's guide to the study of Milos Forman reads like the well-organized outline of a dissertation research project that it is. He begins with an overview of Forman's cinematic career, provides a chronology of his life and work through 1986, and then moves to the heart of the book: the filmography and bibliography. These two sections function harmoniously to allow users several approaches to research. The plot summaries and analyses included in the filmography are occasionally redundant, but each analysis also acts as a bibliographic essay. This adds greatly to the value of the bibliography section, which is arranged chronologically and might otherwise be frustrating to use. A brief index expands the usefulness of the volume to the study of themes or individual characters, and to other persons involved in Forman's work: actors, screenwriters, critics. The fact that the bibliography includes only English-language (and primarily US) publications limits its value to advanced scholars, but is well organized, thorough within its limitations, and will prove a valuable resource to anyone interested in the study of Forman or Czech New Wave cinema. Recommended for specialized film collections, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students.Choice
About the Author
THOMAS J. SLATER is an Instructor in the Department of English at Northwest Missouri State University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Overview of Forman's Life and Career
A Forman Chronology
A Critical Filmography
A Guide to the Annotated Bibliography
Bibliography
Index