Synopses & Reviews
This extraordinary book of images represents a lifetime of photographic practice by one of Hollywood's most compelling actors. A four-time Academy Award nominee, Jeff Bridges has starred in many of the most beloved films of our time, including
The Last Picture Show,
The Fabulous Baker Boys,
Starman,
The Fisher King,
Fearless,
American Heart,
The Big Lebowski,
The Contender, and
Seabiscuit. Bridges has collaborated with some of the most respected directors in Hollywood, among them Peter Bogdanovich, the Coen Brothers, Terry Gilliam, Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott, and Peter Weir, and has costarred with many of the silver screen's most compelling actors: Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tobey Maguire, Tommy Lee Jones, Robin Williams, Nick Nolte, John Turturro, Gary Oldman, Tim Robbins, Michelle Pfeiffer, Lauren Bacall, Joan Allen, Amanda Plummer, Isabella Rossellini, Ellen Barkin, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Lange, Penelope Cruz, and Jane Fonda, to name but a few.
For more than twenty years, on dozens of film sets, Bridges has perfected his own photography, shooting between takes and behind-the-scenes with a Widelux F8 camera. This fascinating, surprisingly candid body of work began as a personal project, as he recorded the arduous, emotionally intense, evanescent work of the film shoot in books that were privately printed and given as gifts to cast and crew. These are not traditional "Hollywood" pictures, but rather despite the costumes and lighting, the crowds of extras, the stardom of the subjects pictures of friends at work. Taken together, the pictures act as Bridges' personal and professional diary, with actors, directors, and crew appearing as coworkers, all equal participants in the job at hand.
With a foreword by Peter Bogdanovich and Jeff Bridges' hand-written commentary and captions throughout, Pictures promises to be a rare and exciting publishing event, offering a vision of Hollywood that is both intimately human and formally beautiful.
Jeff Bridges' proceeds from Pictures will be donated to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, a non-profit organization that offers charitable care and support to film-industry workers.
Review
"Sometimes blurry, and appealingly casual, these duotone shots fit nicely with Bridges's own persona as a quietly humorous, understated and unpretentious actor....[A] fun and down-to-earth peek inside a world often only seen through the overpolished lens of Hollywood." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Jeff Bridges has constructed a rich, compelling, and highly personal chronicle of behind-the-scenes Hollywood....This is a unique and important contribution to the photographic literature." Richard Misrach
Synopsis
For more than twenty years, on dozens of film sets, Bridges has perfected his own photography, shooting between takes and behind-the-scenes with a Widelux F8 camera. This fascinating, surprisingly candid body of work began as a personal project, as he recorded the arduous, emotionally intense, evanescent work of the film shoot in books that were privately printed and given as gifts to cast and crew. These are not traditional “Hollywood” pictures, but rather—despite the costumes and lighting, the crowds of extras, the stardom of the subjects—pictures of friends at work. Taken together, the pictures act as Bridges’ personal and professional diary, with actors, directors, and crew appearing as coworkers, all equal participants in the job at hand.
With a foreword by Peter Bogdanovich and Jeff Bridges’ hand-written commentary and captions throughout, Pictures promises to be a rare and exciting publishing event, offering a vision of Hollywood that is both intimately human and formally beautiful.
Jeff Bridges’ proceeds from Pictures will be donated to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, a non-profit organization that offers charitable care and support to film-industry workers.
About the Author
Jeff Bridges is the son of Lloyd Bridges and the younger brother of Beau. He has appeared in over fifty films and has been nominated for four Academy Awards for his work in
The Last Picture Show,
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,
Starman, and
The Contender. In 1988, he became the youngest actor ever to be honored by the National Film Theater in London. In addition to being an exhibited photographer, Bridges is an accomplished musician, songwriter, and painter. His album of original songs,
Be Here Soon, was recorded with Michael McDonald and David Crosby, among others. An advocate for the homeless and hungry, Bridges also wrote the introduction to
Sidewalk Stories by Salvo Galano (powerHouse Books, 2001). Married to Susan Geston since 1977, Bridges and daughters Isabelle, Jessica, and Hayley divide their time between Montecito, California, and Montana.
Peter Bogdanovich, acclaimed director, producer, writer, actor, and historian, has made an indelible mark on American filmmaking, directing such classics as The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, What's Up, Doc?, Daisy Miller, and Mask. Having written extensively on film for newspapers and magazines, Bogdanovich has published over twelve books on the subject. He currently plays Dr. Elliott Kupferberg on The Sopranos and lives in New York City.