Directors on the Edge: Outliers in Hollywood
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Directors on the Edge: Outliers in Hollywood Details
Renowned film noir authority James Ursini (Film Noir Reader series, LA Noir, and numerous DVD commentaries) analyzes the work of five neglected classic period directors: Hugo Haas, Reginald LeBorg, Ida Lupino, Gerd Oswald, and Edgar G. Ulmer. In this lavishly illustrated study, Ursini helps re-introduce to modern audiences the works of these five emigre directors, concentrating on their struggles to make art within limited budgets and on the edge of mainstream Hollywood.
Reviews
What a letdown. I have enjoyed Mr. Ursini's work in the past, both as co-author of works like Film Noir: An Encyclopedia and The Vampire Film, and as a DVD commentator. I expected his book about five underappreciated directors would be on the same level as his previous efforts, but it simply is not. It reads like a rough draft. There is precious little of the biography and analysis that was promised; the book consists mostly of plot descriptions of the films. Little or no effort is made to link those descriptions to larger themes in the director's work, to explore ways each man dealt with the limitations of budget and schedule, etc. It's just one summary after another.Technically, the book is a hot mess. It is riddled with misspellings and typos, and with grammatically shaky sentence construction. As I said, it reads like a first draft, one desperately in need of a copy editor.I expected so much more from an author who is an acknowledged expert on his subject.