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Articles by Peter Thornell
Hitchcock on Screen and Runway | Arts
These two titles offer a fascinating look at the Golden Age of Hollywood and insight into Alfred Hitchcock’s complex personality. ★Moral, Tony Lee. A Century of Hitchcock: The Man, the Myths, the Legacy. Univ. Pr. of Kentucky. Jun. 2026. ISBN 9781985904446. 384p. $29.95.
‘Dune,’ from Page to Screen
The story of the iconic SF novel gets told through two nonfiction accounts. ★Britt, Ryan. The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies. Plume. Sept. 2023. 288p. ISBN 9780593472996. pap. $18.
Library Journal
. Sept. 2023. 560p. ISBN 9781948221290. $29.99. FILM COPY ISBN David Lynch’s 1984 Dune is simultaneously one of the most beloved and maligned sci-fi films ever made. Film journalist and debut author Evry, clearly a massive fan, has crafted a thorough exploration of this infamous movie. The book blends extensive new interviews into narrative chapters. The oral histories that follow make this work truly special.
Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas
Goodfellas is arguably director Martin Scorsese’s most popular film, and while many books have capitalized on its fame—including a volume on leadership and even a cookbook—this is the first title in almost 20 years to take such a thorough and highly entertaining look at the creation and legacy of what many consider one of the best mob movies of all time.
The Films of Martin Scorsese: Gangsters, Greed, and Guilt
More thoughtful appreciation than criticism, this engaging title from San Juan ( Akira Kurosawa) moves through Scorsese’s feature films (his many documentaries are not included) in chronological order, explaining the merits of each entry and, in many cases, why it falls where it does in his canon. Devoting roughly 10 pages to each title, San Juan effectively describes why Scorsese made the film and the movie’s impact on society and his career.
The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
In the aftermath of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, concerned scientists reached out to Hollywood in hopes a film could be made that would make plain the devastation caused by nuclear weapons. Mitchell ( The Tunnels) chronicles in intricate detail how MGM, the military personnel responsible for the bombings, and a cadre of Oak Ridge scientists all worked together to create The Beginning or the End (1947).
The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood
Inimitable Wasson ( Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.) examines the development of the iconic film Chinatown (1974), beginning with the months leading up to the murder of director Roman Polanski’s wife, Sharon Tate, in 1969. Robert Towne began writing a neo-noir screenplay about political corruption and a disturbing family dynamic that echoed the disarray in Washington, DC, and the pall cast over Hollywood after the Manson family killings.
Best Arts Books of 2020
Toni Morrison, Ravi Shankar, and Richard Avedon star in the best arts books published in 2020. See all of our 2020 Best Books lists Bennett, Juda & others. The Toni Morrison Book Club. Univ. of Wisconsin. ISBN 9780299324940. Four thoughtful and incisive academics approach Toni Morrison’s novels as catalysts for personal and societal analysis, and, like the very best book groups, their observations are insightful, wide-ranging, and often profound.
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