Great Hollywood Movies

by Ted Sennett and Ted Sennet

Book Overview

Ted Sennett selects the very best movies from every genre. 375 illustrations,100 in full color. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810980754
• ISBN13: 9780810980754
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Abradale Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 5.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 10.7" x 13.6"

Customer Reviews

Great quick reference on film genres

I remember seeing this one in the Walden's Books locations here in Omaha and in the Kansas City, MO area, around the time I was in college(mid 80s). It was still kicking around some years later, for a discounted price, at the time I received it for a Christmas gift from a girlfriend. At the time, I had just considered it a coffee table book: good size, lots of pictures, a conversation piece. It seemed like a decent gift, especially considering my love for film. Whether I looked upon it with much merit or not, the girlfriend had obviously put some thought into the topic and I'd appreciated that. Now, a decade and a half later, I still have it, making this one my longest-owned books. I have probably used this text nearly as often as my thesaurus, dictionary, and several film guides and encyclopedias(good thing it was a hardbound). If you're a serious film student,or self-proclaimed critic, I'm not going to say this book is a necessary addition to the short list of any personal library, however, this will definitely be more than useful when it comes to a quick reference on film genres-which is the real use of this book. Every chapter is broken down to the most important films of the given genre. For example, "The Sound of Laughter: Great Comedy Movies" begins with brief examples of film comedies by the decade. This is followed by two pages of Charlie Chaplin(perhaps a little long), followed by Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, the Marx Brothers, WC Fields, and Mae West. Then, it goes into the films themselves: "It Happended One Night", "Bringing Up Baby", "The Philadelphia Story", etc. Now, although no actors, directors, or films are dealt with in much depth, the true charm here is, as in most coffee table books, the pictures. If you only use the book for pictures, it's still worthwhile, for these offer the big titles that typify each of the genres. Whenever I'm referring to a genre, I usually grab this book first, for its quick overview. Genres covered: comedy, musical, romance, western, war, mystery, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, crime, the lower depths(includes some noir), great book and theater adaptations, the "great" movies(Gone With the Wind, the 2 big DW Griffith epics, Citizen Kane, and Greed), and a chapter on the "American" movie, which seems fairly trivial-as a genre, anyway. If you love film, this will be a handy source.

What a Glorious Feeling

While I was walking down the street,I decided to take a look at the books.And seen Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable's romantic picture which's taken from the classical hollywood movie 'Gone With The Wind'.Without stopping,I've decided to buy it.When I came home,I started to read the whole book.It was perfect.As I want to be a part of Hollywood,I learn new things from this book about classics.From my personal star Gene Kelly to Bette Davis all the stars are in this book.I recommend it to everyone.Just open the book,and you'll be a part of it then understand the glorious feeling!