The New Biographical Dictionary of Film: Fifth Edition, Completely Updated and Expanded

David Thomson’s New Biographical Dictionary of Film topped Sight & Sound magazine’s 2010 poll of international critics & writers as the best film book of all time.Now in its fifth edition, updated, & with more than 130 new entries—from Judd Apatow to Lena Horne—the classic, beloved film book is better than ever.For thirty-five years, David Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Film has been “fiendishly seductive” (Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone), “the finest reference book ever written about movies” (Graham Fuller, Interview), and “not only an indispensable book about cinema, but one of the most absurdly ambitious literary achievements of our time” (Geoff Dyer, The Guardian). For this edition, Thomson has brought up to date and in some case recast the biographies, & has added new ones (Clive Owen, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, & Marion Cotillard, for example). The book now includes almost 1,500 entries, some of them just a pungent paragraph, some of them several thousand words long, every one a gem.Here is a great, rare book that encompasses the chaos of art, entertainment, money, vulgarity, & nonsense that we call the movies. Personal, opinionated, funny, daring, provocative, & passionate, it is the one book that every filmmaker & film buff must own, from the man David Hare called “the most stimulating & thoughtful film critic now writing.”°°° Since 1975, Thomson has been publishing & updating his essential “Biographical Dictionary of Film,” which is thick with pungent, opinionated surveys of filmmakers & actors. (Its latest edition, the sixth, was published in 2014.) For almost thirty years, David Thomson's Biographical Dictionary of Film has been not merely “the finest reference book ever written about movies” (Graham Fuller, Interview), not merely the “desert island book” of art critic David Sylvester, not merely “a great, crazy masterpiece” (Geoff Dyer, The Guardian), but also “fiendishly seductive” (Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone).This new edition updates the older entries and adds 30 new ones: Darren Aronofsky, Emmanuelle Beart, Jerry Bruckheimer, Larry Clark, Jennifer Connelly, Chris Cooper, Sofia Coppola, Alfonso Cuaron, Richard Curtis, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Michael Gambon, Christopher Guest, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Spike Jonze, Wong Kar-Wai, Laura Linney, Tobey Maguire, Michael Moore, Samantha Morton, Mike Myers, Christopher Nolan, Dennis Price, Adam Sandler, Kevin Smith, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlize Theron, Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, Lew Wasserman, Naomi Watts, and Ray Winstone.In all, the book includes more than 1300 entries, some of them just a pungent paragraph, some of them several thousand words long. In addition to the new “musts,” Thomson has added key figures from film history–lively anatomies of Graham Greene, Eddie Cantor, Pauline Kael, Abbott and Costello, Noël Coward, Hoagy Carmichael, Dorothy Gish, Rin Tin Tin, and more. Here is a great, rare book, one that encompasses the chaos of art, entertainment, money, vulgarity, and nonsense that we call the movies. Personal, opinionated, funny, daring, provocative, and passionate, it is the one book that every filmmaker and film buff must own. Time Out named it one of the ten best books of the 1990s. Gavin Lambert recognized it as “a work of imagination in its own right.” Now better than ever–a masterwork by the man playwright David Hare called “the most stimulating and thoughtful film critic now writing.” David Thomson’s New Biographical Dictionary of Film topped Sight & Sound magazine’s 2010 poll of international critics and writers as the best film book of all time. Now in its fifth edition, updated, and with more than 130 new entries—from Judd Apatow to Lena Horne—the classic, beloved film book is better than ever. For thirty-five years, David Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Film has been “fiendishly seductive” (Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone ), “the finest reference book ever written about movies” (Graham Fuller, Interview ), and “not only an indispensable book about cinema, but one of the most absurdly ambitious literary achievements of our time” (Geoff Dyer, The Guardian ). For this edition, Thomson has brought up to date and in some case recast the biographies, and has added new ones (Clive Owen, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Marion Cotillard, for example). The book now includes almost 1,500 entries, some of them just a pungent paragraph, some of them several thousand words long, every one a gem. Here is a great, rare book that encompasses the chaos of art, entertainment, money, vulgarity, and nonsense that we call the movies. Personal, opinionated, funny, daring, provocative, and passionate, it is the one book that every filmmaker and film buff must own, from the man David Hare called “the most stimulating and thoughtful film critic now writing.” "Now in its fifth edition, updated, and with more than 130 new entries--from Judd Apatow to Lena Horne--the classic, beloved film book is better than ever." "For thirty-five years, David Thomson's Biographical Dictionary of Film has been "fiendishly seductive" (Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone), "the finest reference book ever written about movies" (Graham Fuller, Interview), and "not only an indispensable book about cinema, but one of the most absurdly ambitious literary achievements of our time" (Geoff Dyer, The Guardian). For this edition, Thomson has brought up to date and in some cases recast the biographies, and has added new ones (Clive Owen, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Heath Ledger, for example). The book now includes almost 1,500 entries, some of them just a pungent paragraph, some of them several thousand words long, every one a gem." "Here is a great, rare book that encompasses the chaos of art, entertainment, money, vulgarity, and nonsense that we call the movies, Personal opinionated, funny, daring, provocative, and passionate, it is the one book that every filmmaker and film buff must own, from the man David Hare called "the most stimulating and thoughtful film critic now writing.""--BOOK JACKET Now In Its Fifth Edition, Updated, And With More Than 130 New Entries-- From Judd Apatow To Lena Horne-- The Classic, Beloved Film Book Is Better Than Ever. For Thirty-five Years, David Thomson's Biographical Dictionary Of Film Has Been Fiendishly Seductive (greil Marcus, Rolling Stone), The Finest Reference Book Ever Written About Movies (graham Fuller, Interview), And Not Only An Indispensable Book About Cinema, But One Of The Most Absurdly Ambitious Literary Achievements Of Our Time (geoff Dyer, The Guardian). For This Edition, Thomson Has Brought Up To Date And In Some Cases Recast The Biographies, And Has Added New Ones (clive Owen, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, And Heath Ledger, For Example). The Book Now Includes Almost 1,500 Entries, Some Of Them Just A Pungent Paragraph, Some Of Them Several Thousand Words Long, Every One A Gem. Here Is A Great, Rare Book That Encompasses The Chaos Of Art, Entertainment, Money, Vulgarity, And Nonsense That We Call The Movies, Personal Opinionated, Funny, Daring, Provocative, And Passionate, It Is The One Book That Every Filmmaker And Film Buff Must Own, From The Man David Hare Called The Most Stimulating And Thoughtful Film Critic Now Writing.--jacket. David Thomson.