Arthur Penn: American Director [NOOK Book]

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Overview

Arthur Penn: American Director is the comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century's most influential filmmakers. Thematic chapters lucidly convey the story of Penn's life and career, as well as pertinent events in the history of American film, theater, and television. In the process of tracing the full spectrum of his career, Arthur Penn reveals the enormous scope of Penn's talent and his profound impact on the entertainment industry in an accessible, engaging ...

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Arthur Penn: American Director

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Overview

Arthur Penn: American Director is the comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century's most influential filmmakers. Thematic chapters lucidly convey the story of Penn's life and career, as well as pertinent events in the history of American film, theater, and television. In the process of tracing the full spectrum of his career, Arthur Penn reveals the enormous scope of Penn's talent and his profound impact on the entertainment industry in an accessible, engaging account of the well-known director's life.

Born in 1922 to a family of Philadelphia immigrants, the young Penn was bright but aimless -- especially compared to his talented older brother Irving, who would later become a world-renowned photographer. Penn drifted into directing, but he soon mastered the craft in three mediums: television, Broadway, and motion pictures. By the time he made Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Penn was already a Tony-winning Broadway director and one of the prodigies of the golden age of television. His innovative handling of the story of two Depression-era outlaws not only challenged Hollywood's strict censorship code, it shook the foundation of studio system itself and ushered in the film revolution. His next films -- Alice's Restaurant (1969), Little Big Man (1970), and Night Moves (1975) -- became instant classics, summoning emotions from shock to sensuality and from confusion to horror, all of which reflected the complexity of the man behind the camera.

The personal and creative odyssey captured in these pages includes memorable adventures in World War II; the chaotic days of live television; the emergence of Method acting in Hollywood; and experiences with Marlon Brando, Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, William Gibson, Lillian Hellman, and a host of other show business legends.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

""An excellent biography.... Meticulously researched and a fitting tribute to a man who was one of our most innovative and creative directors."-- Tuscon Citizen" --

""Fascinating.... Segaloff contextualizes Penn's film and TV work against his theatrical innovations and adds new dimensions to our understanding of a modern master."--DGA Quarterly" --

"Reveals the enormous scope of Penn's talents and his profound impact on the entertainment industry in an accessible, engaging account of the well-known director's life." --Turner Classic Movies

""Thematic chapters lucidly convery the story of Penn's life and career, as well as pertinent events in the history of American film, theater and television. In the process of tracing the full spectrum of Penn's career, Arthur Penn:American Director reveals the enormous scope of Penn's talent and his profound impact on the entertainment industry in an accessible, engaging account." --Turner Classic Movies" --

""Nat Segaloff's affectionate... appreciation of director Arthur Penn is the precise opposite of a patho-biography, the slash and burn literary genre that delights in dishing dirt and trashing its cover boy... the book is enlivened by Penn's blunt, ungaurded recollections and infused with the author's boundless, unapologetic admiration." -- Cineaste" --

""A biography of noted film director Arthur Penn (1922 - 2010) is long overdue. Segaloff... knew Penn personally and might have written the definitive text." -- Choice" --

Library Journal
If director Arthur Penn (1922–2010) had made no other films, he would still be well known today for 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, now considered a groundbreaking movie. Although he did other credible motion picture work, he never considered it his preferred medium. He had a distinguished career in early 1950s live television and in theater, boasting such directing credits as The Miracle Worker, Toys in the Attic, and Wait Until Dark. His prickly personality, which did not suffer fools gladly, at times worked against him. Segaloff (Hurricane Billy: The Stormy Life and Films of William Friedkin) was a friend of Penn and obviously had great access to him, but the result is that almost everything in this biography seems filtered through the director's eyes. It reads somewhat like an autobiography that lacks profound analysis. VERDICT For those interested in the facts of Arthur Penn's life, this is a good resource. However, readers seeking a more objective account of the director's work will probably not be completely satisfied.—Roy Liebman, formerly with California State Univ., Los Angeles
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780813139739
  • Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
  • Publication date: 1/28/2011
  • Series: Screen Classics
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 344
  • Sales rank: 1,192,876
  • File size: 3 MB

Meet the Author

Nat Segaloff is a writer, producer, teacher, and journalist. His writings have appeared in Film Comment, the Journal of the Producers Guild of America, and American Movie Classics Magazine. He is the author of Hurricane Billy: The Stormy Life and Films of William Friedkin and coauthor of Love Stories: Hollywood's Most Romantic Movies. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

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