Read Instead…in Print

A photo of a good book about cinema or filmmakers. No discursive, pretentious analyses, no verbose scrutiny. Because the idea is to invite you to read the book, not read about it here. But instead of using social media, I use my journal. Back to basics. Take it as a wish to break free of over-reliance on social media (even if it’s just for posting a photo of a good book) for presenting my work, cultural finds and interests. These are things to be enjoyed as stand-alone pieces in a more substantial and meaningful way than showing them in the black hole of Instagram thronged with an audience with a short attention span. This is also a look through my voluminous collection of books about film that I use as research in my adamant decision to rely less and less on the online and more on more on print materials.

Read instead…in print #16.

A first full account in English of Jules Dassin’s life and work. Jules Dassin, who, according to François Truffaut, “made the best film noir I have seen.” Truffaut was, of course, referring to Rififi, which Dassin filmed in France, the first in five years of having trouble finding work after having been blacklisted in Hollywood by the House of Un-American Activities Committee. So I can not help feeling that Peter Shelley’s singular book on Dassin’s films, published as late as 2011, is the result of a facile reading of a great director. Ignorance continues to run deep unfortunately.

Part personal history, part reporting, part film commentary, the book, exhaustively researched (a journalistic trait I place great value on), is a comprehensive study of Dassin’s entire filmography. Because I like to stay away from film reviews, I often favour this documentarist approach. And I only wish I had Melina Mercouri’s autobiography, I Was Born Greek, which has been out of print for years, for an even more complete picture of her husband’s films and filmmaking.