Biography films 2011
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Looking over some of the film books released in 2011, it's striking how many of the best of them -- or at least the most compelling and interesting of them -- are biographies, memoirs, or biographical career studies. If you have an interest in film or film history, there is something about the life story of an actor or director that makes for good reading -- especially if that story is well told or even groundbreaking.
Here are 10 compelling film books published this year, listed alphabetically by title. Admittedly, I love old movies and classic Hollywood -- and this list reflects that preference. One might ask, "Are these the best film books of the year?" I think so. The annotated slide show which accompanies this piece also includes five additional titles -- including a couple of books which are not strictly film biographies. Each is also recommended and makes for great reading for those who love the movies.
Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, 1928-1937, by Darrell Rooney and Mark A. Vieira (Angel City Press)
John Huston: Courage and Art, by Jeffrey Meyers (Crown Archetype)
Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood, by Emily W. Leider (University of California Press)
Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark, by Brian Kellow (V
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List of account films
Louie Henri (older)
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John Smith was born in Walthamstow, London in 1952. He studied at North-East London Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art, after which he became an active member of the London Filmmakers’ Co-op. Inspired in his formative years by conceptual art and structural film, but also fascinated by the immersive power of narrative and the spoken word, he has developed a diverse body of work that subverts the perceived boundaries between documentary, fiction, representation and abstraction. Often rooted in everyday life and personal experience, his meticulously crafted films playfully explore and expose the language of cinema.
Since 1972 Smith has made over sixty film, video and installation works that have been shown in independent cinemas, art galleries, museums and on television around the world. His films have been awarded major prizes at international film festivals in Oberhausen, Leipzig, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Graz, Geneva, Uppsala, Pamplona, Bordeaux, Lucca, Palermo, Split, Cork, Seoul, Ann Arbor and Chicago. He received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists in 2011, and in 2013 he was the winner of Film London’s Jarman Award.
Smith’s solo exhibitions include Secession, Vienna (upcoming, 2025); Kunstmuseum Magdeburg (2022 and 2005); CAST, Cornwall (2020);