101 Gangster Movies and 101 War Movies You Must See Before You Die

Izašle su još dve knjige na engleskom jeziku u kojima se, pored ostalih, nalaze i neki moji eseji.

U prethodnim knjigama ove serije koju uspešno priređuje Steven Jay Schneider, posvećenim SF filmu i hororu, bio sam kontaktiran ranije a imao sam i više toga da kažem, pa sam za njih priložio 8 eseja o horor filmovima i 4 eseja o SF filmovima. Ovoga puta moj doprinos je nešto skromniji: obradio sam dva ratna filma - Ballad of a Soldier (pp. 140-143) i Tora! Tora! Tora! (pp. 224-227) – i jedan, ali vredan gangsterski: Dillinger (pp. 240-243).

Skromniji je i doprinos drugih kolega sa ex-Yu prostora: ovoga puta sasvim je izostao Aleksandar Bečanović (zbog prezauzetosti u to vreme), a Miloš Cvetković je doprineo samo jednim esejom, o ratnom filmu Salvador (pp. 276-279).

Steven Jay Schneider je i ovoga puta napravio odličan posao u izboru saradnika-autora tekstova (pretežno iz akademskog sveta, uz ponekog filmskog kritičara prestižnih magazina ili freelancera), a i odabranim naslovima se – bar na prvi pogled – nema šta zameriti, naročito po pitanju gangsterskog toma.

Srpskom čitaocu može naročito biti zanimljiva ratna knjiga, zbog ratovima bogate srpske istorije, uključujući i ove poslednje, koji se nisu zbivali na našoj teritoriji. Avaj, u ovom izboru ne nalazi se ama baš nijedan partizanski film, čak ni onih najvećeg međunarodnog kalibra (kao npr. The Battle of Neretva!) što je već malo teže objasniti i opravdati.

Što se tiče balkanskih građanskih ratova, prisutna su samo dva, muslimocentrična filma: Welcome to Sarajevo i, naravno, No Man's Land. Tekstovi o njima, istina, odmereni su i objektivni, u onom o Sarajevu Srbi se čak i ne pominju poimence, a ni u onom o Ničijoj zemlji ne potencira se koliko su Srbi genocidno-sadistička booby-trapping stoka. Ja sam pokušavao da Šnajdera ubedim da u izbor uvrsti i Lepa sela lepo gore i čak se nudio da ja napišem text o tom filmu, ali mi je on kazao da je, u tom trenutku, već bilo dockan za izmene i dodatke (jer, da bi neki naslov upao, neki od već podeljenih morao bi da otpadne...).

Inače, urednik je nekako uspeo da napravi lapsus u mom textu o Baladi o vojniku, pa je moju referencu na 'The Great War' našao za shodno da 'prevede' u 'World War I', iako Balada jasno govori o II svetskom ratu :(

Šnajderu je, inače, nedavno upala sekira uz med pošto je on jedan od producenata fenomenalno uspešnog filam PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (na putu da prebaci cifru od 100 miliona u USA) pa se nadam da neće napustiti book business zbog ovog lukrativnijeg, holivudskog...

Obe ove knjige video sam na Sajmu knjiga, čini mi se u MAMUTU ili kod ovih novih, u SKC-u, pa ih možete bar prelistati ako ne i kupiti baš tamo.

Detalji o knjigama:

101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die (Hardcover)

Steven Jay Schneider (Editor)

Long before the release of such memorable gangster films as The Godfather and Bonnie and Clyde, tough guys portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, Jimmy Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and other pioneers in the crime genre were shooting up movie screens. This intensely readable summary of the best gangster films ever made spans the decades from the 1930s to the present day. Films cited in this book include:

The Big Sleep * Bonnie and Clyde * Bullitt * Dillinger * Each Dawn I Die * Gangs of New York * The Godfather, I and II * L.A. Confidential * Little Caesar * The Petrified Forest * Scarface * This Gun for Hire * White Heat . . . and many more.

Films are presented in chronological order to illustrate the genre’s development and the impact early artists had on later directors, actors, and technicians. Plot summaries are presented, casts and credits are listed, and illustrations include ad posters and evocative movie stills. More than 200 illustrations.

From the Prohibition-era classics of Mervyn LeRoy and William A. Wellman to the mean streets and Mafiosi of Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, 101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die explores the rise of the gangster movie to the popular phenomenon it is today. Whether holding up the local liquor store or wheeling and dealing in the spider web of organized crime, the fictional characters on the big screen are never too far from the real world.

With insight from critics, film historians, and academics, 101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die brings passion and knowledge to a wealth of dirty rats, dons, molls, hoods, shootouts, holdups, heists, gangs, murders, drug deals, and car chases. And in the closing reels you will wonder whose side you are really on — the good guys' or the bad guys'?

Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (October 1, 2009)

Language: English

Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.8 x 1.7 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

101 War Movies You Must See Before You Die (Hardcover)

Steven Jay Schneider (Editor)

The horror and the heroism of war has long been a staple of cinema and the background for many different story genres, from anti-war comedies such as M*A*S*H to the heroic feats of combat troops and fighter pilots played by the likes of John Wayne and other screen favorites. Here are the 101 most memorable war films ever produced, including:

Apocalypse Now * The Bridge on the River Kwai * Catch-22 * Das Boot * Full Metal Jacket * Letters from Iwo Jima * Paths of Glory * Patton * Red Badge of Courage * Schindler’s List * The Thin Red Line . . . and many more.

Each entry includes cast and credits, a summary of the story, interesting highlights, little-known facts about the film, and memorable ad posters and movie stills. Written by an expert team of film historians, scholars, and critics, 100 War Movies You Must See Before You Die is a vivid summary of one of the film industry’s most enduring genres. More than 200 illustrations.

Whether you know every line from The Great Escape or could watch The Bridge on the River Kwai again and again, 101 War Movies You Must See Before You Die is the book for you. Take a war, any war, from the beginning of time to the present day, throw in some amazing heroes, antiheroes, and a whole lot of action, and you have a classic war film. From Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17 to Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter, this is the perfect guide.

Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (October 1, 2009)

Language: English

Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.7 x 1.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 1 pounds