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Darren Aronofsky

Film director and screenwriter; his films include Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan and mother!.

5 things

Making MoviesBook Sidney Lumet

loved

It's an incredibly clear, honest, and precise discussion of the films Lumet made over the course of his career. There are many pearls of wisdom about directing and filmmaking in the book. It breaks down the different problems Lumet had in making films, and tells how he solved them.

Five Books interview on books about making movies

2011-08-20·fivebooks.com ↗

The Writer's JourneyBook Christopher Vogler

loved

It's the Bible for screenwriters. I think it's the best book on how to write a screenplay ever written. It helped me get through so many roadblocks as a writer.

Five Books interview on books about making movies

2011-08-20·fivebooks.com ↗

Easy Riders, Raging BullsBook Peter Biskind

loved

This is an incredibly delicious read—just a great, great account of that era from Easy Rider ('69) through the mid-'70s. It's the story of all those great filmmakers—my icons—Scorsese, Coppola, Friedkin, and Bogdanovich.

Five Books interview on books about making movies

2011-08-20·fivebooks.com ↗

HitchcockBook Francois Truffaut

loved

It's an amazing guide to Hitchcock's thought process. Truffaut, being a fantastic filmmaker himself, was able to ask really profound, informed questions that really got to the heart of filmmaking.

Five Books interview on books about making movies

2011-08-20·fivebooks.com ↗

The Ragman's SonBook Kirk Douglas

recommended

I read this one in the early '90s when I first got out to Hollywood. My mentor Stuart Rosenberg, who directed Cool Hand Luke, suggested it. It's basically Kirk Douglas's story of coming from nothing—he was a ragman's son—and achieving the American dream through the Hollywood movie system.

Five Books interview on books about making movies

2011-08-20·fivebooks.com ↗

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