Ray Morton – författare

8-page color photo insert

n this first book ever written about the making of this classic and beloved film, Ray Morton traces the genesis of Amadeus from the conception of the original idea by Shaffer to the development of the screenplay – which turned the play inside out and made a profound theatrical experience into a dazzling cinematic one. The casting of Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham to play Mozart and Salieri gave two unknowns the roles that every star in the world was desperate to play. Amadeus details the production of the film in then-Communist Czechoslovakia – where the filmmakers were bedeviled by everything from decrepit studios to unpredictable weather to constant surveillance by the Czech secret police – and the creation of the film''s glorious music, which features dazzling interpretations of Mozart by Sir Neville Marriner and the legendary Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields orchestra. The book concludes by describing the film''s successful release in 1984, which generated wonderful reviews, terrific box office, eight Academy Awards, a best-selling soundtrack that propelled classical music to the top of the pop charts, a 2002 director''s cut, and a reputation as one of the greatest and most popular films of all time.

Paperback Original

A Quick Guide to Film Directing provides the reader with a concise and comprehensive overview of this creative and exciting occupation. Written in a fast-paced, easy-to-understand fashion, the book addresses such topics as what film direction is; the history of the profession; how to become a director; the creative and practical duties and challenges of a film director in the three stages of making a movie (preproduction, production, and postproduction); working with actors; working with the members of the technical crew (cinematographers, editors, production designers, etc.); the director''s support team (assistant director, production manager, and so on); and the business of being a film director. It also offers a brief look at some of the greatest and most influential film directors in the history of the cinema.

The 1933 KING KONG was not just a terrifying monster movie. It was also an epic fairy tale, a tragic love story, and a landmark piece of cinema that introduced one of the most beloved characters in motion picture history—a universally recognizable cultural icon whose legacy encompasses a vast multimedia universe consisting of more than ten feature films as well as numerous television shows, books, comics, toys, collectibles, and even a Broadway musical.In this extensively revised and updated edition of a classic book first published two decades ago, King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon is the definitive account of the most famous simian in pop-culture history. It spans the whole of the Eighth Wonder’s filmography, chronicling in detail the making of every Kong movie beginning with the 1933 original and continuing through the giant gorilla’s Japanese adventures and the epic Dino De Laurentiis and Peter Jackson remakes before concluding with the most recent films that place the great ape within an ever-expanding “Monsterverse.” Author and Kongophile Ray Morton also offers entertaining looks at the character’s appearances in other media, along with plenty of trivia and reflections on the franchise’s enduring appeal. Packed with photographs and based on extensive new research and exclusive interviews, this is by far the most complete and comprehensive guide to all things Kong.Included here are:The creation of the Kong character by Merian C. CooperThe development, production, and release of the original 1933 film and its many successorsThe Cartoon Kong: the giant gorilla’s animated incarnations.Kong on the Stage: theatrical productions featuring the Eighth Wonder.Kong on the Page: the many publications devoted to the great ape.The Sons of Kong: Kong variants, spoofs, and rip-offs such as Mighty Joe Young, Queen Kong, and A*P*E*.The Kongs that Never Were: Kong projects that never made it to the screenThe innumerable Kong-related products generated over the past century