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Review
"Whitlock makes a major contribution to movie literature by saluting undersung production designers, set decorators and art directors."--Los Angeles Times
Product Description
Who can forget the over-the-top, white-on-white, high gloss interiors through which Fred Astaire danced in Top Hat? The stark modernist high-rise architecture, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, in the adaptation of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead"? The lavish, opulent drawing rooms of Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence"? Through the use of interior design - called production design in the film industry - movies can transport us to new worlds of luxury, highlight the ornament of the everyday, offer a vision of the future, or evoke the realities of a distant era. In "Designs on Film", journalist and interior designer Cathy Whitlock illuminates the role of art direction and production design in the creation of the most memorable moments in film history. Through a lush collection of rare archival photographs, Whitlock narrates the evolving story of art direction - from the massive Roman architecture of "Ben Hur", to the infamous Dakota apartment in "Rosemary's Baby", to the digital CGI enhanced city of Gotham in "Batman Begins". With behind-the-scenes stories of how sets are imagined, drawn, built, and decorated, and features on the most notable designers, "Designs on Film" is a must have for film lovers and movie buffs - or anyone who wants to lift the curtain on movie magic to better understand how art direction and set design allow us to truly loose ourselves in the diverse worlds showcased on the big screen.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book for both industry insiders and those that just enjoy film. Art direction is an unsung area of filmaking,this book explains what exactly what Production design and Art direction is using brilliant and well known examples of the art from masterpeices of cinema.
It covers the century,with great illustrations and stills
It covers the century,with great illustrations and stills
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Splendid, with exceptions
2 Dec 2010
Format:Hardcover
The product copy above does not do justice to this splendid and sumptuous doorstopper on Hollywood art direction. The photographs are the payoff here, literally hundreds of production stills detailing on-the-set constructions and activity. My eye tells me that I have not seen most of these photos before in other Hollywood books. I think the book would serve better if it cut off after the 1970s and included more on the silent era and 1930s when the concept of art direction in film was nurtured and flourished. The 80s are focused on special effects and much of the new millennium material look like nothing more than Town & Country layouts. Nonetheless, the bulk of the book will take the Golden Era Hollywood fan to another place and time in American history, creative and socially.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
This lifts the curtain on movie magic
24 Dec 2010
Format:Hardcover
The introduction "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" (from "The Wizard of Oz"), is the first inkling the reader has that a magical journey is in store. Besides archiving a treasure-trove of movie history spanning the last 100 years, this book is also a stunning tribute to interior design and set decoration. As breath-taking as these photo's are, and no doubt valuable because they're rare and/or never-before-published originals, the stories behind the stories are equally riveting, and a salute to Hollywood. Especially - as the author notes - "to its unsung hero's and heroines": the people behind the curtain who brought their talents to the silver screen for all of us to revel in. Following the yellow brick road in this must-own book will delight, enchant, and surprise reader's from all walks of life.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Lovely to look at, delightful to hold
2 May 2011
Format:Hardcover
This book is a fitting tribute to one of the most vital - and, too often, unexamined - elements of a film's community: production design and set decoration. Spanning all major genres and every decade since film's inception, Designs on Film reflects the author's obvious love of set design and a profound understanding of the craft's evolution. And the photos are stunning.
I was delighted to see the inclusion of William Cameron Menzies's and Vincent Korda's sets for Things to Come (1936), the long and accomplished careers of Robert Boyle and John DeCuir and the emergence of art deco as a major influence on the look of 1920s and 1930s cinema. (An added treat is a rather revealing photo of Bruce, the troublesome shark from Jaws, 1975.)
As with many chronicles of this sort, there are always things one would like to see that aren't included: the futuristic world for Just Imagine! (1930) springs to mind (though it is a godawful movie). But who cares when what is here tells the story beautifully, with each film's atmosphere freshly rendered and nicely documented.
Designs on Film is a great reference for the film buff and a terrific primer for the neophyte.
I was delighted to see the inclusion of William Cameron Menzies's and Vincent Korda's sets for Things to Come (1936), the long and accomplished careers of Robert Boyle and John DeCuir and the emergence of art deco as a major influence on the look of 1920s and 1930s cinema. (An added treat is a rather revealing photo of Bruce, the troublesome shark from Jaws, 1975.)
As with many chronicles of this sort, there are always things one would like to see that aren't included: the futuristic world for Just Imagine! (1930) springs to mind (though it is a godawful movie). But who cares when what is here tells the story beautifully, with each film's atmosphere freshly rendered and nicely documented.
Designs on Film is a great reference for the film buff and a terrific primer for the neophyte.
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