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Michael Reeves (British Film Directors)
 
 
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Michael Reeves (British Film Directors) (Hardcover)

by Benjamin Halligan (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Manchester University Press; illustrated edition edition (31 Jul 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0719063507
  • ISBN-13: 978-0719063503
  • Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 12.3 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 255,071 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #91 in  Books > Biography > Film, Television & Music > Film Directors

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Product Description

Review

Halligan creates a compelling portrait of a strange driven figure and his disturbing films. --Mark Venner, Film Ireland, September/October 2006


Product Description

Cine-literate and single-minded, Michael Reeves took on exploitative film production companies, the British censors and even Vincent Price to create a unique vision of savage poetry and lacerating despair: "Witchfinder General". He died aged 25 in 1969, between the end of Swinging London and the collapse of the British film industry - an apt candidate to represent all that could have been. This critical biography claims Reeves as the great, lost auteur of British cinema and traces his conception of film back to his childhood and formative experiences. Benjamin Halligan examines Reeves' films in the context of the times, citing "The Sorcerers" and "Witchfinder General" as foreshadowing and critiquing the psychedelic and revolutionary zeitgeist. Reeves' earlier work on the fringes of the freewheeling European exploitation cinema is also covered, with particular emphasis on the "Revenge of the Blood Beast". Drawing on recollections from colleagues, friends and family - many speaking here for the first time - draft scripts, correspondence and original documentation pertaining to the controversial censorship of "Witchfinder", and Reeves' struggle with his own, private demons, Halligan creates a complete picture of this elusive, driven figure and his films. He speculates on what Reeves would have gone on to achieve, and why this should still matter.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hitchcock's heir apparent, 26 Jul 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Michael Reeves (British film directors) (Paperback)
Meticulously researched, beautifully limned pen-portrait of a British original. Before his tragic death at a young age, Michael Reeves had emerged as the first British director since Hitchcock to intuitively understand the visual aspects of cinematic storytelling. Reeves' small but impressive oeuvre -- REVENGE OF THE BLOOD BEAST, SORCERORS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL -- demonstrates the impressive progress of a dynamic talent that refused to be confined by the narrative and financal limitations of the low-budget horror genre. Indeed Reeves subverted the usual conventions in much the same way his idol/mentor Don Siegel rewrote the rules for police dramas. Halligan's biography is an informative, engaging and long overdue addition to any library on British cinema.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating, 16 Nov 2004
By James Skelton (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Michael Reeves (British film directors) (Paperback)
The length of Halligan's research is simply astounding at times, given the limited information available on Reeves and his life previously. The story is incredibly heartbreaking and Halligan tells it beautifully and poetically, especially towards the end when he tells of the events surrounding and leading up to Reeves' tragic death. For anyone even remotley interested this is an absolutely fascinating read.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars seriously fascinating, 30 Dec 2003
By Julian Bamford (Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Michael Reeves (British film directors) (Paperback)
Halligan has really done his homework, talking to everyone and following every lead to produce a lively portrait of boy wonder filmmaker Michael Reeves, his times, and his work. (Full disclosure: Halligan tracked me down to ask about a 1969 article I'd written on Reeves.) Halligan's thesis, it turns out, is that had Reeves not died young, he might have been one of the greats. This is a reach (think arguing the same for Spielberg after 'Duel.') The achievement of the book is that, thanks to the detailed description of Reeves' vision, and the constraints out of which he crafted a sort of masterpiece 'Witchfinder General', the argument is a credible one. Along the way we get the full story of Vincent Price's work on 'Witchfinder,' and the sometimes hilarious gay sidelights (Price sitting in a ditch, commenting on an attractive young co-star). There is also important historical reportage of the sticky battle with the censors over Witchfinder's violence. As an examination of 60s London, the mind of a filmmaking genius, and the ins and outs of making low-budget genre movies, this is seriously fascinating stuff.
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