ANY GUN CAN PLAY: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO EURO-WESTERNS
By Kevin Grant
480 pages; softcover; color and B/W; editions: 2011 (Hardcover 2012)
All the Euro-westerns big guns, banditos and more are corralled into this sumptuous volume covering the beginning of the Eur-oater through its transformations, and its eventual decline. Any fan of the genre -- as well as those who think the films began and ended with Leone -- should own this book. A monumentally impressive first work by its author, Kevin Grant.
There have been a few top of the line volumes written on the subject of the European western over the last decade. While those touched on the genre as a whole, Kevin Grant's lavish book on the subject goes into far more detail. The West German successes that paved the way for the Italian variants are given a wider berth than normally afforded them, for instance.
The chapters all follow the Euro-western trajectory from its early 60s beginnings to its decline in the 70s; yet each is chapter is topic specific ranging from the various Italian western styles, the numerous anti-heroes that became iconic domestically and internationally; and also the themes of the genre like that old standby, revenge as well as the political agendas of these films.
Skimming through the book, the passion for the subject material is increasingly obvious to the reader. It's quite a staggering accomplishment. You'll get the impression Mr. Grant desired to go on longer about certain topics, but space permitting didn't allow for it. Still, there's an incredible amount of information crammed inside, as well as plentiful footnotes supplied for each chapter.
The author also includes a 'Who's Who' chapter covering literally everyone that appeared in front of, and behind the cameras where these western productions were concerned.
For those who desire lots of pictures, the book is generously dotted with dozens of photographs in both B/W and color. These include rare behind the scenes images, publicity photos and also promotional materials including posters and lobby cards from around the world.
A Foreword by Franco Nero compliments the package making this a truly essential purchase and, at the moment, the best all around volume on the genre. The books from FAB Press are exhaustive, meticulous works and 'Any Gun Can Play' sits proudly amongst the best of their publications. An exemplar work among the accessible books on the subject, and highly recommended.
You can buy the softcover edition at amazon HERE. A hardcover edition is available there as well.
CLAWS & SAUCERS: SCIENCE FICTION, HORROR AND FANTASY FILM 1902-1982 -- A COMPLETE GUIDE
By David Elroy Goldweber
630 pages; softcover; no photos; 1st edition June 14th, 2012
I don't always agree with every review, but that's what makes cross referencing entries all the more enlightening, and Goldweber tackles his subjects with a leisurely frankness
that differs from the work of others in the same field. The reviews
themselves are done in a unique, if unorthodox fashion that is
refreshing in itself.
As a child, I remember scouring the bookshelves of our now long gone bookstore, Waldenbooks for anything genre related. Film review guides were a favorite, but the most widely accessible at that time were those written by the likes of Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin -- neither of which were particularly kind to horror and monster pictures.
In 1984, it was a revelation for my young 11 year old eyes to pick up a copy of John Stanley's terror-ific review book, The Creatures Features Movie Guide. Having bought a number of other genre review guides in the intervening years (as well as accumulating hundreds of the films on DVD), the need for purchasing genre review books had waned, at least from my perspective.
Along comes this hefty, review packed encyclopedia covering 70 years worth of horror, sci fi and fantasy films from around the world... and it brings back those memories of sitting and reading about those Late Show offerings covered in Stanley's loving tome to terror cinema.
Within its 630 info packed pages there are over 1,500 entries by Goldweber. There are entries missing, but then there's a ton of other entries that aren't typically found elsewhere. Goldweber's equally dedicated website fills in these blanks (see updates) and is linked below. It also becomes obvious rather quickly how big of a fan he is of the films he's discussing; even going through the trouble of offering very brief summations from other reviewers (including John Stanley) on many of the titles.
I don't always agree with every review, but that's what makes cross referencing entries all the more enlightening, and Goldweber tackles his subjects with a leisurely frankness that differs from the work of others in the same field. The reviews themselves are done in a unique, if unorthodox fashion that is refreshing in itself.
They're are set up like this: Title (director, running time, color or B/W and year of release)
What's Happening is a brief line or two about the basic plot of the film.
Famous For equates to whatever notable quality said film in question is best remembered whether in cult circles, or the mainstream.
A few paragraphs (occasionally an entire page) cover the mechanics of the film reviewed, analyzing its good points and bad.
Following the guts of the review, you'll find a numerical system rating the Action, Gore, Sex, Quality and Camp. To my knowledge, Chas. Balun's Gore Score books were the first to utilize a gore rating, but Goldweber's version isn't about the quantity of viscera strewn across the screen, but the "quality", as he puts it in the books Introduction. His vast compendium expands this number system by an additional four categories. Again, this system of reviewing entries is explained in detail in the Introduction.
Below the numbered ratings, there are an additional two categories -- these vary, but mostly they consist of Don't Miss (noting a particular standout moment) and Quotable Line.
If you're a collector of film reference guides, this one is a welcome addition to anyone's collection. The lack of images isn't a hindrance, and you may find yourself too busy scouring to find what the author thought of a particular title to notice. Click HERE to go to Goldweber's Claws & Saucers website where you will find links on where to order your preferred version (paperback, kindle, ebook, etc) and also many other things related to this massive, and massively recommended reference guide to those great movies you grew up with at the Drive In, or on the television late at night.
copyright 2013. All text is the property of coolasscinema.com and should not be reproduced in whole, or in part, without permission from the author. All images, unless otherwise noted, are the property of their respective copyright owners.
Skimming through the book, the passion for the subject material is increasingly obvious to the reader. It's quite a staggering accomplishment. You'll get the impression Mr. Grant desired to go on longer about certain topics, but space permitting didn't allow for it. Still, there's an incredible amount of information crammed inside, as well as plentiful footnotes supplied for each chapter.
