Conversations at the American Film Institute with the Great Moviemakers: The Next Generation

by George Stevens Jr.

A companion volume to George Stevens, Jr.’s, much admired book of American Film Institute seminars with the great pioneering moviemakers (“Invaluable”—Martin Scorsese).
Those represented here—directors, producers, writers, actors, cameramen, composers, editors—are men and women working in pictures, beginning in 1950, when the studio system was collapsing and people could no longer depend on, or were bound by, the structure of studio life to make movies.
            Here also are those who began to work long after the studio days were over—Robert Altman, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, among them—who talk about how they came to make movies on their own. Some—like Peter Bogdanovich, Nora Ephron, Sydney Pollack, François Truffaut—talk about how they were influenced by the iconic pictures of the great pioneer filmmakers. Others talk about how they set out to forge their own paths—John Sayles, Roger Corman, George Lucas, et al.
            In this series of conversations held at the American Film Institute, all aspects of their work are discussed. Here is Arthur Penn, who began in the early 1950s in New York with live TV, directing people like Kim Stanley and such live shows as Playhouse 90 , and on Broadway, directing Two for the Seesaw and The Miracle Worker , before going on to Hollywood and directing Mickey One and Bonnie and Clyde, among other pictures, talking about working within the system. (“When we finished Bonnie and Clyde ,” says Penn, “the film was characterized rather elegantly by one of the leading Warner executives as a 'piece of shit' . . . It wasn’t until the picture had an identity and a life of its own that the studio acknowledged it was a legitimate child of the Warner Bros. operation.”)
            Here in conversation is Sidney Poitier, who grew up on an island without paved roads, stores, or telephones, and who was later taught English without a Caribbean accent by a Jewish waiter, talking about working as a janitor at the American Negro Theater in exchange for acting lessons and about It “never really had much of a conscience . . . This town never was infected by that kind of goodness.”
            Here, too, is Meryl Streep, America’s premier actress, who began her career in Julia in 1977, and thirty odd years later, at sixty, was staring in The Iron Lady, defying all the rules about “term limits” and a filmmaking climate tyrannized by the male adolescent demographic . . . Streep on making her first picture, and how Jane Fonda took her under her wing (“That little line on the floor,” Fonda warned Streep, “don’t look at it, that’s where your toes are supposed to be. And that’s how you’ll be in the movie. If they’re not there, you won’t be in the movie”). Streep on the characters she chooses to “I like to defend characters that would otherwise be misconstrued or misunderstood.”
            The Next Generation is a fascinating revelation of the art of making pictures.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

768 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Addy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My screenwriting professor has always said that the best way to learn about making movies is to listen to advice from the people who make them. Besides actually being present at one of these seminars, this book felt like the closest I might ever come to actually being at the AFI.
There is a significant amount of new knowledge I learned from these conversations, still being new to the art of film, as I am. Even artists from all sorts of professions I hadn’t thought would have any real connections to screenwriting had enlightening new perspectives on how to work in the industry and express one’s creativity. Working on movies is a collaborative art, so it makes sense that there is a tie-in to writing or directing even in discussions with careers as different as composers.
Additionally, I enjoyed how all the seminars showcased the personalities of all the filmmakers they had invited. George Lucas, for example, gave very long winded responses to all the questions he was asked, while directors like John Sayles and Steven Spielberg’s answers were very direct. Even though I was reading interviews written sometimes over 30 years ago, the book helped me feel very close to these landmark artists who I very much admire and want to learn from.

[Anthony McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

AFI ANTHOLOGY A MUST.
Another essential collection of conversations conducted at the American Film Institute. As in the other magnificent collections, this is a must for both film students and movie lovers who enjoy reading about filmmaking as told by professionals.

32 conversations concentrating on the period from the 1950s to Hollywood Today. A wide range of participants, mainly directors but also included are producers, writers, actors, a cinematographer, a music composer, a film editor and even a film critic'

Easy to read but not so easy to put aside once you start reading this anthology of film history reflections.

[Thomas May · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, there’s a lot in here. This is a long book to read all the way through (which you totally wouldn’t need to do) and is literally exactly what the title suggests: slightly edited transcripts of talks that filmmakers gave at AFI, along with short introductions. For that reason, it’s really fascinating and covers a lot of ground in terms of the different well-known films a lot of these people had different roles on and the way that they talk about their industry. If you ever wanted to create a character that was a director, writer, or producer and needed to come up with realistic dialogue, read this and you’ll be off to a great start.

The reason I give it 3/5 is a flaw due entirely to the format of the piece. The fact that there are SO many people discussing so many works makes it nearly impossible to keep separate in your mind who said what about what or even who worked on what if you’re not familiar with some of the films. You can still walk away with a great summation and sort of blending of ideas that you might be able to regurgitate, but specific stories (which is a lot of why I read any sort of autobiographical work) are gonna be hard to recall unless you were really well-versed on a work and paying great attention when reading that transcript.

Either way, still an interesting read and a great book to have available and flip back through on occasion.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hours of fun perusing

The book is worth it for the pictures alone. It rivals the film facts type of books and magazines. They are all monochrome but many have not been seen elsewhere.

The layout is more of an encyclopedia form with an introduction, and a conversation, and wraps up with a "films as" section (director, maker, etc). There are 33 personalities taken in last name order.

Knowing more about the people that make the movies adds value to the viewing experience. This book also makes a great introduction to the industry by displaying the skills and attitudes necessary.

I have to admit that I am looking at my favorite directors first; however, I will not miss a page as I am even discovering new (old) films to ass to my repertoire.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most relevant collections on the process of filmmaking that I’ve come across. If you are a filmmaker of any kind, there are more than handful of useful bits of advice and inspiration to be found in these pages.

[Peter Melancon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, this gave me some really good insight on actors' methods, ideas from filmmakers, composers, screenwriters, the book runs the gambit on some great and insightful interviews.

[Antonio Fungairino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lotta great stuff in here. Nice to see Truffaut included.. Why not Bergman too?!

[Kyle Dubiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

On television the Academy Awards ceremony is often regarded as the place for film industry's most prominent talent to come together in one room to toast the years' best achievements in film. For print the equivalent may be Conversations at the American Film Institute with the Great Movie Makers.

Gathering interviews and discussions with filmmakers after special screenings at the American Film Institute, author George Stevens Jr compiles an overflowing collection of amazing talent to share their road to success and creative process.

When I picked up this book at a local library, I was surprised by the vast compilation of directors, art directors, actors, screenwriters, and many other professions. During an unstoppable craze of watching The Wrestler almost too much, I checked out the book merely on the basis of seeing director Darren Aronofsky listed. After gauging through that chapter, I realized it was only the beginning of many enlightening interviews.

I'm a firm believer that in any medium in life that you pursue it can only make your efforts and passion stronger to study the greats. It doesn't have to be just film, but history, art, or science. Learning from the best can only make your passion stronger.The present moment is so fleeting it seems impossible to catch up with or absorb the past - especially in cinema where it seems there's less appreciation, less desire, less focus, or passion. People just seem to fall into acting, directing, screenwriting, critiquing, and there's not a major spark in their profession. It was refreshing to read so many different perspectives on what inspires these men and women to create, the fights they endure to not give up on their dream projects, and to keep sharing the vision with the rest of the world. Award shows are great for appreciating the results of film. This book was amazing to delve into the process of what it's like for movies to go from an idea to celluloid.

As a theatre (veering into film studies) major, the information provided works on two great distinct levels: If you're not a huge movie fan, you can get a rare inside look at the industry. If you're a film buff, especially if you're a film/theatre major, there are so many wondrous golden nuggets to give you hope. This book touts itself as conversations with the great movie makers, and it's not a marketing ploy. What I enjoyed most about the book is learning about filmmakers I hadn't been familiar with before, and understanding more deeply the movie mavens whose films I had watch previously.

There is something for everyone to enjoy - from writer Neil Simon to legendary directors Steven Spielberg, Sydney Pollack and Arthur Penn, actress Meryl Streep, and actor Sydney Poitier. Skip ahead to the names you're familiar with, and maybe you'll pop on someone you don't know and learn something new. Stick to the index and who you love, and you'll still absorb a ton of advice and interesting stories. Some episodes are short and sweet, many are long but never boring. Some movies I found (from director/writer Nora Ephron and actor Gregory Peck) gave me a whole new outlook on several of their most distinct works. By book's end you may really feel like you just stepped out of the American Film Institute and participated in a dozen or so master classes from cinema history.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of their education, students/fellows at the American Film Institute get to have seminars with famous film-makers. This book collects the moderated interviews with a number of directors (and occasionally other movie personnel, such as actors, composers, producers, screenwriters, cinematographers, and even film critics). As you might imagine, the quality of the interviews depends upon the insightfulness of the interviewees (or at least the amount of detail about actual movies they are willing to put out there). Overall, however, this is less a sumptuous many course dinner and more a fast-food buffet -- no real nutrition value to speak of but it taste good as it went down. David Lynch is always funny, Paul Schrader is arrogant, John Sayles is down-to-earth, George Lucas seems full of himself whereas Spielberg isn't. Truffaut and Poitier were interesting -- in fact, most were interesting if not really substantive beyond filling in little details of their biographies or movies. No match for Herzog on Herzog, that is. (He is sorely missed!).

[Ann Streetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the art and science of storytelling in books, works of art, videography, and cinematography. This book is rich with the who, what, when, how, and why of many remarkable movies. I especially appreciate the fact that the book includes interviews with directors, producers, writers, actors, editors, and others who contribute their expertise to the storytelling. This is an inspiring and entertaining read.