: Reading is writing. And boy do I love to do both. I have been fascinated about film for my whole life. And as much as I love the flickering images on the screen I also love reading about how the cinematic magic came into being. I have delighted in the stories about, and from, the icons in front and behind the camera. The legendary Oscar winning director John Ford once said “When the truth becomes legend, print the legend.” And that works for a great film book. I know that feted autobiographies from film titans such as David Niven, Frank Capra and Errol Flynn are crammed full of historical inaccuracies and tall tales, but that’s what makes them so engrossing. When writing first-hand oral accounts for sure there will be the odd memory faux-pas, we all remember the past differently, but unless it’s an outright gross rewriting of history I like to read these different accounts; let the reader decide! With promoting the Performance book and in the final stages of completing interviews for our book on the making of The Deer Hunter, I have looked for inspiration from the much loved film books that I devoured over the years. There have been so many and I thought over the coming months I would share a few with you. So in no order of preference first up is: ‘Indecent Exposure’ by David McClintick. The stranger than fiction true story of a scandal that rocked Hollywood. The head of Columbia Pictures, David Begelman, has been caught forging Oscar winner Cliff Robertson's name on a $10,000 check. At first it looks like a simple case of embezzlement. Not so. It’s the tip of the iceberg. Powerful studio executives were caught in the scandal as corporate power fights played out. First published in 1982, this fascinating and poignant tale of greed and lies in Tinsel town is is beautifully written and researched. What could have been a dry retelling instead reads like a thriller. A must read for anybody with an interest in the lust for power, and success and excess of Hollywood. #amreading #Hollywood #amwriting #favouritefilmreads
