Ninth (Virgin Film Guide) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0753504839 ISBN 13: 9780753504833

Publisher: Virgin Books, 2000

Synopsis

While other guides may cover more movies, this one provides more information on each film. By narrowing the focus, the Virgin guide can offer fuller credits as well as longer synopses and reviews. It draws on the expertise of Cinebooks, recognized as leading the field in the depth and accuracy of its coverage, with more than 50 contributors and researchers around the world.

About this title

Review

Describing itself as "the most authoritative movie reference ever published", The Virgin Film Guide is something of an anomaly, but one which is sure to find a home on the shelves of many film lovers. Most film guides--Halliwell's and Leonard Maltin for instance--advertise themselves as comprehensive, taking pride in the sheer number of films covered in the latest edition. The Virgin guide, on the other hand, limits itself to what it describes as "key films" from the 1930s onwards.

It is not that source material is lacking--the guide is based on the landmark 27-volume American work, The Motion Picture Guide, which contains a staggering 41,000 entries. Rather, by limiting the number of films covered, the Virgin guide (as thick a volume as any of its competitors) is able to devote much more space to each review--and in a larger and more readable typeface than that of most other guides. Each review includes the usual information: year of release, country of origin and BBFC classification. Where the Virgin guide is unusual is in its extensive cast and crew listings, and in the length of the review itself--each entry features a synopsis, a critical appraisal and usually a few interesting facts about the production thrown in for good measure.

The selective nature of the volume does produce some anomalies: to take just one example, the first and fourth Lethal Weapon films appear, but not the intervening two. Moreover, the notion of a "key film" is a very subjective one, and fans of specific genres might find that a few films which they consider important are not present in the guide. That said, readers with reasonably mainstream tastes will not be unduly troubled by these omissions, and it would be a rare reader indeed who did not get anything at all from this well-produced volume. --John Oates

Review

'One of the guides to have on your shelf' -- Film Review

'Spot on . . . this really is indispensable' -- What's On

'The country's favourite film book . . . bigger and better than ever' -- Big Weekend

'These are simply the best reviews on offer' -- Empire

Edition details

• Publisher: Virgin Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0753504839
• ISBN 13: 9780753504833
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1012