Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic - Hardcover

Vieira; DeMille Presley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0762454903 ISBN 13: 9780762454907

Publisher: Running Press, 2014

Synopsis

Colossal. Stupendous. Epic. These adjectives, used by movie companies to hawk their wares, became clichés long ago. When used to describe the films of one director, they are accurate. More than any filmmaker in the history of the medium, Cecil B. DeMille mastered the art of the spectacle. In the process, he became a filmland founder. One hundred years ago, he made the first feature film ever shot in Hollywood and went on to become the most commercially successful producer-director in history. DeMille told his cinematic tales with painterly, extravagant images. The parting of the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments was only one of these. There were train wrecks ( The Greatest Show on Earth ) orgies ( Manslaughter ) battles ( The Buccaneer ) Ancient Rome ( The Sign of the Cross ) Ancient Egypt ( Cleopatra ) and the Holy Land ( The Crusades ). The best of these images are showcased here, in Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic . This lavish volume opens the King Tut's tomb of cinematic treasures that is the Cecil B. DeMille Archives, presenting storyboard art, concept paintings, and an array of photographic imagery. Historian Mark A. Vieira writes an illuminating text to accompany these scenes. Cecilia de Mille Presley relates her grandfather's thoughts on his various films, and recalls her visits to his sets, including the Egyptian expedition to film The Ten Commandments.Like the director's works, Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic is a panorama of magnificence,celebrating a legendary filmmaker and the remarkable history of Hollywood.

About this title

Review:

"An opulently beautiful photographic history of the director."
--VanityFair.com

"This book, by Cecilia deMille Presley and Mark Vieira, is everything DeMille's movies were -- stupendous, lavish, colorful, too much and not enough. It is packed with fabulous photos -- of the great DeMille stars, mammoth sets, costume sketches. And chock full of anecdotes about the man himself."
--Liz Smith, NewYorkSocialDiary.com

"This lavishly produced book is worthy of its subject: a giant volume celebrating the work of a man who looms over film history, larger than life. Historian and photographer Vieira has culled stunning stills and conceptual artwork from the DeMille archives and photographed surviving props and costumes to illustrate his lively, anecdotal text. The director's loving granddaughter has added her vivid memories of the man she knew and her visits to his movie sets. Scorsese, ever the enthusiast, shares his earliest memories of seeing DeMille movies on a theater screen before discovering his groundbreaking work in the silent era. Whether you choose to read or simply browse, this beautiful tome is well worth owning."
--Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy

Book Description:

For over 40 years, Cecil B. DeMille was the master of cinematic spectacle. Upon the 100th anniversary of the first film made in Hollywood-a film DeMille directed-this epic volume is both a tribute to one of Hollywood's founding fathers and a history of movie grandeur in all its glory. Includes unseen treasures and quotes from current filmmakers!

About this edition

• Publisher: Running Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0762454903
• ISBN 13: 9780762454907
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 408