"Dick Sylbert was arguably the most gifted production designer of his generation. When he died, he left the kernel of a memoir, which has been used as the basis for this riveting account of his life in the movies." -- Peter Biskind, author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N'Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
Preface and Acknowledgments Sylvia Townsend 1. Thoughts on Production Design Richard Sylbert 2. Introduction to Richard Sylbert Sylvia Townsend 3. New York in the 1950s and William Cameron Menzies Richard Sylbert 4. A Chance to Design a Feature Film in Town Richard Sylbert 5. Baby Doll Richard Sylbert 6. The Fugitive Kind Richard Sylbert 7. A Face in the Crowd Richard Sylbert 8. Long Day's Journey into Night Richard Sylbert 9. The Manchurian Candidate Richard Sylbert 10. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Richard Sylbert 11. The Graduate Richard Sylbert 12. Rosemary's Baby Sylvia Townsend 13. Catch-22 Sylvia Townsend 14. The World of the 1970s Richard Sylbert 15. Carnal Knowledge Richard Sylbert 16. Chinatown Richard Sylbert 17. Shampoo Sylvia Townsend 18. Reds Sylvia Townsend 19. The Cotton Club Sylvia Townsend 20. Tequila Sunrise Sylvia Townsend 21. Dick Tracy Sylvia Townsend 22. Carlito's Way Sylvia Townsend 23. My Best Friend's Wedding Sylvia Townsend Afterword Sharmagne Leland-St. John-Sylbert Notes Index Photo essay follows
Richard Sylbert was an Academy Award-winning production designer. His credits include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Reds, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, The Cotton Club, and Dick Tracy. Sylvia Townsend is an editor and writer whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times. She developed an interest the film industry in the late 1970s, when she worked as an intern for The Hollywood Reporter. Sharmagne Leland-St. John-Sylbert is a poet, concert performer, lyricist, artist, and filmmaker. She has worked as an actress, production designer, and screenwriter, and is Editor-in-Chief of the poetry e-zine Quill and Parchment.com. She is author of Unsung Songs and Silver Tears and Time.
This intimate portrait is composed of Sylbert's unfinished memoirs
augmented by interviews with collaborators and leading directors
including Elia Kazan, Mike Nichols, Roman Polanski, and Warren
Beatty. Aficionados will enjoy the candid observations about this
talented, intellectual, often tempestuous designer and the
off-camera stories of the making of these films. The book is at its
best when Sylbert discusses his designs in terms of metaphor,
stylistic structure, restricted color palettes, and authenticity of
details….Extensive collections serving upper-division
undergraduates and above.
*Choice*
Sylbert was the late (d. 2002) Academy Award-winning production
designer for such films as Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?, The
Graduate, Rosemary's Baby, and Chinatown. At his wife's request,
Hollywood writer/editor Townsend edited his unfinished memoir in
the third person. Included are his thoughts on production design
and art direction, and her assessment of his contributions which
went beyond design, and quirks. The book includes photos and
drawings of his film sets, and some character- revealing anecdotes
by his wife, Sharmagne Leland-St. John- Sylbert.
*Reference & Research Book News*
When director Roman Polanski was looking for the perfect location
for Rosemary's Baby, production-designer extraordinaire Richard
Sylbert immediately suggested The Dakota, a classy Upper West Side
apartment building. In Designing Movies: Portrait of a Hollywood
Artist (Praeger), Oscar-winner Sylbert (posthumously co-authored by
Sylvia Townsend, who expanded his memoir) neatly answers the
question, What does a production designer do? Townsend also
interviewed some of his famous collaborators, such as Francis Ford
Coppola and Warren Beatty, to garner a behind-the-scenes portrait
of a cinematic visionary. Considering the films Sylbert worked on,
such as The Graduate, Reds, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the
exceptional Chinatown, there isn't a better candidate to explain
why design is so critical to a films success.
*Encore: The Performing Arts Magazine*
[A] finely written history and an elegant tribute to a great
man….[a] fascinating ride through the Hollywood glory days of the
''60s, '70s and early '80s--a candid, pungent, wonderfully detailed
tour.
*Hollywood Elsewhere*
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