Slate asked more than 20 prominent filmmakers, critics, and scholars—including Ava DuVernay, Robert Townsend, Charles Burnett, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Wesley Morris, and Henry Louis Gates Jr.—for their favorite movies by filmmakers of color and used their picks to shape our list of the 50 greatest films by black directors. He claims he is innocent. Based on: André Aciman's 2007 coming-of-age novel. This will be on the test: Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin performed all of their own sword fights. Keith Corson: film scholar This will be on the test: Reese Witherspoon produced the film and intended to play Amy, but David Fincher told her she wasn't right for the role. Based on: Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel. Key difference: Many characters in James' novel are changed or omitted, including Julianne Moore's Julian, who is a combination of two novel characters. These lists are important: They affect the types of movies that self-proclaimed cinephiles and casual viewers alike seek out and watch, and they help define our ideas about whose perspectives matter. Based on: Ian McEwan's 2001 metafictional novel. Back cover blurb: Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) writes letters detailing her often painful life in rural Georgia; her separation from her sister, Nettie (Akosua Busia); her relationships with her husband's son's wife, Sofia (Oprah Winfrey); and her husband's sometimes-mistress, Shug (Margaret Avery). All rights reserved. Ripley's admiration accelerates quickly and dangerously as he moves from ingratiating himself in their lives to trying to take them over. Charles Burnett: director (Killer of Sheep, To Sleep With Anger) Read, watch our video supercut, stream an unfamiliar movie or two, argue, and recognize the names on our list for the great filmmakers they are. The first film book I ever bought – or nagged my parents to buy me – and still a model of genre history/criticism, teasing out bigger narratives from the mosaic achievements of individual films. Sculpting in Time is a sort of artistic testament in which Tarkovsky set down his thoughts and memories, revealing the history of and inspiration for his films, including Solaris , The Mirror , Stalker , Nostalgia , The Sacrifice , and others. ReBecca Theodore-Vachon: film critic The 50 Greatest Films by Black Directors. Based on: Rosalind Wineman's 2002 non-fiction self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes, about high school social dynamics. When she suddenly disappears, all eyes are on her shady husband Nick (Ben Affleck). This will be on the test: The animatronic T-Rex weighed 12,000 pounds and would sometimes mysteriously turn on when it rained, scaring the crew. Based on: J.R.R. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 'Selena: The Series' Season 2 Drops This May, Cardi B Lands Her First Starring Movie Role, The Best TV and Movie Wedding Dresses of All Time, The Third 'To All The Boys' Movie Unveils Trailer, Hear the Sitcom-Style 'WandaVision' Theme Song, 'Sex and the City' Revival Is Officially Happening. Reluctant son Michael (Al Pacino) is drawn deeper and deeper into the family business. Best case scenario here is you sell your movie idea and make maybe $50K. The Wizard of Oz is based on a book written by L. Frank Baum by the same title. If you can keep a level head… Back cover blurb: Westley (Cary Elwes) must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Steven Boone: film critic 6. This will be on the test: Three of the film's stars—Damon, Paltrow, and Law—later appeared in Contagion. But it’s not the only step. ... His first Bollywood film Raqeeb was released in 2007 but it tanked at the ticket counters. Back cover blurb: Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) falls under the sway of socialites Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) and Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow) while in Italy on an assignment from Dickie's father. Search the world's most comprehensive index of full-text books. Key difference: Though they still author the Amazing Amy books in the film, Amy's parents play a much smaller role in David Fincher's film. #OscarsSoWhite wasn’t—isn’t—only about a stuffy institution failing to recognize work by people of color. Carl Franklin: director (One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress) Key difference: The book opens with an expansive prologue that explains the history of the ring and hobbits, which was mostly scrapped for the film. The result: Slate’s Black Film Canon. Forget film school — you now have 10 books to read, reread, and memorize before you go out there and make your movie. When Kathryn Bigelow collected her Oscar trophy earlier this year, she did so as only the fourth woman ever nominated in the director category. Back cover blurb: Ambitious high schooler Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) wants to be student body president but is sabotaged by her teacher (Matthew Broderick). This will be on the test: The King novella also included the source material for the films Apt Pupil and Stand By Me. Research the differences and similarities between the book and film versions of The Wizard of Oz. Back cover blurb: Kansas farmgirl Dorothy (Judy Garland) is transported by tornado to a magical land where she immediately murders someone and steals her shoes. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. My library It ultimately went to Michael Gambon. It’s like a two-hour advertisement for your book.” She added, “we loved the writer, we loved the director, we loved the producer, we loved the cast. The film co-stars Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Robert Loggia. Genre work, micro-budget indies, underground documentaries, comedies starring rappers—it was eye-opening to see what movies our panel of experts chose. 96 on AFI’s 2007 list) would ask, “How come there ain’t no brothers up on the wall?”. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, The 19 Best Thanksgiving Movies of All Time, 8 Books We Wish Had Never Been Made Into Movies. Director Jason LaMotte was profoundly affected by his neighbourhood library in Houston Texas – and the magical feeling it carried was the inspiration behind his new film The Library W. Kamau Bell: comedian and podcaster (Denzel Washington Is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period) The exclusion of blackness from these film canons shapes our expectations about what constitutes greatness in film. Tolkien. This will be on the test: Michael Fassbender plays an alcoholic so, in a Method flourish, he asked the makeup artist to paint his mustache with alcohol so that it would trigger a response when other actors smelled it. Ava DuVernay: director (Middle of Nowhere, Selma) HOMEBASE; EPISODES; ORIGIN; SIGNAL ME! In this series of articles I will be focusing on the books written by a few of the actors, directors, and others that work behind the scenes of our favorite horror films. Gina Prince-Bythewood: director (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) Things, uh, do not go well. Back cover blurb: Precocious and imaginative Briony (Saoirse Ronan) stumbles upon her sister (Keira Knightley) and the housekeeper's son (James McAvoy) in an intimate moment. This will be on the test: The book Atonement is based on another book, Henry James's What Maisie Knew. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. I Outed My Mom for Joining a Pro-Trump Protest, 30 Black-Owned Handbag Brands We Hold Dear, Harris Reed is Creating a MAC Beauty Line For All. Key difference: In Gerwig's 2019 adaptation, Alcott's structure is rearranged in a way that modernizes the narrative and restores Alcott's original ending. James' 1992 dystopian thriller. Based on: Patricia Highsmith's 1955 thriller, part of a Ripley series. Floyd Webb: producer (Daughters of the Dust) and director. Dan Kois edits and writes for Slate’s human interest and culture departments. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Wizard of Oz is based on a book written by L. Frank Baum by the same title. Back cover blurb: Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) has a seemingly perfect suburban life and the seemingly perfect childhood—as illustrated in a successful line of books written by her parents. Ada M. Babineaux: co-founder of The Black Filmmakers Network To many Godfather fans, film director Francis Ford Coppola significantly improved on the book and took out a lot of material written by Puzo that was not particularly relevant to the main story. Joe Wright's film externalizes these inner workings with a spare, lush cinematic language. It’s time to fight the canons that be. He spends the next 12 years working on plantations and attempting to reunite with his family. Could you recommend some more books written either by directors or cinematographers; thanks But you should also consider this list an argument for a broader notion of what constitutes a “great” film—after all, many of the movies that have shaped black culture (and the broader American culture) don’t easily fit into the templates of auteurist, art house, or studio “quality” favored by the typical list-makers. 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