Clint Eastwood (USA, b. 1930) is a veteran among the grand masters of contemporary American cinema, whose rise through the system took a highly unusual form. After playing iconic roles in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns of the 1960s, he returned to Hollywood and underwent a controversial reincarnation as the ultraviolent cop Harry. In the 1970s Eastwood began to direct and, in the style of the great directors of the past, made masterpieces in genres ranging from the western (Unforgiven, 1992) to film noir (Mystic River, 2003), a war epic (Letters from Iwo Jima, 2006), a jazz bio-pic (Bird, 1988), a melodrama (The Bridges of Madison County, 1995) and a sports picture (Million Dollar Baby, 2004). His most recent film, Invictus, takes Eastwood to South Africa and the historic figure of Nelson Mandela, as he continues to explore the question underlying all his films: can human beings overcome experiences of violence and evil?
Editorial Review
On the Masters of Cinema Series "Modern directors are briefly and brilliantly profiled in sharp prose and smart pictures in these movie master-classes for film buffs and beginners."-Saga "Short, beautifully illustrated essays on great directors."-The Times "Exceptional value... Lively and accessible... Indispensable."-Obessed With Film "Bargain price. Does an already saturated market need yet more auteur guides? On this evidence, yes... Briskly paced, scalpel-sharp primers... The collective quality is high, the tone scholarly but not intimidating... A triumph of layout as much as content, each book glows with gorgeous on- and off-screen archive photography... Magnifique."-Total Film
About the Author
Bernard Benoliel is director of cultural initiatives at the Cinematheque Francaise. He is a regular contributor to Cinema magazine.