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James Cameron: A Retrospective
James Cameron is the most successful filmmaker of all time by some margin. Which is something we tend to take for granted. The question at the heart of his story isn’t only how this came about, but what is it about Cameron that makes him such a universal storyteller? Cinema has had its godlike directors, lifting it up into new spaces, but he is their Zeus. The man who made the biggest film of all time, Titanic, then topped that by making the next biggest film of all time, Avatar. Encapsulating not only the magnitude of James Cameron as a filmmaker but the minutiae too – the incredible stories of an artist whose commitment to the medium knows few bounds. The tales behind the films are as epic as the films themselves. The astonishing making of The Abyss, much of it shot submerged in a decommissioned nuclear plant, could fill a book on its own. James A Retrospective is an enthralling and beautifully illustrated film-by-film biography – from The Terminator to Aliens to Avatar 2 – of the most popular director in movie history.
- GenresNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
Published November 22, 2022
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31 people want to read
About the author
Ian Nathan
30 books110 followersIan Nathan is the popular, London-based author of Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth, The Coen Brothers: The Filmmakers and their Films, Alien Vault, Terminator Vault, and many other books, many of which have really long titles.
He is the former editor of Empire Magazine.
If you live in the UK, you may also know from from the Discovering Film series on Sky Arts television extolling the virtues of classic film stars and directors, and he can also be heard on Talk Radio every Friday afternoon, mostly berating the state of current movies. He is just about younger than this makes him sound.
He is the former editor of Empire Magazine.
If you live in the UK, you may also know from from the Discovering Film series on Sky Arts television extolling the virtues of classic film stars and directors, and he can also be heard on Talk Radio every Friday afternoon, mostly berating the state of current movies. He is just about younger than this makes him sound.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 31, 2022
James Cameron is an upcoming book by Ian Nathan.
In this book, Nathan covers all of the movies that James Cameron has made, with an emphasis on the movies themselves rather than Cameron.
I found this book to be a good introduction to these movies. There is a chapter devoted to each movie, which describes some elements of the movies, such as how they hired the main actors and how much the movie costed. The book also begins with a short biography of Cameron's early life, and how that informed his movies. I particularly like the pictures in the book. While most are just stills from the movies, a few (especially for Avatar) are the actual concept drawings, which were interesting to look at.
However, there is much I did not like about this book. My biggest gripe is how biased it is. Nathan is clearly a huge fan of Cameron, which is fine but I wish the book had been less opinionated. For example, every time Nathan mentions Cameron's rudeness or even abuse of his people, Nathan excuses it by talking about how passionate and sure of himself Cameron is. I would have preferred if Nathan only said that once, if at all. I also wish there was more information about each movie. The information is mostly random, such as some telling us the release dates and others not, or some describing where the movie was shot and some not, etc.
In conclusion, I found this to be an okay book. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for an introduction to all of James Cameron's movies, but I would not recommend to someone looking for a biography of Cameron or a more in depth biography of his movies.
Thank you to Palazzo for this ARC on NetGalley.
In this book, Nathan covers all of the movies that James Cameron has made, with an emphasis on the movies themselves rather than Cameron.
I found this book to be a good introduction to these movies. There is a chapter devoted to each movie, which describes some elements of the movies, such as how they hired the main actors and how much the movie costed. The book also begins with a short biography of Cameron's early life, and how that informed his movies. I particularly like the pictures in the book. While most are just stills from the movies, a few (especially for Avatar) are the actual concept drawings, which were interesting to look at.
However, there is much I did not like about this book. My biggest gripe is how biased it is. Nathan is clearly a huge fan of Cameron, which is fine but I wish the book had been less opinionated. For example, every time Nathan mentions Cameron's rudeness or even abuse of his people, Nathan excuses it by talking about how passionate and sure of himself Cameron is. I would have preferred if Nathan only said that once, if at all. I also wish there was more information about each movie. The information is mostly random, such as some telling us the release dates and others not, or some describing where the movie was shot and some not, etc.
In conclusion, I found this to be an okay book. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for an introduction to all of James Cameron's movies, but I would not recommend to someone looking for a biography of Cameron or a more in depth biography of his movies.
Thank you to Palazzo for this ARC on NetGalley.
October 6, 2022
James Cameron is arguably one of the most influential directors alive, but has received less scholarly attention than peers like Lucas or Spielberg, not to mention the likes of Kubrick. While I don't think his earlier films have been forgotten by any means - they remain very popular - they also don't get the constant marketing and attention that ongoing franchises like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings get. As such, Ian Nathan's retrospective is a timely reminder of what Cameron has accomplished in cinema.
The book covers each of Cameron's films chronologically, along with chapters about Cameron's ocean documentaries and upcoming Avatar films. It briefly touches upon films Cameron produced, like "Alita: Battle Angel," but mostly focuses on those films Cameron himself directed. The book does mention major events in Cameron's personal life, but mostly sticks to the films.
The stories behind some of Cameron's films are almost as amazing as the films themselves. Aliens, Terminator 2, and Titanic all had extensive behind the scenes drama, dangerous stunts, and game-changing technology ("Avatar" comes across as the only Cameron film with a smooth production history). Cameron himself comes across as a force of nature, a man with an indomitable work ethic who doesn't tolerate fools easily.
If anything, the book leans into the myth of James Cameron a bit too much. The book does veer a bit into hagiography. Nathan is obviously a fan of Cameron's work - he regularly calls him the most successful director alive - and has very little negative to say about the man or his films. There's no critical examination of why "Avatar" leaned so heavily into white savior tropes. There's also surprisingly little about Cameron as a person. The description of Cameron's friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger were fascinating because they seemed to be a rare glimpse into Cameron bonding with someone on a human level.
This book is a great way to refamiliarize yourself with Cameron and his movies before his next Avatar movie - his first film in more than a decade - is released. I'm quite familiar with the history of cinema, but probably how singular his successes have been (Titanic and Avatar are two of the only films to make over a billion dollars that weren't tied to an existing franchise). The book is probably less appropriate for readers seeking a critical or scholarly examination of Cameron's works, or for readers primarily interested in a biography of Cameron's life.
The book covers each of Cameron's films chronologically, along with chapters about Cameron's ocean documentaries and upcoming Avatar films. It briefly touches upon films Cameron produced, like "Alita: Battle Angel," but mostly focuses on those films Cameron himself directed. The book does mention major events in Cameron's personal life, but mostly sticks to the films.
The stories behind some of Cameron's films are almost as amazing as the films themselves. Aliens, Terminator 2, and Titanic all had extensive behind the scenes drama, dangerous stunts, and game-changing technology ("Avatar" comes across as the only Cameron film with a smooth production history). Cameron himself comes across as a force of nature, a man with an indomitable work ethic who doesn't tolerate fools easily.
If anything, the book leans into the myth of James Cameron a bit too much. The book does veer a bit into hagiography. Nathan is obviously a fan of Cameron's work - he regularly calls him the most successful director alive - and has very little negative to say about the man or his films. There's no critical examination of why "Avatar" leaned so heavily into white savior tropes. There's also surprisingly little about Cameron as a person. The description of Cameron's friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger were fascinating because they seemed to be a rare glimpse into Cameron bonding with someone on a human level.
This book is a great way to refamiliarize yourself with Cameron and his movies before his next Avatar movie - his first film in more than a decade - is released. I'm quite familiar with the history of cinema, but probably how singular his successes have been (Titanic and Avatar are two of the only films to make over a billion dollars that weren't tied to an existing franchise). The book is probably less appropriate for readers seeking a critical or scholarly examination of Cameron's works, or for readers primarily interested in a biography of Cameron's life.
October 7, 2022
James Cameron: A Retrospective, by Ian Nathan, is an attractive and very informative look at the astounding career (so far) of this iconic director.
As I have come to expect in Nathan's books, there is a lot of backstory to every film, done sequentially, with Cameron's life woven into the narrative where it helps to highlight the career. The exception being that there is a nice early life background to open the book, but even here it is told with an eye toward how it influenced his filmmaking career. In other words, this isn't (nor does it claim to be) a biography.
Some might think Nathan is too flattering to Cameron, but that is, I think, a misreading. We see where he could be difficult, where he fell short, but those times he succeeded simply defy anything but what appears to be hyperbole. Multimillion dollar blockbusters? How about multibillion dollar! How do you explain a large view of movie making, with large production requirements, resulting in (very) large success except in large language? That isn't "lean[ing] into the myth" of Cameron so much as reporting the facts that support the myth. But myth it is.
If you look at dollars, then I guess you can say he is the most successful. I don't know but I have to assume that is the criteria. Otherwise, he is simply one of a select group of tremendously successful directors. I am less a fan of his than several of his contemporaries, though I greatly admire several of his films.
This volume highlights the vision he has, how he brings that vision to film, and, of course, the success his filmed vision has had. If you love the craft of filmmaking, you will enjoy this book. If you just love these films, you will enjoy this book.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
As I have come to expect in Nathan's books, there is a lot of backstory to every film, done sequentially, with Cameron's life woven into the narrative where it helps to highlight the career. The exception being that there is a nice early life background to open the book, but even here it is told with an eye toward how it influenced his filmmaking career. In other words, this isn't (nor does it claim to be) a biography.
Some might think Nathan is too flattering to Cameron, but that is, I think, a misreading. We see where he could be difficult, where he fell short, but those times he succeeded simply defy anything but what appears to be hyperbole. Multimillion dollar blockbusters? How about multibillion dollar! How do you explain a large view of movie making, with large production requirements, resulting in (very) large success except in large language? That isn't "lean[ing] into the myth" of Cameron so much as reporting the facts that support the myth. But myth it is.
If you look at dollars, then I guess you can say he is the most successful. I don't know but I have to assume that is the criteria. Otherwise, he is simply one of a select group of tremendously successful directors. I am less a fan of his than several of his contemporaries, though I greatly admire several of his films.
This volume highlights the vision he has, how he brings that vision to film, and, of course, the success his filmed vision has had. If you love the craft of filmmaking, you will enjoy this book. If you just love these films, you will enjoy this book.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
February 2, 2023
Pan Cameron jméno mé ! 🙂🎬
Střih, klapka, akce … parádní kniha- autobiografie známého režiséra majícího na svém kontě ty největší filmové trháky jako jsou Vetřelec, Titanic, Avatar …atd.
Kniha nabízí pěkné, velké fotografie - záběry z filmů, popisy a především odhaluje život J.C. Jeho začátky s natáčením, nápady a rafinované kousky, které pomohly dát jeho filmům vysoké hodnocení u mnoha filmových kritiků. Naleznete zde odpovědi na Cameronovo dětství, jaká byla jeho cesta a různé životní překážky. Kniha rozebírá i Cameronovu spolupráci s herci, ze kterých se později stali životní přátelé. Knihu doporučuji těm, kteří se zajímají o filmovou tvorbu a mají rádi Cameronův styl a žánr.
Střih, klapka, akce … parádní kniha- autobiografie známého režiséra majícího na svém kontě ty největší filmové trháky jako jsou Vetřelec, Titanic, Avatar …atd.
Kniha nabízí pěkné, velké fotografie - záběry z filmů, popisy a především odhaluje život J.C. Jeho začátky s natáčením, nápady a rafinované kousky, které pomohly dát jeho filmům vysoké hodnocení u mnoha filmových kritiků. Naleznete zde odpovědi na Cameronovo dětství, jaká byla jeho cesta a různé životní překážky. Kniha rozebírá i Cameronovu spolupráci s herci, ze kterých se později stali životní přátelé. Knihu doporučuji těm, kteří se zajímají o filmovou tvorbu a mají rádi Cameronův styl a žánr.
November 9, 2022
It was a pleasure reading this book. It provides insightful backstories to film produced by James Cameron. I find it quite inspirational, reading about a young 22 years old James who gave up his job in order to pursue his passion. A lesson of determination, persistence and hard work.
January 28, 2024
A great insight, making of, review and tribute to Cameron’s work to date!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews