American Independent Cinema: A Sight and Sound Reader

by Jim Hillier

This work examines independent cinema as an influence on European and mainstream Hollywood, combining interviews with directors, features on major genres and reviews of some key films. It adopts a broad definition of US indie film including material on Tarantino, the Coen Brothers and Gus van Sant.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2000

Reviews

[Jimmy Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in great independent film, of course this was before it was all sad Zack Braff faces, precocious pregnant teenagers, and Steve Carrell playing a Proust scholar (?), this is an excellent guide to some of the most notable independent filmmakers dating back to the late sixties. Filled with different interviews and essays from quite possibly one of the most informative film periodicals in print, this book offers glimpses into the films of some of the most visionary American auteurs of the past three decades. Starting off with Warhol, Brakhage, Cassavettes, and Altman, the book traces the definitive roots of independent cinema in the states. A flawlessly edited book that comparatively reveals the unique characteristics of uncompromising films by directors who stopped at nothing to see their very specific, filmic universes realized, American Independent Cinema is more than an average collection of cinema journalism, it's (figuratively speaking) a handbook for independent filmmaking.