"Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films

"Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films
by David Thomson

"Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films
List Price: $39.95
Our Price: $23.67
You Save: $16.28 (41%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $21.94 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: David Thomson
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-14
ISBN: 0307264610
Number of pages: 1024
Publisher: Knopf

Book Reviews of "Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films

Book Review: 5 stars for content, minus one for lack of indexes
Summary: 4 Stars

My opinion on the quality and entertainment value of the book coincides with the other 5-star reviews here, so I needn't add more other than to echo the comments already stated. However, I do want to add that the only index is of films by release year - no index for actor, director, genre, etc. And no alphabetical listing other than going through the book page by page (it's arranged alphabetically, but you'll need to know your French numerals: 400 = Quatre Cents, for example).

Summary of "Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films

In 1975, David Thomson published his Biographical Dictionary of Film, and few film books have enjoyed better press or such steady sales.

Now, thirty-three years later, we have the companion volume, a second book of more than 1,000 pages in one voice-that of our most provocative contemporary film critic and historian.

Juxtaposing the fanciful and the fabulous, the old favorites and the forgotten, this sweeping collection presents the films that Thomson offers in response to the question he gets asked most often-"What should I see?" This new book is a generous history of film and an enticing critical appraisal written with as much humor and passion as historical knowledge. Not content to choose his own top films (though they are here), Thomson has created a list that will surprise and delight you-and send you to your best movie rental service.

But he also probes the question: after one hundred years of film, which ones are the best, and why?

"Have You Seen . . . ?"
suggests a true canon of cinema and one that's almost completely accessible now, thanks to DVDs. This book is a must for anyone who loves the silver screen: the perfect confection to dip into at any point for a taste of controversy, little-known facts, and ideas about what to see. This is a volume you'll want to return to again and again, like a dear but argumentative friend in the dark at the movies.


Amazon Best of the Month, October 2008: Having already written (and twice revised) the greatest bathroom book of all time, The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, David Thomson has refreshed his encyclopedic and idiosyncratic understanding of movie history to confect another giant slab of candy for anyone who loves movies or just likes to watch a great mind at work. "Have You Seen...?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films is no cobbled collection of old reviews: written fresh from start to finish, Thomson's page-long profiles often ignore plot to focus instead on the people behind the film or the slippery, personal question of what the movie is actually like to watch. And writing about a thousand films pushes him beyond his favorites into more interesting territory: flaws and failures are often his best subjects. You'll want to discover movies you've never heard of before, and rediscover others you thought you knew well. --Tom Nissley

Guides & Reviews Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Guides & Reviews Books
The End and the Beginning (The Official Guide to the X-Files, Vol. 5) ImageThe End and the Beginning (The Official Guide to the X-Files, Vol. 5)
by Andy Meisler
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2000-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $34.28
The Star Wars Poster Book ImageThe Star Wars Poster Book
by Stephen J. Sansweet, Peter Vilmur
Chronicle Books; Published: 2005-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.00
Price in other shops: $50.00
Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties (2 Volume Set) ImageKeep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties (2 Volume Set)
by Bill Warren
McFarland & Company; Published: 1986-11; Library Binding; Book
Price in other shops: $85.00
The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang ImageThe Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang
by Leonard Maltin, Richard W. Bann
Three Rivers Press; Published: 1992-11-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.66
Price in other shops: $21.95
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual ImageStar Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual
by Herman Zimmerman, Rick Sternbach, Doug Drexler
Star Trek; Published: 1998-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $65.11
The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age ImageThe Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age
by Steven Ascher, Edward Pincus
Plume; Published: 1999-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.49
Price in other shops: $22.00
Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever 2007 ImageVideohound's Golden Movie Retriever 2007
by Jim Craddock
Thomson Gale; Published: 2006-07-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.58
Price in other shops: $24.95
Serenity Official Visual Companion ImageSerenity Official Visual Companion
by Joss Whedon
Titan Books; Published: 2005-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future (updated and expanded edition) ImageThe Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future (updated and expanded edition)
by Debbie Mirek
Star Trek; Published: 1997-12-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $56.00
Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay ImageBrokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay
by Annie Proulx, Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana
Scribner; Published: 2005-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.47
Price in other shops: $16.00
Similar Books and other products
Netherland: A Novel ImageNetherland: A Novel
by Joseph O'Neill
Pantheon; Published: 2008-05-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.25
Price in other shops: $23.95
The White Tiger: A Novel (Man Booker Prize) ImageThe White Tiger: A Novel (Man Booker Prize)
by Aravind Adiga
Free Press; Published: 2008-10-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.75
Price in other shops: $14.00
A Mercy ImageA Mercy
by Toni Morrison
Knopf; Published: 2008-11-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.39
Price in other shops: $23.95
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ImageThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
Knopf; Published: 2008-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops: $24.95
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House ImageAmerican Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
by Jon Meacham
Random House; Published: 2008-11-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.25
Price in other shops: $30.00
2666: A Novel Image2666: A Novel
by Roberto Bolano
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2008-11-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.81
Price in other shops: $30.00
Outliers: The Story of Success ImageOutliers: The Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2008-11-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops: $27.99
The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English ImageThe Secret Life of Words: How English Became English
by Henry Hitchings
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2008-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.81
Price in other shops: $27.00
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film: Expanded and Updated ImageThe New Biographical Dictionary of Film: Expanded and Updated
by David Thomson
Knopf; Published: 2004-11-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.56
Price in other shops: $22.95
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (1,000 Before You Die) Image1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (1,000 Before You Die)
by Tom Moon
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 2008-08-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops: $19.95