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Summary: A Book for Film Buffs, Disney Fans and Aspiring Filmmakers
Review: John West's book offers an inside view of the film studio that chose to be different and became one of the nation's largest entertainment empires. The Disney difference was not just in content, but in how the studio was run. In the days when Walt was alive, the emphasis was on the script and on creativity, resulting in an esprit de corps among writers that no other studio could match.West brings objective balance to previous critics of Walt Disney's operational style as well as critics of Disney films. West reveals a man more complex, and therefore more real, than his critics have portrayed. Stories by members of the Disney corps describe a man both tough and fair, tempestuous, but also willing to let the battle drop, frugal, but almost always willing to put the creative vision ahead of cost concerns. West adroitly uses the right word for the right job in a manner that subtly shades his arguments and helps the reader see the finer distinctions he is making with regard to Disney's character. Disney was a man of the people, not given to the usual pretentious behavior of Hollywood executives. As a result, his heroes-like those in earlier Frank Capra films-were the little people, given a rare moment in life to show their courage, which always derived from their principles rather than from rising to meet someone else's expectations of what a hero should be. Disney the man cherished those beliefs in his own dealings with people, having, as West shows, an elastic view of his employee's talents, willing to let them move in directions where they had not had a chance to prove themselves because he saw the desire within. When Walt died, the studio floundered for almost two decades. One of the big changes that led to the decline at Disney Studios came because the new executives were strictly businessmen, not men of creativity. Not understanding the creative process as Walt had, they no longer placed the primary emphasis on the writer and the story, but tried in simplistic ways to mimic the family-values content of previous Disney material without recognizing that good stories are never written by committee. Although Walt shaped scripts in consort with his writers in a highly patriarchal fashion, he was a consumate creator himself-something the later suits at Disney were not-and he always left the final incorporation of his vision or revision with the original writer of the screenplay. Though Disney Studios has recovered from its perilous decline, it's executives might fine-tune their newly recovered success by reading this book and by realizing that the Disney difference was not just content, but an operational style that let writers see their own vision through from origination to the final shooting copy of their script. A good book for wannabe filmmakers, but an even better book for established film executives.
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Summary: More, more!
Review: This is a great book, and I hope they write a follow up that focuses more on interviews with the principle screenwriters, actors, directors, and such. Very entertaining, and even in my huge library of over 60 books on Disney,it stands out as being the only book that focuses on their live action subject. The author breaks down each film, listing titel, cast and crew, synopsis, a review (he does a great job at this). He includes behind thescenes information and comments from participants. Very few pictures,I wish there were more. Overall it is very comprehensive considering the library of live action films from Disney is much bigger than most people realize. It is alsocurrently the BEST and most COMPLETE book on this subject. I am grateful at having found this book. If you want more on the subject of Disney films, I reccommend the following books for sale at Amazon: THe Disney Films by Leonard Maltin; the Disney Studio Story by Richard Hollisand Brian Sibley; The wonderful World of Disney Animals by chief animal trainer William Koehler; Walt, Backstage Adventures with Walt Disney by Charles Shows; One of Walt's Boys by Harry Tytle.
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Summary: "TOP TEN" Reference book on the Walt Disney Studios
Review: Though often overlooked, live-action films brought some of the most talented artists in film history to the Walt Disney Studios. John West takes readers "behind the scenes" on such productions as The Absent-Minded Professor, Davy Crockett, The Gnome-Mobile, The Happiest Millionaire, Mary Poppins, Old Yeller, The Parent Trap, Pollyanna, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Zorro, and many more. West's commitment to this project is demonstrated in over six years of research and extensive interviews with studio cast and crewmembers. Noted interviews included Bill Anderson, Ken Annakin, Buddy Baker, Emile Kuri, Dorothy McGuire, Sam McKim, Fess Parker, Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman. Behind any great film, a fascinating backstory usually resides. John West's book contains scores of interesting stories; all vividly illustrating the talent and creativity that was present at the studio during Walt's lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: "TOP TEN" Reference book on the Walt Disney Studios
Review: Though often overlooked, live-action films brought some of the most talented artists in film history to the Walt Disney Studios. John West takes readers "behind the scenes" on such productions as The Absent-Minded Professor, Davy Crockett, The Gnome-Mobile, The Happiest Millionaire, Mary Poppins, Old Yeller, The Parent Trap, Pollyanna, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Zorro, and many more. West's commitment to this project is demonstrated in over six years of research and extensive interviews with studio cast and crewmembers. Noted interviews included Bill Anderson, Ken Annakin, Buddy Baker, Emile Kuri, Dorothy McGuire, Sam McKim, Fess Parker, Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman. Behind any great film, a fascinating backstory usually resides. John West's book contains scores of interesting stories; all vividly illustrating the talent and creativity that was present at the studio during Walt's lifetime.
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