by Scott Eyman
First published 2004
Scott Eyman presents a comprehensive portrait of John Ford, the filmmaker who directed nearly 150 features and earned six Academy Awards between 1895 and 1973. Eyman explores how Ford created an extraordinary catalog of American cinema that included The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, The Quiet Man, and The Searchers. The biography reveals the contradiction between Ford's public dismissals of his artistic ambitions and his private devotion to cinema. Ford would deflect praise by claiming he made pictures simply to pay bills, yet he confessed that filmmaking was the only activity he truly enjoyed. Eyman argues that Ford functioned as America's Homer, crafting stories that defined how the world understood the American experience. The book demonstrates how Ford's Western films and dramas captured something fundamental about American character and mythology, making him the quintessential filmmaker of his nation.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, film
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: biography, filmmaking
Setting: America
Period: 1895-1973
192 pages · Paperback · Taschen GmbH