Review
"Minghella is a master of detail." --Barbara Schulgasser, The San Francisco Examiner
Book Description
A former playwright with only two movies under his belt, Anthony Minghella took Hollywood by storm in 1996 with The English Patient, a universally lauded epic described by Roger Ebert as "[A] poetic, evocative film . . . told with sweep and visual richness." This robust romance garnered nine Academy Awards, amongst them Best Picture and Best Director. His follow-up, The Talented Mr. Ripley, combined stunning vistas with the masterful suspense of studio-era Hollywood; praised by the New York Times' Janet Maslin as a "hypnotic, sensually charged adaptation," the film also found the attention of the Academy, receiving five nominations. With yet another ambitious adaptation creating tremendous buzz--Charles Frazier's best-selling Cold Mountain--Minghella is well on his way to becoming one of the most respected directors of the decade.
A thorough craftsman painstakingly involved with each step of the moviemaking process, Minghella here shares knowledge gleaned from years of experience as a musician and writer for the theater. Praised for his ability to adapt the psychological density of the novel to the silver screen, he discusses the screenwriting process at length, imparting valuable lessons regarding pacing and narrative with a refreshing perspective as unique as the characters that pass before his lens.
About the Author
Timothy Bricknell assisted Anthony Minghella in the making of The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) and then produced his film version of Samuel Beckett's Play (2000). He is an associate producer of Cold Mountain (2003). This is his first book.
Minghella on Minghella FROM THE PUBLISHER
Anthony Minghella grew up above his Italian parents' cafe on the Isle of Wight. He studied and then taught at the University of Hull, where he began to write. His prize-winning plays appeared in the theatre, on radio and television. His debut feature film, which he wrote and directed, Truly, Madly, Deeply, was a huge surprise hit with audiences everywhere, and each of his subsequent pictures has seen him grow in ambition, stature and acclaim, from the epic scope of The English Patient to the lustre of The Talented Mr. Ripley and, most recently, his monumental adaptation of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain.