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THE MAKING OF SCHINDLER'S LIST

Name: THE MAKING OF SCHINDLER'S LIST
Author: Franciszek Palowski
ISBN: 1-55972-445-5

BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN EPIC FILM

by Franciszek Palowski ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1998

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Palowski is a veteran Polish journalist who served as an informal guide and interpreter for Steven Spielberg during the making of Schindler's List; he kept a diary of sorts, and he now offers a distillation of its contents. This book was written originally for a Polish audience and published there before Spielberg's film was released in Poland. It now appears here in a somewhat awkward translation (``But I am asking him to stop avoiding the issue of my statement''). As a TV and print journalist, Palowski has covered the top echelon of the Polish film industry for many years; he was one of the many people who pushed to bring the filming of Schindler's List to the country in which many of the events took place, and he spent some time with Spielberg before filming began. He may be a battle-hardened reporter, but when he finds himself surrounded by the likes of Spielberg, Ben Kingsley, George Lucas, and other Hollywood heavyweights, he is reduced to Jell-O. Palowski is close friends with the man whose story triggered Thomas Keneally's interest in Schindler's Jews, an LA businessman named Poldek Page, and when he is recounting the stories of Page and other Holocaust survivors, this book is surefooted and fresh. But mostly this slender volume recounts the day-to-day trivia of Spielberg's filming in Krakow and its vicinity, as seen from something of a distance. The book's tone is surprisingly naive, given the author's familiarity with the entertainment industry, and that's what gives it a certain dopey charm, but there's little here that will enlighten those interested in filmmaking, the Holocaust, or Spielberg. (photos, not seen)

Pub Date: March 1, 1998

ISBN: 1-55972-445-5

Page Count: 224

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1998

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.