Over 570 colour photographs

• The history of the cinema, its directors and stars, from the silent era to the films of today



• Special coverage of the genres such as Western, musical, adventure, comedy, film noir, horror, science fiction and animation



• Over 570 photographs, including many rare posters and screen stills



• Featuring a roll-call of Academy Award winners from the first ceremony up to this year

The cinema has entranced many of us with its magic. It has taken us into space and back to times gone by, shown us how love blooms and introduced us to other life forms, all in the space of a couple of hours. This book is the story of the movies, told through the people who star in them and those who work behind the scenes.

All the great stars are here - the Garbos, Brandos, Deans and Monroes - each individually described, with pictures of them in their greatest roles. Also included are individual accounts of the great directors including Sam Mendes, Francis Coppola and Oliver Stone.

No movie book would be complete without a look at movie genre from the early silent movies through the musicals, westerns and thrillers of more recent times. The highs of Hollywood Oscars to the lows of Hollywood scandals and tragedies are also covered. Up-to-date information on computer generated imagery, digital animation and special effects allows you a closer look at the silver screen.

About the Authors

Don Shiach - Author

Don Shiach grew up and was educated in Aberdeen, Scotland. His lifelong interest in the cinema resulted in his teaching film appreciation at school and university level; he was also awarded a D.Phil from Sussex University, England, for his study of authorship in the American cinema. He is the author of The Hollywood Movie Quiz Book, The Films of Peter Weir and The Films of Jack Nicholson. He runs a business dealing in movie memorabilia.