Books
On Film-Making – An introduction to the craft of the director
(Faber and Faber, 2004; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)
A 300-page collection of writings and sketches by British film director Alexander Mackendrick, edited by Paul Cronin.
Here for the table of contents
Here for extracts published in Scriptwriter magazine.
Here for reviews.
Book flyer here.
Accompanying film: Mackendrick on Film (PDF flyer here).
Here and here for articles about Mackendrick's teachings.
Here for Mackendrick's artwork for one of his unrealised projects.
Here for details of the Museum of Modern Art's tribute to Mackendrick.
Article about Mackendrick's life and work.
Go to amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.
Reviews
'Invaluable... I can easily imagine a college without a film program building a curriculum around these writings.'
'Extraordinarily useful.'
'Mr. Cronin's provided a great service in his work on Mackendrick. Tight Little Island and The Ladykillers are perfect films. Any director knows they are worthy of both study and awe, and this book brings them, and Mackendrick, into contemporary focus perfectly.'
'Remarkable... It has the salutary effect of demystifying the art of film direction.'
'A fascinating book, being essentially the notes by which Alexander Mackendrick taught at CalArts. It is intelligent and practical - nothing like the film business.'
'Mackendrick was a fine director and a superb teacher, and [his] book offers incisive advice on all phases of production, from screenwriting to editing… [On Film-making] forms one of our finest records of a director’s conception of his art and craft.’
David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
'Mackendrick had a gift for lucidity of thought and language that helped to demystify film-making while retaining a sense of its magic and wonder. This book is as vital and enjoyable for the watcher of films as their potential maker.'
'Exhilarating... eminently readable.'
'Impressive... Mackendrick's voice - practical, ironic, articulate, intensely sceptical of the least hint of 'director as superstar' - comes through strongly.'
'An invaluable analysis of the director's art and craft.'
'There are riches here for anyone seeking a clearer understanding of why good film-making is so powerful and poor practice generates dull viewing.'
Variety Film Guide
'This eminently accessible collection of teaching notes and sketches lays bare the myth of moviemaking, and should prove essential reading for anyone with an interest in its art and craft.'
'Packed with wisdom about directing.'