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Monday 12th May

Scenes From A Revolution: The Birth Of The New Hollywood By Mark Harris

Posted at 4:21PM Wednesday 19 Mar 2008

Scenes From A Revolution: The Birth Of The
New Hollywood By Mark Harris
ISBN: 9781847671028

Harris's wider argument works only up to a point. Hollywood has always borrowed and recruited from Europe. German Expressionism became film noir and the Woody Allen of Annie Hall wouldn't exist without Eric Rohmer. But he is correct to show films as the sum of their compromises. Inspired by the freewheeling menage à trois in Truffaut's Jules et Jim, the writers played up Clyde's bisexuality and introduced a three-way sex scene, vetoed by a cautious Beatty.

Tags: Chris Petit