Cecil B. Demille's Hollywood by Robert S. Birchard, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters

Cecil B. DeMille was the most successful filmmaker in early Hollywood history. In a forty-five-year career he directed seventy films and was involved as producer, co-director, screenwriter - even actor - in dozens of others. His box-office record was unsurpassed, and his swaggering style established the public image for movie directors. Equally significant was DeMille's influence on the art of motion pictures. He has had a profound impact on the way movies tell stories and brought greater attention to the elements of decor, lighting, and cinematography. DeMille was also largely responsible for making screen stars of Gloria Swanson, Charles Laughton, and Charlton Heston. Best remembered today for screen spectacles such as The Ten Commandments and Samson and Delilah, DeMille also created Westerns, realistic \"chamber dramas,\" and a series of daring and highly influential social comedies. He set the standard for Hollywood filmmakers and demanded absolute devotion to his creative vision from his writers, artists, actors, and technicians. Drawing extensively on DeMille's personal archives and other primary sources, Robert S. Birchard offers a revealing portrait of DeMille the filmmaker that goes behind studio gates and beyond DeMille's legendary persona. Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood is a detailed and definitive chronicle of screen work that changed the course of film history and a fascinating look at how movies were actually made in Hollywood's Golden Age. | Cecil B. Demille's Hollywood by Robert S. Birchard, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters