The Encyclopedia of Best Films: A Century of All the Finest Movies, A-J

(Hardback)

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Description

This all-inclusive A-Z encyclopedia by one of the world's foremost experts on cinema provides comprehensive annotations of the best films produced from 1914 on. The work offers more than 5,000 three- to five-star entries (three stars=good; four stars=excellent; five stars=masterpiece), and yes, author Jay Robert Nash has viewed every single one of them as well as many more that did not "make the cut." In addition to a precis, each film's entry also includes a listing of the cast as well as the key principles involved in production, from the director to the hair stylist. Especially unique to this book is a rating system that helps parents determine whether or not a film is appropriate for their children. Unlike the industry rating system which can be influenced by studio lobbying, Nash objectively evaluates each film and confers upon it one of four recommendations for viewing: recommended, acceptable, cautionary, and unacceptable. Backmatter includes a list of top films by genre (i.e. animated, drama, sports, mystery, adventure etc.) as well as an annotated name index listing all persons mentioned along with their dates of birth and death. Rounding out this essential volume for the film buff are over 500 still photos from the author's private collection.

Reviews

The author of this massive four-volume tome is also the author of the well-known seventeen-volume The Motion Picture Guide (1984-1999). Calling it the most comprehensive work of only the best films ever produced, the author then applies a number of criteria for inclusion, discussed in the introduction. Only feature-length theatrically released films from 1913 through 2015 are examined, all having been watched by the author himself. Every page of the four-volume encyclopedia has a black-and-white photograph from one of the films discussed on that page. More than 5,000 three- to five-star rated films are included, and there is also a rating system for parents to determine whether a film is appropriate for their children. All essential information for each film is provided, along with the author's own rating system: recommended, acceptable, cautionary, and unacceptable. . . I highly recommend this for all academic and public libraries and for programs in film studies. * American Reference Books Annual *
WOW! GOSH! HOLY COW! UNBELIEVABLE! AWESOME! Those are just a few of the words that describe my reaction when I received all four volumes of Rowman & Littlefield's massive The Encyclopedia Of Best Films: A Century Of All The Finest Movies. . . . This encyclopedia is the ultimate film buffs reference source. I have never seen so much work put into a series. Kudos to author Jay Robert Nash. My hat is off to you. What an amazing series! Its an incredibly comprehensive, easy to read and is filled with so many facts, insights and film history that it boggles the mind. . . . It is a remarkable accomplishment one of which I am very impressed. Once you take a look at this monumental work you'll be impressed too. * Boyce McClain's Collectors' Corner *

PRAISE FOR AUTHOR'S PREVIOUS WORKS
A film lover's treasure. . . . A definitive reference work.

Author Bio

Jay Robert Nash is the author of more than seventy single and multi-volume trade and reference works, including the 17-volume Motion Picture Guide, which received two "best reference" awards from the American Library Association. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.