The Playboy Interviews: The Directors

The Playboy Interviews: The Directors

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. For those who read Playboy magazine "strictly for the articles," Stephen Randall and the editors of the legendary men's magazine have thoughtfully compiled sixteen of the magazine's best interviews with movie directors (sans playmates). Ranging from Orson Welles and Federico Fellini to Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers, the lengthy, unpredictable interviews prove compelling throughout. Eric Norden's conversation with Stanley Kubrick begins with a discussion of 2001: A Space Odyssey and quickly veers into the nature of God and the meaning of life. The centerpiece of Larry DuBois' 1971 conversation with Roman Polanski is a wrenching discussion of the director's experience dealing with the murder of his wife Sharon Tate and their friends by the Manson family. Elvis Mitchell's 1991 interview with Spike Lee sparkles; Mitchell engages Lee in a spirited and multifaceted discussion of the state of race relations, as well as Lee's often contentious relationship with the press and his industry peers. Since the interviews have no length restriction, interviewers are able to probe deep into their subjects and allow them to ramble expansively. While some of the material is dated, most of the interviews were conducted during particularly fertile periods for their subjects, resulting in a detailed snapshot of where these directors were at pivotal career moments.Copyright