Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The art director, responsible for helping to create the look of a film, is the subject of this book. It surveys the careers of the greatest Hollywood art directors from the silent era to the present, examining their work in detail and analyzing their contribution to films.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Sennett, son of prolific film historian Ted Sennett, has produced an attractive book about Hollywood's art directors-those individuals usually most responsible for the "look" of a film. Wisely, Sennett eschews a straight chronological approach and instead organizes his book by film genre (e.g., musicals, Westerns, science fiction). The illustrations are well chosen, although more color would have been welcome, and the color photos used would be more effective were they not all grouped together. Unfortunately, Sennett's text is only serviceable and relies too much on plot synopses. A detailed look at a film or two, along with the once-over-lightly approach used on the other films, would have helped, as would some interviews. Only for comprehensive film studies collections.-John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

This stunningly illustrated album is a glorious, highly perceptive tribute to Hollywood's unsung heroes-art directors or production designers, who, with responsibility for settings, special effects and a film's overall look, can make or break a movie. Moving from the earliest silents to recent box-office hits, Sennett (Photography and Photographers to 1900) throws a floodlight on the techniques, working habits, personal idiosyncrasies, lives and styles of art directors such as Frank Wortman (Birth of a Nation), Richard Day (On the Waterfront), William Menzies (Gone with the Wind), Dean Tavoularis (The Godfather) and Anton Furst (Batman). He devotes separate chapters to musicals, horror films, westerns, movies with exotic or foreign locales (Lost Horizon; Amadeus) and Alfred Hitchcock, who designed his own films. Film buffs and casual readers will gain a new perspective on cinematic history and how art direction interacts with plot, character and acting to create a unified statement. (Nov.) Fiction (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Sennett gives a meaningful tribute to men and women who have contributed significantly to the visual impact of motion pictures yet have received little recognition from the general public and even from film students. The contributions of Perry Ferguson to the impressive sets of Citizen Kane (1941) and of William Cameron Menzies both in front of and behind the camera on the sets of Gone with the Wind (1939) have been overlooked in many critical studies, which tend to focus on the eccentricities of actors and directors. Though Sennett covers films from the early sound era--e.g., Little Caesar (1931) and Dracula (1931)--to the present day--e.g., Batman (1989)--in some detail, he devotes most of his space to films from the studio era (1931-53), though he samples a wide variety of genres. The 165 illustrations are very well chosen; the proper-name index is adequate. The two-page bibliography is a bit skimpy, but perhaps it is a reflection of the low esteem given to art direction, a vocation involving a very difficult marriage of talent and economy. With its competent text and selected graphics, this book will be a valuable addition to any collection of books on film. Public and academic libraries. R. Blackwood; City Colleges of Chicago

Booklist Review

Sennett's tribute to the relatively unsung creators responsible for the "look" of a film serves as a sort of history of American cinema as well--from the silent period, when art direction evidenced a strong fine art influence; through horror movies, films noir, musicals, westerns, and other genres; to today's big-budget blockbusters, in which computer technology has transformed film design into a complex technical craft. Art direction flourished in the golden age of Hollywood, when the studios had the money and talent to indulge filmmakers' wildest fantasies. By 1970 the end of the studio system, a rise in location shooting, and other factors had diminished the art director's role. The opportunity still exists, however, for art-direction triumphs like The Godfather II and Batman. Sennett's perceptive and informed text singles out the most notable practition~ers of the art and effectively complements the 165 stills and other illustrations (most, unfortunately, in black-and-white) that serve as the best demonstration of the craft this handsome volume celebrates. ~--Gordon Flagg