BLAKE EDWARDS
Blake Edwards: Film Director as Multitalented Auteur
is the first critical analysis to focus on the dramatic works of Blake Edwards. Best known for successful comedies such as
The Pink Panther
series with Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards wrote, produced, and directed serious works in radio, television, film, and theater for seven decades. Although hit films such as
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
and
‘10’
remain popular, many of Edwards’s dramas have been forgotten or marginalized.
In this unique book, William Luhr and Peter Lehman draw on original research from numerous set visits and personal interviews with Edwards and many of his creative and business collaborators to explore his dramas, radio and television work, theatrical productions, one-man art shows, and unproduced screenplays. In-depth chapters analyze non-comedic films including
Experiment in Terror
,
Days of Wine and Roses
, and
The Tamarind Seed
, the theatrical feature film
Gunn
and the made-for-television film
Peter Gunn
, the musical adaptation of
Victor/Victoria
, and lesser-known films written but not directed by Edwards, such as
Drive a Crooked Road
.
Throughout the book, the authors apply contemporary film theory to auteur criticism of different works while sharing original insights into how Edwards worked creatively in disparate genres and media using composition, editing, sound, and visual motifs to shape his films and radio and television series.
A one-of-a-kind examination of one of the most influential film directors of his generation,
is an excellent supplementary text for university courses in American cinema, genres, auteurs, and film criticism, and a must-read for critics, scholars, and general readers interested in the works of Blake Edwards.