Howard Hawks (1896-1977) is one of America's great film directors. During a career that spanned fifty years and produced more than forty films, this writer, producer, and director made highly successful movies and managed to maintain remarkable artistic control during a time when studio moguls usually ruled. Hawks conquered virtually every genre, including action/adventure, comedy, western, film noir, gangster, science fiction, and musical films.
The remarkable diversity of his work may have kept Hawks from being as easily recognized as his contemporaries Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford. Hawks brought a unique stamp to all of his films by mixing dramatic and comedic elements, manipulating gender conventions, emphasizing story and dialogue, and eschewing cinematic trickery and sentimentality. His classic oeuvre includes films such as
Scarface
,
Only Angels Have Wings
His Girl Friday
Sergeant York
Bringing Up Baby
The Big Sleep
Red River
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
, and
Rio Bravo
.
This collection of interviews takes the reader from talks with his admirers in the French press to revealing discussions late in his life. By his own admission, Hawks was above all a storyteller. These interviews are replete with entertaining anecdotes.
Howard Hawks: Interviews
is a diverse collection offering valuable access to the life and career of one of the most fiercely independent filmmakers in the history of Hollywood.