Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood

Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood by Birchard, Robert S.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780813123240.

In Cecil B. DeMilles Hollywood, Robert S. Birchard offers a detailed and definitive chronicle of the most successful filmmaker in early Hollywood history, going behind studio gates and beyond DeMilles legendary persona. In his forty-five-year career, DeMilles box-office record was unsurpassed, and his swaggering style established the public image for movie directors. DeMille had a profound impact on the way movies tell stories and brought greater attention to the elements of decor, lighting, and cinematography. Best remembered today for screen spectacles such as The Ten Commandments and Samson and Delilah, DeMille also created Westerns, realistic "chamber dramas," and a series of daring and highly influential social comedies. He set the standard for Hollywood filmmakers and demanded absolute devotion to his creative vision from his writers, artists, actors, and technicians. Drawing extensively on DeMilles personal archives and other primary sources, this biography provides a comprehensive and compelling portrait of how Cecil B. DeMilles work changed the course of film history, and a fascinating look at how movies were actually made in Hollywoods Golden Age.