An edition of The Whole Equation (2004)

The Whole Equation

A History of Hollywood

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Last edited by ImportBot
July 30, 2014 | History
An edition of The Whole Equation (2004)

The Whole Equation

A History of Hollywood

  • 0 Ratings
  • 2 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 0 Have read

The "whole equation," a phrase borrowed from F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished Hollywood novel, The Last Tycoon, refers to the balancing of financial acumen, artistic aspiration and sociological savvy that movie moguls needed to keep Hollywood flourishing during the Depression. It's also what Thomson (The New Biographical Dictionary of Film) aims to achieve in his idiosyncratic chronicle of American filmmaking. He explores personalities (Louis B. Mayer, David O. Selznick) and specific films (von Stroheim's Greed, Spielberg's Jaws) to explain the 20th century's shifting sensibilities. Thomson addresses seminal effects from the last 100 years—from the ramifications of sound and color to the chilling consequences of the McCarthy hearings—to explain the culture of moviemaking. His writing is lyrical, but his pronouncements hyperbolic. (His ire against psychiatry, manifested in a dislike of Method acting, is particularly pronounced; its influence on an acting style, claims Thomson, "could yet destroy a society.") Thomson is considerably frustrated with current films and what he sees as moviegoers' lowered expectations. His melancholy metaphor for survival in Hollywood is the 1974 film Chinatown, where "the lone seeker of truth is told to shut up at the end." This fascinating, sometimes frustrating love letter to Hollywood doesn't shirk from exposing the blemishes on Thomson's inamorata. 23 photos.

Publish Date
Publisher
Knopf
Language
English
Pages
416

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The whole equation
The whole equation: a history of Hollywood
February 14, 2006, Vintage
in English
Cover of: The Whole Equation
The Whole Equation: a History of Hollywood
2006, Abacus Software Inc
Paperback
Cover of: The Whole Equation
The Whole Equation
February 3, 2005, Little, Brown
Hardcover
Cover of: The Whole Equation
The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood
November 30, 2004, Knopf
in English

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Book Details


ID Numbers

Open Library
OL7424828M
Internet Archive
wholeequationhisthom
ISBN 10
0375400168
ISBN 13
9780375400162
Library Thing
5506
Goodreads
1086505

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Internet Archive item record

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
July 30, 2014 Edited by ImportBot import new book
April 6, 2014 Edited by ImportBot Added IA ID.
August 5, 2010 Edited by IdentifierBot added LibraryThing ID
April 24, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs.
April 29, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from amazon.com record