Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood

This audio book took me forever. Not because it wasn't interesting, nor because the writing was stilted, nor because the narration was lacking. No, it took forever for three reasons: 1. It is long, more than 20 hours if I remember correctly; 2. My commute time shrank to about 20 minutes and that is where I did the bulk of my audiobook listening; and 3. I had a lot of other things to listen to as well. Still it was interesting stuff.

PICTURES AT A REVOLUTION focuses on the creation of the five movies that would be nominated for best picture at the 1968 Academy Awards. Those five were: Bonnie and Clyde, Dr. Doolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, and In the Heat of the Night. All were products of the Hollywood Studios except for The Graduate, but almost all of them represented a shift in politics, star-power, and style that would influence moviemaking for years to come. Some are considered classics of film while others were box office successes in their day. One was a flop in almost every respect. And while almost everything about their making is inside baseball, it is fascinating to see the figures who shaped these movies into what they would become.

One of these days, I'm going to have to get these films and watch them again. Some I watched relatively recently and some I have not seen in 30 years. It should be interesting now that I know what went into them.