The American Film Institute Desk Reference - Hardcover

Relying on a small team of contributors (among them several Hollywood celebrities), the editors have produced a six-part compendium beginning with "Movie History," a chronology of motion pictures from 1830 through mid-2002. "Movie Basics" covers the fundamental components of the film industry, while "Movie Crafts" focuses on the skills and terminology involved in moviemaking, ranging from writing and directing to designing costumes and editing. Featuring brief biographies of principal figures, "People in Film" is subdivided by professions, such as actors, directors, and special-effects artists. "Films" includes lists of winners of major film awards, annotated versions of several of the AFI's lists of best movies, movie quotations, and brief overviews of cinema in other countries. The final section, "Sources," provides directories of studios, organizations, film schools, and other institutions associated with the film industry as well as lists of recommended publications and online resources.

Although the index is useful, it is not comprehensive, failing, for example, to provide access to such features as a sidebar about DivX and tips for finding an agent. In addition, because the numerous glossaries of film terms are not indexed, finding a specific term can be frustrating. More troubling is the apparent lack of rigorous fact checking. The biography of composer John Williams indicates that he is still conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position he hasn't held since 1993, and the membership of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is given as 39,000 although ASCAP's Web site indicates it currently has more than 140,000 members.

In spite of these problems, this attractive and fact-filled compilation is a bargain. Particularly suited for home libraries, it will also be a useful addition to high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB
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