This book provides an informal biography of the wunderkind who became one of Americas greatest living artists and most well-known architects.bull; Provides a timeline of Maya Lins significant life events; artworks; and exhibitions bull; Includes various photographs to accompany the textbull; Contains a bibliography organized by types of sources; including writings by Maya Lin; books; monographs and catalogues; transcripts of interviews; and videosbull; Includes an index of important people and artworks
#352883 in eBooks 2004-10-18 2004-10-18File Name: B005JDR5AG
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Gothic Story of a Universal Classic!By M. NeelsFans of the 1931 Universal Studios "Dracula" will find this book both enlightening and entertaining! Having seen him interviewed in several documentaries on Universals golden age of horror. I find that David Skal is uniquely situated to write the story Draculas long journey from novel to film. In doing so. he recounts both the good and bad experienced by the creative team that brought Dracula to the silver screen. In this book you will learn about the creative. if somewhat eccentric filmmaker F.W. Murnau. who made one of the most creative and successful adaptations of Bram Stokers novel--"Nosferatu"--only to find that he did not have the permission of Bram Stokers widow. who ordered all prints of the film destroyed. Thankfully. someone thought better and preserved the film for modern audiences (it remains one of the great examples of German expressionism in cinema). You will also learn how two playwrights--one British and one American--collaborated to bring Stokers novel to the stage. and about the Hungarian actor with only a rudimentary knowledge of the English language who nonetheless donned the famous black cape and cowl on the Broadway stage. and thus made Dracula a household name! Perhaps the most interesting part of Skals book is his coverage of the making of the 1931 Universal classic. as well as its Spanish counterpart (which many fans claim is the superior film). Here you will learn of disagreements between the creative team over who should play the Transylvanian count. and of Bela Lugosis torturous journey to bring his stage persona to the big screen. All in all. this is a fantastic story--a perfect read to put you in the creepy Halloween spirit--and particularly well suited for film and literary students. as well as the average Universal horror buff!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. "Dracula" has an amazing backstory!By alan yorkHollywood Gothic is a splendid. excellently written record of the long and complicated efforts to bring "Dracula". the landmark Grandfather of the American Horror Film. to the silver screen.Its really a wonder Skals head didnt explode attempting to record all of the legal wrangling. negotiations. offers. counteroffers. bouts of temperament. comings ang goings of various personnel. broken deals cenorship issues and even deaths of individuals potentially connected to the project. An unskilled writer could render all of this a jumbled mess. but Skal makes it all not just coherent. but fascinating.This is an excellent read for anyone interested in Golden Age Hollywood. and should be sought out by students of Horror Cinema. because we came close to not getting the 1931 "Dracula"; had we not. the introduction of the genre could have been profoundly different. had it happened at all.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Hollywood Gothic Entanglement of the Human PsycheBy William R KendallThe author. David J.Skal. develops a slowly unfolding story of how Bram Stoker came to write Dracula. Once the masterpiece. Dracula. comes into existence. that is. published in book form. it takes on a life of its own. It infects the psyche of mankind. slowly. diffusing into the minds and imaginations of a Victorian England -- just like a vampire bite. It spreads into the theater. where the author reveals that Stoker was deeply entangled in its dynamics. Skal goes on to give the history of how this vampiric count rose to Superstardom. once Bela Lugosi steps into the shoes of the character and dawns the cape. I was enthralled with all the nitty-gritty details of the mechanistic workings of Hollywood as well as the organic richness of all the talent it took to bring the movie to the silver screen. I highly recommend this book for both its historical perspective and its glimpse into the psyche of Bram Stoker and the host of Draculas talented and dedicated followers.
