Inside the Cover Book
Review
Review by Marie
D. Jones
The Power of Film
Howard Suber
Michael Wiese Productions
September 2006
456 pp.
ISBN 1-932907-17-3
Howard Suber has put together a comprehensive guide to storytelling that delves
deeply into the rhymes and reasons behind what makes a truly memorable film.
We're not just talking hot actors and solid action, but the real power of movies
and the stories they tell and how they make their mark on culture, society, and
the collective consciousness of humanity.
Suber, a founder and director of the UCLA program in film history and teacher
extraordinaire, uses the alphabetical approach to film topics that run the gamut
from Accidents, Action, and Antiheroes, to Wisdom, Wounds, and Westerns, and
everything in between, dissecting each topic and giving examples of how films
make use of them effectively (or don't make use of them). Many of the entries
come from Suber's own lectures and lessons on film history, and summarize the
meat of his teachings over time. His insight, wisdom, and perception is clear as
he navigates us, using plenty of examples of films we all know (or should know),
through the web of moviemaking, culminating in an overview of what works on the
screen and what fails to catch on in the hearts and minds of moviegoers.
Intended for film students as much as for people who appreciate the art and
history behind the movies, The Power of Film takes on popular film as
well as the classics, offering a variety of observations about style, technique,
storytelling, acting, and even patterns and structure. Some of the entries are
frustratingly brief, leaving you wanting more information and insight, but most
are just enough to get your juices flowing, eager to read on and absorb the
history of a man who really knows his subject matter.
The Power of Film is a must-have for anyone who wants to make movies, and
a gotta-read for those who don't know a daily from a donut, but love movies
nonetheless. It really is a collection of knowledge that creates a story of its
own; a story of how film has evolved and progressed and made its mark on
society, and in the hearts and minds of individual viewers who sit down before a
big screen in a dark room waiting to be entertained. And if they are lucky, they
will feel the power Suber speaks of, and be transformed.
Marie D. Jones
writes screenplays as well as fiction, articles and essays for several national
publications. Her new book is Looking for God in All the Wrong Places (Paraview
Press). She is the creator of an award-winning children's video, Pig Tales, and
has written and produced several direct-to-video projects in national
distribution. Her greatest creation is her toddler son, Max, co-created by hubby
Ron. They live in San Marcos, California.
