New Books - September 2008

PN1998 .C44 2006

Chambers Film Factfinder

Publisher: Chambers

CHOICE Review:

This new addition to the Chambers "Factfinder" collection is a quick guide to a wide assortment of movie industry facts. The guide is presented in five major sections: "People in Film," "Film Categories and Genres," "Film-Producing Countries," "100 Notable Films," and "Film Reference." "Index of Film Titles" is included in the back. Actor and director biographies are short, with the editors providing the individuals' career highs and lows. "Film-Producing Countries" offers a brief history along with the current status of the industry in the country being cited. Key actors, directors, and movies are included. The section on 100 notable films gives a brief description of each movie with an explanation of why the film is noteworthy. Also worthwhile is the section that breaks down films by category and genre. Although much of this information is available from the Internet or from more extensive encyclopedias and guides, Chambers provides another at-a-glance guide to brief snippets on some of the industry's most important film stars and directors. Not considered a comprehensive work, this guide proves to be both entertaining and informative. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-/upper-level undergraduates, general readers. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by M. W. Wildman. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.