It Don't Worry Me: The Revolutionary American Films of the Seventies

In this vibrant paean to 10 director-giants of the late 20th century, freelance film critic Gilbey shows how the early works of Martin Scorcese, Brian de Palma, Woody Allen and others""irrevocably transformed movies and their audiences in ways that continue to affect cinema today."" Provocative, charming and authoritative, Gilbey's book analyzes the techniques of the men who changed Hollywood and offers a refreshingly different vocabulary for thinking about film: Gilbey speaks of the""clarity"" and""purity"" Francis Ford Coppola achieved in The Conversation, and the""sumptuous surface"" of The Godfather. The careful discussion dedicated to lesser-known films will prompt readers to add movies like George Lucas's THX 1138 and Jonathan Demme's Citizens Band to their must-see lists. And while readers may not agree with Gilbey's assessment of Apocalypse Now--""liberal outrage becomes a screen upon which to project the flickering lightshow of boastful destruction""--they will probably be impressed by its efficient phrasing. Gilbey also provides a sense of the films' political and economic contexts, and peppers his analysis with interesting factoids (e.g., Paramount accidentally destroyed a rare print of Terrence Malick's classic, Days of Heaven, instead of surplus copies of the""Tom Cruise vehicle"" Days of Thunder). What's missing is what should be missing: gossip and theoretical jargon. But one also wishes Gilbey had had more space to expand his thesis--there could have been a whole chapter about Roger Corman's influence on these directors and a broader examination of the mark the directors have made. Still, this is one of the most thoughtful, well-written and enjoyable books about Hollywood to come out in a long time. 19 b&w photos.