cover image The Greatest Movies You'll Never See: Unseen Masterpieces by the World's Greatest Directors

The Greatest Movies You'll Never See: Unseen Masterpieces by the World's Greatest Directors

Edited by Simon Braund. Octopus (Hachette, dist.), $24.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-84403-774-2

In this fantastic book of "what-if" films, Braund, a British reporter, and his contributors provide short, snappy, and enthusiastic discussions of movies that will likely never be made. From Brazzaville, an indecently proposed sequel to Casablanca, to Warhead, the "most bonkers James Bond film you'll never see," this "phantom film festival" even includes the notorious, rarely screened Jerry Lewis concentration camp comedy, The Day the Clown Cried. Overstuffed with fascinating trivia, gossip and "what happened next" sidebars, this book provides insights on why Hitchcock never made No Bail for the Judge staring Audrey Hepburn; uncovers Stanley Kubrick's cross-indexed gallery of 15,000 images for his uncompleted Napoleon; and tells of the mouthwatering prospect of a Marx Brothers/Salvador Dali collaboration. The production sketches for David Lean's ill-fated Nostromo are dazzling, as are the dozens of remarkable imagined posters specifically created for the book. "Lack of progress [and/or]%E2%80%A6 decisiveness," often derails films%E2%80%94including an adaptation of Shantaram Twice%E2%80%94all the wasted effort makes for a glorious volume which will send film buffs reeling. (Feb.)