Joseph L. Mankiewicz: Interviews

Joseph L. Mankiewicz: Interviews features talks with the master director of such classics as All About Eve, The Barefoot Contessa, and Cleopatra. Mankiewicz (1909–1993) was a creative force in Hollywood from the end of the silent film era through the early years of the Hollywood renaissance of the 1970s.

Displaying the wit, insight, and daring that were the hallmarks of his movies, Mankiewicz explores his films and his approach to writing and directing. These interviews span the period from his greatest Hollywood triumphs―he won four Oscars in two years―to just shortly before his death in 1993. From the time he arrived in 1929 through his last film Sleuth in 1972, he had a front-row seat to Hollywood history.

This volume offers a hard-to-find, wide-ranging discussion between Mankiewicz and Gary Carey. A Michel Ciment interview appears here in English for the first time. The book will become a welcome resource for admirers of Mankiewicz and his work as well as those interested in the history of classic Hollywood.