De Toth on De Toth: Putting the Drama in Front of the Camera

A fascinating survey of the career of one of Hollywood's great mavericks. Andre de Toth expounds on his film-making career. The cast of characters includes his former wife Veronica Lake, along with a host of Hollywood's greatest, late and present. De Toth talks about his work on "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Superman, " as well as how a one-eyed director could make the 3-D masterpiece, "House of Wax." 27 photographs.

Though this is a transcript of conversations between filmmaker Andre de Toth and interviewer Anthony Slide, de Toth consistently addresses his remarks to an invisible listener whom he calls "Herr Future Director." De Toth seems to think that the only people interested in his remarks are those who wish to become filmmakers. But the dialogues here will fascinate anyone curious about Hollywood in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s; the producers who ran it; and the directors who struggled to realize their visions on screen. Part of the fun of this interview is watching de Toth sneak around Slide's questions, jumping from them to the topics he wishes to discuss, the counsel he wishes to dispense. Though he begins by saying he does not know the secret of being a film director, it becomes clear in the reading that de Toth believes good directors must have a strong sense of personal integrity as well as humble insight into their limitations. Evasive and cantankerous as de Toth so often appears, his fiercely independent and curiously charming personality jumps right off the pages of this enjoyable book.