I Was Interrupted: Nicholas Ray on Making Movies

by Nicholas Ray, Susan Ray (Editor), Susan Ray (Introduction)

Overview

One of the most original, rebellious, and idiosyncratic directors in the American cinema, Nicholas Ray lived and worked with an intensity equal to that of his films. Best known for his direction of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), he is also well regarded for his cult western Johnny Guitar (1954), and such prestigious noir classics as On Dangerous Ground (1951). I Was Interrupted offers a provocative selection of the filmmaker's writings, lectures, interviews, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520201699
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	06/02/1995
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	243
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Ray (1911-1979) was among the most gifted film directors to work in the postwar Hollywood cinema. His work was championed by the French critics of the Cahiers du cinèma. Susan Ray, the filmmaker's wife and collaborator, lives and writes in New York State.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
The Autobiography of Nicholas Ray, by Susan Ray
Nicholas Ray: A Biographical Outline, by Bernard Eisenschitz

IN CLASS I
INTRODUCTION AND GROUND RULES
Learning and Teaching
I am concerned with the state ...

IN CLASS II
MONOLOGUE; CONCENTRATION; ACTION; EYES;
CONTROL OF EMOTIONAL MEMORY
I hate to bore people ...
In a Peapod

IN CLASS III
BACKSTORY; PREPARATION; FALSE START;
DIRECTOR'S RELAXATION
Cutting
The second concern tonight ...

IN CLASS IV
SENSE MEMORY; SHOWING AND FORCING;
WHAT TIME IS IT?
I was thinking about a man ...
Color
The Black Method

IN CLASS V
TIME WAITS; ACTION; ANTICIPATING; "SIT ON IT"
"Don't Fuck With a Natural"
IN CLASS VI
THE CAMERA; INVOLUNTARY PERFORMANCE

IN CLASS VII
SCRIPT BREAKDOWN
Naturals
James Dean: The Actor as a Young Man

IN CLASS VIII
ARTIFICE; USE OF OBJECTS;
PLAYING SHAKESPEARE; "HIT-THE-MARK" ACTING

IN CLASS IX
ACTION INTO THOUGHT; THE HERO
H. H.

IN CLASS X
CHARACTERIZATIONS
A New Theatre
On Richard III

IN CLASS XI
THE PARTY
Homage to the Film Buff
The attitude toward today ...

IN CLASS XII
THE FORGER
Backgammon. Alarm rings ....

IN CLASS XIII
THE FORGER (cont'd.)
Death and Children

IN CLASS XIV
THE FORGER (cont'd.)
I Hate a Script

IN CLASS XV
WRAP-UP
Written but not sent to Wim Wenders
Written but not sent to a forger
We Can't Go Home Again
Lightning Over Water
And when the time comes ...
"He realized he was witnessing .. . "
Mr. Inside Out

Filmography, by Bernard Eisenschitz
Index

Editorial Reviews

Ray (1911-1979), best known for directing Rebel Without A Cause , taught college classes in acting and directing during his last years; the transcripts of those sessions, comprising most of this book, should interest film aficionados, actors and directors. ``You must act so your eyes will be visible to us,'' Ray commands students, delineating the difference between film and theater. The self-destructive Ray--hot-tempered, dependent on drugs and alcohol, fiscally irresponsible--was ``monstrous,'' declares his much-junior perceptive and admiring widow in her powerful introduction. Ray's personality also emerges in his reflections on movies, actors, self and even his relationship with Howard Hughes. Although Ray declares his passion for his art, and for his fellow practitioners, the observations of his sharp-eyed wife are more revealing than his own writing. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)

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