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The Extraordinary Image: Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and the Reimagining of Cinema

by Robert P. Kolker
Rutgers Univ. Nov. 2016. 248p. photos. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780813583099. $27.95. ebk. available. FILM
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Kolker (emeritus, Univ. of Maryland; The Cultures of American Film) clearly loves the movies. Specifically, he admires the evocative and engaging images created by Welles, Hitchcock, and Kubrick, and the journeys those images provide to discerning viewers. He examines and draws thematic lines among all of their major films—with a particular emphasis on Welles—and his lifelong devotion to the field is evident in his commentary. For a book of criticism, it is wonderfully accessible, less like a lecture and closer to a conversation. His observations reflect both the consensus of critical thought on these films, and his personal connections to the images.
VERDICT As these are three of the most analyzed men in film history, much of the director-specific narrative is not particularly original, but this collective study adds a distinctive tone that will make this of interest to fans of any of these filmmakers.
Reviewed by Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA , Nov 15, 2016
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