Personal Visions: Conversations With Contemporary Film Directors

Falsetto's book of interviews with an eclectic group of working directors is destined to be a classic along side the Projections series and Joseph Gelmis' Film Director As Superstar. Since the level of most film journalism has descended to the level of one global corporate circle jerk, it is refreshing and inspiring to see someone as intelligent, sympathetic and knowledgable interview directors as varied as Neil Jordan and Atom Egoyan about the ups and downs of making films in today's amnesiac and malthusian marketplace. Falsetto has done an amazing amount of ground work in preparation for this book and it shows in the honest and sincere level of responses he gets from filmmakers. There is none of the usual 'It Was A Pleasure to Work With Joe Superstar' rhetoric here. The directors shed their knee jerk junket responses and show us what it really entails to make ambitious, thought provoking films today. Falsetto teaches at Concordia University in Montreal, but don't hold this against him. He is one of those increasingly rare academics who has not lost the ability to communicate his ideas and passion about his subject. I can't say enough good things about this book. If I have a caveat, it is that I wish each interview had come with a filmography (and an index would be useful). But those are mere quibbles. Let's all hope Personal Visions sells enough for a sequel. This book is on the same level as classic Paris Review interviews with writers.

Author Mario Falsetto has just given us a priceless compilation of interviews with some of the most original, provocative, and dedicated filmmakers of the contemporary era. But, "Personal Visions" is obviously much more than just a series of interviews with "free-thinking", or "hip" filmmakers. It is an reflexion on the role of the film artist who, nowadays, is caught in the vicious web of a vicious corporate world (i.e. in or outside of Hollywood). Through a skilful process of Q & A (ranging from the filmmakers' backgrounds to specifics about their film and theater work), the author is questionning the general assumption about "independant cinema". (Like one of the interviewee, director John McNaughton, says: "Everyone's talking about independant cinema, but show it to me!".) Each of the 17 artists interviewed by Falsetto has a very special insight into the business, making "Personal Vision" a must-read for any aspiring filmmakers (or for anyone interested in what film directors have to say about movies and the day-to-day creative process). Edited to the perfection, this book is engaging, stimulating, and always entertaining. It is also an invaluable work of reference for film scholars at all levels. Undoubtedly, "Personal Visions" will be around for a very long time. Kudos on your fine work mister Falsetto. Your interest in "young" filmmakers should stand as an model for all the other film critics around the world.