“In Hong Kong, especially in the early ’50s and ’60s, the whole society was tough. Everybody had a tough life. So that’s why when we watched a gangster movie: it was easy to find ourselves. We knew that kind of life. We know how they are feeling. People like to worship the hero. Sometimes when they watch the gangster movie, we know they are all bad guys, but they are also the heroes.”
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"If you love films and care about filmmakers, you'll have a hard time putting this book down. These lively conversations reveal just how much one generation of filmmakers influences the next - and how a single movie can change the course of a young person's life and career."
-Leonard Maltin, author of Leanord Martin's Movie Guide -
"A great and provocative read. Elder begins with a simple question and leads a wide variety of filmmakers down all sorts of unexpected paths. Why do we respond so passionately, even irrationally, to the movies that change our lives? The wonderful thing about being a critic or a lifelong movie lover is that life changes all the time in relation to the spells being cast on the screen. Elder's book honors that alchemic relationship many times over. It's addictive."
-Michael Phillips, film critic, Chicago Tribune