{"product_id":"tough-as-nails-the-life-and-films-of-richard-brooks-9780299251246","title":"Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCalled \"God's angry man\" for his unyielding demands in pursuit of personal and artistic freedom, Oscar-winning filmmaker Richard Brooks brought us some of the mid-twentieth century's most iconic films, including \u003ci\u003eBlackboard Jungle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCat on a Hot Tin Roof\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElmer Gantry\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIn Cold Blood\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e Looking for Mr. Goodbar\u003c\/i\u003e. \"The important thing,\" he once remarked, \"is to write your story, to make it believable, to make it live.\" His own life story has never been fully chronicled, until now. \u003ci\u003eTough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks \u003c\/i\u003erestores to importance the career of a prickly iconoclast who sought realism and truth in his films. Douglass K. Daniel explores how the writer-director made it from the slums of Philadelphia to the heights of the Hollywood elite, working with the top stars of the day, among them Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Simmons, Sidney Poitier, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, and Diane Keaton. Brooks dramatized social issues and depicted characters in conflict with their own values, winning an Academy Award for his \u003ci\u003eElmer Gantry\u003c\/i\u003e screenplay and earning nominations for another seven Oscars for directing and screenwriting. \u003ci\u003eTough as Nails\u003c\/i\u003e offers illuminating insights into Brooks's life, drawing on unpublished studio memos and documents and interviews from stars and colleagues, including Poitier, director Paul Mazursky, and Simmons, who was married to Brooks for twenty years. Daniel takes readers behind the scenes of Brooks's major films and sheds light on their making, their compromises, and their common threads. \u003ci\u003eTough as Nails\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates Brooks's vision while adding to the critical understanding of his works, their flaws as well as their merits, and depicting the tumults and trends in the life of a man who always kept his own compass. Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the American Association of School Librarians Outstanding Book, selected by the Public Library Reviewers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Wisconsin Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/08\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780299251246\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 260\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.97lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.51h x 7.17w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/18\/2011 pg. 16\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/15\/2011 pg. 114\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/28\/2011\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Douglass K. Daniel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52146971214005,"sku":"9780299251246","price":22.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_c4b882ae-1271-434b-98ff-6a8a5163a369.jpg?v=1767678253","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/tough-as-nails-the-life-and-films-of-richard-brooks-9780299251246","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}