SECRET LIFE OF THE MOVIES

Hidden hints, motifs, references and background detail on the greatest movies, hidden within are plot clues, homages to other films and hidden details that expose on-set challenges, inside jokes and post-production cover-ups. This special book lifts the lid on the clever, the fudged and the inspired to make you look at the screen a little closer and find things tucked away or brushed over. They may be subtle touches that a director put in the background, elements of one movie featuring in another, or ironic moments that actually came from happy accidents. Discover the film that changed product placement, Superman's hidden moustache, author cameos in films of their books, and the heist movie plot hole that even the director couldn't explain. In the 1991 film Frankie & Johnny there's a scene where Al Pacino opens the door to his apartment and a look of sheer shock crosses his face. He could never have guessed the surprise (concealed from the audience) that the director had arranged to achieve this reaction. Find out what made this happen on page 97. Over 100 moments of screen history and stories of split-second decisions, in Magnolia of 1999 there are consistently references to numbers eight and two, around 20 of them in total and those familiar with the Bible will therefore get a hint about a major sequence near the end of the film. Forrest Gump of 1994, The Bourne Identity 2002 and Two Mules For Sister Sara of 1970 all contain scenes shot on the quiet such as the swapping of the burro from a brown to a smaller grey white one in the latter film. Alien 3, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fahrenheit 451, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Taxi Driver, Kill Bill Volume One, Led Zeppelin permitting School of Rock 2003 to use one of their tracks, the list of hidden gems and insider knowledge goes on. 240pp in large softback, packed with colour illus and nice colourful graphic design.