Conversations with Losey

Edited down from many, many hours of interviews, this is an absolutely fascinating book. Losey comes off as that rare artist able to discuss his work without ego, and to talk about about conflicts and problems with collaborators (and even producers) with humor and understanding and without rancor. His reflections on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on himself and others gave me a more vivid impression of that phenomenon that I’ve ever found elsewhere. He discusses every stage of his career, including his collaborations with Brecht, Charles Laughton, Harold Pinter, Dirk Bogarde, Liz and Dick, Tennessee Williams, Alain Delon, Jeanne Moreau, Jane Fonda, etc. While Losey’s intellectual and aesthetic insights are invariably interesting, so are his occasional comments about technical challenges (difficult camera shots, working within budgets, etc.). And a few times his anecdotes made me laugh out loud (as when he describes his first meetings with the Burtons.) For fans of Losey’s work, or for anyone interested in knowing more about independent filmmaking from the inside, this book cannot be too highly recommended.