Gina McIntyre

Everyone loves a good making-of documentary in the bonus features of the DVD of a film. Well, this book is the next best thing. Written by Gina McIntyre, The Shape of Water: Creating a Fairy Tale for Troubled Times details the making of director Guillermo del Toro's latest film, The Shape of Water.

I love books like these. Insight Editions (the publisher of this book) and Harper Design have been producing a lot of these gorgeous behind-the-scenes books about the making of popular films for a while now, and I adore every one of them. They're extremely expensive, but for good reason. This book (and others like it) is a large, hardcover, full-color tome that details everything that went into making the film. The book packs so much information into its pages that it's honestly incredible. I use the documentary comparison because this book honestly has the same amount of information packed into its pages that a feature-length documentary covering the same material would have, if not more.

When I say that this book has a lot of content in it, I'm not kidding. It contains interviews with the cast and crew, concept art, behind the scenes photos, information about how key scenes were filmed and edited, information about the characters, details about the creation of the Fish Man and how the makeup was applied to actor Doug Jones, sketches from del Toro's journal, and - best of all - character bios of three characters - Zelda, Giles, and Dr. Hoffstetler - written by Guillermo del Toro himself for the actors. The information in those bios are so detailed and rich, yet none of it appears anywhere in the film. That being said, you can see how having access to that information influenced the actors' performances in their respective characters.

Like I said, The Shape of Water: Creating a Fairy Tale for Troubled Times is a treasure trove of information about the making of a truly superb film. It's full of information, full-color photos, removable inserts, and lots of fun. It's expensive but worth it. There's really not much else to add. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro, or how films are made. You won't be disappointed.… (altro)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) is a novel originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. In this semi-autobiographical novel, readers follow the four March sisters from childhood to womanhood. Alcott’s books were a critical success and continue to be popular with young readers today. The recently released movie has brought a renewed interest in the story.
Read the recently published children's book on this topic, then learn more at the website:
LITTLE WOMEN: THE OFFICIAL MOVIE COMPANION by Gina McIntyre explores the author, the movie, and the legacy of Little Women. The book includes perspectives from the movie’s director and discussions about how young women today can relate to the characters.
Go to LITTLE WOMEN MOVIE
ARC Courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers.… (altro)