Sayles on Sayles
About this book
John Sayles is a filmmaker of many the writer/director of authentically independent films rooted in good talk, character study and social reflection ( The Return of the Secaucus Seven , Baby, It's You , Brother from Another Planet , Matewan , and Passion Fish ). He has also crafted vibrant, sardonic projects for Roger Corman ( Piranha , Alligator and The Lady in Red ), as well as working as a screenwriter-for-hire ( The Hollowing , Apollo 13 ).Recent films such as City of Hope and Lone Star exhibit his great gifts as he follows his characters' complex journeys towards self-honesty and personal truth.Twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, he has also written novels, short stories, a book on low-budget film-making, and created the television series Shannon's Deal .In Sayles on Sayles , Gavin Smith takes Sayles step by step through the trajectory of his career and film-making practice, and in the process illuminates the work of the one of the truly authentic US independent film-makers.Gavin Smith is a contributing editor to Film Comment .