James Naremore
April 10, 2019
McBride is one of the great biographers of film directors, and in this book he gives us what you could call an autobiography of one of his biographies. Highly readable, at times absorbing, this book is valuable not only for what it reveals about the myth of Frank Capra, but also for what it shows about the ways serious research can be blocked or inhibited by people and institutions who aren’t interested in truth. –James Naremore
Douglas K. Holm
April 13, 2019
Mr. McBride’s account of his seven-year ordeal getting his biography of Frank Capra published is gripping … three years writing it, and four years trying to wrest it free from the original publisher. The result is part autobiography, part sequel, part legal brief, and an examination of academic ambition and publisher perfidy. It’s an essential companion to Mr. McBride’s excellent, newsmaking original.
Tony Williams
April 19, 2019
In his latest work, Joseph McBride not only adds to the distinguished body of work he has contributed already to the field of Film Studies but adds a personal perspective that creatively supplements his text rather than being a superfluous addition. Like the directors he has copiously written about in the past he also has transcended the supposed limitations of genre. This is a book that should be read by any serious person interested in research whether in the academy or not. It is written written in a lively, captivating, and documented manner and is a very important book that deserves to be read in a close attentive manner.