Constantine Santas: 5 books

Widely regarded as one of cinema's most accomplished directors, David Lean helmed such classics as Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist. He twice received the Academy Award for best director, and two of his films, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia won the Oscar for...

Many film fans consider Humphrey Bogart the ultimate star of Hollywood’s golden era. He rose from supporting roles in the early 1930s to become a superstar by the end of the decade. Bogart appeared in more classic films than just about any other actor in American cinema. In addition to The Maltese...

Constantine Santas encourages us to wonder why film critics have so routinely dismissed the epic film. In The Epic in Film, he argues that 'blockbuster' and 'artistic' are not mutually exclusive terms, and, perhaps more importantly, epic film is an inherently profound genre in its ability to tap into...

Ingrid Bergman was not only an incomparable beauty but one of the finest actresses of cinema’s Golden Age. She made her start in modest productions in Sweden before Hollywood beckoned and soon became one of filmdom’s brightest stars. She appeared in many acclaimed films including Casablanca, For...

Soon after film came into existence, the term epic was used to describe productions that were lengthy, spectacular, live with action, and often filmed in exotic locales with large casts and staggering budgets. The effort and extravagance needed to mount an epic film paid off handsomely at the box...