American filmmaker Richard Linklater is considered by many to be one of the most influential artistic voices in modern cinema, known for his cult classics such as Lazy as well as extremely popular gemstones like the universally loved Before Trilogy. Over time, Linklater established himself as a humanist whose explorations of love, life, and other cosmic mysteries have become an indispensable part of popular culture.
In an interview, Linklater said, “I was so systematic and aware of what I was doing because I was making up for lost time. It was 83 to 85. It was like my own film school. I’m going to do this editing exercise, then this lighting exercise. I’m going to make this short from start to finish and finish it, but that’s what I’m trying to focus on. They were experimental, not narrative, strictly technical.
Citing advice from movie giant Alfred Hitchcock, Linklater commented, “Hitchcock said that at first your directing skills would not match your ideas. I had so many ideas. My thought was the day I felt technically proficient, I’m going to start a bigger job that will express a bigger idea. In ’85, I started on my Super 8 function. “
When Richard Linklater was asked about the books by filmmakers he loved to read, the director named the writings of a wide range of all-time greats and called them as influential. However, he focused on three specific books by great directors and recommended every moviegoer read them at least once in their life.
Linklater said: “I think the three best cinema books written by filmmakers are Sculpt in time by Andreï Tarkovski, Notes on cinematography by Robert Bresson and then, in a way, I would say that Bergman wrote some memoirs which are great but I read, not so long ago, that of Elia Kazan A life. Very different, these three books, but I would really show films by these three directors and ask you to read these books and go through them and find examples, not only in their work but in other work that they refer to. .
Discover the collection of essential books on Richard Linklater’s Reading List for all movie buffs. These range from philosophical reflections to autobiographical narratives, anchoring the art of cinema in intimate settings:
Three essential books for moviegoers:
- Sculpt in time (Andrei Tarkovski, 1984)
- Notes on cinematography (Robert Bresson, 1975)
- Elia Kazan: A life (Elia Kazan, 1988)
Discussing these particular books, Linklater clarified, “You could teach a yearlong course on not just their movies, but everything they talk about and their ideas about cinema and what it is. Very different, all three, but very personal. Especially Tarkovsky and Bresson, who really like their films themselves.
Adding: “Bresson’s observations are very elliptical, aphoristic, just observations on what cinema can do and Tarkovski [is] fluid, poetic, long, very beautiful, about life and art and poetry and cinema. I threw Kazan there just because I would have liked to read it 20 years before, I would have been a better director.
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