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University of California Press

I Was Interrupted

Nicholas Ray on Making Movies
by Nicholas Ray (Author), Susan Ray (Editor), Susan Ray (Introduction by)
Paperback eBook
Price: $39.95 / £34.00
Publication Date: Sep 2023
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 243
ISBN: 9780520916678
Trim Size: 6.14 x 9.21
Illustrations: 1 frontisp.
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About the Book

One of the most original, rebellious, and idiosyncratic directors in the American cinema, Nicholas Ray lived and worked with an intensity equal to that of his films. Best known for his direction of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), he is also well regarded for his cult western Johnny Guitar (1954), and such prestigious noir classics as On Dangerous Ground (1951). I Was Interrupted offers a provocative selection of the filmmaker's writings, lectures, interviews, and more.


One of the most original, rebellious, and idiosyncratic directors in the American cinema, Nicholas Ray lived and worked with an intensity equal to that of his films. Best known for his direction of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), he is

About the Author

Nicholas Ray (1911-1979) was among the most gifted film directors to work in the postwar Hollywood cinema. His work was championed by the French critics of the Cahiers du cinèma. Susan Ray, the filmmaker's wife and collaborator, lives and writes in New York State.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
The Autobiography of Nicholas Ray, by Susan Ray
Nicholas Ray: A Biographical Outline, by Bernard Eisenschitz

IN CLASS I
INTRODUCTION AND GROUND RULES
Learning and Teaching
I am concerned with the state ...

IN CLASS II
MONOLOGUE; CONCENTRATION; ACTION; EYES;
CONTROL OF EMOTIONAL MEMORY
I hate to bore people ...
In a Peapod

IN CLASS III
BACKSTORY; PREPARATION; FALSE START;
DIRECTOR'S RELAXATION
Cutting
The second concern tonight ...

IN CLASS IV
SENSE MEMORY; SHOWING AND FORCING;
WHAT TIME IS IT?
I was thinking about a man ...
Color
The Black Method

IN CLASS V
TIME WAITS; ACTION; ANTICIPATING; "SIT ON IT"
"Don't Fuck With a Natural"
IN CLASS VI
THE CAMERA; INVOLUNTARY PERFORMANCE

IN CLASS VII
SCRIPT BREAKDOWN
Naturals
James Dean: The Actor as a Young Man

IN CLASS VIII
ARTIFICE; USE OF OBJECTS;
PLAYING SHAKESPEARE; "HIT-THE-MARK" ACTING

IN CLASS IX
ACTION INTO THOUGHT; THE HERO
H. H.

IN CLASS X
CHARACTERIZATIONS
A New Theatre
On Richard III

IN CLASS XI
THE PARTY
Homage to the Film Buff
The attitude toward today ...

IN CLASS XII
THE FORGER
Backgammon. Alarm rings ....

IN CLASS XIII
THE FORGER (cont'd.)
Death and Children

IN CLASS XIV
THE FORGER (cont'd.)
I Hate a Script

IN CLASS XV
WRAP-UP
Written but not sent to Wim Wenders
Written but not sent to a forger
We Can't Go Home Again
Lightning Over Water
And when the time comes ...
"He realized he was witnessing .. . "
Mr. Inside Out

Filmography, by Bernard Eisenschitz
Index

Reviews

"Now, at last, we have a book by and about Nicholas Ray (along with a moving and very beautiful introduction by Susan Ray). If you have any interest in this man, his life and work, filmmaking, or movies and art in general, read I Was Interrupted."—Jim Jarmusch