Media & The Arts
For silent film pioneers like Buster Keaton, everything that appeared on the screen in the film actually had to happen. The Directors and stunt co-ordinators who followed had to think out of the box to surpass the previous thrills. It was not until the 1970s that computers stepped in to fill in the blanks. The risks were real, the skills required in surviving such feats were breath-taking and the impact of this on the quality of the films was reflected in the audiences which loved them. We are still talking about these pioneering action sequences many years after they were made. These performers were the pioneers, the original daredevils who set the bar so high and those who follow in their footsteps must at least equal or surpass these moments in film.
Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils highlights the best, most ground-breaking and most memorable cinematic action of the golden age of Hollywood and how it has changed, from the birth of cinema to the very latest blockbusters. It introduces the innovators of these action sequences and their directors. These were the experts who mastered the art, sometimes paying the ultimate price to thrill us, and the stars who made daring-do their trademark signature in their films. What would a swashbuckler film be without Errol Flynn, a car or motorbike chase without Steve McQueen or a western without John Wayne?
Written by someone who recognises and appreciates the skills involved, having done some of it himself, Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils will enable readers to appreciate the creativity, innovation and the skills of the film daredevils of all ages, before computer generated imagery took over.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
I've been waiting a long time for a book this detailed about the history of stunt men and women in Hollywood. Wilkinson does a great job introducing the many legal, practical, and technical factors that arose to influence the hiring and training of both stunt people and film extras in successful action films. Many film buffs decry the overuse of CGI in contemporary films as diminishing attention to character development and storytelling by both directors and screenwriters. It sometimes seems that actors and screenwriters work harder on their craft when they can't hide behind spectacular digital special effects. But with this book in hand we now have enough facts about the tactical evolution of cinematic realism when depicting big battles, chase scenes, or bank jobs to perhaps compare analog and digital stunts more fairly. I particularly enjoyed Wilkinson's detailed overview of classic stunt work featuring horses, trains, airplanes, and automobiles. Going as far back as the silent film era, the author reminds us how human bravery and ingenuity consistently managed to capture impressive, emotionally compelling and realistic action scenes on film without computer intervention. Although Wilkinson traces the first significant use of CGI to 1973 and the science fictional feature Westworld; the industry didn't wholly capitulate to computerized effects until the surprising success of Star Wars in 1977. With its emphasis on directors and stunt coordinators whose finished work was both innovative and trendsetting, Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils becomes a must-have guide to what movie audiences should value most in any cinematic experience.
Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils by Andy Wilkinson is an extensive look back at the early stunt performers in film, from the silents until CGI. Though not exhaustive, it offers explanations on the performance of many of the early stunts. While the pure history aspect makes for a fun read, I found some of the explanations to be even more enjoyable. With fewer safety precautions, the early stunts, often performed by the stars themselves, were indeed as dangerous as they looked. Though I haven't had the chance yet, I plan to watch some of the scenes while rereading the sections that talk about them. Between YouTube and various streaming options, I hope to find many of them. This book is ideal for the casual film fan who wants to know a little more about how stunts developed from the silent era on through the dominance of CGI. This is also a good read for film scholars who might have use of some of this information but not have any sources. This is that source for you. This book is exactly what it claims to be, both in the blurbs and in the introduction. It is one very well-versed person's overview of, and an homage to, the early stunt performers and the stunts themselves. Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Written by someone who has performed action sequences himself and who recognises and appreciates the skills involved, Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils allows film-fans to truly appreciate the creativity, innovation, and skills of film's greatest daredevils before computer generated imagery took over.
I just finished Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils!. What an enjoyable read. Interesting history. Makes me appreciate stuntmen, and women, much more. I am going to seek out some of those early movies. I really enjoyed your relaxed and very readable writing style.
Having read and enjoyed Andy's first auto-biographical book, TAKE ONE, ACTION, (The Book Guild), I eagerly anticipated his second book, Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils, Film Action Before CGI. To me, this is an aficionado's book, meant for someone who goes much further into stunts and stuntmen: an acting school student, a drama degree student, and those well into the history of action films, a book that covers most genres of the entertainment world. His enthusiasm jumps out of every page and his knowledge is prodigious. He moves very quickly through the names of stuntmen and stuntwomen, which left me wanting to know more about each. There is a useful filmography guide at the back of the book to see the stunts performed. For someone like myself, who only watches films at face value', this book is an eye-opener. Not only were the stunts dangerous, but had to be extremely well planned and meticulously rehearsed before performed, sometimes up to months ahead! Even after that, there were casualties and fatalities, though rare. After reading the book, I had to sit back and take a deep breath, there was too much! To get the best from it, you must look at the Filmography, Cast List and Index, then choose which action film to watch more closely. This is a reference book which would be particularly useful to those training to be a stunt performer. I enjoyed reading Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevil's and recommend it to lovers of action films. Prof Peter Northam President British Academy of Fencing.
