Dark Knights & Holy Fools: The Art and Films of Terry Gilliam

by Bob McCabe

Book Overview

With Dark Knights and Holy Fools, film writer Bob McCabe has done a masterful job of depicting the evolution of a filmmaker and his vision. Terry Gilliam, of course, is the mind behind the bizarre and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0752818279
• ISBN13: 9780752818276
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Orion Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.2" x 0.8" x 10.6"

Customer Reviews

Great Gilliam companion!

This is the perfect book for Terry Gilliam fans. It traces his history as an animator and director through the early years, into the Monty Python legacy and all the way to his feature films. This book is filled with color pictures from all of his projects, and even discusses some of the projects that never got off the ground. Very informative, but dated as this book came out right after the release of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. Still, a great book if you truly enjoyed this innovative directors work!

A Fantastic, colorful showcase of the art & film of Gilliam

A fantastic art book about the work of Terry Gilliam. Some of his art has been reprinted elsewhere, but never in large format and never, in many cases, in full color. It is quite thourough, for what it is. The text and Bob McCabe's interviews give the reader the facts about what is being covered in each chapter. However, the artwork is the star of this book. If you want to know about Terry Gilliam, the artist, then this is the book for you. As Gilliam says in his intro 'you can write about them (the movies) all you want but these movies are basically there to be seen.'If you want to know about Terry Gilliam in detail, then the book Gilliam on Gilliam, which is basically a book length interview with Gilliam, is the book for you. I think the books compliment each other nicely: 'Gilliam on Gilliam' for everything you could possibly want to know about Terry Gilliam and 'Dark Knights & Holy Fools' for Terry Gilliam's quirky, beautiful, humorous art.

The right way to look at an imaginative director

Dark Knights & Holy Fools is a portrait of director Terry Gilliam expressed through comment, interviews with the great man, and his work itself. A descriptive thread goes through each stage of his work, from before his first public beginnings as a cartoonist, to each of his films, made and unmade.It's a biography, a reference, a wonderful collection of illustrations and photographs, and a celebration of a cinematic genius. If you enjoy Gilliam's work, I suspect this ought to be on your bookshelf.

Superb!

Gilliam fans, cinema fans -- you need this book. It's about time Gilliam's cinematic canon was given the attention and credit it's (over)due. Fans of Gilliam's films, as well as Python fans, will enjoy the added insight from these fresh accounts of Terry G's history, and anyone who appreciates intelligent, imaginative filmmaking owes it to themself to become more familiar with Gilliam's ideas, creative processes, and the extensive canvas of his work through this book. Despite occasional poor book design (text placed over obscure images is cumbersome to read) and a shameful dearth of captions indicating what many of the illustrations are, McCabe presents an outstanding, well-balanced and accessible account of the life, times, battles and triumphs of one the precious few original and visionary artistic minds of our era. My only complaint about this book is it's too short. Thank you, Terry, for sharing this with us.

BUY THIS BOOK NOW!!! STOP STANDING THERE....NOW!!!

This is definitely THE book,about a very visual man!!(Not counting Gilliam's own "Animations of Mortality") Unlike all the other books,which want to psychoanalize Gilliam,his attitude toward Hollywood,and other cattle poop! This one talks about his work,has some great mini-interviews after each chapter,and has tons of little seen Terry Gilliam Art and Photos!! This is the type of book other so-called Python authors should've made!! Buy it for the ART...stay for the written words!