Each director is briefly profiled in a note preceding the interview. The
note ends with a filmography, in chronological order, providing film title,
year of release, distributor, and home video availability; short films are not
included.

Many people helped me in the preparation of this book. I wish to express
warm thanks to Marilyn Brownstein and William Neenan of Greenwood
Press for their patience and assistance. Mark Patrick Carducci, a close friend
and an accomplished screenwriter, kindly contributed his interview with
Michael Cimino. When we were fellow film students at Boston's Emerson
College publishing a film journal called Grand Illusions, my friend and col-
league Sam Sarowitz participated in the interviews with John Avildsen,
John Milius, and François Truffaut. A number of these interviews were
originally videotaped by Ira H. Gallen, president of Video Resources New
York, Inc., for our long-running Manhattan Cable TV program Biograph
Days, Biograph Nights, and I thank him for his help, support, and friendship
over the years. Mary Hickey lived with this book from inception to com-
pletion, and offered valuable suggestions, a wealth of knowledge about
movies, and unfailing encouragement.

For help in arranging the interviews, I am grateful to some of the best
publicists in the film industry -- John Springer ( Franqois Truffaut); Diane
Collins of M/S Billings Publicity ( Abel Ferrara); pof
M/S Billings Publicity ( Adrian Lyne); Bill Kenley of Paramount Pictures
( Franc Roddam); Reid Rosefelt ( Dennis Hopper, Susan Seidelman, Wim
Wenders); Priscilla MacDonald, vice president of publicity of The Cannon
Group, and Susan Hammer ( Menahem Golan); Jonathan Marder and As-
sociates ( Stuart Gordon); Rachel Rosen, formerly of Tri-Star Pictures ( Alan
Parker); Corin Nelson of Tri-Star Pictures ( Ted Kotcheff); Myrna Post
( James Glickenhaus); and the late Marjery Hymowitz of MGM/UA ( James
Toback). For further helping to expedite interviews, I appreciate the co-
operation of Joyce Wilson Fetherolf, assistant to John Avildsen; Kirsten
Bates and her predecessor Jane Muset at Glickenhaus Film; and Debbie
Leonard, assistant to Mark Rydell.

For the photographs of the directors, I wish to thank Mark Patrick Car-
ducci ( Michael Cimino); Michael O'Neill ( Abel Ferrara); Sam Sarowitz
( John Milius); Len Tavares ( Anthony Harvey); Nathan Scott of Empire
Pictures ( Stuart Gordon); and Lilyan Sievernich of Gray City, Inc. (Wim
Wenders). The other photographs in the book were contributed by the
filmmakers, and drawn from the author's personal collection.

For permission to reprint interviews, I am grateful to
Alison Johns, Mil-
limeter Magazine; Jann S. Wenner and Susan Murcko, Rolling Stone; Robin Little
, Films in Review; Tony Timpone, Fangoria; and Sam Sarowitz, my
co-editor of Grand Illusions.

For assorted kindnesses during the course of this project, thanks to Dawn
and John Altyn; Sal Campo; Tony Chaskelson; David, Janis, and Harrison

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