January turned out to be a neat month in collecting. I found some cool movie-related books and added a few films to the shelves, too. Here’s the update!

Books

My mom and I took part in one of our favorite activities this month: browsing the library book sale! Her local public library holds one sale a season, and I happened to be visiting during the winter sale. Found lots of good movie/entertainment-related books!

  • Alfred Hitchcock’s Daring Detectives
    1969 hardcover. In all of my years of used book shopping, this is only the second time I’ve come across one of these cool Alfred Hitchcock short story anthologies. Includes stories from such authors as Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner… plus an inscription from Christmas 1977 reading “Jean Paul, you are my favorite cousin.”
  • Audrey: A Life in Pictures by Carol Krenz
    1997 hardcover. Thin coffee table book with beautiful photos taken throughout Audrey’s life and career.
  • Charlie Chaplin by Robert F. Moss
    1975 paperback. Part of the Pyramid Illustrated History of the Movies series, from which I own eight other titles!
  • The Films of Gene Kelly, Song and Dance Man by Tony Thomas
    1974 paperback. An exploration of Gene Kelly’s filmography, with an introduction by Fred Astaire.
  • Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success by Joseph McBride
    1993 paperback. Capra is a favorite of mine, so I’m excited to read this, thouigh I’ve never read this author.
  • Humphrey Bogart: The Man and His Films by Paul Michael
    1965 hardcover. Clearly, I love filmography books! This one goes through all of Bogie’s movies and includes a brief biographical section.
  • Majestic Hollywood: The Greatest Films of 1939 by Mark A. Vieira
    2013 ex-library paperback. Goes through 1939 month by month to discuss the films that lead many to consider this Hollywood’s greatest year.
  • Masters of Horror by Daniel Cohen
    1984 ex-library hardcover. All about horror films and the people who’ve made them throughout the decades!
  • My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
    1952 hardcover (missing the dust jacket). Adapted into a film starring Olivia de Havilland in 1952, and has been adapted again starring Rachel Weisz in a film to be released this year.
  • Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell by Amy Sohn and Sarah Wildman
    2004 paperback. Revised and updated edition including all six seasons. Includes episode descriptions, character insights, tales from the set, and more.

Films

I’ve been stepping up my quest to finish the Barbara Stanwyck Filmography Project, so two of the month’s DVD purchases were Stany films:

  • Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) – DVD
    A DVD from VCI Entertainment is available very inexpensively on Amazon, so I snatched it up with a gift certificate. The only special feature is the original theatrical trailer, but the picture quality is quite good.
  • Titanic (1953) – DVD
    Another Stanwyck project/Amazon gift card purchase! This is the 20th Century Fox Studio Classics DVD. Special features: Commentary by Richard Schickel (film critic); Commentary by Michael D. Lonzo (cinematographer), Audrey Dalton (actress), and Robert Wagner (actor); Beyond Titanic documentary; Fox Movietone News; Audio essay by Sylvia Stoddard; Gallery of still photographs.

Dad also gifted a film on Blu that I’ve been wanting to have in my collection for just about forever:

  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – Blu-ray
    Includes three cuts of the film (theatrical, special edition, and director’s cut) plus “A View from Above” (optional feature which displays pop-up facts and theatrical vs. director’s cut differences while you watch).

And, finally, I couldn’t pass up a bargain at Target:

  • Mamma Mia! (2008) – DVD
    From the collectible pop art series. Special features include a sing-along function with on-screen lyrics, a deleted musical number, and commentary from the director.