The Films of Roger Corman by Alan Frank

This definitive treatment of American cult filmmaker Roger Corman is subtitled "Shooting My Way Out of Trouble", which defines his creative and 'adventurous' film style. Known as the spiritual godfather of Hollywood, he was a trailblazer of independent film. Fans of Corman may have already read his excellent autobiography How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime, but this gives informative backstories of every Corman film's origin, plot summary, subsequent reviews, full credits, and comments from the actors and crew.

It may seem his studio churned out product for profit, but Corman loved the art of film, and he gave our top Hollywood directors like Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, James Cameron, and Francis Ford Coppola their start. Actors such as Jack Nicholson, Robert deNiro, Charles Bronson, Bruce Dern, and William Shatner had a chance to break into starring roles, while older actors like Ray Milland, Shelley Winters, Vincent Price, and Boris Karloff continued to work. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper turned out The Wild Angels, and enduring hits like The Little Shop of Horrors (filmed in two days and a night) continue to inspire. He gave his artists a chance to learn their craft as if it were a working university - known affectionately as the Corman Film School. Famous for creating with what was around, when sets of other films were left standing over the weekend, he created a new film on the spot. He offered actors like Jack Nicholson a starring role in exchange for two days acting, and everyone directed a bit, including the actors. These fun and inventive films became Corman's oeuvre.

In 2009, he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award "for his rich engendering of films and filmakers."

With black and white photographs, an index, and a complete filmography of his directing, producing, and acting, this is a book for film aficionados and lovers of cult cinema.

Corman died in 2024 at the age of 98.

Alan Frank is a UK film reviewer and critic.

1998 / Tradeback / 194 pages