Mark Seal Knihy

This “wickedly pacey page-turner” (Total Film) unveils the dramatic behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather, fifty years after its original release. The creation of the film is as captivating as the movie itself, with numerous versions of its fiery production told over the years—often conflicting but always engaging. Mark Seal meticulously examines the evidence, conducting extensive new interviews with director Francis Ford Coppola and previously silent sources, alongside colorful conversations with key players such as Al Pacino, James Caan, and Talia Shire, to provide “the definitive look at the making of an American classic” (Library Journal, starred review). The filmmakers faced unique challenges, including real-life mob figures connected to the film's subject matter. During production, location permits were mysteriously revoked, author Mario Puzo had a public altercation with Frank Sinatra, producer Al Ruddy’s car was found shot at, and individuals with “connections” sought roles in the film. Seal highlights how this story reflects a “movie that revolutionized filmmaking, saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new generation of stars, made Puzo rich and famous, and ignited a conflict between Hollywood and the Mob.” “For fans of books about moviemaking, this is a definite must-read” (Booklist).

A probing and cinematic exploration of an audacious impostor, Christian Gerhartsreiter, and his "talented Mr. Ripley" story as Clark Rockefeller. The unbelievable thirty-year run of a shape-shifting con man. Clark Rockefeller's story is a strange twist on the classic American success story of the self-made man--because Clark Rockefeller was totally made up. Born in a small village in Germany, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was obsessed with getting to America. At seventeen, he flew into the country on dubious student visa documents. Over the next thirty years, boldly assuming a series of false identities, he moved up the social ladder across the country--culminating in a twelve-year marriage to a Harvard MBA who believed she'd wed a Rockefeller. The imposter charmed his way into exclusive clubs and financial institutions--working on Wall Street, showing off an extraordinary art collection--until his marriage ended and he was arrested for kidnapping his daughter, which exposed his past of astounding deceptions as well as a chilling connection to the bizarre mid-1980s disappearance of a California couple.--From publisher description.

Gerald D. Hines stands at the top of the international real estate investment and development world. A Purdue graduate with a degree in engineering, Hines may have arrived in Houston in 1948 for a nine-to-five job at a heating and air conditioning company, but before long he was making the deals that would transform Houston’s skyline. Later, with his revolutionary idea that great architecture was good business, he was reshaping the skylines of the world. Today, Hines is a respected global organization with a presence in 20 countries that has developed, redeveloped or acquired more than 1,100 properties..Raising the The Life and Work of Gerald D. Hines tracks one man’s incredible rise, from building small office/warehouses to manifesting Houston icons like The Galleria, One Shell Plaza, and Pennzoil Place to cultivating the national and then global expansion of his company. It paints the portrait of a man who himself is a study in a child of the Depression and a citizen of the world; an engineer who still carries the slide rule that has guided his career yet commissions daring feats of art and architecture; a reserved and humble man in a field known for being brash and aggressive who takes on physical challenges with wild abandon. With enlivening anecdotes and revealing characterizations, Raising the Bar reveals the man behind the premier real estate company in the world like never before.

Joan Root, centrale figuur in dit boek, werd in 1936 geboren in Kenia, trouwde met Alan Root, maakte met hem wereldberoemde natuurfilms (een met een Oscar nominatie), maar leefde na haar scheiding alleen in haar geboortehuis aan het meer, waar zij in 2006 werd vermoord. Dit boek vertelt over haar leven, haar liefde voor Alan en voor Afrika. De oevers van het meer blijken uitermate geschikt voor het kweken van bloemen (vooral rozen), een lucratieve business voor Europese (vooral Nederlandse) ondernemers. Zij werken met gevaarlijke chemicaliën; werknemers leven in erbarmelijke omstandigheden en vervuilen het meer. Wie ontslagen wordt, gaat stropen of illegaal vissen: een dramatische aanslag op de natuur. Joan Root gaat in haar eentje de strijd aan met illegaliteit, criminaliteit en corruptie. Zij vertrouwt op verkeerde mensen, maakt veel vijanden en wordt vermoord.