Fantastic Press and writer Gary Gerani have started a series
of film books detailing the best in cinematic genre films. They’ve already released one on horror and
sci-fi films and now they’ve tackled fantasy films with Top 100 Fantasy Movies. This is a book designed not just for fantasy
film fans but all film enthusiasts.
What I love about Gerani’s books and most importantly this
book is that he has put together a comprehensive list of some of the greatest
fantasy films from all of film history.
There are also many International films as well. Unlike his previous two books, there are many
films in this collection I’ve never even heard of (but now will actively go
look out for). The main reason many of
these films have been chosen is not just because they are great films but
because they had a profound effect on the genre and on the history of film
itself.
All of the entries include brief credits and a synopsis but
it is in Gerani’s “Why It’s Important” section of each film that really informs
the reader. It’s a common mistake (or
overlook) that audiences who see an older film for the first time is displaced
by what they are seeing forgetting that the film they are watching was made in
a different time period with different technical achievements and story
requirements. Gerani does an excellent
job of reminding readers why a particular film was so important for the time in
which it is made as well as why it is relevant now. So many “Best of…” lists consists of more
modern films forgetting everything that came before but Gerani never forgets
this an in fact there is a great many films on his list that were made in the
‘30s-‘50s as well as films from all over the world.
Now, I know that I mentioned before that there are some
International films on Gerani’s list but it is not completely comprehensive but
it does include some of the most influential such as Pan’s Labyrinth (2006),
Donkey Skin (1970), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Miracle of Marcelino (1955),
and Beauty And the Beast (1946), to name a few.
This is still a great sampling of films for audiences who may not have
explored fantasy films from other countries.
Another great aspect of the book (which includes all the
books in the series) is the plethora of posters and photos that accompany each
of the entries. This is a great book for
film lovers that’s very informative and enlightening about fantasy films that
would be a great addition to anyone’s library.
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