Schrader on Schrader

If you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of the screenwriter who gave us TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL (as well as directing such films as the remake of CAT PEOPLE and the literary biopic MISHIMA), then look no further than this absolutely wonderful collection of interviews with Paul Schrader. Covering everything from his thematic obsessions to his writing and directing methods (as well as including a selection of critical writings by Schrader from his pre-filmmaking days as a critic), Kevin Jackson has done a wonderful job with this book - my personal favorite in the great Faber & Faber series (which also includes CRONENBERG ON CRONENBERG and SCORSESE ON SCORSESE). Must reading!

The perfect read for anyone who has great affection for London and its "Tube". The author explores those enigmatic destinations at the ends of the lines - places with names which excite the imaginations of those who confine their use of the Underground to city center stations. As I read on with great pleasure, I could almost sense the acrid smell of the still resident soot from the extinct coal burning trains, and hear the cautionary "Mind the gap!" as the carriage doors hiss open. It made me so homesick - and I'm not even English born.