Herman Wouk’s,”The Lawgiver,” is probably unlike anything else that this Pulitzer Prize winning author has ever written. Yet, since many of his books have been made into movies or into a TV mini-series (The Caine Mutiny, War and Remembrance) it is not surprising he would know how the real Hollywood works.
“The Lawgiver,” is about a movie trying to be made about “Moses” in the twenty-first century (around 2007). For people who are in the film industry or have been in the industry, or around industry people, this book is really funny, delightful, and sadly true. It is written more like a two hundred page memo, e-mail, and text message between a large group of people associated with the film, or simply acquaintances of people associated with the film.
For people not familiar with the movie industry and the “money people” who finance films, it might not be so appealing and the style might throw you off.
In closing it is good to remember that movies, especially really good movies, are made by real professionals: writers, directors, camera people, cinematographers, lighting personnel, actors, actresses, set designers, editors, and the list goes on. The money people, the suits, usually don’t know much and are most useful when they don’t get involved.
Thank you, Lorna, for this wonderful recommendation.
A Curious View 