Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh (Directors on Directors)

Very good

Perfect gift

I must admit I was rather surprised to find there were no reviews of this book, given its 2008 publication date.It does, however, provide a great insight into one of the great British (indeed, world) film directors. Based on a series of interviews conducted by the author and journalist Amy Raphael, Leigh opens up to an extent I have not heard before, despite having seen a number of on-screen interviews with the great man. In the introductory interview Leigh talks about his upbringing in Manchester, discusses his Jewishness and goes into some detail on his method of film-making. The remainder of the book is then structured according to his works from Bleak Moments in 1971 through to Vera Drake in 2004 (including all his major TV plays including Nuts In May and Abigail's Party).The separate film interviews all provide interesting insight into Leigh's thought processes relating to casting, choosing film locations, the political implications of his work and how he worked with individual actors. Notable examples include how he dealt with discovering that Timothy Spall had developed leukaemia shortly after completing Secrets and Lies, and how he dealt with the very negative press reaction to Naked. He also specifically addresses the implications of his being offered a 'mega Hollywood budget'(!) - unsurprisingly, despite any initial temptation he might feel, it is clear that this would not allow Leigh to compromise his principles. It is also interesting to note that whilst Leigh is not explicit in favouring one film over another, I detected a particular affection for Naked and Meantime.In summary, for anyone with an interest in Mike Leigh and/or his work, I would highly recommend this book.