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Product Description
Amazon.ca
While movie stars may now be a familiar sight in Starbucks outlets all over Canada's West Coast, it wasn't so long ago when the road between Vancouver and Hollywood was far less travelled. According to Dreaming in the Rain, David Spaner's genial and informative history of the city's filmmaking scene, Vancouver was of little use to movie producers unless they needed a shot of a mountain. If the city was known at all, it was as the hometown of minor stars like Yvonne De Carlo or the place where Errol Flynn died in the arms of his 17-year-old girlfriend. As for local productions, they had thrilling names like Canadian Pacific and CaribooTrail. Hollywood players--like director Robert Altman and TV producers Stephen J. Cannell and Chris Carter--eventually recognized its potential, and X-Men 2 and The X-Files are just two of the enormous number of movies and TV shows to be made there in the last decade. While Spaner, a writer for the Vancouver Province, charts the history of the romance between the two cities, he's more interested in making the case that Vancouver is not just a cheap, picturesque stand-in for an American locale. Spaner believes that an "alluring dichotomy" makes the city unique. "On Vancouver's surface," he writes, "there is a stillness, a ravishing natural beauty that seems to leave some dumbstruck, content to sit and marvel at the vista with nothing to say. In the city's underground, though, there have always been restive social and cultural movements, chafing to shout about plenty." Spaner does his own share of shouting as he relates the colourful history of Vancouver's indigenous film scene, which was built on the efforts of fiercely independent filmmakers like Larry Kent, Bruce Sweeney, and Lynne Stopkewich. Even though Hollywood's affection for the city has created a bustling film industry, the directors celebrated by Spaner all know how necessary it is for Vancouverites to create films that could only come from the place they love. A movie like Sweeney's Last Wedding--a savage comedy rife with jokes about leaky condos--proves that Vancouver deserves to be portrayed as something other than a substitute Seattle. --Jason Anderson
Review
Spaner writes about the rise of the city as one of the major centers of film production not only in North America but in the world.
—Hollywood Reporter (Hollywood Reporter )
. . . [Spaner has . . . scrupulous attention to detail and an obvious curiosity and passion for both Vancouver and its film industry.
—Entertainment Today (Entertainment Today )
. . . paints a clear and accurate portrait of an industry that in 20 short years left an undeniable mark on a city and its people.
—The Calgary Herald (The Calgary Herald )
Anyone who plans on pursuing a career in filmmaking or just has an interest in independent film would be well served to read this book.
—Nexus (Nexus )
. . . a delightful new retrospective on the history of film production. . .
—Vancouver Lifestyles Magazine (Vancouver Lifestyles )
—Hollywood Reporter (Hollywood Reporter )
. . . [Spaner has . . . scrupulous attention to detail and an obvious curiosity and passion for both Vancouver and its film industry.
—Entertainment Today (Entertainment Today )
. . . paints a clear and accurate portrait of an industry that in 20 short years left an undeniable mark on a city and its people.
—The Calgary Herald (The Calgary Herald )
Anyone who plans on pursuing a career in filmmaking or just has an interest in independent film would be well served to read this book.
—Nexus (Nexus )
. . . a delightful new retrospective on the history of film production. . .
—Vancouver Lifestyles Magazine (Vancouver Lifestyles )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So Informative, May 10 2010
By Ingrid Torrance "Ingrid Torrance, author of A... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dreaming in the Rain: How Vancouver Became Hollywood North by Northwest (Paperback)
This book chronicles the journey Vancouver has taken from being just another random Canadian city to being "Hollywood North" and a hub of Canadian independent filmmaking. Being a part of the Vancouver film industry, it's great to learn its history and the major players, many of whom are still in the game today. I like the personal stories of the actors and directors living and working in places I work and live.
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