A Third Face : My Tale of Writing, Fighting, and Filmmaking

Rating:
Summary: AN INDEPENDENT CUSS WITH A HEART OF GOLD
Review: Samuel Fuller did have a full life and you read about it here. His details of his life while in the Army during WWII is one of the best as is his teen years learning the newspaper reporting business. He had too many valleys in his life (don't most of us?}and the peaks were short lived. There is no gossip in this book, but an interesting story for all...not just movie buffs.

Rating:
Summary: AN INDEPENDENT CUSS WITH A HEART OF GOLD
Review: Samuel Fuller did have a full life and you read about it here. His details of his life while in the Army during WWII is one of the best as is his teen years learning the newspaper reporting business. He had too many valleys in his life (don't most of us?}and the peaks were short lived. There is no gossip in this book, but an interesting story for all...not just movie buffs.

Rating:
Summary: A Helluva Life!
Review: Samuel Fuller was, depending on your outlook, either the director of a lot of fun "B" movies, or one of the seminal forces in cinema. Nevertheless (to borrow a word he quotes in the book), it cannot be argued that he didn't lead one of the most exciting lives of the 20th century! His portraits of America in the 20s & 30s, Hollywood (and the world) in the 40s through the end of the century (or, close enough-he died in 1997) are brilliant, hilarious, moving, frivolous, and profound portraits of who we ALL are, and how we got that way. If you're a film buff, read this book! If you're an history buff, read this book! And, if you just want to read one of the most entertaining, enlightening, pieces of (forgive me, Mr. Fuller!) literature, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Give that man a cigar
Review: This is a wonderfully feisty book, the autobiography of Sam Fuller told (basically) in three parts - his years as a journalist, his years as a soldier, and his years as a filmmaker. Fuller was a colorful character, and he didn't mind raising a ruckus, something which makes for lively reading. He also saw more and did more than most of us ever will, and his book is a parade of many of the 20th century's most fascinating events and characters. My biggest regrets after reading this work are 1) that he didn't get more of his film projects on to the screen and 2) that so many of his books are out of print. If his other books are half as entertaining as this one, I very much would like to read them.

Rating:
Summary: We need a guy like Fuller to come out of the sky
Review: We need a guy like Fuller to come back in this age of corporate greed and fascism. That's the first thing that came to mind as I ventured into the first few pages of this memoir. I myself am a filmmaker, and have been moved by Jean Renoir's autobiography, MY LIFE MY FILMS and I find this to be it's American partner. The sheer sense of freedom and protection for democracy which Sam Fuller speaks of when describing his actions and decisions throughout his career inspired me greatly. He is the example of a man who refused to be a governement stooge when his film always showed both sides of the issue, and I believe that anyone who is making films now should read this book to see that they don't have to make the people with the money happy. Where are the Sam Fullers of the world now where have they all gone. His message has gotten to me.