Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Assembly-Line Auteur: The Pre-Code Films of William Wellman

Assembly-Line Auteur: The Pre-Code Films of William Wellman

Meuel, David

Paperback

Filmmaking

ISBN10: 1476696306
ISBN13: 9781476696300
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Published: Dec 8 2025
Pages: 232
Weight: 0.70
Height: 0.53 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English

Of the many stories from Hollywood's vibrant, free-wheeling pre-Code era, one of the most intriguing is also one that, until now, has not received its full due: the astonishing achievement of director William Wild Bill Wellman during his epic three-year run at Warner Brothers.

Between 1930 and 1933, Wellman directed 18 feature films and co-directed another, almost all on the studio's busy production assembly line. What makes this achievement especially notable is not so much the number but the very high quality of roughly half of them--films that resonate deeply with audiences today. These range from such masterpieces as The Public Enemy, Heroes for Sale, and Wild Boys of the Road to such undisputed pre-Code gems as Night Nurse, Safe in Hell, and Midnight Mary. Considered as a body of work, they also give us a clearer understanding of Wellman the budding auteur, a true cinematic artist who, with each new film, refined his craft and sharpened his perspectives on themes he would revisit throughout his long career. Exploring each of these as well as other Wellman pre-Code films in depth, this book is an invaluable resource for those desiring to learn more about both this gifted director and a fascinating filmmaking era.

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