Preface and Acknowledgments

Summary

An alphabetized list of celebrated directors, plausibly someone's favorite dozen on a given day in a certain mood – a list for making conversation at a dull reception after a lecture, in a traffic jam, or for an earnest student. But “one of these things,” as they used to sing on “Sesame Street,” “doesn't belong”: Huston. Few academic film scholars would insert that name into such a small pantheon. Those who have made movies themselves might, and those who simply watch them. And I.

Because most of Huston's films have had relatively little extended analysis, the exploration of his authorship that follows is embodied chiefly in essays on a dozen of his movies. I have chosen works that are among Huston's more commonly shown (with a few exceptions). As a result, a number of his most accomplished and interesting films are considered only in passing: Moulin Rouge, The List of Adrian Messenger, A Walk with Love and Death, The Kremlin Letter, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Wise Blood, Under the Volcano. As Huston's work returns to currency, one trusts that these superb movies will get some of the attention they deserve.

Like that of other auteurs of commercial films, Huston's authorship is a complex matter. It extends from his own talents as a writer, visual artist, actor, casting agent, director of actors, and editor to the leadership required for all collaborative undertakings that incorporate the contributions of many people while sustaining a unified objective.