Andy Wilkinson

Hollywood's Pioneering Daredevils by Andy Wilkinson is an extensive look back at the early stunt performers in film, from the silents until CGI. Though not exhaustive, it offers explanations on the performance of many of the early stunts.

While the pure history aspect makes for a fun read, I found some of the explanations to be even more enjoyable. With fewer safety precautions, the early stunts, often performed by the stars themselves, were indeed as dangerous as they looked.

Though I haven't had the chance yet, I plan to watch some of the scenes while rereading the sections that talk about them. Between YouTube and various streaming options, I hope to find many of them.

This book is ideal for the casual film fan who wants to know a little more about how stunts developed from the silent era on through the dominance of CGI. This is also a good read for film scholars who might have use of some of this information but not have any sources. This is that source for you. This book is exactly what it claims to be, both in the blurbs and in the introduction. It is one very well-versed person's overview of, and an homage to, the early stunt performers and the stunts themselves.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (plus d'informations)