Foreword by Robert Osborne

By Turner Classic Movies

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Showcasing 52 Essential films from the silent era through the 1980s, Turner Classic Movies invites you into a world filled with stirring performances, dazzling musical numbers, and bold directorial visions that mark the greatest moments in film history.

Since its inception on Turner Classic Movies in 2001, The Essentials has become the ultimate series for movie lovers to expand their knowledge of must-see cinema and discover or revisit landmark films that have had a lasting impact on audiences everywhere.

Based on the TCM series, The Essentials book showcases fifty-two must-see movies from the silent era through the early 1980s. Readers can enjoy one film per week, for a year of stellar viewing, or indulge in their own classic movie festival. Some long-championed classics appear within these pages; other selections may surprise you. Each film is profiled with insightful notes on why it’s an Essential, a guide to must-see moments, and running commentary from TCM’s Robert Osborne and Essentials guest hosts past and present, including Sally Field, Drew Barrymore, Alec Baldwin, Rose McGowan, Carrie Fisher, Molly Haskell, Peter Bogdanovich, Sydney Pollack, and Rob Reiner.

Featuring full-color and black-and-white photography of the greatest stars in movie history, The Essentials is your curated guide to fifty-two films that define the meaning of the word “classic.”

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Turner Classic Movies

"[An] excellent book. Author Arnold distills why each movie is a must-see, and augments his knowledgeable text with sidebar quotes from various TCM hosts... Handsomely designed and packed with great photos, The Essentials would be a perfect gift for a young person who's just dipping his or her toe into these waters…but I found it equally appealing."
—Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com

"An entertaining read... Beautifully-designed and illustrated... Author Jeremy Arnold does a superb job presenting the reasons why a particular film matters."
—Raymond Benson, Cinema Retro

On Sale: May 3, 2016
Page Count: 288 pages
Publisher: Running Press
ISBN-13: 9780762459476

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Jeremy Arnold

About the Author

Jeremy Arnold is a film historian, commentator, and author of Turner Classic Movies: The Essentials volumes 1 and 2 and Christmas in the Movies: 30 Classics to Celebrate the Season. His writing has appeared in Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, Moviemaker, and the Directors Guild of America magazine, and he has recorded audio commentaries for the Blu-ray or DVD releases of numerous vintage films. He lives in Los Angeles.

photo credit: Kate Butler

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Turner Classic Movies

About the Author

Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) distinguished himself as an actor, producer, philanthropist, and author. His numerous recognitions for achievements both on and off screen include an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and France’s Legion of Honor. Over a career spanning seventy years, he starred in some eighty films.

Anne Buydens Douglas built her career in the film industry as a publicist. She met Kirk Douglas during the making of Act of Love (1953) and they married soon after. Anne would become his closest advisor and eventually take the reins as president of their independent production company, Bryna Productions.Turner Classic Movies is the definitive resource for the greatest movies of all time. We entertain and enlighten to show how the entire spectrum of classic movies, movie history, and movie-making touches us all and influences how we think and live today.

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