Did you know that, if it weren’t for a film historian’s inability to procure a copy of a classic Cary Grant movie, we might never have had to endure the execrable 1973 musical version of Lost Horizon? If you didn’t know that, this book will be a real eye-opener, but even if you did, you’ll probably find other other stuff here that will come as a surprise (like the guy who’s dedicated his life to preserving a single movie, 1962’s The Day of the Triffids). The authors introduce us to collectors of horror/SF, sexpoloitation, short subjects, TV shows—you name it, there’s someone out there whose life revolves around it. And all these diverse people have one thing in common: a love for film. In a time when more and more images are purely electronic, this book will provide a much-needed boost to the spirits of movie fans who fear that photographic film—the stuff that comes in rolls—is disappearing from our planet.
This review originally appeared in Booklist, August 2016.
