Killin Generals, Dwayne Epstein
Killin Generals, Dwayne Epstein
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Killin' Generals
The Making of The Dirty Dozen, The Most Iconic WWII Movie of All Time

Author: Dwayne Epstein

Narrator: Stephen Bowlby

Unabridged: 6 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/25/2023


Synopsis

An explosive inside look at The Dirty Dozen, the star-studded war film that broke the rules, shocked the critics, thrilled audiences, and became an all-time classic . . .

Based on exclusive interviews with the surviving cast and crew, friends and families of the stars, and other Hollywood insiders, Killin' Generals is a riveting must-listen for film buffs, military fans, and anyone who loves a down-and-dirty adventure tale. Detailed, insightful, and gossipy, Epstein's homage spotlights the movie's endless barrage of cinematic gold.

During a time when America was reeling from turmoil, Hollywood held an indelible mirror up to a changing society. Films like Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Cool Hand Luke, and In the Heat of the Night would define the era. But it was a gritty, violent, darkly comic World War II movie called The Dirty Dozen that would really strike a chord with audiences—and become the year's biggest box office success. Heading up the all-star cast were Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, John Cassavettes, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, Jim Brown, Robert Ryan, Clint Walker, and at his most terrifying best, Telly Savalas, propelling many of them to stardom.

About Dwayne Epstein

Dwayne Epstein is the author of the New York Times bestseller Lee Marvin: Point Blank and other acclaimed biographies. Prior to writing biographies, Epstein contributed articles to Filmfax magazine, Cahiers Du Cinema's "Serious Pleasures," and film reviews for Hearst Community newspapers. Epstein was born in New York's Coney Island, and moved west with his family at age eight, spending the rest of his childhood in Cerritos, California. Epstein currently resides in Long Beach, California. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching and reading about movies and collecting soundtracks.


Reviews

Goodreads review by CYIReadBooks on January 28, 2023

I’ve probably watched The Dirty Dozen at least several times and I never realized the time and effort it took to create and produce such a classic. The novel is slow in at least the first 21% of the book. It’s basically a rehashing of the movie, but it is an integral part of the narrative. I thought......more

Goodreads review by Lee on October 14, 2023

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which charts the history of the movie from the writing of the initial novel and on through the sequel films that followed decades later. The movie is chock-full of great personal and production details about the writers, producer, studio executives, actors, and especi......more

Goodreads review by Bob on August 16, 2023

When you approach a book written about a single film, especially a film book about one of your favorites, the value of the book is in how much you learn that you didn’t already know. In the case of “Killing Generals: The Making of The Dirty Dozen, The Most Iconic WWII Movie of All Time”, the answer......more

Goodreads review by Tim on May 27, 2023

An excellent and superbly researched account of the making of a great movie. It includes an account of the writing of the original novel and a detailed plot summary of that novel, which helps us better appreciate changes made in the script-writing process. From there, the book tells us about the scri......more

Goodreads review by Randy Jones on September 24, 2023

Excellent Overview Of The Making And Influence Of “The Dirty Dozen” Epstein does a great job recounting the development, casting, production and reception of “The Dirty Dozen.” The book is well researched and written in a way that makes it a fun and enjoyable read. He focuses on the things that matte......more