I’ve recently had a renewed interest and new found respect for New Zealand director Jan Campion after first watching her 2021 film The Power Of The Dog, and then subsequently the re-visiting of her critically acclaimed movie The Piano (1993) after acquiring the Criterion Collection 4K print.

While I have not seen all the movies in her filmography ( the only other ones been In The Cut and Bright Star, the latter of which I really enjoyed ), there is enough accumulated interest on my end to want to learn more about her filmmaking techniques and processes, and this book seems like a good candidate for such a study.

Book synopsis – A chronological overview of one of modern cinema’s most celebrated directors, featuring interviews with Jane Campion herself.

Jane Campion on Jane Campion offers a unique perspective on the creative process of one of cinema’s greatest contemporary film directors. Through a series of interviews beginning in the early days of Campion’s career and conducted by award-winning cinema historian Michel Ciment, each chapter contains the study of a film, starting with the short films that Campion made during her studies at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, then moving through the Academy Award–winning The Piano, The Portrait of a Lady, Holy Smoke, In the Cut, Bright Star, the TV series Top of the Lake, and ending with the Academy Award–winning The Power of the Dog.

Organized chronologically, film by film, the interviews are illustrated with film stills and photographs taken on set, as well as with annotated scripts, storyboards, and personal documents lent by Campion. The book also reproduces three short stories and a text about the poet John Keats written by the director, along with actress Holly Hunter’s “Scattered Memories” of their collaborations on The Piano and Top of the Lake. A detailed bibliography and filmography of the filmmaker complete this volume, which contains more than 300 color and black-and-white illustrations.

This book will serve as an excellent primer for those who are discovering Jan Campion’s filmography for the first time, or for fans who want to learn more about her filmmaking process. Recommended.

I also highly recommend watching all the interviews that are bundled in the extras for Criterion’s release of her films The Piano as well as The Power Of The Dog.

“Jane Campion On Jane Campion” details :

– Dimensions – ‎ 9.3 x 0.95 x 11.15 inches
– Hard cover,240 pages
– Full color

Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

You might also be interested in these items :