Now a Netflix original documentary series; also written by Mark Harris; premiering on March 31;2017: the extraordinary wartime experience of five of Hollywood's most important directors; all of whom put their stamp on World War II and were changed by it forever Here is the remarkable; untold story of how five major Hollywood directors—John Ford; George Stevens; John Huston; William Wyler; and Frank Capra—changed World War II; and how; in turn; the war changed them. In a move unheard of at the time; the U.S. government farmed out its war propaganda effort to Hollywood; allowing these directors the freedom to film in combat zones as never before. They were on the scene at almost every major moment of America’s war; shaping the public’s collective consciousness of what we’ve now come to call the good fight. The product of five years of scrupulous archival research; Five Came Back provides a revelatory new understanding of Hollywood’s role in the war through the life and work of these five men who chose to go; and who came back.“Five Came Back . . . is one of the great works of film history of the decade.†--Slate“A tough-minded; information-packed and irresistibly readable work of movie-minded cultural criticism. Like the best World War II films; it highlights marquee names in a familiar plot to explore some serious issues: the human cost of military service; the hypnotic power of cinema and the tension between artistic integrity and the exigencies of war.†--The New York Times
#466 in Books imusti 2014 2014-05-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x .90 x 5.50l; .71 #File Name: 0143125478404 pagesThe #1 New York Times-bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany and now the inspiration for the PBS documentary "The Boys of '36"
Review
976 of 1002 people found the following review helpful. Storytelling at its Best.By Wayne CrenwelgeI have never rowed. I have never read a rowing book that I can remember. If all stories about rowing were written like Daniel Brown's fabulous multi-level biography; I would read every one of them. This is a wonderful account; told with such detail and precision that I sometimes felt as if I were in this tale. Mr. Brown totally sucked me into his adventure. These young men who rowed for the USA in the 1936 Olympics faced huge obstacles. It was the Depression. Many were dirt-poor. They came from a small (then) and nondescript town of Seattle. They could not have had more difficult problems thrown their way. But by taking every sliver of hope; and mixing in superb craftsmanship (from George Pocock); excellent coaching (Al Ulbrickson); and these nine perfectly attuned young men learning together........the result was perfection. This is a true Team sport. I learned that. It is nice to learn something you never knew; but is common knowledge to an entire set of other people. If you want to read a great; true story of success; this will fit the bill in spades.....and you will understand rowing to boot.The research is mostly based on primary resources; including interviews with some members who were still living as the book was pulled together. Family members did supply additional information to make this undertaking feel solid and well thought out.Concepts from Daniel Brown to consider that are mixed into the story to teach all of us: 1) One of the fundamental challenges in rowing is that when any one member of a crew goes into a slump the entire crew goes with him. 2) There are certain laws of physics by which all crew coaches live and die. The speed of a racing shell is determined primarily by two factors: the power produced by the combined strokes of the oars; and the stroke rate; the number of strokes the crew takes each minute. 3) To defeat an adversary who was your equal; maybe even your superior; it wasn't necessarily enough just to give your all from start to finish. You had to master your opponent mentally. When the critical moment in a close race was upon you; you had to know something he did not- that down in your core you still had something in reserve; something you had not yet shown. 4) The things that held them together--trust in one another; mutual respect; humility; fair play; watching out for one another--those were also part of what America meant to all of them. There are other great ideas to ponder in this epic almost 400 page; could-not-put-down story. I am not giving away anything by telling you that they DO win Gold at the 1936 Olympics. It is HOW they did it that is so darn exciting. Even knowing the end result does not diminish this bigger than life adventure. This is a must read; period.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The final race is worth the price of admissionBy J. FosterThe Boys in the Boat is an exceptional book. It tells the story of the nine young men who competed for gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.Even though the book title refers to "the boys"; it really is the story about just one of those boys in particular; Joe Rantz. The book follows Joe's story from a young boy all the way through the Olympics; and along the way we meet an excellent cast of characters - his eight compatriots; family members; coaches; and even a few of the Nazi bad guys.Brown does a great job of not only telling a great story; but infusing it with just the right amount of detail to give you a great picture of the various scenes. His descriptions of the racing venues; living quarters; even the weather; set the scene without belaboring the point.In addition to the expected history lesson of the 1936 Olympic in Berlin and some of the surrounding controversy and politics; I was fascinated by the history of the sport of rowing; and learned a great deal of fascinating information. I did not know the the sport of rowing was a hugely popular spectator sport; often drawing crowds as large as 100;000 people! I gained a huge appreciation for the sport; the dedication and sacrifice required of its participants; and the craftsmanship that goes into the building of the boats themselves.All of that would have warranted a good review. But the way all the history; personalities; political landscape; and lifelong dreams come together in the final race for gold at the end of the book is nothing short of riveting. I was glued to my seat reading the description of that climactic race; just as good as any thriller.Finally; I loved the pictures that were peppered throughout the book; as well as the epilogue; which recounts the remainder of the life of each participant.Great book.---------------I noticed and Goodreads have a slightly different meanings to their 5-point scale. I thought it was odd to have a different rating for the same book on two different sites; so I came up with my own scale below. For the record; it is fairly close to 's scale; but allows me to be consistent between both sites.5 - Fantastic. Life-altering. Maybe only 25 in a lifetime.4 - Very good.3 - Worth your time.2 - Not very good.1 - Atrocious0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Gripping and Very Well Written.By Wayne A. SmithI can't add much that 20;000 other reviewers haven't added. Suffice it to say this is an excellent book.The author is a masterful storyteller. The picture of the rowers in the Great Depression; and their backgrounds (particularly Joe Rantz; who epitomizes the spirit of rugged individualism in toto); is fascinating. Also interesting is the strategy and teamwork involved in competitive rowing. The entire book is fascinating; but perhaps nothing surpasses the German side of the tail; Nazi officialdom bent on making the 1936 Olympics showcase their new model man and nation. Our American boys throw a monkey-wrench in Hitler's showcase (as does Jesse Owens). The US crew's experience in the Fatherland is priceless storytelling.
