BEYOND THE STARS, 1. THE BOY FROM RIGA

A fascinating memoir in two volumes, Beyond the Starsfirst published by Seagull in 1995 and now available again. Begun as Eisenstei n approached fifty, it is full of the famous names of his era, including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, John Dos Passos, Jean Cocte au, and many more/ at the same time, it is a serious book of inquiry about film as a medium, offering countless reflections by Eisen stein on his own work and that of other movie pioneers.