Dean Tavoularis – Book
Conversations with Dean Tavoularis
by Jordan Mintzer
Foreword by Wes Anderson
2022 - 352 pages - 28 x 21 cm
French / English
Aimed at cinephiles, students, and professionals of the 7th art, as well as design and architecture enthusiasts, this book offers a unique journey through sixty years of cinema. It's a fascinating dive into the behind-the-scenes of cult films from the 20th century: Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, Zabriskie Point, The Conversation, and many more.
Dean Tavoularis boasts an illustrious filmography, his name associated with many masterpieces of American cinema from the 1960s and 1970s. His collaborations with Francis Ford Coppola, Michelangelo Antonioni, Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty, William Friedkin, and Roman Polanski are among the richest and most inventive in modern cinema.
Conversations with Dean Tavoularis traces the incredible odyssey of a man who began his career as an animator on Lady and the Tramp under the direction of Walt Disney. After gaining experience in Hollywood's biggest studios, he became production designer on Bonnie and Clyde, a film that contributed to the rise of New Hollywood. But it was alongside Francis Ford Coppola that Dean Tavoularis dedicated the bulk of his career. Hired to work on The Godfather, they formed a unique creative partnership for over three decades.
Entire chapters are dedicated to The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, with the filming explored in detail. Dean Tavoularis also reveals some of Coppola's projects, such as Pinocchio, through never-before-seen conceptual drawings and breathtaking visual storyboards.
Through all these films, Dean Tavoularis shares his perspective on the craft of a production designer, addressing topics as varied as initial research, location scouting, model making, team management, budgeting, and finally set construction. He explains how sets are there to support a film's narrative, its main themes and ideas, offering a world where filmmakers and actors can create freely.
Accessible to all and full of anecdotes featuring, among others, Jean-Luc Godard, Marlon Brando, Gene Kelly, and Tom Waits, the book is illustrated with hundreds of visuals, most of which are unpublished: set photos, set plans, architectural drawings, archives, conceptual drawings, storyboards, budgets, memos, and internal notes.
A beautiful book with a foreword by Wes Anderson and written by Jordan Mintzer, author of the already cult Conversations with James Gray and Conversations with Darius Khondji.
© Synecdoche
Press Review
"Dean Tavoularis's work has always been a reflection of who he is: authentic, adventurous, charming, and true." - Wes Anderson
"Dean Tavoularis was more inventive than any other production designer I worked with." - Vittorio Storaro