Great Britons of Stage and Screen, Volume II: Directors in Conversation examines the artistic processes of a dozen creators of some of the most important films and stage productions over the last seventy-five years, many of which have received Oscars, BAFTAs, Oliviers, and Tonys. The book provides insights into the lives and works of these professionals: what they do, how they do it, and who inspired them to create some of the greatest works of film and theatre.
Great Britons of Stage and Screen, Volume II: Directors in Conversation is Roisman Cooper's fourth book; her others are Straight from the Horse's Mouth with Ronald Neame (2003); Anna Lee: A Memoir (2007), and Great Britons of Stage and Screen: Volume I: In Conversation (2015), a collection of twenty-two interviews with British actors.
"Barbara Roisman Cooper has, over many years, been having in-depth conversations with an extraordinary range of distinguished British film and theatre directors. The result is this remarkable collection, which is not only a welcome source book, it is also a terrific read."
- Sir Christopher Frayling, former Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chair of Arts Council England
"Great Britons of Stage and Screen: Directors in Conversation provides surprising insights into the lives of working directors, past and present, an invaluable contribution that transcends scholarship and enriches our cultural knowledge."
- Nicholas Meyer, writer-director
"With her talent and inside knowledge as author and teacher of film, Barbara Roisman Cooper commands and coaxes her directors to performance pitch. This is an inspiring book."
- John Minoprio, The Old Vicarage Picture House
"These insightful and entertaining conversations with twelve successful British directors will add immensely to the hands-on work in film schools in particular and students of film and theatre at large. If this fine publication by Barbara Roisman Cooper had been available when I was at UCLA, I might have become a director myself instead of a novelist."
- Tim Symonds, author; UK member: Society of Authors, Historical Novel Society, and Chartered Institute of Journalists