A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting and Filmmaking by writer and director Samuel Fuller is an amazing autobiography! I watched The Big Red One (1980) when it was first released. Robert Carradine, son of great actor John Carradine played the role of Pvt. Zab. In the movie, Pvt. Zab talks about a book he has written. At the time, I had no idea that this was based on the real-life of this film director Samuel Fuller. Later, I was to learn that his World War II exploits were only a third of his life.
In his great autobiography, Fuller details his adventurous life. It is one of those books where you keep turning the page as the intensity of the story explodes with each tale. It was fascinating reading about the assertive teen breaking into the newspaper business, the soldier that went to war choosing the infantry over a non-combat journalism job, and finally the writer/director and the wonderful films he made.
Fuller directed his share of Film Noirs including Pickup on South Street (1953), House of Bamboo (1955), The Crimson Kimono (1959), and Underworld U.S.A. (1961). Fuller also directed some great war films like The Steel Helmet (1951), Fixed Bayonets! (1951), Merrill’s Marauders (1962), and The Big Red One (1980). Fuller also wrote many of the above films and he filled the with a lot of Big Red One imagery. He also wrote 11 novels and directed 29 films in total.
This outstanding autobiography has a forward by director Martin Scorsese. The paperback version, which was printed in 2002, contains a lot of pictures that help to tell the story and are really a bonus. This book is a must for anyone with an interest in old Hollywood and classic movies. I give it my highest rating.
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