Roads to nowhere is the only book to cover all of Kelly Reichardt’s films up to Showing Up, including particular focus on First Cow. It is the only non-academic book on Kelly Reichardt’s work, and is currently available as an ebook only.
Roads to nowhere — an ebook on Kelly Reichardt
“As a Kelly Reichardt fan, I can’t recommend [Roads to nowhere] enough.” – Cláudio Alves, The Film Experience
“Breathtaking in its insight.” – Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage
“A terrific read for anyone who loves and studies both the filmmaker and contemporary independent American cinema.” – Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Screen Anarchy
The ebook Roads to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s broken American dreams will be delivered to you as both a PDF and ePub.
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About the book
Roads to nowhere offers the first in-depth, 360-degree look at Reichardt’s process through interviews with Reichardt herself and her collaborators on First Cow, many of whom have been working with her for years including cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt (who has worked with her on every film since Meek’s Cutoff), author Jon Raymond (who co-wrote almost all the Oregon films), and costume designer April Napier (Certain Women, First Cow).
Roads to nowhere is the only non-academic book on the market on Kelly’s work and the only book covering all of Kelly’s work leading up to Showing Up.
Through interviews with Reichardt and her entire creative team in front of and behind the camera, discover how such remarkable, detailed, thoughtful films actually get made — and on small budgets in a sexist film industry.
Through behind-the-scenes images, Roads to nowhere creates an intimacy that will make you feel like you’re right there on set with Reichardt and the team.
Through essays, Roads to nowhere covers everything from how Reichardt’s films explore the negative effects of capitalism on the marginalised, to the lack of social support networks for people in the US, to the lies we’re told about the American Dream and what those realities actually look like for most people.
Contents of the book Roads to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s broken American Dreams
Foreword
Part 1: An Introduction to Kelly Reichardt
- An interview with Kelly Reichardt by Orla Smith
- A primer on Reichardt’s process by Orla Smith
- Reichardt’s 12 best scenes by various
Part 2: Reichardt in Context
- Roads to nowhere by Orla Smith
- The Oregon context by Brett Pardy, PhD
- Interview: cinematographer Chris Blauvelt by Alex Heeney, PhD Candidate
- River of Grass in context by Orla Smith
Part 3: Women and Wayfinding
- No fixed address: Ephemeral connections in Wendy and Lucy by Angelo Muredda, PhD
- Invisible labour made visible in Meek’s Cutoff by Lindsay Pugh, MA
Case Study: Certain Women
- Breaking boundaries in Certain Women by Alex Heeney
- Interview: April Napier on the costumes of Certain Women, by Orla Smith
- Dressing the part in Certain Women, by Orla Smith
Part 4: Men and masculinity
- Into the woods: Escaping yourself in Old Joy, by Orla Smith
- The morality of crime in First Cow and Old Joy, by Alex Heeney
Case Study: First Cow
- Interview: Screenwriter Jon Raymond on First Cow
- Interview: Kelly Reichardt on First Cow
- “No way for a poor man to make a start”: Capitalism and the American Dream in First Cow by Orla Smith
Part 5: Acting in Reichardt’s films
- Interview: Orion Lee
- Interview: John Magaro
- Interview: Lily Gladstone
Part 6: First Cow in Production – Interviews
- Cinematographer Chris Blauvelt
- Production Designer Anthony Gasparro
- Costume Designer April Napier
- Animal Trainer Lauren Henry
Part 7: First Cow in Post-Production – Interviews
- Assistant Editor Ben Mercer
- Sound Designer Leslie Shatz
- Composer William Tyler
Praise for Roads to Nowhere
I can’t recommend Roads to Nowhere enough
“A book that celebrates the auteur that is Reichardt without erasing the collectivity of making movies…
This is a book about making films, but it’s also about watching cinema, experiencing its refracted perspectives, and going into the imagination of others.
As a Kelly Reichardt fan, I can’t recommend it enough and hope that, if you do venture into its pages of knowledge and discovery, you can find as much joy as I did…one sometimes feels alone in their cinephilia.
Roads to Nowhere assures us, at least it assured me, that we’re not lonesome after all.”
– Cláudio Alves, Critic, The Film Experience
Breathtaking in its insight
“Once again, the Seventh Row team of Alex Heeney and Orla Smith have collaborated on a book that is breathtaking in its insight.
Roads to Nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s Broken American Dreams follows the release of what might be the director’s finest work to date, First Cow. While there is plenty here about the early 1800s-set Cow, Reichardt’s entire career is represented….Reichardt deserves this sterling tribute, and readers will gain even greater appreciation for her work.”
– Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage
A terrific read
“Roads to Nowhere is as much a book for fans as it is for theorists, and one that also adds components of teaching how to make a film, or perhaps more accurately, how to make a Kelly Reichardt film.
It’s a terrific read for anyone who loves and studies both the filmmaker and contemporary independent American cinema.”
– Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Editor, Screen Anarchy
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