"Thank the film gods that the only serious book in English about Mann is a brilliant one. I am grateful to Basinger's clear-eyed analysis for helping me go ever deeper into the work of one of my absolute favorite directors."–Alexander Payne, co-writer/director, Sideways
"Basinger's study of Mann was a major force in bringing serious critical attention to his films, and it is a pleasure to welcome its return. Her close readings, together with her intelligent and often witty comments, represent (as all her work does) film scholarship at its very rare best–clear thinking, clean writing, canny observation."–Richard Schickel, author and film critic, Time
