During a talk he gave in Munich in November 1991, the director of such internationally acclaimed films as Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1988) said that his "favorite scene in the whole of cinema is the end of Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 (1966)." It's the one, of course, in which courageous renegades from a society where reading is a crime had to become books, and are reciting passages of themselves in an exhilarating "choir of mankind."

By the time you reach this point in Wenders' writings, you understand why he, especially, would choose it. For Wenders, the literate filmmaker (Wings of Desire was largely inspired by Rilke's Duino Elegies) has long been a lover of words and a sensitive wielder of them.

This volume's essays, reviews and interviews, ranging from the late '60s to the mid-'90s, appeared in three previous books: Emotion Pictures, The Logic of Images and The Act of Seeing, but fit comfortably under one roof. It's a pleasure to read his impressions of other directors — from John Ford, whose actors' "faces ... are never forced into anything," to Nicholas Ray, the subject of Wenders' film, Lightning Over Water, a.k.a. Nick's Movie (1980), and an in-depth appreciation here of Ray's The Lusty Men (1951). He is no less compelling when addressing broader subjects, such as the nature of images — which "have changed their nature completely."

Wenders resisted rewriting his "old" pieces for this book. "Take them for what they are," he says, "a reflection of the cinema and music of their time, and themselves now a testimony of that same period."

But there are no expiration dates on wisdom, perceptivity and such thought-provoking Wender lines as "The act of filming is a heroic act ... For a moment, the gradual destruction of the world of appearances is held up."

FROM WORD TO IMAGE
Storyboarding and the Filmmaking Process
By Marcie Begleiter
Michael Wiese Productions $26.95

In his autobiography, Cecil B. DeMille wrote that he always had artists on his production staff "to make sketches of every scene, every shot..." The practice, he said, saved time, which meant money, by preventing misunderstandings in such a collaborative medium as film.

From the silent era to the computer age, visual translations of filmmakers' concepts have been crucial to a project's success. But storyboard art is particularly valuable as it lets directors try out various compositions, camera angles and scene by scene plays during the less expensive phase of pre-production. It is also the movies' unsung hero — warranting explanation and exploration. Thankfully, Begleiter has given the subject its own place in the sun through this groundbreaking practical guide and historic companion.

Quotes from such directors as Sergei Eisenstein, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston and Steven Spielberg tout the benefits of thorough visual preparation. There are plenty of examples of storyboard art and entertaining little stories from illustrators such as John Jensen (The Greatest Show on Earth, 1952) and Harold Michelson (The Birds, 1963; The Ten Commandments, 1956).

Begleiter, who is on the faculties of Art Center College of Design and the American Film Institute, has given pre-visualization seminars at the Directors Guild of America. Now she offers help through these pages to directors who want to work more effectively with storyboard artists as well as to someone wanting to become that artist. She shows how to break down scripts, use overhead diagrams to block out shots, and to create usable drawings for film frames, regardless of ones skills as an artist.

As Emmy-winning director Nancy Malone says, "Finally! A definitive book for directors ... In television, where getting enough prep time is a rarity, working with a storyboard artist saves your life and your budget."

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