Playing Among the Stars

Expertly steered by Nathan Réra, these conversations showcase Chazelle's deep and wide-ranging knowledge of cinema history and his mastery of film-making technique. They guide the reader from Chazelle's little-seen debut, the student feature film Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (featuring music by his Harvard roommate-turned regular composer, Justin Hurwitz), through his triple-Oscar-winning breakthrough, Whiplash, and on to his acclaimed partnership with Ryan Gosling on La La Land - which made Chazelle the youngest ever recipient of the Oscar for Best Director - and the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man. Réra also discusses Chazelle's screenplays for other directors, including 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Grand Piano, and brings his filmography up to date with chapters on his Netflix series The Eddy and his extravagantly epic dramatization of the early days of Hollywood, Babylon. Less a question-and-answer session between interviewer and interviewee, more a genuine dialogue between two articulate and devoted cinema enthusiasts, Playing Among the Stars is a must-read for admirers of one of the 21st-century's most important American film-makers, and all students of contemporary cinema.