About the Book:

HARD TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited number of copies are still available.

This is the definitive study of Stanley Kramer's work. Through insightful analysis, thorough research into each film's backstory, and a good measure of Kramer's own thoughts and comments, biographer Donald Spoto discusses each of Stanley Kramer's many films.

His Hollywood career spanned five decades, and the rich and challenging quality of his work places him among America's most preeminent filmmakers. The films Stanley Kramer produced and directed are set apart from the standard Hollywood fare by his personal stamp – a strong social conscience, a search for values, and a willingness to take risks.

Among the films that Stanley Kramer produced are:
• Champion
• High Noon
• Death of a Salesman
• The Wild One
• The Caine Mutiny

Among the films that Stanley Kramer both produced and directed are:
• The Defiant Ones
• On the Beach
• Inherit the Wind
• Judgement at Nuremberg
• Ship of Fools
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

His films drew 80 Oscar nominations and 16 victories, including those for Gary Cooper in High Noon, Maximilian Schell in Judgment at Nuremberg, and Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. He was nominated as best director three times and in 1962 he was presented with a special Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for consistently high-quality work.

As producer or producer-director, Stanley Kramer was responsible for films dealing with race (The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), Nazi war crimes (Judgment at Nuremberg), fundamentalism vs Modern science (Inherit the Wind), nuclear holocaust (On the Beach) and counterculture (The Wild Ones, RPM).

The famous showdown of High Noon showed a man of courage standing up to evil while others in his community cowered in the shadows.

Steven Spielberg once said: "Stanley Kramer is one of our great film-makers, not just for the art and passion he put on-screen but for the impact he has made on the conscience of the world."

Stanley Kramer put his ideals to work behind the screen, too, hiring blacklisted writers such as Ned Young, who used the pseudonym Nathan E Douglas and got an Oscar for his work on The Defiant Ones and a nomination for Inherit the Wind.

What people say:

"The introductory chapter alone is worth the price of the book ... Spoto has given the answers to many questions and puzzles about a courageous and stimulating filmmaker." — Variety

"Controversial, candid, and well-balanced – a portrait of a complex, cantankerous yet highly compassionate individual." — Penthouse

"...Spoto matches the keen discernment he displayed in his book about Hitchcock ... Informative and well-balanced." — Millimeter

"An excellent critical study of a brilliant career." — The Kentucky Independent

About the Author:

Donald Spoto is an American biographer and theologian. He has written two dozen bestselling biographies of film and theatre stars – among them Stanley Kramer. He also taught theology, Christian mysticism, and biblical literature at the university level for twenty years. Born in Westchester County, near New York City, he now lives in Denmark.