From Altman to Zefferelli, The Rough Guide to Filmputs directors and their film careers centre screen - be they mogul, maverick or studio stalwart. This A-Z guide includes- The Choice-thousands of recommended films reviewed for DVD viewing with listings and illustrations. The View-from The Chair Career profiles of contemporary favourites like Soderbergh and Scorsese plus hordes of lesser-known names, from silent maestros like D. W. Griffith, through to such household Hollywood legends as Hitchcock and Huston to the best of cult and art-house maestros such as David Lynch or Ken Loach. Planet Cinema- loads of great films from each decade and from around the globe as well as all the best Hollywood and American Indie cinema- French new wave, German giants, Iranian innovators and the best of East Asia from Akira Kurosawa to John Wu and Wong Kar Wai. The Wider Cast-special feature boxes on directors' collaborations with actors, cinematographers and composers as well as features on key cinema movements and specific genres.