Jean-Claude Van Damme and his doubles (flexible)
of David DA SILVA
DEDICATION with the author on Saturday December 10 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Release date : November 17, 2022
Publisher : Omake Books
Language : French
Number of pages : 290 pages (flexible)
Format: 21 Cm X 14.8 Cm (A5)
From Jean-Claude Van Varenberg to JCVD
Icon of the martial arts film following the triumph of Bloodsport , Jean-Claude Van Damme is the very representation of the American dream: thanks to his courage and his hard work, he went from the status of an undocumented immigrant to that of a movie star. However, the career of the Belgian actor has known real turbulence, chaos (addiction to drugs, media blunders, etc.) succeeding triumph. A real big gap between glory and decline. JCVD has nevertheless always been able to bounce back by reinventing itself on screen through talented directors or original projects.
In this book enriched with previously unseen filming photographs and many recent exclusive interviews (including directors Sheldon Lettich ( Full Contact ), Peter Hyams ( Timecop ) and Peter McDonald ( Legionnaire ), actors Dennis Chan ( Kickboxer ), Damian Chapa ( Street Fighter ) and Paulo Tocha ( Bloodsport ), screenwriters Chuck Pfarrer ( Manhunt ), Lawrence Riggins ( Replicant ) and Christopher Cosby ( Bloodsport ) and producers Dimitri Logothetis ( Kickboxer Vengeance ) and Mike Leeder ( La Vengeance sous la skin ), the author analyzes the career of Jean-Claude Van Damme and his almost permanent duality (bipolar personality, double roles in the cinema…).
- The first book to analyze the entire filmography of actor/martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme to bring out all the thematic and aesthetic interest.
- Following a large and well-argued research work, the author explores the famous journey of the Belgian in Hollywood, from success to controversy.
- A preface by Sheldon Lettich, friend and loyal collaborator of JCVD since the 1980s (he wrote the script for Bloodsport and realized Full contact And Double Impact , two cult films by the Belgian actor).
- Multiple unpublished or rare photographs from the personal collections of Sheldon Lettich and David Worth (director of photography of Bloodsport and director of Kickboxer ).
- New and recent interviews with numerous JCVD collaborators (directors, fight choreographers, stuntmen, scriptwriter, director of photography, etc.) who offer different points of view on their work with the star of timecop .
- A book that also provides an overview of the evolution of American action cinema, from the 1980s until today, through JCVD's career in Hollywood.
- An essential 290-page book for fans of the actor and lovers of action cinema.
- A book dedicated to all those who grew up with JCVD films and who suffered a lot trying to do the “facial split”…
Doctor in cinematographic studies and graduate of the French Press Institute in Paris, David DA SILVA is a film historian and teacher. He is the author of several books on American cinema, including Working Class Hero Sylvester Stallone . His works are now translated and published abroad (Spain and Russia), and he regularly participates in publications in the United States.