The Essentials Vol. 2

A guide to fifty-two examples of must-see movies, The Essentials Vol. 2 from the Turner Classic Movies series packed with behind-the-scenes stories, illuminating commentary, moments to watch for, and hundreds of photos spotlighting films that define what it means to be a classic.

Since 2001, Turner Classic Movies’ The Essentials has been the ultimate destination for cinephiles showcasing films that have had a lasting impact on audiences and filmmakers everywhere. Enjoy one film per week for a year of stellar viewing or indulge in your own classic movie festival. Spanning the silent era through the late 1980s with such diverse films as Top Hat, Brief Encounter, Rashomon, Vertigo, and Field of Dreams, it’s an indispensable book for movie lovers to expand their knowledge of cinema and discover or revisit landmark films that impacted Hollywood forever.

In this second volume based on the series, fifty-two films are profiled with insightful notes on why they’re Essential watches and feature TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz and the late Robert Osborne, as well as Rob Reiner, Sydney Pollack, Molly Haskell, Carrie Fisher, Rose McGowan, Alec Baldwin, Drew Barrymore, Sally Field, William Friedkin, Ava DuVernay, and Brad Bird.