Book Review: SALUTING THE BLOOD OF HEROES: BEHIND THE APOCALYPTIC FILM Delves Deep Into Dystopian Cinema
Film writer Danny Stewart‘s book, Saluting The Blood Of Heroes: Behind The Apocalyptic Film takes us on a journey into a world of post-apocalyptic cinema. Anchored with a focus on David Webb Peoples’ 1989 cult pic The Blood of Heroes (I will always know it as The Salute Of The Jugger), Stewart delivers a unique look into Peoples’ film – and the science fiction sub-genre it resides in. He looks at the literary origins of the apocalyptic genre and how the concepts formed and synthesised as they made the leap into film and television. Using the same passion and detail that he brought to his book, Soldier: From Script to Screen (read my review), Stewart’s 246-page book is incredibly detailed but also immensely readable.
The central focus of Saluting The Blood Of Heroes is Stewart’s interview with David Webb Peoples – the screenwriter behind films such as Blade Runner, Unforgiven and Twelve Monkeys (which also gets looked at in some detail here). Peoples is a wonderfully frank interviewee and he gets to the nitty-gritty of all the challenges entailed in making a film of this kind. It’s not only insightful – it’s refreshing to hear a film-maker talk like this.
Stewart’s book also looks into the cast of Peoples’ film, offering overviews into the careers of the late Rutger Hauer and co-stars Joan Chen, Delroy Lindo and Vincent D’Onofrio. Additional essays on other dystopian science fiction films from the likes of John Kenneth Muir and John Hansen put the genre in context, and Stewart also shines some light on other films, such as Terry Gillaim’s aforementioned Twelve Monkeys and Kevin Costner’s maligned (but actually rather brilliant), The Postman. The former is covered in a conversation with David and Janet Peoples, while First Assistant Director, Dennis Maguire discusses the latter. Frankly, it’s just great to read about these films by the people who made them.
There’s a whole lot to enjoy in Saluting The Blood Of Heroes: Behind The Apocalyptic Film. The scope of knowledge within the book is first-rate, and it’s all anchored by the writer/director of the film at the centre of the tome. as a writer, Danny Stewart has a relaxed and informative style and he has developed a real niche for shining a light on great – and often overlooked films.
