Broadcaster delves into the films of Al Pacino

A film critic and broadcaster has written a book that looks at the life and work of his favourite actor.

Mr Mark Searby has written Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man, which takes a look at the actor’s work across more than 50 films.

During the two years he spent compiling material for the book, Mr Searby, 37, who grew up in Newark, interviewed more than 60 people who know Al Pacino.

The book explores Pacino’s legacy from his breakout performance in The Panic In Needle Park through to the early highs of the 1970s and 80s with The Godfather Parts I and II, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface.

Each chapter guides the reader through the inception, pre-production and filming of Pacino’s entire film catalogue, delving into previously unearthed critique and opinions of those who worked closely with him.

Readers can explore the reviews and box office returns and digest a critical analysis on every film Pacino has ever worked on.

These include his big box office hits such as Heat, The Devil’s Advocate and Donnie Brasco through to the smaller, independent and personal productions, including The Local Stigmatic, Looking For Richard and Chinese Coffee.

The book features more than 60 interviews with actors, directors, producers and writers.

Interviews include the likes of Stephen Bauer (Scarface) Jerry Schatzberg (The Panic In Needle Park) Israel Horovitz(Author! Author!) Hugh Hudson (Revolution) andKris Marshall(The Merchant Of Venice).

Mr Searby spent his first 21 years in Newark before moving to Essex, where he works as a broadcaster and film critic and has shows on commercial radio stations in East Anglia.

He said: “I have always been a massive fan of Al Pacino, even when I was living back in Newark with my mum.

“I always rented films to watch at home. I rented Scent Of A Woman on a regular basis and it grew out of that.

“I always wanted to do something on Al Pacino and I sat with that idea for a few months.

“Rather than just a standard biography I focused on the films because the films are more interesting.”

'Al Pacino is such an iconic actor'

Mr Searby said it was the first book he had written and he would have a break before deciding whether to write another.

“You think you know a topic but when you do something like this you realise you have only scratched the surface,” he said.

“It took me two years to make and each chapter is anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 words, so it goes quite in-depth in terms of how each film was made.”

Mr Searby said he was now an expert on everything connected to the work of Al Pacino.

“Al Pacino is such an iconic actor — that’s the word, iconic — and the days of iconic actors effectively ended with his generation.

“You say Pacino and people conjure up images of Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando.

“Whether people have forgotten about Pacino over the last few years doesn’t matter because people always return to The Godfather.

“It’s consistently voted one of the best films of all time and for the right reasons.”

Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man will be released on June 9 as an eBook. Physical copies will be available at www.marksearby.com at a later date.

The book is available to pre-order for 99p and will cost £2.99 from the date of release.