Scene by Scene consists of detailed, incisive discussions in which film directors and actors analyse key scenes from their film output. Presented in a lively and accessible manner by director Mark Cousins and fully illustrated throughout with numerous film frames, this book includes some of the most important scenes from the last 40 years of film. It will appeal both to the general reader and those wishing to learn more about the craft of film-making.

The approximately 35 scenes in the book illustrate the technical excellence of the director or actor in question and are flanked by a brief introduction and a bibliographical section and index. Those interviewed include some of the most famous names in film, such a s Woody Allen, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jonathan Demme, Dennis Hopper, Danid Lynch, Brian De Palma, Roman Polanski, Paul Schrader, Martin Scorsese, Lauren bacall Jeff Bridges, James Coburn, Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Steve Martin, Jane Russell, Terence Stamp, Rod Steiger and Donald Sutherland.