Director's Cut

My Life in Film

By: Ted Kotcheff, Josh Young

Narrated by: Aaron Abano

With six decades in show business, legendary director Ted Kotcheff looks back on his life.

Born to immigrant parents and raised in the slums of Toronto during the Depression, Ted Kotcheff learned storytelling on the streets before taking a stagehand job at CBC Television. Discovering his skills with actors and production, Kotcheff went on to direct some of the greatest films of the freewheeling 1970s, including The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Wake in Fright, and North Dallas Forty. After directing the 1980s blockbusters First Blood and Weekend at Bernie's, Kotcheff helped produce the groundbreaking TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. During his career, he was declared a Communist by the US government, banned from the Royal Albert Hall in London, and coped with assassination threats to one of his lead actors.

With his seminal films enjoying a critical renaissance, including praise from Martin Scorsese and Nick Cave, Kotcheff now turns the lens on himself. Witty and fearless, Director's Cut is not just a memoir, but also a close-up on life and craft, with stories of his long friendship with Mordecai Richler and working with stars like Sylvester Stallone, James Mason, Gregory Peck, Ingmar Bergman, Gene Hackman, Jane Fonda, and Richard Dreyfuss, as well as advice on how to survive the slings and arrows of Hollywood.

©2017 Ted Kotcheff and Josh Young (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Truth is Stranger and More Exciting Than Fiction

Incredible story. Kotcheff faces unimaginable odds just to live and directs some great films. Excellent!

Pretty good

Very detailed look about Ted’s life. There’s a lot of his history which was expected but he also dives deep into politics of the time which could be been scaled back. I also wish he talked more about his feature films. He talks in depth about them but it feels light compared to other topics he focuses on. Ultimately he got to write it his way and I’m glad he did. RIP Ted