Film history, theory or criticism Books
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc The Mad Max Effect
Book SynopsisThe Mad Max Effect provides an in-depth analysis of the Mad Max series, and how it began as an inventive concoction ofa number of influences from a range of exploitation genres (including the biker movie, the revenge film, and the car chasecinema of the 1970s), to eventually inspiring a fresh cycle of international low budget road warrior' movies that appeared on home video in the 1980s.The Mad Max Effect is the first detailed academic study of the most famous and celebrated post-apocalypse film series, andexamines how a humble Australian action movie came from the cultural margins of exploitation cinema to have a profound impact on the broader media landscape.Trade ReviewThe Mad Max Effect stands as an engaging exploration of perhaps the most (in)famous post-apocalyptic action film series and its enduring legacy and influence. Detailing the wider impact of the initial film series, the book addresses examples of international ‘MadMaxploitation’ cinema, 21st century Road Warrior fan productions and the enduring aesthetic influence of ‘Diesel Punk’ in contemporary media. Newton is able to navigate the tarnished steel, burnt out tyres and ignited engine oil to examine the broader contexts of national cinema and cultural identity, transnational cinematic flows, and developments in screen media technology (all of which are central to the ongoing study of global exploitation cinema). * Thomas Joseph Watson, Lecturer in Media Studies, Teesside University, UK *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Origins of the Road Warrior Chapter Two: The Death Race Lineage Chapter Three: Contextualising Mad Max Chapter Four: The Politics of Mad Max Chapter Five: MadMaxploitation! Transnational Road Warriors Chapter Six: Fury Road and the Imitation of Exploitation Chapter Seven: Mad Max and the metatext: Fan Engagement and Online Culture Conclusion: A Few Years From Now List of Films Reference List Index
£91.20
Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Cat Has Nine Lives
Book SynopsisRestores the first German feminist film, long neglected, to its rightful status as a classic forebear of more recent cinefeminism, demonstrating that the film is as relevant today as it was upon its 1968 release. Acclaimed as postwar Germany's first feminist film, Ula Stöckl's The Cat Has Nine Lives disappeared from view shortly after its 1968 premiere when its distributor went bankrupt. Although it laid the groundwork for the flourishing feminist cinema that emerged in West Germany and beyond during the 1970s, Stöckl's vibrant film long remained largely unknown. Yet it is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it debuted half a century ago. Revived at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), The Cat Has Nine Lives is now available for the first time on DVD with English subtitles. Posing the question, "Women have never had as many possibilities to do what they want as they have today, but do they know what they want?," Stöckl's film follows the intertwined stories of five characters to explore the possibilities for and limitations on women's subjectivity, desire, friendship, work, and artistic expression in a society defined by gender inequality. Restoring this singular film to its rightful place as a German film classic, Hester Baer argues that The Cat Has Nine Lives forms an important aesthetic and theoretical precursor to the unfolding cinefeminism of later decades.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments In the Driver's Seat First Feminist Film 1968 and German History "Power-War-Love" Creating the New German Feature Film Language Colors The Mythical Circe Feminist Representation and Documentary Style Alternative Imaginaries Plant Life Endings Credits Notes
£17.99
Polaris Publishing Limited Local Hero: Making a Scottish Classic
Book Synopsis'It's not a high concept movie, there's actually no story there really. It’s what happens in between the story that’s important' – Bill Forsyth The story of an American businessman sent to buy the Scottish village of Ferness with the aim of turning it into an oil refinery, Local Hero is one of Scotland’s most beloved, and most misunderstood, films. When Bill Forsyth’s incredible success with the low-budget That Sinking Feeling and Gregory’s Girl found him collaborating with Britain’s best-known film producer, David Puttnam, he soon found his independent ethos clashing with Hollywood’s desire for superstar actors and a happy ending. Jonathan Melville checks into the MacAskill Arms and looks back at Bill Forsyth’s career with the help of new and archive interviews, before spending time with the cast and crew, including stars Peter Riegert and Denis Lawson, who made Local Hero on location in Houston and Scotland in 1982. With access to early drafts of the Local Hero script (including hand-written notes) that reveal more about Mac and mermaids, excerpts from a previously unpublished interview in which Bill Forsyth explains why he refuses to call his film 'feel-good', and a look at long-lost deleted scenes with exclusive commentary from those involved, this is the definitive history of the Scottish classic. ‘Genuine fairy tales are rare; so is film-making that is thoroughly original in an unobtrusive way. Bill Forsyth's quirky disarming Local Hero is both . . . it demonstrates Mr. Forsyth's uncanny ability for making an audience sense that something magical is going on, even if that something isn't easily explained’ – Janet Maslin, The New York Times 'Local Hero is kind of transcendent. It's poetic in a way that most films can't hope to be' – Frank Cottrell-Boyce 'Local Hero is one my favourite films of all time . . . A timeless masterpiece' – Mark Kermode
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Nosferatu (1922): eine Symphonie des Grauens
Book SynopsisF.W. Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu, the first (albeit unofficial) screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, starring Max Schreck as the hollow-eyed, cadaverous vampire, remains a potent and disturbing horror film. Kevin Jackson's study traces Nosferatu's eventful production and reception history, including attempts by Stoker's widow to suppress it.Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Murnau's Nosferatu.- Notes.- Credits.- Select Bibliography.
£12.34
Columbia University Press Death Without End
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£25.20
Penguin Publishing Group Your Favorite Scary Movie
Book Synopsis
£17.62
Taschen GmbH Donald Duck. The Ultimate History
Book SynopsisNothing succeeds like success, as the saying goes, but in the case of Donald Duck the opposite is true: the candor with which Donald reveals his weaknesses wins our hearts and stays with us forever.Revisit Donald's life's work from nine decades in one of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe. Following TASCHEN's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History, we witness the career of Mickey's only rival for the throne as Disney's most popular creation. From his debut in the Silly Symphony short film The Wise Little Hen on June 9, 1934, the authors trace Donald's more than 170 cartoons, groundbreaking adventures in comics and TV, and theme park appearances. As a special treat to his fans, they also dive deep into the vaults to tell the story of his unfinished film projects.With unprecedented access to Disney's vast historical archives and collections as well as public and private collections, the authors illuminate Donald's life story with rar
£148.75
Dorling Kindersley Ltd Star Wars Year by Year
Book SynopsisDiscover everything you''ve ever wanted to know about Star Wars in this complete history of the most famous franchise in movie history.Painstakingly researched and superbly illustrated, Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition presents a unique Star Wars timeline-the full history of the amazing Star Wars phenomenon as you''ve never seen it before.This stunning visual journey features trivia and cultural cornerstones from director George Lucas'' early life through to the iconic movie stills, comic books, novels, toys, video games, and theme parks that have spawned from five decades of seminal film making. Fully updated and expanded, this edition encompasses all nine episodes of the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies, along with the standalone movies Rogue One and Solo, and the acclaimed television series, The Mandalorian. Produced in full collaboration with Lucasfilm and written by renowned Star Wars experts, Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History, New Edition is ideal for Star Wars fanatics and newbies alike. & 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd.
£28.00
HarperCollins Publishers Agatha Christies Poirot
Book SynopsisFrom the very first book publication in 1920 to the upcoming film release of Death on the Nile, this investigation into Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world's favourite fictional detective.This book tells his story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen and radio productions. The hardback edition includes more than 400 illustrations.Poirot has had near-permanent presence in the public eye ever since the 1920 publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. From character development, publication history and private discussion concerning the original stories themselves, to early forays on to the stage and screen, the story of Poirot is as fascinating as it is enduring.Based on the author's original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon.Trade Review‘Delightful, detailed and compulsively readable.’ MARK GATISS ‘What a magnificent book! An essential component of every Poirot fan's book collection. I couldn't put it down.’ SOPHIE HANNAH ‘Exhaustively and entertainingly surveys the book, stage, radio, magazine and film appearances of that fussy little Belgian.’ MICHAEL DIRDA, WASHINGTON POST 'This quirky, trivia-filled look at a touchstone of detective fiction will have Christie fans young and old in heaven.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
£21.25
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Rushmore
Book SynopsisEarning critical acclaim and commercial success upon its 1998 release, Rushmore—the sophomore film of American auteur Wes Anderson—quickly gained the status of a cult classic. A melancholic coming-of-age story wrapped in comedy drama, Rushmore focuses on the efforts of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman)—a brazen and precocious fifteen-year-old—to find his way. Restless, energetic, struggling, and overcompensating for his insecurities, Max pursues a dizzying range of possible futures, leading him into the orbit of local steel magnate Herman Blume (Bill Murray), elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), and a host of cooperative schoolmates who help him to stage lavish film-derivative plays. Kristi McKim’s compelling study of the film argues that despite the film’s titular call for haste and excess (rush/more), it challenges a drive toward perfectionism and celebrates the quiet connections that defy such passion and speed. After establishing Rushmore’s history and reception, McKim closely reads Rushmore’s energetic musical montages relative to slower moments that introduce tenderness and ambiguity, in a form subtler than Max’s desire-built drive or genre-based plays. Her analysis offers an urgent corrective to what might be perceived as an endearing portrait of privilege that perpetuates a status quo power. Drawing out Rushmore’s subtleties that soften, temper, ease, expand, and equalize the film’s zeal, she reads the film with a generosity learned from the film itself.Table of ContentsPreface: Making Rushmore New, Now Introduction 1 Context 2 Rush/More 3 Slowness/Grace 4 A World of Time (Not Things) 5 Teaching and Learning Notes Credits
£12.34
Quercus Publishing Quentin Tarantino
Book SynopsisQuentin Tarantino is one of the most iconic and best loved movie directors of the last two decades. Whether he''s shooting up the Deep South, slicing through the Japanese underworld, blasting Nazi-occupied France or taking a flamethrower to ''60s Los Angeles, Tarantino is a director who combines a radical vision with a sense of history: making movies precisely the way he wants, to celebrate the movies he loves. Featuring insights into his inspirations - from martial-arts epics to Spaghetti Westerns - and dishing up fascinating details from his productions, this is an indispensable guide to Tarantino''s thrilling and sometimes controversial body of work.It takes in his searing debut Reservoir Dogs, the era-defining Pulp Fiction and the genre-subverting Django Unchained, among other modern classics, right up to his nostalgic masterpiece Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Above all, this is a celebration of a filmmaker who has arguably made a big
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Withnail and I
Book SynopsisWithnail and I sank almost without a trace when it was first released in 1987. Financed by HandMade Films, the late George Harrison’s production company, and drawing heavily on first-time writer-director Bruce Robinson's experiences, this virtually plot-free story follows two out-of-work actors (Withnail, played by Richard E. Grant, and 'I', played by Paul McGann), eking out a living in a run-down London of the late 1960s, and embarking on a booze-fuelled weekend in the country which takes various unexpected turns. Although it initially failed to find an audience, it did not take long for the film to attract a dedicated cult following which still persists today. Lines from the film such as 'we've gone on holiday by mistake!' and 'Bring me the finest wines known to humanity!' have become popular favourites and the subject of countless internet memes. Kevin Jackson's in-depth study gives a full account of the film's origins and production history. But his main focus is the mood and magic of the film, its aesthetics and sensibility, seeking to show, without ever detracting from the film's comic brilliance, just how much more there is to Withnail and I than drunkenness and swearing. 'It is an outstandingly touching yet witheringly unsentimental drama of male friendship,' Jackson writes, 'a bleak up-ending of the English pastoral dream, a piece of ferocious verbal inventiveness' - and, without question, one of the greatest of all British films. In his new foreword to this edition, writer Bharat Tandon pays tribute to to both Withnail's peculiar genius and enduring appeal, and to his close friend Kevin Jackson.Trade ReviewBruce Robinson's first and most famous outing as a writer/director, Withnail & I has gone down in history as the student film...this book is lively with enthusiasm and full to bursting point with anecdotes and analysis...He doesn't try to come across as anything more than what he certainly is: a die-hard Withnail fan with a keen eye for detail and a delightful nose for a story. -- FilmwerkTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Foreword to the 2022 edition Introduction: Withnail and Me 1. A Terrible Cult? 2. The Arena of the Unwell 3. A Kingdom of Rains 4. The Last Island of Beauty 5. The Company of Wolves Notes Credits
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Cure
Book SynopsisDominic Lash is Postdoctoral Affiliate at the University of Cambridge, UK. He is the author of The Cinema of Disorientation: Inviting Confusions (2020) and Robert Pippin and Film: Politics, Psychology, and Ethics after Modernism (Bloomsbury Academic, 2022). His work has been published in journals such as Screen, Cinergie and Movie.
£12.34
Oxford University Press French Cinema
Book SynopsisIt is often claimed that the French invented cinema. Dominating the production and distribution of cinema until World War 1, when they were supplanted by Hollywood, the French cinema industry encompassed all genres, from popular entertainment to avant-garde practice. The French invented the auteur and the ciné-club; they incubated criticism from the 1920s to our own day that is unrivalled; and they boast more film journals, fan magazines, TV shows, and festivals devoted to film than anywhere else. This Very Short Introduction opens up French cinema through focusing on some of its most notable works, using the lens of the New Wave decade (1958-1968) that changed cinema worldwide. Exploring the entire French cinematic oeuvre, Dudley Andrew teases out distinguishing themes, tendencies, and lineages, to bring what is most crucial about French Cinema into alignment. He discusses how style has shaped the look of female stars and film form alike, analysing the made up aesthetic of many films, and the paradoxical penchant for French cinema to cruelly unmask surface beauty in quests for authenticity. Discussing how French cinema as a whole pits strong-willed characters against auteurs with high-minded ideas of film art, funded by French cinema''s close rapport to literature, painting, and music, Dudley considers how the New Wave emerged from these struggles, becoming an emblem of ambition for cinema that persists today. He goes on to show how the values promulgated by the New Wave directors brought the three decades that preceded it into focus, and explores the deep resonance of those values today, fifty years later. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: The 'makeup' of French film and its demaquillage: Jeanne Moreau 2: The insurgency of the authentic and the regime of strong fathers : Jean Gabin 3: Renoir and Bresson: two incomparable sources 4: An intellectual cinema looks back to tradition and forward to the end of history 5: The school of the New Wave and the lessons it has taught Further reading Index
£9.49
The University of Chicago Press Perfect Wave
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Veteran art critic Hickey delivers another poignant and masterful collection of essays. In each selection, he critically and humorously contemplates cultural zeitgeists and the essence of good art in music, books, paintings, and architecture. His razor-sharp insight and witty prose make for an entertaining read. . . . While his prose is charming and at times aphoristic, Hickey is always serious when challenging the status quo or defending the cultural innovators who, in his view, have realized art’s potential as a medium for beauty, democracy, and unabashed self-expression." * Publishers Weekly *"He remains one of the finest American cultural critics, for he opens his own pleasures to appreciative scrutiny and collective relish." * PopMatters *Table of ContentsBaby Breakers Cool on Cool: William Claxton’s World “Goodbye to Love” Wonderful Shoes A World like Santa Barbara It’s Morning in Nevada: On the Campaign Trail in Post-Bush America My Silk Road The Last MouseketeerAfter the Prom Firecrackers: Terry Castle Celebrates Her Independence¡Una Lesbiana Enamorada! Susan Sontag His Mickey Mouse Ways Mitchum Gets Out of Jail The Real Michelangelo Reading Ruskin Writing Palladio’s Song Morris Lapidus: Life as We Know It Art Fairies Little Victories
£14.25
University of Chicago Press Lyric Personhood
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£26.60
Duke University Press Birth of an Industry
Book SynopsisNicholas Sammond argues that early cartoons are a key components to blackface minstrelsy and that cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat are not like minstrels, but are minstrels. Cartoons have played on racial anxieties, naturalized racial formations, committed symbolic racial violence, and help perpetuate blackface minstrelsy.Trade Review"Nicholas Sammond’s study provides a detailed, thoughtful, exhaustively researched examination of the process by which the early animation studios cast about for technical and semiotic models to inform their new art form and drew upon the complex and conflicted vocabulary of blackface minstrelsy to do so." -- Christopher J. Smith * Journal of American History *"Birth of an Industry is a welcome addition and valuable contribution to the ongoing academic discussion of the relationship of ethnic tensions to the art and business of animation." -- Christopher P. Lehman * African American Review *"Sammond's impressive Birth of an Industry condenses and stretches various links among the evolving art, labor, and business of early animated film." -- T. Lindvall * Choice *"Moving effortlessly among theories of comedy, critical race theory, performance studies, animation criticism, and both Marxist and Freudian analyses, Sammond has produced a comprehensive study of the rise of American animation." -- Diego A. Millan * Studies in American Humor *"Few authors . . . have proved minstrelsy's connections to early animation as carefully and convincingly as Nicholas Sammond in his thoughtful text Birth of an Industry." -- Carmenita Higginbotham * Journal of Southern History *"Sammond’s work in The Birth of An Industry is notable and fascinating. . . . By unpacking each component of the production and representation of minstrel animation, Sammond builds the space needed for an insightful discussion." -- Niamh Timmons * Journal of Popular Culture *"Birth of an Industry offers a timely, valuable, and theoretically distinguished intervention." -- Malcolm Cook * Animation *"With Birth of an Industry, Nicholas Sammond demonstrates that the specter of racialized caricature and its attending performative power dynamics have a longer and more pernicious continuum through which race, industry, and the nation understood and affected one another." -- Allyson Nadia Field * Media Industries *Table of ContentsNote on the Companion Website ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction. Biting the Invisible Hand 1 1. Performance 33 2. Labor 87 3. Space 135 4. Race 203 Conclusion. The "New" Blackface 267 Notes 307 Bibliography 351 Index 365
£22.79
Taylor & Francis Film Genre
Book SynopsisOffering an accessible introduction to the study of film genres and genre films, this book examines the use of genre in cinema from its beginnings to the present day.Trade Review“Barry Keith Grant’s Film Genre: The Basics is smartly structured, encyclopedic in range, and compellingly written. A highly readable book from an established expert in the field, it is readily accessible to readers unfamiliar with the topic as well as to those who have been immersed in it for years. . . Grant’s book is a substantial, even monumental one that will provide a genuine contribution to discourse on the topic.” William Luhr, Professor of English and Film, Saint Peter’s University, USA “Grant’s book provides an engaging, authoritative introduction to film genre through the interwoven contexts of Hollywood history, literary antecedents, international iterations, and key critical and theoretical issues at stake. This illuminating study explores a range of film genres from the earliest examples to those of the present day.” Cynthia Lucia, Professor of Media Studies, Rider University, USATable of ContentsIntroduction Part I 1. What is a Genre Film? 2. Why Hollywood? 3. Who Makes Genre Films? 4. Who Are Genre Films For? Part II 5. The Western 6. The Horror Film 7. The Film Musical 8. The Documentary Film
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Cinema in the Arab World
Book SynopsisCinema in the Arab world has been the subject of varied and rigorous studies, but most have focused on films as text, providing in-depth analyses of plot, style, ideologies, or examination of the biographies of prominent directors or actors. This innovative new volume shifts the focus on Arab cinema off-screen, to examine the histories, politics, and conditions of distribution, exhibition, and cinema-going in the Arab world. Through broadening the frame of study beyond the screen, the book widens understanding of the cinema, not merely as a collection of films-as-texts, but as a site of cultural and political contestation in the Arab world. Divided into two sections, and guided by interdisciplinary considerations, the contributors examine historical and contemporary issues of Arab cinema in terms of the experience of movie-going and filmmaking. They examine the networks of distribution and exhibition, as well as the contested and multiple meanings that the cinema embodied through dTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Figures and table List of Contributors Introduction, Ifdal Elsaket (Netherlands-Flemish Institute, Egypt), Daniel Biltereyst (Ghent University, Belgium) and Philippe Meers (University of Antwerp, Belgium) I Arab Cinema Histories: Distribution, Exhibition and Audiences 1.Misr Abroad: Trading Egyptian Films in Colonial Maghreb, Morgan Corriou (University of Paris 8 Vincennes – Saint-Denis, France) 2.“Le Roi du Cinéma”: Joseph Seibarras and North African Film Exhibition, 1925-1945, Eric Smoodin (University of California, Davis, USA) 3.Access for the Axis: The Battle for Ideological Supremacy on Middle Eastern, North African, and Turkish Cinema Screens Between 1933-1945, Kajsa Philippa Niehusen and Ross Melnick (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA) 4.Egyptian Women’s Empowerment and Early Cinema-Going, Mohannad Ghawanmeh (Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, Philadelphia, USA) 5.Anti-Colonial Masculinity, the Catholic Film Center and the Screening of Religious Difference in 1950s Egypt: The Multiple Lives of Husayn Sidqi's Night of Power, Rahma Bavelaar (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands) 6.Bollywood Film Traffic: Shaping Routes for Hindi Films in the Arab World, 1954-2014, Némésis Srour (University of Paris 8 Vincennes – Saint-Denis, France) 7.The Business of Cinemas in Ismailia with a Case Study of Ghweba Cinema: an interview with Abbas Ghweba and Tarek Ghweba, Asmaa Gharib (Musawah Global Movement, Malaysia) 8.Cinema-going in Egypt in the Long-60s: Oral Histories of Pleasure and Leisure, Ifdal Elsaket (Netherlands-Flemish Institute, Egypt) II Contemporary Issues of Circulation, Experience and Memory 9.Film Distribution and Exhibition in Tunisia since 2011: Is Cinema-going Back in Style? Patricia Caillé (Université de Strasbourg, France) 10.Gatekeepers or Facilitators? MAD Solutions and Other Film Distribution Networks for Arab Cinema, Stefanie Van de Peer (Queen Margaret University, UK) 11.A New Online Cinema Audience? an interview on aflamuna with Jad Abi Khalil, Anaïs Farine (University Paris 8 Vincennes – Saint-Denis, France) 12.A Taste for Cinema: Saudi Arabia’s Mediated Transitional Public Film Culture, Anne Ciecko (University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA) 13.The Multifunctional Cinema Exhibition Space at the Turn of the Century: a dialogue, Nour El Safoury (independent researcher, Egypt) and Jowe Harfouche (Network of Arab Alternative Screens (NAAS), Lebanon) 14.The Visual Nation: Film, Soft Power and Egypt as a Community of Spectators, Iskandar Abdalla (Berlin Graduate School, Germany) Notes Bibliography Index
£76.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Indigeneity and the Decolonizing Gaze
Book SynopsisRobert Stam is University Professor at New York University, USA. He has authored, co-authored, and edited nineteen books on film and cultural theory, national cinemas, politics and aesthetics, and comparative race and postcolonial studies. His books include: Reflexivity in Film and Literature (1985,1995); Brazilian Cinema (1982);Subversive Pleasures:(1989); Tropical Multiculturalism (1997); Film Theory: An Introduction (2000); Literature through Film (2005); Francois Truffaut and Friends (2006); Keywords in Subversive Film/Media Aesthetics (2015); and World Literature, Transnational Cinema,and Global Media: Towards a Transartistic Commons (2019) He is co-author, with Ella Shohat, of Unthinking Eurocentrism (1994) Flagging Patriotism; (2006); and Race in Translation: (2012); He has taught in France, Tunisia, Brazil, Germany, and Abu Dhabi. His work has been translated into more than 15 languagesTrade ReviewWith this book, Indigeneity and the Decolonizing Gaze: Transnational Imaginaries, Media Aesthetics, and Social Thought, the always brilliant scholar Bob Stam has given us another tour de force. In this new work he tracks how -- over 500 years -- the possibilities of contemporary Indigenous media emerged in the Americas, with special attention to Brazil. He traces the colonial circumstances and European imaginaries that produced “the Protocols of Anti-Indigenism,” morphed into the “transnational Indian”, and landed in the rich dialogue emerging from contemporary Indigenous media. Witty, erudite, and politically engaged, this book is essential reading for those who hope to decolonize cinema studies and locate Indigenous media making in a rich historical context. -- Faye Ginsburg, Kriser Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for Media, Culture & History, NYU, USA.Building on research in media studies, anthropology, and social philosophy, this timely book offers an in depth account of the recent indigenous turn in global scholarship, politics, and culture. Particularly impressive is Stam’s ability to relationalize processes and events from diverse historical epochs and geographical regions. -- Sérgio Costa, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Latin American Studies, FU Berlin, GermanyEclectic and breathtaking in its scope, transnational and trans-medial, this book puts on full display Stam’s unique capacity to think across myriad sources and cultural forms in an insightful, sophisticated, and generous way. The book should be an important contribution not only to scholars across but also to cultural producers, activists, and even nonspecialized readers interested in the past and future of indigenous people. -- Gustavo Furtado, Associate Professor of Romance Studies and Co-Director of the Amazon Humanities Laboratory at Duke University, USAThrough a "trans-methodology" that crosses disciplines and boundaries of historical periods and countries, Stam shows us how indigenous peoples have constructed a global and intercontinental response to colonialism over the centuries. As a result, the modern world's history emerges as an "intertextual mise-en-abyme", in which indigenous progressive social thought, political practices and arts interpose the colonial imaginary. -- Joana Brandão, Tavares Professor at Federal University of Southern Bahia (UFSB), BrazilTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction The Terms of Debate A 1492 Project: Conquest and Discovery The Protocols of Anti-Indigenism The Sacred Land Native Arts and Aesthetics Indigenous Media Chapter One: From France Antartique To Shamanic Critique: The Tupinization Of Social Thought France Antartique and Tupi Theory Filming France Antartique Montaigne and Tupi Theory From France Antartique to the Carib Revolution From the French Philosophes to the American Revolution The French Missions, Lévi-Strauss, and the Indian Pierre Clastres, the Anarchist Indigene, and the Wari The Franco-Brazilian Dialogue and the Politics of The Falling Sky Chapter Two: The Indigenous “Cunhã:” The Metamorphosis of a Gendered Trope The Tupinization of Manhattan The “Cunhã” as Filmmaker The Cunhã as Myth: Paraguaçu Caramuru: The Invention of Brazil The Filmic and Televisual Cunhã The Cunhã Degraded The Cunhã as Warrior The Cunhã as Forest Princess The Cunhã as Hyper-Woman The Ecological Cunhã The “Cunhã” as Activist/Artist Myths of Extinction: The Return of the Vanished Indigene Chapter Three: The Transnational “Indian” Land and the Frontier Western Going Native Europe’s “White Indians” The Indian Hobbyists Transmedial Indigeneity The Strategic Uses of Humor Painterly Tricksterism Indigeneity and Music First Peoples, First Features Indigenization of Horror Chapter Four: Cross-National Comparabilities: The Indigenization Of Brazilian Media Centennial Commemorations and First Contact Films Variations on a Westward Theme Proto-Indigenist Cinema in Brazil Indigenous Media in Brazil Video nas Aldeias The Archival Turn Corumbiara: on the Trail of Massacres The Guaraní and Contrapuntal Narration The Martyrdom of the Guaraní-Kaiowá The Transmediatic Indigene of Popular Culture Chapter Five: Triumphs and the Travails of the Yanomami Juan Downey and “The Laughing Alligator” Crossed Filmic Gazes The Poetics of The Falling Sky The Cinematic Imaginary of the Yanomami Cinematizing Shamanism: Xapiri The Last Forest Conclusion: The Theoretical Indigene: Becoming Indian, And The Elsewhere Of Capitalism Colonial Ambivalence and the Transnational Gaze Transformational Becomings From Republican Constitutions to the Carib Revolution The Theoretical Indigene Indigeneity and the Postcolonial Left Before and After the Nation-State Postcolonialism and the Nurture of Nature The Fear of a Red Academe: Indigenous Decoloniality The Power of Shamanic Critique Capitalism vs. the Planet The Transnational Trope of Indigenous Happiness Coda Index
£71.25
Edinburgh University Press Off to the Pictures
Book SynopsisUsing detailed case studies, this innovative book draws upon new archival research, industrial analysis and close textual readings to consider cinema's place in the fictions and critical writings of major female literary figures.
£22.79
McFarland & Co Inc The Sound of Cinema
Book Synopsis While some film scores crash through theater speakers to claim their place in memory, others are more unassuming. Either way, a film''s score is integral to successful world building. This book lifts the curtain on the elusive yet thrilling art form, examining the birth of the Hollywood film score, its turbulent evolution throughout the decades and the multidimensional challenges to musicians that lie ahead. The history of the film score is illuminated by extraordinary talents (like John Williams, Hans Zimmer and countless others). Beginning with vaudeville and silent cinema, chapters explore the wonders of early pioneers like Max Steiner and Bernard Herrmann, and continue through the careers of other soundtrack titans. Leading Hollywood film composers offer in this book fascinating perspectives on the art of film music composition, its ongoing relevance and its astonishing ability to enhance a filmmaker''s vision.Trade ReviewAccessible...vivid...ambitious in its scope...Sean Wilson is a trusted guide with an obvious passion for (and knowledge of) the subject...the detail here is pretty extraordinary, with fascinating asides and valuable insights"—BBC Music MagazineTable of Contents Acknowledgments Foreword: What Constitutes a Great Film Score? by Amon Warmann Preface One. Tremolo: The Onset of Film Music Two. Forte: The Romantic Era Takes Shape Three. Glissando: Jazz, Rock and Roll and the Slide Towards Experimentalism Four. Allegro: Star Wars and the Resurgence of the Symphonic Score Five. Atonal: The Role of Film Music in the Era of Franchising Six. Dissonance: Gender Disparity, Temp Scores and Rejected Scores Coda: The Future of Hollywood Film Scoring Chapter Notes Bibliography Index
£37.82
Skyhorse Publishing The Science of The Mandalorian: The Anatomy of a
Book SynopsisTake a trip beyond this Earth to explore the myths of The Mandalorian and uncover the anatomy of the newest space western in the Star Wars Universe.Star Wars dominates the film world. The combined box office revenue of the Star Wars movies equates to over $10 billion, making it the second highest-grossing film franchise of all time. But this franchise is no blaster from the past. Its fantastically successful films have now been followed by multiple television series set in that same galaxy far, far away. The franchise’s flagship television series, and likely the firmest fan favorite for some time to come, is The Mandalorian. Tracing the tale of the titular bounty hunter, traveling across the furthest reaches of that mythic galaxy, The Mandalorian has been greatly praised and highly acclaimed for creating characters with gravitas and originality, worlds with depth and impact, resulting in some of the best Star Wars content ever. Even though it’s set in deep space, The Mandalorian has as much in common with Western movies as it does with science fiction. Saloons. Bandits. “Gun” duels. Bounty hunters. Outlaws with a price on their heads. Space exploration as a “final frontier.” And a wild hero who doesn’t quite belong in a lawless part of the Galaxy after the fall of the Empire.The Science of The Mandalorian takes you on a badass journey with a mysterious, lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, where your beskar armor will protect you from many things, but not the sight of a small, green, carnivorous humanoid with big black eyes and mysterious powers. This is the way.
£10.44
Cambridge Scholars Publishing The Fluid Frame in Cinema: Collected Essays
Book SynopsisThis book is a passionate rendezvous with cinema, the most collaborative of art forms. The essays here explore the possibilities offered by a close reading of cinema that keeps cultural contexts and their socio-historical roots firmly in sight. This collection does not consider the “frame”, that oft-referenced basic unit of vision in films, as a limiting structure. Rather, it brings into purview what is left out. Divided into three sections, the essays look firstly at Indian cinema, both Bollywood and regional films, tracing the journey of Indian cinema from the periphery to the center.The second section focuses on Adaptation Studies and takes an unorthodox look at classic adaptations of literature. The final section is a reappraisal of directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. The essays propose that, even though the film as an artwork does not change fundamentally over time, it still strikes a contemporary critical gaze differently.
£46.49
The Library of America Farber On Film: The Complete Film Writings Of
Book Synopsis
£24.64
University of Regina Press Bloodied Bodies Bloody Landscapes
£27.38
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Anime: A History
Book SynopsisJapanese animation is at the nexus of an international multimedia industry worth over $23.6 billion a year, linked to everything from manga to computer games, Pokémon and plushies. In this comprehensive guide, Jonathan Clements chronicles the production and reception history of the entire medium, from a handful of hobbyists in the 1910s to the Oscar-winning Spirited Away and beyond. Exploring the cultural and technological developments of the past century, Clements addresses how anime’s history has been written by Japanese scholars, and covers previously neglected topics such as wartime instructional animation and work-for-hire for American clients. Founded on the testimonies of industry professionals, and drawing on a myriad of Japanese-language documents, memoirs and books, Anime: A History illuminates the anime business from the inside – investigating its innovators, its unsung heroes and its controversies. This new edition has been updated and revised throughout, with full colour illustrations and three new chapters on anime’s fortunes among Chinese audiences and subcontractors, 21st century trends in ‘otaku economics’, and the huge transformations brought about by the rise of global streaming technology.Trade ReviewThis study is authoritative and detailed, and will be essential reading for anime fans and scholars alike. -- PD Smith * The Guardian *Historian Jonathan Clements traces the evolution of anime by exploring the history of its production and reception over the past 100 years, identifying periods in which cultural and technological developments ushered in new ways of thinking about the basic concept of 'moving pictures.' * The Japan Times *…a fascinating read. * The New York Times *Anime: A History questions the stories we think we know of anime's rises and falls, its heroes and breakthroughs. * Manga UK *One of the most important and comprehensive books on anime ever written for the western market. * Neo Magazine *Scrupulously researched and critically clear sighted, Clements’ authoritative book provides much needed historical clarity in an area where enthusiastic (but less scrupulous) English language internet commentators have often muddied the critical waters. -- Adam Whybray, University of Suffolk, UKClements’ text is full of insights, and works as both a starter guide for movies and a serious history book for anime scholars. * The Film Stage *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Anime? 1. Kid Deko's New Picture Book: Early Cartoons in Japan 1912-21 2. The Film Factories: Animation Technique and Technology 1921-37 3. The Shadow Staff: Japanese Animation at War 1931-48 4. The Seeds of Anime: Japanese Animation Industries 1946-62 5. Dreams of Export: Toei Doga and MOM Production 1953-67 6. Warrior Business: Tezuka's Anime Revolution in Context 1961-67 7. The Brown Screen: Trended Change in Japanese Animation 1966-83 8. The Third Medium: The Transformation of Ownership and Access 1977-96 9. The Pokemon Shock: Anime Goes Global 1984-97, 1997-2006 10. The Digital Engine: New Technologies in Animation 1983-2012 11. THE GREAT FIREWALL Anime in China, 1989-2019 (new) 12. HOLY LANDS Otaku economics, 2005-2019 (new) 13. NETFLIX NATION The transformation of distribution and exhibition, 2015-2021 (new) Afterword (new) Bibliography (updated) Index
£27.54
State University of New York Press The Cinema of the Real
Book Synopsis
£25.65
Quarto Publishing PLC Guillermo del Toro
Book SynopsisAn engaging and in-depth examination of the work of Guillermo Del Toro, one of the most revered directors working in modern cinema.Trade Review"The book manages to break down Del Toro’s career into a book that is both informative, engaging and easy to dip into. Casual fans will learn all about his biggest films and more, and hardcore fans should love it." * Cryptic Rock *"It’s the type of book that will give you endless “oh, did you know…” ammunition for any conversation on his work...a beautifully put together book that would grace any bookcase or coffee table..." -- Clare Hemsworth * Fandemonium Network *"The photos alone are enough for a fan to covet this fine book (which comes in its own slipcase), but Nathan's essays also help tie together Del Toro's career, making an argument for him as a rare artist with a cohesive, personal vision and style." -- Jeffrey M. Anderson * Combustible Celluloid *"For those looking for examinations of del Toro’s narrative techniques and stylistic and creative choices, they will not be disappointed with critical and honest analysis that Nathan provides." * Conskipper.com *"...this is a terrific book with insightful, eloquent writing from Nathan that fed my artistic soul." -- Michele Galgana * ScreenRant.com *"...full of interesting stories and full-colour stills and behind the scenes photos from the movies. It's a fun coffee table book that would make a good gift for someone interested in Del Toro's work, or filmmaking in general." -- Jennifer Muirhead * WeekendNotes.com *"Despite being unofficial and unauthorized, this comprehensive volume blooms with gorgeous, sometimes grotesque imagery and knowledgeable, occasionally indulgent reverence for del Toro’s estimable body of work." -- Mark Burger * YES Weekly *Table of ContentsCONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICOThe early years & Cronos (1993) 2. TUNNEL VISIONMimic (1997) 3. UNFINISHED BUSINESS The Devil’s Backbone (2001) 4. BLOOD RUSH Blade II (2002) 5. BIG RED Hellboy (2004) & Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) 6. RITES OF PASSAGE Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) 7. HIGH CONCEPT Pacific Rim (2013) 8. FREAK HOUSE Crimson Peak (2015) 9. THE LOVE AQUATIC The Shape of Water (2017) 10. THE WEAVER OF DREAMS Nightmare Alley & Pinocchio (2021 - TBC) SOURCES & CREDITS
£23.80
Bloomsbury Academic When Harry Met Sally...
Book SynopsisTamar Jeffers McDonald is Dean of the School of Art and Media & Professor in Film History, University of Brighton, UK. She is the co-editor of Stars, Fan Magazines and Audiences: Desire by Design Hollywood and author of Catwalk: Reading Costume and Transformation in American Film (2010) Doris Day Confidential: Hollywood Sex and Stardom (2013).
£14.40
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Birds
Book SynopsisDrawing on Daphne du Maurier's short story and contemporary newspaper reports of bird attacks in California, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) featured Tippi Hedren in her first starring role. Camille Paglia's compelling study considers the film's aesthetic, technical and mythical qualities, and analyses its depiction of gender and family relations. A film about anxiety, sexual power and the violence of nature, it is quintessential Hitchcock. Camille Paglia's foreword to this new edition reflects upon the relationship between Hitchcock and his leading lady Hedren in the light of recent debates about male power, female agency and the #MeToo movement.Trade ReviewThe slim book is Paglia at her most discerning, precise, and enjoyable. * Electric Ghost *Characteristically provocative and engrossing. * The Best American Poetry blog *Table of ContentsForeword to the 2020 edition 'The Birds' Appendix: Melanie Daniels' Social Calendar Notes Credits Bibliography
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Manchurian Candidate
Book Synopsis"It may be the most sophisticated political thriller ever made in Hollywood," film critic Pauline Kael wrote of John Frankenheimer's terrifying 1962 political thriller about an American serviceman brainwashed in Korea and made into an assassin. Sophisticated to be sure, it's also a headlong fall through the looking-glass of American politics and the most deeply prophetic film of the second half of the American century. As Greil Marcus reconstructs the drama, The Manchurian Candidate is a movie in which the director and actors, including Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury in an Academy Award-nominated performance, were suddenly capable of anything, beyond any expectations. This edition includes a new foreword highlighting the movie's terrifying contemporary relevance in the age of Trump and Russian interference in the US Presidential election.Trade ReviewMarcus is a compelling writer, and he hits the nail on the head when he talks of “the Iron Maiden of repression,” which sums up Laurence Harvey's acting in The Manchurian Candidate. * The Best American Poetry blog *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 1. A little solitaire 2. In 2001 3. In 1959 4. In 1954 5. In 1962 6. The pleasure of its violence 7. In 2000 8. Remembering the future Credits Sources
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Sunrise
Book SynopsisSunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) is one of the most historically pivotal of all films. The first American film of the celebrated German director F.W. Murnau, Sunrise tells the story of a love triangle between characters named only as The Man, The Wife, and The Woman from the City. Lucy Fischer’s compelling study of the film shows how it mediates between German expressionism and American melodrama, the avantgarde and popular film, silent cinema and ‘talkies’. A lavish and sumptuous production famous for its vast, specially-constructed sets, and one of the first feature films with a synchronized musical score and sound effects soundtrack, Sunrise was one of early Hollywood's most ambitious undertakings. In her foreword to this new edition, Lucy Fischer considers the film as an abiding classic of world cinema.Table of ContentsForeword to the 2020 Edition Acknowledgments 'Sunrise'; Border Crossings Europe/America Film/Literature Silence/Sound City/Country The Madonna/The Whore Objective/Subjective Poetry/Narrative Stasis/Movement Painting/Cinema Classical/Modernist Surveyor/Surveyed Lost/Found Notes Credits Works Cited Bibliography
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Sunset Boulevard
Book SynopsisBilly Wilder's Sunset Boulevard was a critical and commercial success on its release in 1950 and remains a classic of film noir and one of the best-known Hollywood films about Hollywood. Both its opening, with William Holden as the screenwriter Joe Gillis floating facedown in ageing star Norma Desmond's (Gloria Swanson) pool, and lines such as 'I am big, it's the pictures that got small' are some of the most memorable in Classical Hollywood cinema. Steven Cohan's study of the film draws on original archival research to shed new light on the film's production history, and the contribution to the film's success and meanings of director Wilder, stars Holden and Swanson but also supporting actors Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson (who plays Betty Schaefer), Cecil B. DeMille, and Hedda Hopper, as well as costumier Edith Head, and composer Franz Waxman. Cohan considers the film both as a 'backstudio' picture (a movie about Hollywood) and as a film noir, and in the context of McCarthyism, blacklisting and the Hollywood Ten. Cohan explores how the film was marketed, its reception and afterlife, tracing how the film is at once a product of its own particular historical moment as the movie industry was transitioning out of the studio era, yet one that still speaks powerfully to contemporary audiences, and speculates on the reasons for its enduring appeal.Trade ReviewSteven Cohan has produced a well-researched guide to the film’s production and its various visual quotations. Replete with a wealth of stills, it serves the purpose of an expert companion, leading the casual viewer through the richness of Wilder’s bittersweet paean to the film industry. -- Lillian Crawford * Times Literary Supplement *Steven Cohan has given us a useful, blow-by-blow account of the making of the greatest Hollywood film about Hollywood, plus intelligent critical analysis of the many arts and crafts involved in the production of a classic. -- James Naremore, University of Indiana, USACohan offers a highly animated, wonderfully rich, and thoroughly engaging reappraisal of Billy Wilder’s landmark film, combining a meticulous reconstruction of its production history, a probing formal and contextual analysis of the picture, and an equally convincing account of its enduring legacy. -- Noah Isenberg, University of Texas at Austin, USATable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: "Sunset Boulevard:Ready for its close-up" 1. "It's a Hollywood Story" 2. "It Happened in Hollywood!" 3. "It's a Great Motion Picture!" Conclusion; "Is Hollywood the City of Dreams...or Heartbreak?" Notes Credits
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Deer Hunter
Book SynopsisMichael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter was met with both critical and commercial success upon its release in 1978. However, it was also highly controversial and came to be seen as a powerful statement on the human cost of America's longest war and as a colonialist glorification of anti-Asian violence. Brad Prager's study of the film considers its significance as a war movie and contextualizes its critical reception. Drawing on an archive of contemporaneous materials, as well as an in-depth analysis of the film’s lighting, mise-en-scène, multiple cameras and shifting depths of field, Prager examines how the film simultaneously presents itself as a work of cinematic realism, while problematically blurring the lines between fact and fiction. While Cimino felt he had no responsibility to historical truth, depicting a highly stylized version of his own fantasies about the Vietnam War, Prager argues that The Deer Hunter’s formal elements were used to bolster his troubling depictions of war and race. Finally, comparing the film with later depictions of US-led intervention such as Albert and Allen Hughes’s Dead Presidents (1995) and Spike Lee’s Da Five Bloods (2020), Prager illuminates The Deer Hunter’s major presumptions, blind spots and omissions, while also presenting a case for its classic status.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Realism and Truth 2. Mountains and Fog 3. “There’s Rats in Here” 4. Coming Home 5. “God Bless America” Conclusion Notes Credits Bibliography
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Point Blank
Book SynopsisJohn Boorman's Point Blank (1967) has long been recognised as one of the seminal films of the sixties, with its revisionary mix of genres including neo-noir, New Wave, and spaghetti western. Its lasting influence can be traced throughout the decades in films like Mean Streets (1973), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Heat (1995), The Limey (1999) and Memento (2000). Eric Wilson's compelling study of the film examines its significance to New Hollywood cinema. He argues that Boorman revises traditional Hollywood crime films by probing a second connotation of 'point blank'. On the one hand, it is a neo-noir that aptly depicts close range violence, but, it also points toward blankness, a nothingness that is the consequence of corporate America unchecked, where humans are reduced to commodities and stripped of agency and playfulness. He goes on to reimagine the film's experimental style as a representation of and possible remedy for trauma. Examining Boorman’s formal innovations, including his favouring of gesture over language and blurring of boundaries between dream and reality, he also positions the film as a grimly comical exploration of toxic masculinity and gender fluidity. Wilson's close reading of Point Blank reveals it to be a film that innovatively inflects its own generation and speaks powerfully to our own, arguing that it is this amplitude, which encompasses the many major films it has influenced, that qualifies the film as a classic.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction: Two Shots 1. Trauma 2. What You See Is What You See 3. Repetition 4. Color 5. Topsy-Turvydom Conclusion: Wide Shot Notes Credits Bibliography
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Empire Strikes Back
Book SynopsisThe Empire Strikes Back (1980), the second film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is often cited as the ‘best’ and most popular Star Wars movie. In her compelling study, Rebecca Harrison draws on previously unpublished archival research to reveal a variety of original and often surprising perspectives on the film, from the cast and crew who worked on its production through to the audiences who watched it in cinemas. Harrison guides readers on a journey that begins with the film’s production in 1979 and ends with a discussion about its contemporary status as an object of reverence and nostalgia. She demonstrates how Empire’s meaning and significance has continually shifted over the past 40 years not only within the franchise, but also in broader conversations about film authorship, genre, and identity. Offering new insights and original analysis of Empire via its cultural context, production history, textual analysis, exhibition, reception, and post-1980 re-evaluations of the film, the book provides a timely and relevant reassessment of this enduringly popular film.Trade ReviewRebecca's book is a thoughtful, meticulously researched celebration of one of the most iconic films of all time. It's the look back we need and deserve right now, one that isn't afraid to critique through a modern lens while still appreciating its importance. General Leia would be proud. -- Courtney Enlow, pop culture writer, podcaster, USAProvides fascinating new perspectives. * Choice *Provocative. * Irish Tech News *Table of ContentsChapter One. Introduction Chapter Two. Creating an Empire Chapter Three. In Production Chapter Four. The Film Chapter Five. Seeing Star Wars Chapter Six. Critics Write Back Chapter Seven. Number Five at Number One Appendices. Bibliography, Filmography, Film Credits
£12.34
SelfMadeHero Madame Choi and the Monsters
Book SynopsisThe true story of how a famous movie star and her ex-husband director were kidnapped by Kim Jong-il and forced to revitalize North Korea’s film industry The incredible-yet-true story of celebrated South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee, abducted in 1978 by North Korean secret agents on the orders of their film-crazed future leader Kim Jong-il. Six months later, filmmaker Shin Sang-ok, Choi Eun-hee’s ex-husband, is abducted in turn. Choi and Shin remain unaware of each other’s fates until they meet again at a dinner hosted by Kim Jong-il in 1983. Kim forces Choi and Shin to make films, including the infamous kaiju cult classic Pulgasari (1985), all while convincing the world that they serve North Korea willingly. Choi and Shin’s love rekindles slowly in this reunited captivity. Only at the 1986 Vienna Film Festival do they escape, fleeing in a daring car chase to the American embassy.
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Agatha Christies Poirot
Book SynopsisFrom the very first book publication in 1920 to the recent film release of Death on the Nile, this investigation into Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world's favourite fictional detective.This book tells his story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen and radio productions.Poirot has had near-permanent presence in the public eye ever since the 1920 publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. From character development, publication history and private discussion concerning the original stories themselves, to early forays on to the stage and screen, the story of Poirot is as fascinating as it is enduring.Based on the author's original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon.Trade Review‘Delightful, detailed and compulsively readable.’ MARK GATISS ‘What a magnificent book! An essential component of every Poirot fan's book collection. I couldn't put it down.’ SOPHIE HANNAH ‘Exhaustively and entertainingly surveys the book, stage, radio, magazine and film appearances of that fussy little Belgian.’ MICHAEL DIRDA, WASHINGTON POST 'This quirky, trivia-filled look at a touchstone of detective fiction will have Christie fans young and old in heaven.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
£11.69
Titan Books Ltd The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen
Book SynopsisThe ultimate guide to the famous productions of Irwin Allen, legendary producer of The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, featuring over 2,000 exclusive images.
£52.49
Adams Media Corporation The Physics of Star Wars: The Science Behind a
Book SynopsisExplore the physics behind the world of Star Wars, with engaging topics and accessible information that shows how we’re closer than ever before to creating technology from the galaxy far, far away—perfect for every Star Wars fan!Ever wish you could have your very own lightsaber like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi? Or that you could fly through space at the speed of light like Han Solo and Poe Dameron? Well, those ideas aren’t as outlandish as you think. In The Physics of Star Wars, you’ll explore the mystical power of the Force using quantum mechanics, find out how much energy it would take for the Death Star or Starkiller Base to destroy a planet, and discover how we can potentially create our very own lightsabers. The fantastical world of Star Wars may become a reality!Trade Review"When you think of the science behind Star Wars, what do you think of? In this new book you can delve into the science of the galaxy far, far away and maybe get some answers." * Geek Girl Authority *"Patrick Johnson … breaks down the Star Wars franchise into its constituent parts, and offers scientific explanations, grounded in reality, for just about every detail … .A compulsive pleasure to read." * VICE *"Gets a fun conversation about physics brewing in the zeitgeist, but also might neatly explain everything that’s weird about the Star Wars galaxy. The wonderful thing about Johnson’s way of thinking is that nearly every quibble we might have about the science mistakes or fallacies inherent to Star Wars could have a neat explanation." * Inverse.com *"A stellar read …. a deep dive into the real science behind the world of Star Wars. You can really tell how big a fan the author is, which makes for an extra fun read. By comparing the galaxy to our own, the author makes it very accessible and even more interesting. If you’re interested in this book and don’t have a science background, you’ll still enjoy it … .A fun, educational read." * Hypable *"As part of his mission to communicate science to nonscientists, physicist Patrick Johnson uses the fictional world of Star Wars to explore real-life science. The book is divided into categorized topics … followed by an analysis of the physics involved in the Star Wars universe compared with current science and technology here on Earth. Aimed at a general audience, The Physics of Star Wars could stimulate some thought-provoking discussions." * Physics Today *
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Blade Runner
Book SynopsisSCOTT BUKATMANis a cultural theorist and Professor of Film and Media Studies at Stanford University. His research explores how popular media such as film, comics and animation mediate between new technologies and human perceptual and bodily experience.
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tokyo Story
Book SynopsisThis BFI Film Classics study of Tokyo Monogatari/Tokyo Story (1953) reveals the making, meaning and legacy behind Ozu Yasujiro’s masterpiece. Ozu's moving family drama is universally acknowledged as one of the most significant Japanese films ever made. In its complex portrait of human motivation and lively sense of social space, it offers a profound and poignant insight into the generational shifts of post-war Japan. Alastair Phillips provides an in-depth analysis of the film and its key locations - the city of Tokyo, the town of Onomichi and the coastal resort of Atami - with a discussion of its representation of Japanese society at a time of great cultural change. Drawing upon Japanese and English language sources, he situates the film within various contemporary critical and industrial contexts and examines the multiple international dimensions of Tokyo Story's long after-life to understand its enormous contribution to global film culture.Trade ReviewGenerations the world over have pondered the complex beauty of Tokyo Story. Alastair Phillips pulls back the veil of awe that has come to surround the film over the years to reveal the making, meaning, and legacy of Ozu’s masterpiece. -- Michael Crandol, author of Ghost in the Well: The Hidden History of Horror Films in JapanThis is Alastair Phillips’s personal and professional cinematic journey from Tokyo to Onomichi. In this concise BFI volume, Phillips provides a detailed textual, socio-historical, and biographical analysis on Ozu Yasujiro and his masterwork. -- Daisuke Miyao, University of California, San Diego, USAAlastair Phillips’ Tokyo Story, a volume included in the continuing BFI Film Classics series … contains one of the most comprehensive and detailed discussions on this film. This is achieved not only through a close analysis of the entire text but also by examining every step of the filmmaking process from preproduction to reception, both in Japan and worldwide. This thorough approach, aided by several supporting primary sources in Japanese, makes this small volume a unique contribution to contemporary Ozu studies. -- Woojeong Joo * Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema *Table of Contents1. Openings and Journeys 2. Tokyo Stories 3. Tokyo 4. Onomichi 5. Tokyo Story in Japan 6. Tokyo Story in the World 7. Coda Credits Notes Bibliography and Filmography
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Duck Soup
Book SynopsisThe Marx Brothers are universally considered to be classic Hollywood’s preeminent comedy team and Duck Soup is generally regarded as their quintessential film. A topical satire of dictatorship and government in general, the movie was a critical failure and box-office let-down on its initial release in 1933. J. Hoberman's study of the film traces its reputation history, from the initial disappointment of its release, to its rise to cult status in the 1960s when the Marx’s anarchic, anti-establishment humor seemed again timely. Hoberman places Duck Soup, alongside analogous comedies—Dr. Strangelove (1964), the Beatles films, Morgan! (1966), The President’s Analyst (1967) and The Producers (1968). It attained canonical stature as a touchstone for Woody Allen and would be recognized by the Library of Congress in the 1990s. Hoberman's analysis provides a historical and political context as well as an in-depth production history, drawing on primary sources and emphasizing director McCarey’s prior work along with the Marx Brothers as well as the situation at Paramount, a substantial synopsis, and an account of the movie’s initial reception, concluding with its subsequent elevation to comic masterpiece.Trade ReviewA lively, personal, but also extremely informative and well-researched study of a Marx Brothers classic. -- Steven Cohan, Syracuse University, USATable of Contents1.My True Confession 2.Serious Marxian Attributes 3.Making Duck Soup 4. The Movie 5.“Absurd Without Being Funny” 6.“Je suis marxiste, tendance Groucho” 7.Who Are You Going to Believe—Me or Your Own Eyes? Notes Credits Bibliography
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC It's a Wonderful Life
Book SynopsisFrank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life is one of the best-loved films of Classical Hollywood cinema, a story of despair and redemption in the aftermath of war that is one of the central movies of the 1940s, and a key text in America’s understanding of itself. This is a film that remains relevant to our own anxieties and yearnings, to all the contradictions of ordinary life, while also enacting for us the quintessence of the classic Hollywood aesthetic. Nostalgia, humour, and a tough resilience weave themselves through this movie, intertwining it with the fraught cultural moment of the end of World War II that saw its birth. It offers a still compelling merging of fantasy and realism that was utterly unique when it was first released, and has rarely been matched since. Michael Newton's study of the film investigates the source of its extraordinary power and its long-lasting impact. He begins by introducing the key figures in the movie’s production - notably director Frank Capra and star James Stewart - and traces the making of the film, and then provides a brief synopsis of the film, considering its aesthetic processes and procedures, touching on all those things that make it such an astonishing film. Newton's careful analysis explores all those aspects of the film that are fundamental to our understanding of it, particularly the way in which the film brings tragedy and comedy together. Finally, Newton tells the story of the film’s reception and afterlife, accounting for its initial relative failure and its subsequent immense popularity.Trade ReviewMichael Newton’s story of the making of Frank Capra’s 1946 movie is full of quirky facts. -- Martin Chilton * The Independent *Digging into the film’s roots and post-war background, Newton is rigorous on its politics, populism and fraught production history, and generous with the minutiae of on-set accidents and more. But what emerges clearest is Capra’s abiding faith in feeling and beauty. -- Kevin Harley * Total Film *Michael Newton’s excellent study, part of the BFI’s Film Classics series, looks at the movie’s creation, the vital contributions of Capra and the film’s star, James Stewart, a brief summary of the plot and an examination of why it has proved to be so enduring. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction to It's a Wonderful Life and key figures in its production history Analysis of It's a Wonderful Life Reception and Afterlife Notes Credits
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Designs on Film
Book SynopsisIlluminates the role of art direction and production design in the creation of some of the most memorable moments in film history. This title narrates the story of art direction - from the massive Roman architecture of "Ben Hur", to the infamous Dakota apartment in "Rosemary's Baby", to the digital CGI enhanced city of Gotham in "Batman Begins".Trade Review"[Designs on Film] traces the art of building pretend worlds. Starting back in the pre-talkie years, and moving through Hollywood's golden age and the epic-crazy '60s, right up to contemporary Hollywood, the book is packed with insider tidbits about the wildly inventive-and improvisational-business of movie-making." -- Wall Street Journal "Whitlock makes a major contribution to movie literature by saluting undersung production designers, set decorators and art directors." -- Los Angeles Times "An amazing glimpse into art direction." -- The New Yorker "This lush book of pictures and drawings showcases big-screen glamour over the decades, from the opulence of Cleopatra to the more modern majesty of Batman. -- Entertainment Weekly "A compendium of images celebrating iconic interiors and architecture...[Whitlock] sifted through decades of archival photographs to assemble this rare glimpse into the world of Hollywood art direction and set design. " -- Dwell
£44.00
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Metropolis
Book SynopsisTHOMAS ELAESSER is Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam,and since 2006 Visiting Professor at Yale University. His books include WeimarCinema and After (2000), Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses (2009) andThe Persistence of Hollywood (2011).
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Usual Suspects BFI Film Classics
Book SynopsisA heist thriller with a dazzling twist in the tail, this film The Usual Suspects has seen its reputation grow until it is now a major cult movie. Ernest Larsen examines the film''s sophistcated narrative structure and the new spin it puts on an old genre.
£12.34
