Film history, theory or criticism Books

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Book SynopsisDiscover films that dared to be different, risked reputations and put careers in jeopardy. This is what happens when filmmakers take tradition and rip it up.  FilmQuake introduces 50 movies that shook the cinematic world, telling the fascinating stories behind their creation, reception and legacy. From unbelievable developments in technology (Citizen Kane, 1941) to feminist triumphs (Wanda, 1970); films that kickstarted New Queer Cinema (Paris is Burning, 1990) to others that challenged lawmakers (A Short Film About Killing, 1988) – FilmQuake presents the movies that questioned boundaries, challenged the status quo and made shockwaves we are still feeling today. From film's first innovators, people like the Lumière brothers, whose short film of a train arriving was reported to have terrified audiences Trade Review “Smith’s selections are often startling and surprising…” -- Christopher Schobert * The Film Stage *Table of ContentsIntroductionTHE SHOCK OF THE NEW: 1895–1929The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station: Auguste and Louis Lumière Women in FilmThe Birth of a Nation: D.W. GriffithWithin Our Gates: Oscar MicheauxNosferatu: F.W. Murnau German Expressionism Nanook of the North: Robert FlahertyBattleship Potemkin: Sergei Eisenstein Soviet CinemaThe Passion of Joan of Arc: Carl Theodor Dreyer Sound in FilmA WORLD IN FLUX: 1930–1959The Golden Age: Luis Buñuel Avant-Garde CinemaL’Atalante: Jean VigoTriumph of the Will: Leni Riefenstahl Propaganda on FilmThe Great Dictator: Charles ChaplinCitizen Kane: Orson Welles Auteur CinemaRome, Open City: Roberto Rossellini Italian NeorealismRashomon: Akira KurosawaPather Panchali: Satyajit RayThe Seventh Seal: Ingmar Bergman Art Film The Rise of AnimationSome Like It Hot: Billy WilderBREAKING ALL THE RULES: 1960–1979Breathless: Jean-Luc Goddard The French New WavePsycho: Alfred Hitchcock New Adventures in HorrorVictim: Basil DeardenCleo from 5 to 7: Agnès VardaThe Battle of Algiers: Gillo PontecorvoBonnie and Clyde: Arthur Penn New Hollywood2001: A Space Odyssey: Stanley KubrickWanda: Barbara Loden Feminist FilmSweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss: Melvin Van Peebles Black Cinema in the USTouki Bouki: Djibril Diop Mambéty Cinema of TransgressionJeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles: Chantal AkermanJaws: Steven SpielbergApocalypse Now: Francis Ford Coppola Developments in SoundINDEPENDENCE AND INDUSTRY: 1980–1999Fitzcarraldo: Werner Herzog An Epic CinemaShoah: Claude LanzmannThe Thin Blue Line: Errol MorrisA Short Film About Killing: Krzysztof Kieślowski Changing the WorldDo the Right Thing: Spike LeeParis is Burning: Jennie Livingston New Queer CinemaDaughters of the Dust: Julie DashTerminator 2: Judgment Day: James CameronReservoir Dogs: Quentin Tarantino US Indie CinemaChungking Express: Wong Kar-wai Cinema in Hong Kong, China Recent New WavesLa Haine: Mathieu KassovitzThe Blair Witch Project: Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez Recent HorrorTHE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN: 2000–PRESENTRussian Ark: Aleksandr Sokurov Cinema and Time Digital CinemaBrokeback Mountain: Ang LeeUnited 93: Paul Greengrass Cinema Post-9/11Tangerine: Sean BakerGet Out: Jordan Peele Film and Black Lives Matter Change for the FutureAtlantics: Mati DiopFor Sama: Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts Citizen JournalismParasite: Bong Joon-Ho Glossary Further Reading Picture Credits Index

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Book SynopsisThis study provides a detailed account of the 1960s film, L'avventura, arguing that in order to appreciate its greatness it is necessary to understand not only that the film is a classic but also that it represents a revolution in cinema.

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Book SynopsisA Taste of Honey (1961) is a landmark in British cinema history. In this book, Melanie Williams explores the many, extraordinary ways in which it was trailblazing. It is the only film of the British New Wave canon to have been written by a woman – Shelagh Delaney, adapting her own groundbreaking stage play. At the behest of director Tony Richardson and his company, Woodfall, it was one of the first films to be made entirely on location, and was shot in an innovative, rough, poetic style by cinematographer Walter Lassally. It was also the launchpad for a new type of young female star in Rita Tushingham. Tushingham plays the young heroine, Jo, who finds she is pregnant after her love affair with Jimmy (Paul Danquah), a Black sailor. When Jimmy’s ship sails away, Jo is comforted and supported by her gay friend Geoff (Murray Melvin), while her unreliable mother, Helen (Dora Bryan), has her own life to lead. Candid in its treatment of matters of gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality and motherhood, and highly distinctive in its evocation of place and landscape, A Taste of Honey marked the advent of new possibilities for the telling of working-class stories in British cinema. As such, its rich but complex legacy endures to this day.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Tasting Much Sweeter Than Wine 1. Hivemind: Origins and Production of the Film 2. Into the Film: A Young Woman’s Prospects 3. ‘This is the place’: An Interlude on Location, Landscape and Local Knowledge 4. Unique, Young, Unrivalled, Smashing: Jo’s Progress 5. Is There Honey Still for Tea?: Assessing the Film’s Legacy Notes Credits

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest collaborations of cinema history, L' ge d'Or(1930) united the geniuses of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali in the making of a Surrealist masterpiece - a uniquely savage blend of visual poetry and social criticism. The film was banned and vilified for many years in many countries, becoming justly legendary for its subversive eroticism and its furious dissection of 'civilised' values. In a remarkable, intuitive reading of L' ge d'Or, Paul Hammond interweaves a detailed account of the extraordinary circumstances of its production with a dazzling interpretation of its aesthetic and political nuances. At once authoritative and polemical, this is a study entirely in tune with its subject, a fitting celebration of a major landmark in world cinema.Trade ReviewA lovely book. A sharp new look at an great old film. -- George MellyTable of ContentsForeword to the 2020 Edition The first prismatic articulation The second The third The fourth The fifth A sixth vesicular joint, the poison sac Notes Credits Bibliography Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisActor-turned-director Barbara Loden's only feature length film, Wanda (1970), tells the story of a struggling working-class woman, Wanda Goronski, as she faces a troubled life, a failing marriage, and a sense of detachment from society. The film received critical acclaim upon its release and was the only American film chosen for the Venice Film Festival in 1970. Today, it is recognised as one of the most significant films made by a woman director.Elena Gorfinkel's study of the film examines Loden's unconventional approach to storytelling, including long takes and a meandering narrative. Drawing on interviews, oral history and archival sources, she charts the film's lasting aesthetic and political potency. She considers the tension between acting and directing in Loden's manipulation and management of gesture, posture, voice and habitus, comparing her performance of Wanda in relation to independent and arthouse strategies and developments in de-dramatisation.Gorfinkel goes on to situate the film within Loden's career as a whole, discussing the recollections of her key collaborators and drawing on new archival research. She argues its significance to 1970s American film culture and its continuing influence on contemporary film practice.

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Book SynopsisI Know Where I'm Going! (1945) is widely regarded as one of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's most remarkable achievements and a cinematic tour de force. A simple moral tale set in the wild Scottish Highlands, it follows the journey of a headstrong young woman forced by her encounter with this magical, mythic world and its exotic customs to revise her materialistic priorities. Pam Cook traces the film's production history, exploring its place in Powell and Pressburger's canon and showing how it wove into its narrative the memories and aspirations of an international group of film-makers working in 1940s Britain. Focusing on the extensive use of special effects, she reveals a technologically ambitious masterpiece. I Know Where I'm Going! is, for Cook, a multilayered work rich in allusions whose emotional power reaches beyond boundaries of time and place to touch profound human desires. In her foreword to this new edition, Cook argues that I Know Where I'm Going!'s ability to be both of its time and timeless is what ensures that it continues to captivate successive generations of viewers.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 'I Know Where I'm Going!' Notes Credits Bibliography and Sources

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Book SynopsisJohn Ford's masterpiece The Searchers (1956) was voted the seventh greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound's most recent poll of critics. Its influence on many of America's most distinguished contemporary filmmakers, among them Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, and John Milius, is enormous. John Wayne's portrait of the vengeful Confederate Ethan Edwards gives the film a truly epic dimension, as does his long and lonely journey into the dark heart of America. Edward Buscombe's insightful study provides a detailed commentary on all aspects of the film, drawing on material in the John Ford archive at Indiana University, including Ford's own memos and the original script, which differs in vital respects from the film he made, to offer new insights into the film's production history.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Foreword to the 2022 Edition 'The Searchers' Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book SynopsisFederico Fellini's masterpiece 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo) shocked audiences around the world when it was released in 1963 by its sheer auteurist gall. The hero, a film director named Guido Anselmi, seemed to be Fellini's mirror image, and the story to reflect the making of 8 1/2 itself. Whether attacked for self-indulgence or extolled for self-consciousness, 8 1/2 became the paradigm of personal filmmaking, and numerous directors, including Fassbinder, Truffaut, Scorsese, Bob Fosse and Bruce LaBruce, paid homage to the film and its themes of personal and creative ennui in their own work. Now that 8 1/2's conceit is less shocking, D.A. Miller argues, we can see more clearly how tentative, even timid, Fellini's ground-breaking incarnation always was. Guido is a perfect blank, or is trying his best to seem one. By his own admission he doesn't even have an artistic or social statement to offer: 'I have nothing to say, but I want to say it anyway.' 8 1/2's deepest commitment is not to this man (who is never quite 'all there') or to his message (which is lacking entirely) but to its own flamboyant manner. The enduring timeliness of 8 1/2 lies, Miller suggests, in its aggressive shirking of the shame that falls on the man – and the artist – who fails his appointed social responsibilities.Trade ReviewD.A. Miller's study of the film suggests that we can now see more clearly how tentative Fellini's groundbreaking incarnation always was, and its enduring timeliness, he argues, lies in its determined shirking of the shame that falls on the man – and the artist – who fails his appointed social responsibilities. -- Sight & Sound...an excellent addition to one of the finest collections of film criticism ever collated...[Miller] makes an interesting and persuasive argument for his theory and, like much great criticism, sheds new light on a classic film. -- Laurence Boyce * Netribution *Table of ContentsForeword to the 2022 Edition Prologue 1. From No One to Someone 2. From Auteur to Person 3. From Substance to Style Finale Acknowledgments Notes Credits

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Book SynopsisAndrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) was one of the great poets of world cinema. A fiercely independent artist, Tarkovsky crafted poignantly beautiful films that have proven inscrutable and been bitterly disputed. These qualities are present in abundance in Andrei Rublev (1966), Tarkovsky's first fully mature film. Ostensibly a biographical study of Russia's most famous medieval icon-painter, Andrei Rublev is both lyrical and epic, starkly naturalistic and allegorical, authentically historical and urgently topical. While much remains mysterious in Andrei Rublev, critics have recently begun to reappraise it as a groundbreaking film that undermines comfortable notions of life and spirituality. Robert Bird's multifaceted account of Andrei Rublev extends this reevaluation of Tarkovsky's radical aesthetic by establishing the film's historical context and presenting a substantially new reading of key scenes. Bird definitively establishes the film's tortured textual history, which has resulted in two

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Book SynopsisThe Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom have made Wes Anderson a prestige force. Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums have become quotable cult classics. Yet every new Anderson release brings out droves of critics eager to charge him with stylistic excess and self-indulgent eclecticism. Donna Kornhaber approaches Anderson''s style as the necessary product of the narrative and thematic concerns that define his body of work. Using Anderson''s focus on collecting, Kornhaber situates the director as the curator of his filmic worlds, a prime mover who artfully and conscientiously arranges diverse components into cohesive collections and taxonomies. Anderson peoples each mise-en-scéne in his ongoing ''Wesworld'' with characters orphaned, lost, and out of place amidst a riot of handmade clutter and relics. Within, they seek a wholeness and collective identity they manifestly lack, with their pain expressed via an ordered emotional palette that, despiteTrade Review"A readable and insightful analysis of a vital contemporary filmmaker . . . Highly recommended."--Choice "A decisive account of Anderson's movies, alive to their obvious charms, undaunted by their limits, and dedicated to activating their hidden potentials. This slim volume is both a sure introduction to Anderson's cinema and an authoritative reframing of the critical consensus. Anderson is the cinematic collector par excellence, and in this beautifully written study, Kornhaber plunges into the causes and consequences of that obsession in new and trenchant ways."--J. D. Connor, author of The Studios after the Studios: Neoclassical Hollywood, 1970–2010Table of ContentsCoverTitleContentsAcknowledgmentsA Collector's CinemaThe Reorganization of Life: An Interview with Wes AndersonFilmographyBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The choreography of cinematic creation is stunningly revealed in this learned and lively book. Finely historical with meticulous descriptions of directors, actors, and cameras in motion, Figures Traced in Light registers for the first time the abiding patterns of cinematic staging around the world and through the years." - Janet Walker, author of Trauma Cinema; "David Bordwell is undoubtedly the most productive and influential film historian at work today. His magisterial Figures Traced in Light combines incisive close analyses of compelling filmic artifacts with a painstaking attention to all pertinent research materials. Eschewing any abstract notion of Film, he stresses the labor, thought, and creativity which goes into the staging of individual films." - Eric Rentschler, Harvard University"Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Staging and Style 2. Feuillade, or Storytelling 3. Mizoguchi, or Modulation 4. Angelopoulos, or Melancholy 5. Hou, or Constraints 6. Staging and Stylistics Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2021""Longlisted for the Kraszna-Krausz Book Award, Moving Image Category""Longlisted for the National Translation Award, American Literary Translators Association""A revelation, a trove of snappy pieces that give the reader tantalizing glimpses of the mature film satirist."---Marc Weingarten, Washington Post"The brightest moments here let you watch a little more of the human comedy through Billy Wilder’s eyes. Few saw it as clearly he did or had more fun writing it down."---Jeremy McCarter, Wall Street Journal"Readers who come to Billy Wilder on Assignment to find the seeds of the films for which he is famous—nearly all of them, one assumes—will not be disappointed."---Ryan Ruby, Bookforum"A delicious compilation."---Tobias Grey, Financial Times ​​​​​"The most successful story in this collection, ‘Waiter, a Dancer, Please!,’ about being a hoofer for hire at a big hotel, is waspish and (if you allow for the choppy sentences) jazz-era excitable, New Yorker–ish, with a self-deprecating turn and a fairly urbane sense of the perfectly ridiculous."---Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review of Books"Long before he became the celebrated filmmaker of 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Some Like It Hot' and 'The Apartment,' a young Billy Wilder worked briefly as a dancer for hire in the ballroom of a fashionable Berlin hotel. As he described the endeavor . . . for a German newspaper in 1927, 'This is no easy way to earn your daily bread, nor is it the kind that sentimental, softhearted types can stomach. But others can live from it.' Wilder’s observations on his experience—from one of his many delightfully acerbic pieces of journalism anthologized in Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . get to the heart of our enduring obsessions with show business and the performing arts."---Dave Itzkoff, New York Times"Sharp and witty. . . . Full of glorious turns of phrase, entertaining narratives, and quirky characters. . . . . Thumbing through Wilder’s essays from the 1920s will make you feel as if you are enjoying yourself at a German coffeehouse, catching up on popular culture, and planning your next weekend adventure in the Weimar Republic. Isenberg and Frisch have done a great service for film historians and fans of classic Hollywood."---Chris Yogerst, Los Angeles Review of Books"An irresistible collection of articles, profiles, and reviews from Wilder’s salad-und-bratwurst days in Berlin, where he worked as a roving journalist, critic, and scene-maker between 1926 and 1930. . . . Isenberg is an expert guide to the Berlin-to-Hollywood axis, and Frisch is a veteran translator."---Thomas Doherty, Tablet Magazine"Billy Wilder on Assignment is, as my colleague, TIME Magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek kvelled to me in an email, ‘the little book you didn’t know you needed.'"---Jordan Hoffman, Times of Israel"A must-read for film buffs and history aficionados alike."---Tobias Carroll, Inside Hook"This new volume takes in the most significant staging posts of Wilder’s early career."---Gavin Plumley, Literary Review"[Wilder] quickly moved on to Berlin and became a prolific writer of occasional pieces for papers such as Der Querschnitt and the Berliner Börsen Courier. Selections of these articles have been published before but are long out of print, and were never translated into English. Now, thankfully, Professor Isenberg of the University of Texas has put this frustrating situation to rights with a lively anthology, translated by Shelley Frisch into a brisk, punchy English which feels as though it must be an accurate reflection of the young Wilder’s original tone."---Jonathan Coe, Spectator"The opportunity to read Wilder’s journalism in English is welcome. . . . What’s particularly impressive, even slightly eerie, is how many times this young film buff and Americanophile wrote about people he would later work with in Hollywood." * Bookforum *"A delightful and illuminating collection."---Sam Wasson, Air Mail"There is no question that Billy Wilder on Assignment is the most historically important recent book exploring the early days of a major filmmaker. It compiles, for the first time, Wilder’s writings as a young freelance reporter in 1920s Berlin and Vienna. The result is an incredible glimpse of Wilder’s mind at a key age."---Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage"Billy Wilder On Assignment . . . explores the roots of one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and acclaimed directors in the fervid journalistic atmosphere of Central Europe between world wars. . . . Shelley Frisch—one of the nimblest and liveliest translators working today—renders Wilder’s journalism into an English that leaps off the page with deadline urgency. . . . Isenberg's collection offers those interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood valuable new insight into one of its most significant personalities. It is also a vivid account of the vanished world that helped shape Billy Wilder." * Wilson Quarterly *"Let it be said that Billy Wilder on Assignment – Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna, is an altogether wonderful read. In fact it reads as if a fine, literary, malt-whiskey."---David Marx, David Marx: Book Reviews"The new anthology Billy Wilder on Assignment proves Wilder's verbal and narrative gifts existed long before he set foot in Hollywood during the 1930s."---Dan Lybarger, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette"Readers will have fun picking out elements, traits and incidents in these lively witty texts and attempting to match them with Wilder’s later cinematic masterpieces."---Alexander Adams, Alexander Adams Art"Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . provides a long-overdue translation of Billy Wilder’s early writings in German. . . . The anthology will be of interest to both the academic and general public."---Nora Gortcheva, EuropeNow"Very nice."---Tom Stoppard, Times Literary Supplement"In this first English-language compilation of Wilder’s early journalism . . . we can see the mischievous humour and love of snappy dialogue characteristic of his later movies."---Monica Porter, The Jewish Chronicle"Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna is a revealing collection of his lively reportage from those two cities. . . . [The book] create[s] a portrait of a man who is so much more complex than a mere cynic."---Kevin Lally, Cineaste Magazine"“Billy Wilder on Assignment is a beautifully assembled collection of the early writings of a master storyteller whose body of work has entertained moviemakers and movie watchers for generations."---Leonora Cravotta, American Spectator

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Book SynopsisDrawing on cultural policy, queer and feminist theory, materialist media studies, and postcolonial historiography, Bliss Cua Lim analyzes the crisis-ridden history of Philippine film archiving—a history of lost films, limited access, and collapsed archives. Rather than denigrate underfunded Philippine audiovisual archives in contrast to institutions in the global North, The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema shows how archival practices of making do can inspire alternative theoretical and historical approaches to cinema. Lim examines formal state and corporate archives, analyzing restorations of the last nitrate film and a star-studded lesbian classic as well as archiving under the Marcos dictatorship. She also foregrounds informal archival efforts: a cinephilic video store specializing in vintage Tagalog classics; a microcuratorial initiative for experimental films; and guerilla screenings for rural Visayan audiences. Throughout, Lim centers the improvisational creaTrade Review“In this timely and consequential book, Bliss Cua Lim summons a history of Philippine cinema that disrupts settled idioms of archival recuperation, restoration, and reparation. Through a dazzling and detailed analysis of the material, historical, and political precarity of Philippine cinema, Lim centers the afterlives of filmic archives sustained through institutional and community efforts. The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema demands a much-needed cinematic history that conjoins the experiences, histories, and violence of a collective past and present.” -- Anjali Arondekar, author of * Abundance: Sexuality’s History *“Bliss Cua Lim unveils a searing and unforgettable saga of official neglect, false starts, waste, indifference, arcane politics, and amnesia that have tragically deprived the Philippines of so much of its film heritage. She also reveals the extensive grassroots activism, optimism, and spirit of persistence that will ultimately bring a lasting solution. This story will resonate with audiovisual archivists, memory professionals, and cultural advocates around the world.” -- Ray Edmondson, author of * Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles *Table of ContentsAcronyms ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction. Keywords for Philippine Cinema’s Archival Afterlives 1 1. A Tale of Three Buildings: Marcos Cultural Policy and Anarchival Temporality 51 2. Silence, Perseverance, and Survival in State-Run Philippine Film Archives 76 3. Privatization and the ABS-CBN Film Archives 107 4. Queer Anachronisms and Temporalities of Restoration: T-Bird at Ako 133 5. Informal Archiving in a Riverine System: Video 48 and the Kalampag Tracking Agency 173 6. Binisaya: Archival Power and Vernacular Audiences in Iskalawags 214 Epilogue. Of Audiences and Archival Publics: Pepot Artista 256 Notes 277 Bibliography 339 Index 375

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays -- early seminal works as well as freshinterpretations -- on the famous German expressionist film,Metropolis. Fritz Lang's classic 1927 film Metropolis has justifiably become an icon for the complexities of Weimar culture. Among the important general issues it also raises are the relation between ideology and art, the status and authorship of the film text in the entertainment market, the city, the construction of gender, the relation between the human body and the machine in modernity, and the relation between mass and high culture. This volume provides abroad range of materials and resources for the study of Lang's film, including both well-known, previously published critical essays and contributions appearing for the first time here. The editors provide a two-part introductionthat furnishes context for what follows: Bachmann's part deals with the genesis, production, and contemporary reception of the film, while Minden's defines the problems posed by the text and reviews thesolutions to these problemsas proposed by later generations of critics.The first part of the book proper includes selected contemporaryreviews, commentary by Fritz Lang and others involved in the making ofthe film, and extracts from Thea von Harbou's original novel. In the second part, eight modern scholars provide fresh essays on the genesis, promotion, and reception of the film. Approximately half of the material in the volume has never before appeared in print. The volume will appealto students of German, film, cultural and intellectual history, and social theory. Michael Minden is University Lecturer in German at Cambridge University and a fellow of Jesus College. Holger Bachmann received hisPh.D. from Cambridge on Arthur Schnitzler and film.Trade ReviewA must-have acquisition... Of great value for the contemporary and modern information related to the film's production, distribution and reconstruction. -- CARL BENNETTCombines the perspectives of the archives and of film theory in exemplary ways....The anthology is bound to be of great interest to anyone teaching German film. * GERMAN QUARTERLY *... a large and substantial gathering of high quality academic film criticism. * UTOPIAN STUDIES *

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Book SynopsisThis remarkable journey through the Hammer vault includes props, annotated script pages, unused poster artwork, production designs, rare promotional material and private correspondence. Hundreds of rare and previously unseen stills help to create a rich souvenir of Hammer's legacy, from the X certificate classics of the 1950s to the studio's latest productions. This new updated edition includes an extra chapter covering the years 2010.Trade Review"Hearn probably could've killed my parents and I'd still have to tell you how awesome this book is." - Topless Robot"Five Out of Five." - SciFi Mafia"This is a truly comprehensive handbook to beat all handbooks on all things Hammer. If you love horror, you’ll really love this book." - Ain't It Cool News"Hammer's great legacy is captured in beautiful, vivid detail as never before seen..." - Comics Cavern"A treasure trove of goodies..." - Movies.com"An absolute must for fans of classic horror." - Twitch Film"The Count of coffee table books and a lavishly, lovingly compiled edition that is essential for all the hounds of Hammer." - Cool Ass Cinema"The Hammer Vault will definitely satisfy your blood lust for information on the legendary house of horror." - Cool and Collected"Bursting at the seams with tons of newly released material... the perfect coffee table book for Hammer enthusiasts." - Shock Til You Drop"There is a real wealth of material here, all of it valuable, all of it agleam." - Flixist"A tantalizing overview of Hammer Films." - Blog Critics"...a beautifully presented, truly fascinating work." - Eat Sleep Live Film"... a book that cult film fans will be dying for." - Film School Rejects"A fascinating and informative read." - Movie Morlocks"...this is wonderful publication, not just for lover of all things Hammer, but for any lover of film." -Attack from Planet B"As high as my expectations were going in, The Hammer Vault easily trumped them. As a visual document of the studio that defined horror cinema throughout the 1950s and ’60s, it’s remarkable." - High Def Digest"It is an enjoyable overview of the company’s history, but is by no means exhaustive. The real value of this books is in the images rather than the text." - The Writers Journey

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Although Andre Bazin died shortly before the onset of what we now regard as the modern cinema, our understanding of this cinema wouldn't be the same without him. He's also one of the most scrupulous humanists and polemicists we've had, on a par with George Orwell, and these essays map out the busy highways we're all still navigating." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, film critic for the Chicago Reader"

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE SALTIRE SOCIETY NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDLooking can be an act of empathy or aggression. It can provoke desire or express it. And from the blurry, edgeless world we inhabit as infants to the landscape of screens we grow into, looking can define us.In The Story of Looking, filmmaker and writer Mark Cousins takes us on a lightning-bright tour - in words and images - through how our looking selves develop over the course of a lifetime, and the ways that looking has changed through the centuries. From great works of art to tourist photographs, from cityscapes to cinema, through science and protest, propaganda and refusals to look, the false mirrors and great visionaries of looking, this book illuminates how we construct as well as receive the things we see.Brilliant and eclectic, The Story of Looking is a photo album and an art gallery, a road movie and a visual grammar: once you've read it, you'll never see things the same way again.Trade ReviewA wide-ranging history of looking, you will gaze at it in wonder -- Ian Sansom * * Guardian * *A history of the human gaze . . . Illuminating . . . Roams freely across history, art, film, photography, science and technology . . . Indispensable as a reference book * * Observer * *Bloody genius -- CHRISTOPHER DOYLEIntriguing and beautiful . . . [A] gloriously haphazard intellectual scrapbook . . . Wide-ranging, deep-seeing and clever * * Scotland on Sunday * *An attempt to catalogue how and why we look, what we look at and how our social and cultural surroundings shape what we see . . . the result is, by turns, learned, often surprising . . . Fascinating * * Glasgow Sunday Herald, Arts Books of the Year * *Brilliant . . . His taste is eclectic and his judgments precise and persuasive * * New York Times * *Extraordinary . . . Visually ensnaring and intellectually lithe * * Telegraph on The Story of Film * *Dazzling in its breadth and intelligence . . . A hugely impressive work by a uniquely talented storyteller * * Guardian on A Story of Children and Film * *

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Book SynopsisCelebrate 100 years of wonder and discover the story of Disney in this beautifully illustrated coffee table book featuring imagery from the Disney archives.Take a walk through the Disney Museum and discover the story behind the company that changed the face of film and animation as it celebrates its centenary year.This large-format book showcases rarely-seen imagery from Disney. Marvel at concept drawings from the early stages of films, travel through the golden age of animation, get a glimpse behind Frozen, see the original Disney Parks, read about Disney firsts and more.Chronicling the fascinating history of Disney, this book is a must-have addition to the shelf for fans of animation, film and all things Disney.Includes images from:The Animation Research Library is entrusted to conserve and protect the artistic heritage of Walt Disney Animation Studios. The ARL is the repository for over 65 million pieces of physical art, as well as a rapidly-growing collection of born-digital artwork - currently estimated at 5 petabytes - created over the almost 100-year history of Disney animation.The Walt Disney Archives was established by company co-founder Roy O. Disney, who determined that significant assets and documents relating to the history of The Walt Disney Company should be gathered and preserved, and that the recollections of key employees should be documented. Founded by Chief Archivist Emeritus Dave Smith in 1970, the Archives team has curated millions of historic items, assisted in the research and review of hundreds of scholarly and documentary works, and produced numerous public exhibits.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A swift and elegant introduction to Spielberg’s life and work.”—David Denby, New Yorker"'Everything about me is in my films,' Spielberg once said. Yet in this compact study of a sprawling career, Haskell comes close to presenting a unified theory of a director who entertains multitudes, and contains them too."—Victoria Segal, Sunday Times"A superbly readable portrait of the man through his movies . . . this meeting of the minds of the critic and the director turns out to be exceptionally fruitful."—Kate Muir, Times (London)"The exploration here is lively, the critic is deeply informed, and she approaches her mandate with a calmness of inquiry that is a gift often bestowed on the outsider anthropologist impervious to tribal influences."—Lisa Schwarzbaum, New York Times Book Review"Luckily, Molly Haskell is far too wise a critic to be flummoxed by Mr. Spielberg’s seemingly critic-proof oeuvre. She nails Mr. Spielberg when he needs to be nailed . . . Ms. Haskell’s great on the movies that give her something to write about, like 'Duel,' 'Jaws,' and 'Empire of the Sun.'"—Scott Eyman, Wall Street Journal"This fascinating critical study and close reading of the movies, written by a prominent feminist film critic, focuses on the evolution of Spielberg’s Jewish identity."—New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice"As Haskell delves into her subject, however, she discovers the influences and challenges that shaped this outsize figure in American mainstream cinema, including his denied, then embraced Jewish faith, and comes up with a compelling and remarkable figure."—Sarah Jilani, Times Literary Supplement"In a long nomadic career of film writing, the feminist critic Molly Haskell has never wild about Spielberg, her taste steeped in the great auteurs, her signature a coolly playful rigour. Unexpectedly, this makes her the perfect biographer for a director with a life-long weakness for treacle. Spielberg emerges with his credibility enhanced for having been put through the wringer."—Danny Leigh, Financial Times"Legendary movie critic Haskell weaves Spielberg’s entire body of work through her captivating narrative, providing a poignant study of him as a person and a filmmaker."—Publishers Weekly"Haskell’s discussion of the childlike wonder inherent to many of the director’s films and her eloquent defense of some of his riskier, less successful movies is particularly valuable. . . . Recommended for readers of film criticism or commentary."—Library Journal"[Haskell] takes Spielberg’s statement that 'everything about me is in my films' and provides a fascinating portrait of the man and his entire oeuvre, illustrating just how entwined they are. She reveals that this extraordinarily gifted individual would translate 'not only his childhood but whatever he was feeling and experiencing at any given time' into his films."—Anne Joseph, Jewish Chronicle"Haskell has turned out a brilliant, almost exemplary book: in 200-odd pages it manages to precis the key facts of Spielberg’s off-camera life and distill the essence and flow of his evolving, shifting cinematic achievements . . . an excellent critical biography of a great film director, and is warmly recommended."—Andrew Pulver, Jewish Renaissance"This unlikely match of biographer and subject gives [Haskell’s]study the tension and snap of a good romantic comedy. . . . An essential volume on an artist whose aversion to interviews has shortened the shelf of worthwhile studies on him."—Guy Lodge, The Observer"An arresting set of connections, linking the stresses of childhood and adolescence with the defining themes of his expensive output, ultimately taking a view on Spielberg as a more personal filmmaker than many of his contemporaries . . . a filmmaker this refreshing volume make you keen to reassess, or perhaps indeed visit for the first time with new eyes."—Trevor Johnson, Sight & Sound"Molly Haskell, one of our most essential authorities on the movies, has written a fascinating, witty, acutely discerning book about a subject that would seem, at first glance, odd. But what a spectacular match it proves to be! Spielberg is given his proper due, and Haskell outdoes herself."—Phillip Lopate, author of American Movie Critics"Steven Spielberg and Molly Haskell—the great producer-director of modern film and one of the most intelligent and sensitive film writers we have ever had. The result is as rich and intriguing as the meeting of Elliott and E.T. We know the Spielberg films, or we think we do, until they come under the cool yet warming gaze of Ms. Haskell. As a result, we are the more fascinated with Spielberg and the more encouraged by the principle of essential and enlightening film commentary."—David Thomson, author of A Biographical Dictionary of Film"Molly Haskell’s writing is always thought provoking and rife with insight. She skillfully argues that Hollywood’s most commercially successful film maker has, over a forty-five-year career, produced a series of highly personal films that give voice to the director’s inner conflicts and longings. This persuasive re-think will no doubt intrigue fans and, in fact, anyone who has ever watched a Spielberg movie. A must for anyone interested in a serious look at popular cinema."—Joseph Egan, author of The Purple Diaries"This is a wonderful book, at once personal and critical, eloquent and vivacious. The book vibrates with a productive tension between the writer and her subject."—Morris Dickstein, author of Dancing in the Dark and Why Not Say What Happened

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Book SynopsisA screenwriter, novelist, labor leader, Hollywood insider, and feminist, Mary C. McCall Jr. was one of the film industry's most powerful figures in the 1940s and early 1950s. J. E. Smyth tells McCall's remarkable story for the first time.

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Book SynopsisDoes it take faith to be a Jedi? Are droids capable of thought? Should Jar Jar Binks be held responsible for the rise of the Empire? Presenting entirely new essays, no aspect of the myth and magic of George Lucas's creation is left philosophically unexamined in The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy. The editors of the original Star Wars and Philosophy strike back in this Ultimate volume that encompasses the complete Star Wars universe Presents the most far-reaching examination of the philosophy behind Star Wars includes coverage of the entire film catalogue to date as well as the Expanded Universe of novels, comics, television series, games and toys Provides serious explorations into the deeper meaning of George Lucas's philosophically rich creation Topics explored include the moral code of bounty-hunter favourite Boba Fett, Stoicism and the Jedi Order, the nature of the Dark Side, Anakin and Achilles in a nTable of ContentsAcknowledgments: Legacy of the Force ix Introduction: “The Circle is Now Complete” 1 I The Philosophical Menace 5 1 The Platonic Paradox of Darth Plagueis: How Could a Sith Lord Be Wise? 7Terrance MacMullan 2 “You Are Asking Me to Be Rational”: Stoic Philosophy and the Jedi Order 20Matt Hummel 3 The Jedi Knights of Faith: Anakin, Luke, and Søren (Kierkegaard) 31William A. Lindenmuth 4 Anakin and Achilles: Scars of Nihilism 42Don Adams 5 Dark Times: The End of the Republic and the Beginning of Chinese Philosophy 53Kevin S. Decker II Attack of the Morals 65 6 Chasing Kevin Smith: Was It Immoral for the Rebel Alliance to Destroy Death Star II? 67Charles C. Camosy 7 The Ballad of Boba Fett: Mercenary Agency and Amoralism in War 79David LaRocca 8 How Guilty is Jar Jar Binks? 90Nicolas Michaud 9 “Know the Dark Side”: A Theodicy of the Force 100Jason T. Eberl III Revenge of the Alliance 115 10 “Like My Father before Me”: Loss and Redemption of Fatherhood in Star Wars 117Charles Taliaferro and Annika Beck 11 The Friends of a Jedi: Friendship, Family, and Civic Duty in a Galaxy at War 127Greg Littmann 12 Light Side, Dark Side, and Switching Sides: Loyalty and Betrayal in Star Wars 136Daniel Malloy 13 Guardians and Tyrants in the Republics of Star Wars and Plato 148Adam Barkman and Kyle Alkema IV A New Hermeneutic 159 14 Pregnant Padme and Slave Leia: ´ Star Wars’ Female Role Models 161Cole Bowman 15 Docile Bodies and a Viscous Force: Fear of the Flesh in Return of the Jedi 172Jennifer L. McMahon 16 Of Battle Droids and Zillo Beasts: Moral Status in the Star Wars Galaxy 183James M. Okapal V Metaphysics Strikes Back 193 17 Why the Force Must Have a Dark Side 195George A. Dunn 18 What is It Like to Be a Jedi? A Life in the Force 208Marek McGann 19 “Never Tell Me the Odds”: An Inquiry Concerning Jedi Understanding 219Andrew Zimmerman Jones VI Return of the Non-Human 229 20 Mindless Philosophers and Overweight Globs of Grease: Are Droids Capable of Thought? 231Dan Burkett 21 Can Chewie Speak? Wittgenstein and the Philosophy of Language 240Rhiannon Grant and Myfanwy Reynolds 22 Can the Zillo Beast Strike Back? Cloning, De-extinction, and the Species Problem 250Leonard Finkelman VII The Fandom Awakens 261 23 “In That Time . . . ” in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Epic Myth-Understandings and Myth-Appropriation in Star Wars 263John Thompson 24 Star Wars, Emotions, and the Paradox of Fiction 274Lance Belluomini 25 The Mind of Blue Snaggletooth: The Intentional Stance, Vintage Star Wars Action Figures, and the Origins of Religion 287Dennis Knepp 26 Gospel, Gossip, and Ghent: How Should We Understand the New Star Wars? 296Roy T. Cook and Nathan Kellen Contributors: Troopers of the 501st Legion 308 Index 317

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the potential of 21st-Century Disney films to tackle some contemporary social and cultural issues in order to promote inclusive values. In particular, it examines three 21st-Century Disney animated films under a cosmopolitan lens to explore how they help to construct and reflect discourses.

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Book SynopsisExploresthe detail of Jane Campion's film and television output, considering her vision and practice, legacy, and her contribution to feminist filmmaking

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Book SynopsisThe Matrix (1999), directed by the Wachowski sisters and produced by Joel Silver, was a true end-of-the-millennium movie, a statement of the American zeitgeist, and, as the original film in a blockbusting franchise, a prognosis for the future of big-budget Hollywood film-making. Starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, a computer programmer transformed into a messianic freedom fighter, The Matrix blends science fiction with conspiracy thriller conventions and outlandish martial arts created with groundbreaking digital techniques. A box-office triumph, the film was no populist confection: its blatant allusions to highbrow contemporary philosophy added to its appeal as a mystery to be decoded. In this compelling study, Joshua Clover undertakes the task of decoding the film. Examining The Matrix's digital effects and how they were achieved, he shows how the film represents a melding of cinema and video games (the greatest commercial threat to have faced Hollywood since the advent of television) and achieves a hybrid kind of immersive entertainment. He also unpacks the movie's references to philosophy, showing how The Matrix ultimately expresses the crisis American culture faced at the end of the 1990s.Table of Contents1. Edge of the Construct 2. Good Digital 3. Bad Digital 4. Good Spectacle 5. Bad Spectacle 6. The Dreamlife of the Boom Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book SynopsisExamines the work of film director Celine Sciamma.

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Book SynopsisDocumentary film can encompass anything from Robert Flaherty''s pioneering ethnography Nanook of the North to Michael Moore''s anti-Iraq War polemic Fahrenheit 9/11, from Dziga Vertov''s artful Soviet propaganda piece Man with a Movie Camera to Luc Jacquet''s heart-tugging wildlife epic March of the Penguins. In this concise, crisply written guide, Patricia Aufderheide takes readers along the diverse paths of documentary history and charts the lively, often fierce debates among filmmakers and scholars about the best ways to represent reality and to tell the truths worth telling. Beginning with an overview of the central issues of documentary filmmaking--its definitions and purposes, its forms and founders--Aufderheide focuses on several of its key subgenres, including public affairs films, government propaganda (particularly the works produced during World War II), historical documentaries, and nature films. Her thematic approach allows readers to enter the subject matter through the kinds of films that first attracted them to documentaries, and it permits her to make connections between eras, as well as revealing the ongoing nature of documentary''s core controversies involving objectivity, advocacy, and bias. Interwoven throughout are discussions of the ethical and practical considerations that arise with every aspect of documentary production. A particularly useful feature of the book is an appended list of 100 great documentaries that anyone with a serious interest in the genre should see. Drawing on the author''s four decades of experience as a film scholar and critic, this book is the perfect introduction not just for teachers and students but also for all thoughtful filmgoers and for those who aspire to make documentaries themselves. 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.Trade ReviewAlways clear and concise... a welcome addition to the Very Short Introductions series. * The Observer *

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Book SynopsisThis work is an introduction to film theory, suitable for students from any discipline but particularly aimed at those studying film and literature as it examines issues common to both subjects such as realism, illusionism, narration, style and semiotics and also includes theorists common to both.Trade Review"A remarkable synthesis, recommended to anyone who wants to understand the questions and debates that have animated film theory in the twentieth century. Throughout, Stam's discussion is lucid, generous, and intelligent." James Naremore, Indiana UniversityTable of ContentsPreface. Introduction. 1. The Antecedents of Film Theory. 2. Russian Formalism. 3. The Question of Film Language. 4. The Presence of Brecht. 5. The Poststructuralist Mutation. 6. The Rise of Cultural Studies. 7. The Coming Out of Queer Theory. 8. Third World Cinema Revisited. 9. The Politics of Postmodernism. 10. Post Cinema: Digital Theory and the New Media. Index.

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Book SynopsisTrade Reviewan engaging style and rich insights into films and their music ... Lehman's musical, dramaturgical, and psychological insights will lead to more engaged film listening and viewing. * S. C. Pelkey, CHOICE *It's a rewarding read... If you pick it up, you might want to have a piano at hand to plink out the passages, or at least have Oxford University Press's companion Website of musical examples in front of you. * Boston Globe *Hollywood Harmony brings analysis of film music fully into the present. Sophisticated theoretical modeling of associations and effects in the currently prevalent triadic style of underscore practice combines with close readings that not only offer fresh insights but also an over-the-composer's-shoulder immediacy. * David Neumeyer, Professor Emeritus of Music, The University of Texas at Austin and co-author of Hearing the Movies *Lehman does more than illuminate an intriguing and analytically neglected repertoire; his study demonstrates how well suited the tools and technologies of neo-Riemannian theory are to reveal the affective devices of film music. * Ed Gollin, Professor of Music, Williams College *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations, Orthography, and Examples About the Companion Website Introduction Chapter 1: Tonal Practices Chapter 2: Expression and Transformation Chapter 3: Neo-Riemannian Theory at the Movies Chapter 4: Analyzing Chromaticism in Film Chapter 5: Pantriadic Aesthetics Chapter 6: Harmonious Interactions Afterword Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“By collapsing the distance between the dream New York and the one we can see, this marvelous book illuminates a third New York: the one that lives forever in the movies. From the rise of the skyscraper to post-9/11 anxiety, from the age of grime and crime to the era of excessive gentrification, Fun City Cinema shows how movies have kept pace with the city’s myriad transformations, whether we’re talking ten decades ago, ten years ago, or ten minutes ago.” -- Stephanie Zacharek * film critic for TIME *“Film critic and historian Bailey (It’s Okay with Me) takes an exhilarating look at the history of New York City through films spanning the past 100 years that have become ‘valuable reminder[s] of what once was.’ Combining his impressive knowledge of cinema with fascinating historical context of the cultural moments that gave rise to each film, Bailey illuminates how movies functioned as an ‘act of preservation’ and ‘a conversation of connections and reflections between the fictional lives in their foregrounds and the real lives happening behind them’... Cinephiles will relish every stop of this entertaining tour of the big city.” * Publishers Weekly *“Bailey knows that to love New York is, on some level, to love the movies that have seared it into our memories. To read this extraordinary book is to love them a little more.” -- Justin Chang * film critic for the LA Times *“Catnip for those that want to dive deeply into its highly specific subject... that fascinating and all-too-rare project that leaves you more interested in its subjects than when you started.” * Paste Magazine *“A perceptive guide and critic, Bailey anchors the book around a ‘representative’ film of each decade from the 1920s to the 2010s... A superb study of films set in and representative of the Big Apple. Anyone interested in the history of American film will find much to savor here.” (*starred* review) * Library Journal *Impressive...poignant * AirMail *“Fun City Cinema is my favorite sort of film book. Jason Bailey takes us on a tour through not just New York cinema, but the city that gave birth to it and the fantastic, absurd, glorious ways in which New York’s history is, all on its own, stranger than fiction. New York owes much to the cinema, and the cinema owes much back, and Fun City Cinema is a wild and gorgeous ride through that brilliant relationship.” -- Alissa Wilkinson * film critic for Vox *“An un-put-downable work of political, cultural, and cinema history. You’ll walk away from it knowing so much more about New York, about America, and about how some of the greatest films ever made came to be. You’ll also have a mountain of new movie recommendations to start making your way through.” -- Bilge Ebiri * film critic for New York magazine/Vulture *“Fun City Cinema is the book NYC deserves, Jason Bailey without question the right author for the job... Bailey is adept at analyzing why certain films and individuals make such a deep impact on the cultural and artistic landscape. Fun City Cinema might be his most ambitious yet...” * The Film Stage *“You know the scene in The Man Who Would Be King when Sean Connery and Michael Caine glimpse the treasure room, waiting for them since the time of Alexander the Great? If New York is the room, this book is the treasure.” -- Greil Marcus * author of Mystery Train and "Real Life Rock" *“Jason Bailey’s elegant, deeply informed journey through 100 years of New York movies and moviemaking is a remarkable history of a city, an industry, and an art form that continues to capture a metropolis in constant motion and evolution. It’s suffused with passion for and knowledge about both the films and their urban milieu—and it’s an ideal companion volume for anyone who wants to explore either, or both.” -- Mark Harris * author of Pictures at a Revolution, Five Came Back, and Mike Nichols: A Life *“Bailey’s book is a double anatomy—one of a city, the other of its filmic depictions. His astonishing talents as a researcher yield historical ore that his astonishing critical acumen turns into film-lover gold. Even when you disagree with his conclusions, the connections he makes will send your own thinking into heretofore unconsidered dimensions.” -- Glenn Kenny * author of Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas *“Fun City Cinema is a beautifully exhaustive, insightful, and engrossing study of New York City and the movies that reflected its political, economic, and cultural shifts over a century. Bailey writes eloquently not just about the importance and artistry of these films, but also how they helped shape our sense of the city in which they were set. This is a marvelous history of the Big Apple seen through the eyes of an incisive film critic who serves as a knowledgeable, ingratiating tour guide.” -- Tim Grierson * author of This Is How You Make a Movie *“Fun City is an astonishing history of NYC told through the films that shot on the streets and the politics that shaped each era. From the glamor of early talkies to the grit of film noir to the dirty old New York of the 1970s. Page after page of fascinating behind the scenes tales of classics like Sweet Smell of Success, Midnight Cowboy, Taxi Driver, and Uncut Gems. It’s a book full of insightful prose and great photos that I found impossible to put down.” -- Larry Karaszewski * co-writer of Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flint, and Dolemite Is My Name *“Fun City Cinema is an express train that makes local stops at long-forgotten stations, pausing long enough to conjure the ghosts out of their hiding places and up onto the streets where they stalk, strut, and drift through a city that is, on the surface always changing. Jason Bailey’s accomplishment is that he sees and feels his way through those changes to the city’s tough irreducible core. He could have called this book The Lights Above, the Grit Below. He’s in touch with both.” -- Charles Taylor * author of Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American ’70 *

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Book SynopsisWhile digging an extension to the London Underground Railway, workmen discover an object which might be an ancient Martian spaceship – and Professor Quatermass of the British Rocket Group investigates a mystery which prompts frightening revelations about the origins of humanity itself. Before 2001: A Space Odyssey and Doctor Who, Quatermass and the Pit was the paramount British science fiction saga in film and television. Kim Newman's fascinating study focuses on Roy Ward Baker's 1967 film, written by Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale for Hammer Films, but also looks at the origins of the Quatermass franchise in 1950s BBC serials and earlier films. Exploring the production and reception of the film and series, Newman assesses the lasting importance of this landmark franchise.Trade ReviewIt's great to see a Quatermass film getting the BFI Film Classics treatment in this timely addition to the series. * Sight & Sound *Kim Newman is one of Britain's finest genre commentators, and his writing here is illuminating ...a shrewd and penetrating introduction to Quatermass for the uninitiated, and a must-have for those who think they already know everything there is to know about Quatermass and his infernal pit. * Cinema Retro *A must-have page-turner... A book you will want to pick up and read every time you watch the classic film it is named after. * Fortean Times *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments.- Introduction.- 1 Contact Has Been Established.- 2 'Hob'.- 3 Ringstone Round.- Notes.- Credits.

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Book SynopsisHorror Unmasked offers a general introduction to the popular film genre, serves as a guidebook to its film highlights, and celebrates its practitioners, trends, and stories.Trade Review"Considering the massive scope, this photobook is surprisingly succinct, informative, and helpful as an overview of horror films." -- Kevin Howell * Library Journal *"Well-researched text and quality film poster art make for great, spooky bed-time reading." * Creammagazine.com *"...will be sure to keep new horror fans up at night...an admirable effort that will undoubtedly give a budding horror fan a ton of fun homework." * MovieJawn.com *“…a great history of horror that spans both time and the globe…allows readers to find plenty of great recommendations and learn why these horror films are important to the legacy of the genre. Context is king, and Horror Unmasked lives up to its billing of providing a history of terror from Nosferatu to Nope.” * ComingSoon.net *"...an introspective examination of the films, filmmakers, and regions that have created and continue to influence the modern horror genre, Horror Unmasked is one history that you should own." -- Nick Banks * ConSkipper *"Horror Unmasked: A History of Terror from Nosferatu to Nope is an excellent book. It addresses the horror film genre from a comfortable and accessible direction, providing a wide-ranging and extensive overview of the genre. Fans of horror cinema, old and new, will want to own this book and display it prominently in their collection." * Cemetary Dance *“Horror Unmasked” is not just a book for avid horror fans; it’s a comprehensive and highly illustrated exploration of the genre’s history dissected by an author who is not only an expert but also a passionate enthusiast. * Colorado Hometown Weekly *"This beautifully constructed 200+ page hardcover book encapsulates an extensive and comprehensive timeline of horror's history on film. As a reading experience, think about walking down the blood-soaked museum halls and terrorizing wings of the genre in every decade and then exploring the significance and impact movement of the sub-genre collections of styles (i.e. slasher, found footage, possession) within them. All with Weisman acting as your expert voice and tour guide." * The Reel Vision *Table of ContentsWORLD MAP OF HORROR INTRODUCTION SHADOWY SILENCE Horror Before Sound BROWNING AND CHANEY The Father of Freaks and the Man of a Thousand Faces MONSTER CENTRAL The Great Horror Cycles Begin CRANKING OUT THE CREEPIES Horror in the 1930s and 1940s VAL LEWTON AND THE TERRORS OF THE UNSEEN ATOMIC-AGE MONSTERS The Sci-Fi/Horror Boom BLOOD AND BOSOMS The Success of Hammer Horror THE MOMENT OF SHOCK Psycho and Peeping Tom THE CORMAN POES AND THE PEERLESS VINCENT PRICE HORROR, ITALIAN STYLE ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE, 1960–1975 BLOODY ENGLAND Hammer’s Competitors THE SLEEP OF REASON Horror in Spanish GODZILLA & CO Far East Horror in Transition POLANSKI, COFFIN JOE, AND OTHERS CLARK, CRAVEN, CARPENTER, AND CRONENBERG MAINSTREAM HORROR OR: BRING THE KIDS! J- AND K-HORROR, AND OTHER ASIAN ENTRIES THE PROBLEM OF TORTURE PORN ZOMBIES! THERE’S USUALLY A GORILLA Horror-Comedies MASTERS FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM IS HORROR LEGIT? POST-HORROR AND BEYOND GLOSSARY Subgenres of Horror NOTES IMAGE CREDITS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Book SynopsisWhether it is the seaside postcard bubbly blondes of Barbara Windsor, the hysterically historical leading ladies of Joan Sims, the coquettish authoritarians of Hattie Jacques, or the statuesque confidence of Valerie Leon, the Carry On girls are stoic, sexy and fiercely independent.In this lavish celebration of a pioneering generation of comedy actresses who continue to radiate charm and contemporary relevance, a few home truths are revealed and some myths are debunked; but, above all, some of the best-loved icons of British entertainment are given fitting affection and respect.Trade ReviewFive of the female stars of the Carry On movies have reunite to relive their glory days on the set of pictures famed for their innuendo-laden gags and bawdy slapstick humour - The Sunday Mirror * The Sunday Mirror *

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Book SynopsisExamines how the music in Val Lewton's horror films enhanced the films' aesthetics and visual style

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Book SynopsisDiscusses how the depiction of diseases in movies has changed over the last century and what these changes reveal about American culture

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Book SynopsisBlumhouse Productions is the first book that systematically examines the corpus of Blumhouse’s cinematic output. Individual chapters written by emerging and established scholars consider thematic trends across Blumhouse films, such as the use of found footage, haunted bodies/haunted houses, and toxic masculinity. Blumhouse’s business strategies and funding model are considered – including the company’s high-profile franchises Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, Happy Death Day, and Halloween – alongside such key standalone films as Get Out and Black Christmas, and nonhorror films like BlackKklansman. Taken together, the chapters provide a thorough primer for one of the most significant drivers behind the contemporary resurgence of horror cinema.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Tables Notes on Contributors Introduction Blumhouse at the Box Office, 2009-2018 ‘Those Things You See Through’: Get Out, Signifyin’, and Hollywood’s Commodification of African American Independent Cinema Haunted Bodies, Haunted Houses Gothixity: Evoking the Gothic through New Forms of Toxic Masculinity Space Invaders: Aliens and Recessionary Anxieties in Dark Skies The (Blum)House Found Footage Horror Built Insidious Patterns: An Integrative Analysis of Blumhouse’s Most Important Franchise The Purge: Violence and Religion as Toxic Cocktail Happy Death Day: Beyond the Neoslasher Cycle Haunted Networks: Transparency and Exposure in Unfriended and Unfriended: Dark Web Blumhouse’s Halloween (2018) the Shifting Ethos of Slasher Remakes ‘Disobedient Women’ and Malicious Men: A Comparative Assessment of the Politics of Black Christmas (1974) and (2019) What Lies Behind the White Hood: Looking at Horror Through a Realistic Lens Through Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExplores the history of witches and witchcraft in Hollywood films, starting with early depictions where the witch is ignored or demonized to more contemporary depictions where the witch is respected as an archetypal expression of unfettered womanhood and femininity.

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Book SynopsisFellini's La dolce vita has been a phenomenon since before it was made, a scandal in the making and on release in 1960 and a reference point ever since. Much of what made it notorious was its incorporation of real people, events and lifestyles, making it a documentation of its time. It uses performance, camera movement, editing and music to produce a striking aesthetic mix of energy and listlessness, of exuberance and despair. Richard Dyer's study considers each of these aspects of the film – phenomenon, document, aesthetic – and argues that they are connected. Beginning with the inspirations and ideas that were subsequently turned into La dolce vita, Dyer then explores the making of the film, the film itself and finally its critical reception, providing engaging new insights into this mesmerising piece of cinema.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Before 3. Making 4. The Film Itself 5. After 6. Conclusion Bibliography Credits

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Book SynopsisThe first authorised biography of eternal legend Elizabeth Taylor.Known for her glamorous beauty, soap-opera personal life and magnetic screen presence, Elizabeth Taylor was the twentieth century's most famous film star. Including unseen photographs and unread private reflections, this authorised biography is a fascinating and complete portrait worthy of the legend and her legacy.Elizabeth Taylor captures this intelligent, empathetic, tenacious, volatile and complex woman as never before, from her rise to massive fame at the age of twelve in National Velvet to becoming the first actor to negotiate a million-dollar salary for a film, from her eight marriages and enduring love affair with Richard Burton to her lifelong battle with addiction and her courageous efforts as an AIDS activist.Using Elizabeth's unpublished letters, diary entries and off-the-record interview transcripts as well as interviews with 250 of her closest friends and family, Kate Andersen Brower tells the full, unvarniTrade Review'A dazzling portrait of an incredible woman. Elizabeth’s life was more captivating than any film could ever be.'– Demi Moore ‘Brower’s book takes the reader into the private world of the most famous celebrity of the 20th century. Elizabeth’s heart, mind, and passion come vividly alive on each page. We see her as a woman who struggled and ultimately survived to rewrite the playbook on celebrity and power. I never wanted it to end!’– Brooke Shields ‘Many should be inspired by all that Elizabeth accomplished as an HIV and AIDS activist. Brower’s book took me back to the early days when Elizabeth fought so hard against the stigma surrounding people living with HIV and AIDS. She lived by the credo, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ Elizabeth was not perfect, but she always tried to improve and be better. Her true nature is revealed here in these pages and her life story deserves to be told in a moving and transparent way.’– Magic Johnson 'Brower’s behind-the-curtain look at the most private thoughts of such an enormous cultural icon is a true page-turner!'– Andy Cohen 'Kate Andersen Brower vividly captures the icon throughout her eventful but tempestuous life.'– Mark K. Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and author of Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency

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Book SynopsisConsiders three centuries of writers and creatives of mostly Scots-Irish and post-Famine Irish descent whose work examines moments of entwined racial, social, and political transformation for those of that identity in America.Trade Reviewthis is an innovative, thought-provoking book that employs rich historical framings for its literary analysis. The book's uncovering of what might be called a "disguised Irish experience" in the work of a number of well-known American writers not generally thought of as "Irish" is intellectually stimulating and will, we predict, be a building block for further work. * James Donnelly, Chair of McGowan Prize (IACI) *Burke confronts the racial dynamics ever-present—but acknowledged to varying degrees—in works by authors whose ancestors may have been considered "off white" or ethnic others themselves. Burke presents her readers with ew ways of considering the Irishness of canonical American authors such as Henry James, William Faulkner, and Edgar Allan Poe, while also introducing a wider audience to less studied authors such as Frank Yerby, who was of mixed African and Irish descent. In so doing she establishes a new sub-genre, the Scots-Irish gothic. This book will be of value to scholars of Irish Studies and American literature, as it makes important new claims in these overlapping fields. * Matthew Reznicek, Lawrence J. McCaffrey Prize (ACIS) *Race, Politics, and Irish America is of value because it refuses and exposes the homogeneous treatment of the Irish (as all descended from Famine refugees) in Irish American literary criticism. The book acts as a corrective for three prominent areas of scholarship...It provides a narrative in its own right that complements whiteness studies by bringing in a literary approach and an impressively nuanced view of the history of various groups in Ireland and America. * Beth O'Leary Anish, Community College of Rhode Island, Irish University Review *Burke's book is an exciting, necessary contribution to both Irish Studies and American literary studies. She impressively distills complicated histories on both sides of the Atlantic into comprehensible chunks, and then deftly applies that history to a range of texts, most with previously ignored Irish elements at the base of their protagonists' race and class anxieties. * Beth O'Leary Anish, Community College of Rhode Island, Irish University Review *Race, Politics, and Irish America makes a compelling argument for seeing ethnic identity as every bit as key to understanding Fitzgerald as his self-doubts over his class status and literary standing. * Kirk Curnutt, F. Scott Fitzgerald Review *For those of us who struggle with the contradiction of being Irish-American - how our ancestors, who were near the bottom of every racial hierarchy, came to side with their oppressors - Mary Burke's book is essential reading. Viewed through a Gothic lens with a focus on political, literary and artistic figures, Professor Burke's book connects the dots across five centuries of Irish history in the Americas. * Tim Quinn, BiblioCommons *Mary M. Burke has written a book that the field of Irish Studies in the United States will find hard to ignore or dismiss. * Peter McDermott, Irish Echo *A "luminous new study...[that] explores centuries of competing narratives about the Irish in America." * Cahir O'Doherty, Irish Central *This generic breadth helps Burke create a rich, nuanced, and complex picture of what it means to be Irish...Compellingly, Burke includes performers, "public women," and queer and multiracial authors in her analyses and thus rejects the traditional focus on straight, white, male authors. She promises, and delivers, a rich, rewarding, and challenging read...this powerful and timely examination of race and politics in Irish America challenges many stereotypes and frames well-known authors, celebrities, and politicians in a way that brings new understanding to them and their Irish identities. Burke is to be congratulated for producing such a fine, wide-ranging, and broadly appealing study. * Christine Kinealy, Eugene O'Neill Review *Burke's deeply researched and wide-ranging book provides a roadmap for future scholars to examine with far greater nuance than was previously the case the complexity of Irish identities in the United States. * Sinéad Moynihan, Irish Studies Review *The text is most enlightening when read as a linear whole, to understand the messy evolution of 'white' Irishness in a racially divided America. * Ciara Smart, Australasian Journal of Irish studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Past is a Foreign Country 1: Towards Scots-Irish Gothic 2: Closeted Irish: Henry James 3: How the Irish Became Red: O'Neill and Fitzgerald 4: Complicit Irishness: Plantation novels by Yerby, Mitchell, and Faulkner 5: White Wedding: Grace Kelly, spectacle, and Irish assimilation Epilogue: Kennedy Gothic

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Book SynopsisComplicating Articulation in Art Cinema argues that art cinema draws attention to its disjointed, multi-parted form, but that criticism has too frequently sought to explain this complexity away by stitching the parts together in totalizing readings. This stitching together has often relied on the assumption that the solution to art cinema''s puzzles lies in interpreting each film as the expression of a focalizing character''s internal disturbance. This book challenges this assumption. It argues that the attempt to explain formal complexity through this character-centric approach reduces formal achievements and enigmatic characters to inadequate approximations of one another. Reference to character cannot fully tame unschematic and unpredictable combinations of - and collisions between - contradictory levels of narration, clashing styles, discontinuously edited shots, jarring allusions, dislocated genre signifiers, and intermedial elements. Through close analyses of films by Roberto RosTable of ContentsIntroduction: Articulating Art Cinema 1: Articulation in Ruins: Complicating Style in Germania anno zero 2: Telling Tales: Complicating Narration in Journal d'un curé de campagne 3: Untidying the Image: Complicating Editing in Belle de Jour 4: Queering Articulation: Complicating Bricolage in The Long Day Closes 5: The Technology of Articulation: Complicating Intermedia in The Pillow Book 6: Indecipherable Lostness: Complicating Genre in Meek's Cutoff Conclusion

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