Film: styles and genres Books

Book SynopsisFrom Hollywood to Bollywood, from China to Italy, and from Poland to Mexico, this collection revisits the definitions and origins of star studies, and points the way forward to new ways of approaching the field.

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Book SynopsisSensing Justice examines the aesthetic frames that mediate the sensory perception and signification of law and justice in the context of 21st century Spain.

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Book SynopsisFocusing on the social experience of cinema and cinema-going, this collection of essays provides a detailed context for the history of early cinema in Scotland, from its inception in 1896 until the arrival of sound in the early 1930s.

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Book SynopsisConnects the found footage horror subgenre to significant traumatic events and societal anxieties in American history and contemporary AmericaTrade Review"With Blood on the Lens, Shellie McMurdo is set to become the leading voice on Found Footage Horror, offering an impressive reassessment of this often-maligned sub-genre. Covering a rich spectrum of cinema, McMurdo explores the genre's aesthetic diversity, technological virtuosity, and nuanced socio-historical meaning. A must-read for the horror fan." -Stacey Abbott, Professor of Film and Television and author of Undead Apocalypse

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Book SynopsisExplores extremity in films and it's ethical, theoretical and film-philosophical implicationsTrade Review"Proposing a refreshingly precise new framework for thinking about transgressive art cinema, Oliver Kenny's compelling book offers an important intervention into debates surrounding extreme, pornographic, and contentious filmmaking. Paying equal attention to aspects of form, reception, and theory, it promises to revitalise scholarship on transgression in twenty-first-century art cinema." -Tina Kendall, Anglia Ruskin University

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Book Synopsis Woody Allen''s Manhattan Murder Mystery has been described as a kind of Rear Window for retirees. As this quote suggests, an analysis of Alfred Hitchcock''s methodical use of comedy in his films is past due. One of Turner Classic Movies'' on-screen scholars for their summer 2017 online Hitchcock class, the author grew tired of misleading throwaway references to the director''s comic relief. This book examines what should be obvious: Hitchcock systematically incorporated assorted types of comedy--black humor, parody, farce/screwball comedy and romantic comedy--in his films to entertain his audience with comic thrillers.Trade Review“Gehring remains supreme in film comedy scholarship” - Choice

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Book Synopsis Holocaust movies have become an important segment of world cinema and the de-facto Holocaust education for many. One quarter of all American-produced Holocaust-related feature films have won or been nominated for at least one Oscar. In fact, from 1945 through 1991, half of all American Holocaust features were nominated. Yet most Holocaust movies have fallen through the cracks and few have been commercially successful. This book explores these trends--and many others--with a comprehensive guide to hundreds of films and made-for-television movies. From Anne Frank to Schindler''s List to Jojo Rabbit, more than 400 films are examined from a range of perspectives--historical, chronological, thematic, sociological, geographical and individual. The filmmakers are contextualized, including Charlie Chaplin, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and Roman Polanski. Recommendations and reviews of the 50 best Holocaust films are included, along with Trade ReviewRich Brownstein's Holocaust Cinema Complete is wonderful and special. His specific examination of the Anne Frank Diary's complicated print history, as well as his deep dive into the entire Anne Frank cinema sub-genre since the 1950s is extraordinary. As with all other Holocaust cinema, Brownstein recommends the best Anne Frank films, based equally on both their educational and entertainment value. His unique and well documented overview of this sub-genre of Holocaust movies is essential for educators and Anne Frank aficionados alike, as well as for film buffs generally." —Tom Brink, head of publications and presentations at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and the producer of the Anne Frank Video Diary"The proliferation of films whose subject is the Holocaust, whether in its preliminaries, enactments, or aftermath, whether in Europe or the United States, is a continuing phenomenon, worthy of deeper study. Rich Brownstein's achievement in identifying, analyzing, and critiquing the wide-ranging genre will be of immense utility to a variety of readers, whether educators, film critics, historians, or those drawn almost irresistibly to the topic of how to represent the unrepresentable. In an informed and singular voice, Brownstein's exhaustive lists, numerous classifications, and cogent discussions, have provided us with an invaluable service and considerable material for further thought." —Froma I. Zeitlin, Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature and professor of comparative literature, emeritus, Princeton University.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsForeword by Tim Blake NelsonForeword by Walter ReichForeword by Michael Berenbaum and Edward JacobsForeword by David ZuckerAuthor's Preface and Introduction1. Narrative Holocaust Film BasicsDefining Narrative Film  13Defining Holocaust Film  15Creating a Definitive Holocaust Film List  16Grouping Holocaust Films: The "4+1 Genre" System  19­Non-Holocaust Films: Shorts, Television Episodes, Documentaries and Miniseries  282. Stats and ErasHolocaust Film Stats  32Four Eras of Holocaust Film  433. Surprising Holocaust Film TraitsFiction vs. ­Non-Fiction  55­Non-American Holocaust Film Production  60American Guilt  70God, the Holocaust and Holocaust Exploitation  734. The Unavoidables: Elie Wiesel, Anne Frank, Oskar Schindler and Oscar BaitElie Wiesel: The Elephant in the Room  79Anne Frank: A Microcosm of Holocaust Film  83The Black Hole of Holocaust Films: Schindler's List (1993) & Friends  96Oscar Bait  1075. A Practical History of Holocaust Filmmaking in Hollywood6. The Greatest Narrative Holocaust Film Ever Made7. Roman Polanski and The Pianist (2002)8. Holocaust Film Curriculum Planning: The "SOFTA" SystemStudents  158Objectives  165­Follow-Up  168Time  173Administrative  175Summary  1769. Recommended Holocaust FilmsThe 52 Best Holocaust Films  181The Very Best Holocaust Films  275Epilogue: Eva.Stories and Holocaust Film TrendsAppendix I: List of Holocaust FilmsAppendix II: ­Non-Holocaust Films Often Miscategorized as Holocaust FilmsChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book Synopsis Star Trek has transcended science fiction through its use of elements that have crucial roles in classical utopian tradition. New technologies change a civilization, a miniature society unfolds on a spaceship, and an android teaches humanity. Star Trek has been answering many questions about our own world for 50+ years, and since the days of Captain Kirk, the franchise has become one of the world''s best-known cultural phenomena. This book documents what the Star Trek franchise has in common with classic utopias. Chapters analyze how technology changes society and how the Federation embodies utopian ideals. Also explored are the political relations among alien species that reflect past and present conflicts in our real world and how the Borg resembles an anti-utopian society.Table of Contents Table of Contents Preface 1 Introduction: Why Star Trek Matters 5 1. The Meaning of Utopia  11 2. How Technology Changes Society 41 3. Life in Space: Utopia on a Ship 57 4. Politics in Star Trek 73 5. ­­Anti-Utopia: The Borg 125 6. ­­Post-Utopia: Does Star Trek Become Darker? 141 7. How Utopian Is Star Trek? 158 Chapter Notes 165 Works Cited 175 Index 191

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Book SynopsisA 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic TitleLove at first sight, whirlwind marriages, break-ups, divorces, remarriage What accounts for the enduring success of the Hollywood madcap comedies of the 1930s? Directed by masters of comedy (Hawks, LaCava, Leisen, Ruggles...) and featuring the decade's most iconic stars (Colbert, Dunne, Grant, Hepburn...), these films set romantic comedy standards for decades to come. Screwball comedy embarked on two challenging missions: to poke fun at established social norms and to undermine stereotypical depictions of gender roles, putting forward a discourse that postulated the possibility of equality between men and women. Grégoire Halbout's reexamination of screwball comedy provides a comprehensive overview of this (sub)genre, eschewing the auteurist approach and including minor works never before analyzed through the screwball lens. His book explains how these screwball stories met the expectations of a booming American middle class eager for the liberTrade ReviewThe book is smartly written and deeply researched, and it joins foundational work by such scholars of the genre as Stanley Cavell, Kathrina Glitre, and Wes Gehring ... This indispensable book will be valuable for those interested in screwball comedies or Hollywood history. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. * CHOICE *The book is smartly written and deeply researched, and it joins foundational work by such scholars of the genre as Stanley Cavell, Kathrina Glitre, and Wes Gehring ... This indispensable book will be valuable for those interested in screwball comedies or Hollywood history. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. * CHOICE *A rigorous and nuanced work which constantly brings to light the complexities of a highly unstable genre that captured many contemporary ideological challenges … a fresh and insightful perspective. * Miranda *A rigorous and nuanced work which constantly brings to light the complexities of a highly unstable genre that captured many contemporary ideological challenges … a fresh and insightful perspective. * Miranda *The result of Halbout’s insightful analysis is a stimulating appreciation of a beloved genre in American film. * Journal of American Culture *The result of Halbout’s insightful analysis is a stimulating appreciation of a beloved genre in American film. * Journal of American Culture *[The] book will be particularly relevant to scholars of American humor because of its unique interdisciplinary approach to genre studies. It is a much-needed addition to the comedy corpus, for as much as the screwball genre was a reflection of a specific historical moment, Halbout shows that there is also a certain transcendent quality about its style, themes, and democratic aspirations. -- Olympia Kiriakou * Studies in American Humor *[The] book will be particularly relevant to scholars of American humor because of its unique interdisciplinary approach to genre studies. It is a much-needed addition to the comedy corpus, for as much as the screwball genre was a reflection of a specific historical moment, Halbout shows that there is also a certain transcendent quality about its style, themes, and democratic aspirations. -- Olympia Kiriakou * Studies in American Humor *Synthesizing major strands of French and English-language scholarship on the theatrical and cinematic traditions of romantic comedy, Grégoire Halbout’s Hollywood Screwball Comedy,1934-1945 offers a fresh and lively reappraisal of Hollywood screwball comedies as a distinctly American film genre. The scope of his approach alone is impressive. Adroitly side-stepping the pitfalls of genre studies that are limited to the inspection of a handful of celebrated films, Halbout identifies and explores an expansive corpus, one with permeable boundaries and in flux throughout the years bridging the Great Depression and the Second World War. With exactness, he also dives deeply into the records of Production Code Administration to demonstrate how evolving censorship practices in Hollywood triggered the emergence of new visual and verbal comic styles. He charts a cultural discourse crisscrossed with contradictory and conflicting voices, echoing public debates about sex, intimacy, and marriage at a time when a democratic mythos was under great strain. Brought to light in these pages are the institutional practices and creative responses through which the dialects and effects of 'screwball' surfaced and flourished on and beyond the screen. * Charles Wolfe, Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA *Synthesizing major strands of French and English-language scholarship on the theatrical and cinematic traditions of romantic comedy, Grégoire Halbout’s Hollywood Screwball Comedy,1934-1945 offers a fresh and lively reappraisal of Hollywood screwball comedies as a distinctly American film genre. The scope of his approach alone is impressive. Adroitly side-stepping the pitfalls of genre studies that are limited to the inspection of a handful of celebrated films, Halbout identifies and explores an expansive corpus, one with permeable boundaries and in flux throughout the years bridging the Great Depression and the Second World War. With exactness, he also dives deeply into the records of Production Code Administration to demonstrate how evolving censorship practices in Hollywood triggered the emergence of new visual and verbal comic styles. He charts a cultural discourse crisscrossed with contradictory and conflicting voices, echoing public debates about sex, intimacy, and marriage at a time when a democratic mythos was under great strain. Brought to light in these pages are the institutional practices and creative responses through which the dialects and effects of 'screwball' surfaced and flourished on and beyond the screen. * Charles Wolfe, Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA *Initiated and propelled by the writing of Stanley Cavell, Grégoire Halbout offers here a capacious yet discerning analysis of the remarkably fecund genre known by the disarming, perhaps misleading name “screwball.” Delighting in the glories of taking democratic entertainment seriously, Halbout treats readers to a lively taxonomy of the characteristics and criteria that make these films recognizable, including savvy assessments of the many directors who artfully troped love and sex into conversation—thereby eliding with comic flair the chaste restrictions of the Hays Code. Moreover, despite the madcap and zany attributes of these plots and their characters, pursuits of happiness—in their many incarnations—remain of immanent concern for one and all, on screen and off. In Halbout’s company, we contend with the exigencies of marriage; the charged private and public spaces of intimacy and power; and the vexed romance of democracy. To these ends, Halbout seizes upon the narrative traits that keep these indelible films fresh, while encouraging us to ponder how and why they proliferated. Though readers familiar with Cavell’s contributions will recognize “his films” in the line-up, they will also encounter an expanse of additional works that thrill—placing the achievements of the marquee instances in dialogue with the lesser known. Befitting his signal inspiration, Halbout sustains Cavell’s influential investigation and extends it in dynamic ways, delivering in this volume what amounts to a now-indispensable companion for exploring the moral and aesthetic incitements of the genre—especially among its hilarious and profound exemplars. * David LaRocca, Cornell University, USA and editor of The Thought of Stanley Cavell and Cinema and Movies with Stanley Cavell in Mind *Initiated and propelled by the writing of Stanley Cavell, Grégoire Halbout offers here a capacious yet discerning analysis of the remarkably fecund genre known by the disarming, perhaps misleading name “screwball.” Delighting in the glories of taking democratic entertainment seriously, Halbout treats readers to a lively taxonomy of the characteristics and criteria that make these films recognizable, including savvy assessments of the many directors who artfully troped love and sex into conversation—thereby eliding with comic flair the chaste restrictions of the Hays Code. Moreover, despite the madcap and zany attributes of these plots and their characters, pursuits of happiness—in their many incarnations—remain of immanent concern for one and all, on screen and off. In Halbout’s company, we contend with the exigencies of marriage; the charged private and public spaces of intimacy and power; and the vexed romance of democracy. To these ends, Halbout seizes upon the narrative traits that keep these indelible films fresh, while encouraging us to ponder how and why they proliferated. Though readers familiar with Cavell’s contributions will recognize “his films” in the line-up, they will also encounter an expanse of additional works that thrill—placing the achievements of the marquee instances in dialogue with the lesser known. Befitting his signal inspiration, Halbout sustains Cavell’s influential investigation and extends it in dynamic ways, delivering in this volume what amounts to a now-indispensable companion for exploring the moral and aesthetic incitements of the genre—especially among its hilarious and profound exemplars. * David LaRocca, Cornell University, USA and editor of The Thought of Stanley Cavell and Cinema and Movies with Stanley Cavell in Mind *Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgements Introduction Being happy Line of descent: from remarriage comedy to screwball film Deploying a new approach to an indeterminate and unstable genre A social and political reading of a typically American genre Part One – The screwball expression: a genre shows its credentials Preamble: the fertility of Hollywood comedy in the 1930s Chapter One: Proof of identity The origins of the genre 1934, a pivotal year The “Americanization” of fictional sources A matter of language The etymology and the improbable “trajectory” of the term screwball Genre signaling in film discourse and movie reviews Chapter Two: Protagonists: the artisans of screwball comedy The directors at the helm The reign of the jack of all trades The director and the “screwballization” of scripts The actors, stars of the genre American actors for American stories The stars, genre reference points Screwball timbres and tones The importance of the background: recurring secondary characters Chapter Three: Narrative tropes and genre categories Preliminary decryption Narrative structures: “New Love”, “Old Love” and fornication forestalled Plot types, a descriptive catalogue A first attempt at a delineation of narrative tropes Conditions precedent: zeroing in on the couple The masquerade and the faces of conflict The ordeal of alterity Crises of identity “Cocktails” and genre mixing The impact of current events Tones and subjects: a repetitive and polymorphic genre A generation fades away Shifting centers of interest and changing expectations Part Two – Screwball discourse: interdiction and indirection Chapter One: A socio-economic context conducive to censorship Hollywood and the consequences of the 1929 financial crisis New audiences, new censors Popular art and popular culture: the ideological straightjacket Men of circumstance take control The censors’ mission and their ideological apparatus An improbable coincidence Chapter Two: Expressions: Screwball comedy and the forms of censorship The objective signs A lengthy, comprehensive and conflictual approval process The imprint of censorship on the Hollywood work process Forms of regulation: rhetoric and frames of reference Phraseology of the PCA How the Hays Office intervened Efforts towards an evolving methodology and judicial policy What analytical tools for which interpretation? The “Charter”, jurisprudence and the reinforcement of prohibitions Chapter Three: Content: Ideological scrubbing Creation under supervision: a system of prohibitions Purified language to fit the needs of Hollywood’s social project Forbidden images: bodies and behavior The Code, protecting institutions from the screwball menace Echo and mirror: the press’s final seal of approval Chapter Four: Indirect discourse: The invention of the screwball style Procedural Delinquency The boomerang effect: censorship becomes fodder for comedy The screenplay for Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife, a model of narrative expurgation and lexical attrition The rule-breakers’ arsenal: words and images Wordplay: the ruses and pleasures of screwball language Gags and the advent of disorder The symbolic function of objects From one image to another: the metaphorization of forbidden gestures An unexpected mirror: the amplifying effect of marketing “Screwball Comedy, Sex Comedies” Part Three – The screwball celebration and the democratic discussion Chapter One: The screwball New Deal and the society of mutual consent The discourse on marriage in 1930s America A consumer society in a civilization of leisure America’s marriage debate “Advice” comes to the rescue of marriage Questioning marriage The failure of authority figures Screwball outlaws and their special arrangements The revolution of modern marriage Chapter Two: The tension of the screwball celebration; preserving the democratic space The persistence of the established order Paternal consent and the wife’s return to domesticity The missions of the screwball couple Negotiation between private and public space Escape from society Invasion and living together Conclusion The romantic relationship, a reinterpretation of the democratic bond Appendices Filmography Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisGlobal London on screen presents a mélange of films by directors from the Global South and North, portraying everyday life to the more fantastical, odious, or extraordinary in terms of circumstances as captured cinematically in this superdiverse city. This book portrays a segment of such superdiversity by historicising and theorising various cinematic reproductions of London by filmmakers coming to this megacity from abroad. As visitors, cosmopolitans, or even migrant filmmakers, their treatment of London’s zonal locations as both foreign and familiar is fascinating; their narratives and visualisations of London’s spatial and architectural uniqueness is given a sojourners’ touch; while other foreign filmmakers showcase and sometimes problematise London’s socio-cultural globality and locality as both British and a city open (and sometimes closed off) to the world.Trade Review'This collection opens up vistas to what is often forgotten or not seen in a global city like London. The contributors reveal deep histories of the different Londons on screen, and their profound knowledge about the subject make this a great read.'Saskia Sassen, The Robert S. Lind Professor of Sociology, Columbia University -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: Global London on screen: visitors, cosmopolitans and migratory cinematic visions of a superdiverse city – Keith B. Wagner1 ‘God is everywhere!’: engineering the immigrant landscape of Emeric Pressburger’s Miracle in Soho – Jingan MacPherson Young2 Dropping out: interiority, claustrophobia and decadence in cosmopolitan London cinema of the 1960s and 1970s – Kevin M. Flanagan3 On location in 1970s London: an interview with Gavrik Losey – Paul Newland4 Outside in: Twilight City and the birth of global London – Malini Guha5 ‘Where I come from, we eat places like this for breakfast’: Aki Kaurismäki’s I Hired a Contract Killer as transnational representation of local London – Claire MonkBollywood’s London: the moral-political undertow of London’s Hindi cinema presence – Shakuntala Banaji and Rahoul Masrani7 Brazucas on screen: the Brazilian diaspora in London as depicted in Henrique Goldman’s Jean Charles – Stephanie Dennison8 A critical analysis of the Nollywood film Osuofia in London – Uchenna Onuzulike9 Poetics of double erasure: British East/South-East Asian cinema and Lilting – Victor Fan10 Global Hollywood and the London set piece – Lawrence Webb11 Performative liveness in Lost in London: cinematic streaming and the digital happening in globalising London – Michael A. Unger and Keith B. Wagner12 Borders and cosmopolitanism in the global city: London River – Ana Virginia López Fuentes13 Utopia as a cosmopolitan method in Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men – Mónica MartínEpilogue: The rise of sourdough bread: The Street, gentrification and Brexit – Charlotte BrunsdonIndex

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Book SynopsisWhat is folk horror and how culturally significant is it? This collection is the first study to address these questions while considering the special importance of British cinema to the genre’s development.The book presents political and aesthetic analyses of folk horror’s uncanny landscapes and frightful folk. It places canonical films like Witchfinder General (1968), The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and The Wicker Man (1973) in a new light and expands the canon to include films like the sci-fi horror Doomwatch (1970–72) and the horror documentary Requiem for a Village (1975) alongside filmmakers Ken Russell and Ben Wheatley.A series of engrossing chapters by established scholars and new writers argue for the uniqueness of folk horror from perspectives that include the fragmented national history of pagan heresies and Celtic cultures, of peasant lifestyles, folkloric rediscoveries and postcolonial decline.Table of ContentsForeword by John DasIntroduction: what makes the folk horrific? – Louis Bayman and K.J. Donnelly Part I: Debating The Wicker Man (1973) 1 The context of The Wicker Man – Ronald Hutton 2 A deeply religious people: The Wicker Man, contemporary paganism, and Dracula reversed– Laurel Zwissler 3 Folk horror: a discursive approach, with application to Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man (1973) and Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves (1984) – Mikel J. Koven Part II: Return of the British repressed 4 The folk of folk horror – Derek Johnston 5 Doomwatch: sacrifice zones and folk horror – Dawn Keetley 6 My ancestors died here: Requiem for a Village and the rural English horror of modernity and socio-cultural change – Paul Newland 7 Outsider history, or outside of history – K. J. Donnelly 8 Anglo creep and Celtic resistance in Apostle – Beth Carroll 9 Women’s folk horror in Britain: history, industry, style – Amy Harris Part III: Folk horror’s cultural landscapes 10 Ritualistic rhythms: exploring the sensory effect of drums in British folk horror cinema – Lyndsay Townsend 11 ‘Nature came before man’: human as subject and object within the folk horror anti-landscape – David Evans-Powell 12 Hieroglyphics: Arthur Machen on screen – Mark Goodall 13 Albion unearthed: social, political and cultural influences on British folk horror, urban wyrd and backwoods cinema – Andy Paciorek 14 ‘Isn’t folk horror all horror?’: a wyrd genre – Diane A. RodgersIndex

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Book SynopsisIn the media, migrants are often portrayed as criminals; they are frequently dehumanized, marginalized, and unable to share their experiences. Telling Migrant Stories explores how contemporary documentary film gives voice to Latin American immigrants whose stories would not otherwise be heard.The essays in the first part of the volume consider the documentary as a medium for Latin American immigrants to share their thoughts and experiences on migration, border crossings, displacement, and identity. Contributors analyze films including Harvest of Empire, Sin país, The Vigil, De nadie, Operation Peter Pan: Flying Back to Cuba, Abuelos, La Churona, and Which Way Home, as well as internet documentaries distributed via platforms such as Vimeo and YouTube. They examine the ways these films highlight the individual agency of immigrants as well as the global systemic conditions that lead to mass migrations from Latin American countries to the United States and Europe.The second part of the volume features transcribed interviews with documentary filmmakers, including Luis Argueta, Jenny Alexander, Tin Dirdamal, Heidi Hassan, and María Cristina Carrillo Espinosa. They discuss the issues surrounding migration, challenges they faced in the filmmaking process, the impact their films have had, and their opinions on documentary film as a force of social change. They emphasize that because the genre is grounded in fact rather than fiction, it has the ability to profoundly impact audiences in a way narrative films cannot. Documentaries prompt viewers to recognize the many worlds migrants depart from, to become immersed in the struggles portrayed, and to consider the stories of immigrants with compassion and solidarity.Contributors: Ramón Guerra, Lizardo Herrera, Jared List, Esteban Loustaunau, Manuel F. Medina, Ada Ortúzar-Young, Thomas Piñeros Shields, Juan G. Ramos, Lauren Shaw, Zaira Zarza. A volume in the series Reframing Media, Technology, and Culture in Latin/o America, edited by Héctor Fernández L'Hoeste and Juan Carlos RodríguezTrade ReviewPresent[s] the richness of films united by a focus on the theme of migration and the Latin American diaspora. . . . An essential resource." - Migration Studies

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Book SynopsisHailed as possibly the most comprehensive oral history of Superman to be committed to print, Voices From Krypton combines over 85 years of Superman's legacy into a sweeping tale of how the champion of the oppressed became one of the world's most recognizable pop culture icons. Not only does this epic collection include interviews with Superman favorites like Henry Cavill, Tom Welling, and Zack Snyder, Voices From krypton also dives into the Tim Burton directed Nicholas Cage movie that never happened. You might think you know Superman, but you haven't yet read Voices From Krypton.

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Book Synopsis Subjective Realist Cinema looks at the fragmented narratives and multiple realities of a wide range of films that depict subjective experience and employ “subjective realist” narration, including recent examples such as Mulholland Drive, Memento, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The author proposes that an understanding of the narrative structures of these films, particularly their use of mixed and multiple realities, enhances viewers’ enjoyment and comprehension of such films, and that such comprehension offers a key to understanding contemporary filmmaking.Trade Review “In his timely and erudite book, Matthew Campora…makes use of a variety of analytical tools and methods, from narrative theory to historiography to reception studies. The result is a thorough volume that successfully combines theory and interpretation...Campora’s goals are numerous, and he moves through his information clearly and carefully…and makes the reader want to return to the films themselves, to watch them each anew with [his] insights in mind. Campora’s book illuminates many fascinating features of these films and this genre, and his book will be of interest to a wide variety of readers.” · Film Criticism “…identifies and defines a distinct group of films within contemporary complex narrative films, partly tracing historical antecedents, using a useful taxonomy for contemporary complex narrative films.” · Nitzan Ben Shaul, Tel Aviv University “This book effectively combines theories of multiform narrative with subjective realism to develop a sophisticated theory of complex storytelling in contemporary cinema. It presents detailed and distinct analyses of [a number of important films].” · Warren Buckland, Oxford Brookes UniversityTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Three Periods of Narrative Experimentation Multiform Narrative Subjective Realism Chapter 1. Complex Narratives The New Hollywood and The Smart Film New Hollywood Narration Fragmented Narratives Multi-strand Narratives Multiform Narratives Brazil Puzzle Films Chapter 2. Two Trajectories of the Cinema of Attractions The Narrative Trajectory: Realism and Spectacle The Avant-garde Trajectory: Realism and Defamiliarization Chapter 3. Subjective Realism and Multiform Narrative Subjective Realism Vertigo The Fantastic Wild Strawberries Chapter 4. Mulholland Drive Expressionism and the Uncanny Three Views As Surrealist or Trance Film As Fragmented Subjective Realist Film As Supernatural Film It Is All An Illusion Chapter 5. Memento The Four Strands Unreliable Narration Disrupted Expectations Subjective Realism Chapter 6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind The Philosophy of Eternal Sunshine Temporal Inversions Subjective Realism Sonic Metalepsis The Marvelous Real Conclusion Filmography Bibliography Index

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Televising Restoration Spain: History and Fiction | BookCurl

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the contrasting forms neo-noir has taken on screen, asking what prompts our continued interest in tales of criminality and moral uncertainty. Neo-noir plots are both familiar and diverse, found in a host of media formats today, and now span the globe. Yet despite its apparent prevalence—and increased academic attention—many core questions remain unanswered. What has propelled noir’s appeal, half a century on after its supposed decline? What has led film-makers and series-creators to rework given tropes? What debates continue to divide critics? And why are we, as viewers, so drawn to stories that often show us at our worst? Referencing a range of films and series, citing critical work in the field—while also challenging many of the assumptions made—this book sets out to advance our understanding of a subject that has fascinated audiences and academics alike. Theories relating to gender identity and neo-noir’s tricky generic status are discussed, together with an evaluation of differing comic inflections and socio-political concerns, concluding that, although neo-noir is capable of being both progressive and reactionary, it also mobilises potentially radical questions about who we are and what we might be capable of.Table of Contents1. Introduction: in pursuit of the neo-noir.- 2. Crime, corruption and social critique: a thematic overview of noir.- 3. Conflict and crisis: masculinity and noir.- 4. Fear and fantasy: women in noir.- 5. Noir by any other name?: generic confusion and diffusion.- 6. A lighter shade of noir: differing uses of comedy.- 7. Fatalism vs free will: nihilism and noir.

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Book SynopsisFrom the moment Star Wars burst onto the screen in 1977, audiences have been in equal parts fascinated and appalled by the half-man/half-machine hybrid Darth Vader. In 1999, creator George Lucas began the story of how Anakin Skywalker grew up to train as a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi, found love with the Queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala, before turning to the dark side of his nature and becoming more machine than man. After driving the development of nascent digital technology, George Lucas perceived how he could create new creatures and new worlds on a grander scale than ever before. He created the first digital blockbuster, and met fierce resistance when he pushed for widespread digital cameras, sets, characters, and projection - all of which are now used throughout the industry. He essentially popularized the modern way of making movies. Made with the full cooperation of George Lucas and Lucasfilm, this second volume covers the making of the prequel trilogy - Episode I The Phantom Menace, Episode II Attack of the Clones, and Episode III Revenge of the Sith - and features exclusive interviews with Lucas and his collaborators. The book is profusely illustrated with script pages, production documents, concept art, storyboards, on-set photography, stills, and posters.Trade ReviewThe best work on the greatest saga in the world... For the Star Wars fan, this book is a revelation. * Welt am Sonntag *The Star Wars Archives pulls off the impossible: a fresh look at one of the most picked-off franchises ever. * Chicago Tribune *A book from another galaxy. A must for every fan! * stern *

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Book SynopsisThe book is based on amateur films, shot by the architect Ernest Weissmann (1903-1985) with a Pathé Motocamera in the years 1929-1933 at, among other places, the Atelier Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. These films capture moments from Le Corbusier's life that have never been seen before. It also documents his friendships with Pierre Jeanneret, Lluis Sert, Charlotte Perriand, Norman Rice, Kunio Maekawa, Sigfried Giedion and others. Across six chapters, the book shows impressive stills from these films and places them in the respective historical and personal context of Le Corbusier in introductory texts. Two introductions are devoted to the history of these pioneering amateur films and to Ernest Weissmann's life and his life-long relationship with Le Corbusier. A documentary treasure trove on the life of Le Corbusier Featuring 80 previously unpublished film stills Available as softcover (9783035627282), hardcover (9783035627299) and limited special edition with three photographic prints (9783035627305)

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Book SynopsisDr. No introduced the James Bond formula that has been a box-office fixture ever since. An explosive cocktail of action, spectacle, and sex, the film transformed popular cinema. James Chapman provides a lively and comprehensive study of Dr. No, marshaling a wealth of archival research to place the film in its historical moment.Trade ReviewDr. No: The First James Bond Film by James Chapman is particularly well researched. I especially appreciate the time the author took to dispel myths and legends about the movie. He delved into archives, first-hand sources, as well as unfinished scripts to separate fact from fiction. * Man of la Book: A Bookish Blog *Dr. No is a potentially invaluable resource for Bond scholars and cultural historians, as well as Bond fans keen to engage with the films at a more developed level. The lively writing and assured knowledge make the ideas and analysis feel fresh and revelatory. Chapman investigates and interrogates the many myths and half-truths surrounding the making of the film and the relationships between the key players in order to fully reassess the reputations and reception of the film both at its time of release and now. -- Laura Crossely, Bournemouth UniversityAn impressive and thoroughly enjoyable book. More than twenty years after the landmark volume Licence to Thrill, the author’s latest contribution to the field is meticulously researched and engagingly written. Merging the rigor of the historian with the enthusiasm of the aficionado and consistently illuminated by fresh archival discoveries, Chapman’s Dr. No reminds us that, in the field of Bond studies, nobody does it better. -- Jeremy Strong, author of James Bond UncoveredThe reward of James Chapman’s inquiry is that it explains how and why Dr. No "got it right" from the start while considering the “first” Bond film as a text on its own. Excavating a wealth of primary research, Chapman spearheads the archival and industrial turn in Bond studies to arrive at a new understanding of the ongoing appeal of the James Bond franchise. -- Jaap Verheul, editor of The Cultural Life of James BondJames Chapman's brilliant-realised study of the first Eon-produced James Bond film is a testament not only to the current renaissance of James Bond studies as a field but also the cultural significance of Dr. No in its own right, a film that arguably spawned the modern franchise blockbuster as we know it. Of course, Chapman's rigorous scholarship is the primary draw, here; he proves, once again, that, when it comes to matters of James Bond, "nobody does it better." Dr. No: The First James Bond Film breaks new ground, here, and is likely to pave the way for subsequent "deep-dive" scholarly examinations of specific films in the Bond series. This is film and cultural history scholarship at its finest. -- Ian Kinane, editor of the International Journal of James Bond StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Sex, Snobbery, and Sadism 2. Everything or Nothing3. Monkey Business4. Underneath the Mango Tree5. A Bizarre Comedy Melodrama 6. I’m Just LookingConclusionAppendix I: Dr. No Production CreditsAppendix II: Dr. No Production BudgetAppendix III: Dr. No Daily Progress ReportsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisHitchcock's previously untold origin story. Alfred Hitchcock called The Lodger the first true Hitchcock movie,the one that anticipated all the others. And yet the story of how The Lodger came to be made is shrouded in myth, often repeated and much embellished, even by Hitchcock himself. The First True Hitchcock focuses on the twelve-month period that encompassed The Lodger's production in 1926 and release in 1927, presenting a new picture of this pivotal year in Hitchcock's life and in the wider film world. Using fresh archival discoveries, Henry K. Miller situates Hitchcock's formation as a director against the backdrop of a continent shattered by war and confronted with the looming presence of a new superpower, the United States, and its most visible exportfilm. The previously untold story of The Lodger's making in the London fogand attempted remaking in the Los Angeles sunis the story of how Hitchcock became Hitchcock.Trade Review'Henry K. Miller’s in-depth study of the production and impact of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent film The Lodger is an essential addition to the Hitch canon." * The Film Stage *"Miller reminds us that film history consistently requires an understanding of past worlds that no matter how ‘fixed’ have long since vanished." * Sight & Sound *"The First True Hitchcock is an invigoratingly deep dive into the movie that launched one of world cinema’s most endlessly intriguing careers." * Hitchcock Annual *Table of ContentsPreface Map of London, 1926–1927 1. The Embankment at Midnight 2. The Reputation and the Myth 3. No Old Masters 4. The Autocrat of the Studio 5. To Catch a Thief 6. The First True Hitchcock 7. Stories of the Days to Come 8. Wilshire Palms Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe first full-length study of the iconic 1960s film The Great Escape and its place in Hollywood and American history.Escaped POW Virgil Hilts (Steve McQueen) on a stolen motorcycle jumps an imposing barbed wire fencecaught on film, the act and its aftermath have become an unforgettable symbol of triumph as well as defeat for 1960s America. Combining production and reception history with close reading, Dreams of Flight offers the first full-length study of The Great Escape, the classic film based on a true story of Allied prisoners who hatched an audacious plan to divert and thwart the Wehrmacht and escape into the nearby countryside. Through breezy prose and pithy analysis, Dana Polan centersThe Great Escapewithin American cultural and intellectual history, drawing a vivid picture of the country in the 1960s. We see a nation grappling with its own military history, a society undergoing significant shifts in its culture and identity, and a film industry in transition from Old HollywTrade Review"Dana Polan’s rich assessment of the film’s making coupled with a superb analysis of the film itself, script, style, themes and directorial bravura is filled with informative nuggets. Eschewing the standard star bio approach, Polan goes much deeper. . . . Written with tremendous authority and great style." * Cinema Retro *“Dreams of Flight is an act of devotion, a work of extreme connoisseurship.” * Air Mail *"Far more than just a love letter to a foundational film from an author and devoted fan, Dreams of Flight is a rewarding work of scholarly reclamation, a volume that is always precise in its observation of the hidden dimensions of The Great Escape. . . . Through careful attention to formal choices and an impressively broad engagement with memory, history, and cinematic legacies, Dreams of Flight uncovers the many textures of its popular subject." * Velvet Light Trap *"This book expands in myriad and often surprising directions. . . . Dreams of Flight is remarkable for the extent and imaginative richness of the research materials it brings to bear." * California History *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Engineering The Great Escape From Book to Film (and In Between) 2. Tunneling In The Great Escape: Style, Theme, and Structure 3. Afterlives Coda Appendix: "It Really Happened" Notes Index

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Book SynopsisJames Bond's amazing gadgets reveal both enthusiasm about technology and fear of its potential ramifications. The popularity of the 007 franchise depends on a seductive formula of sex, violence, and snobbery. Much of its appeal, too, lies in its gadgets: slick, somewhat improbable technological devices that give everyone's favorite secret agent the edge over his adversaries. In Equipping James Bond, André Millard chronicles a hundred-year history of espionage technology through the lens of Ian Fleming's infamous character and his ingenious spyware. Beginning with the creation of MI6, the British secret service, Millard traces the development of espionage technology from the advanced weaponry of the nineteenth century to the evolving threat of computer hacking and surveillance. Arguing that the gadgets in the books and films articulate the leading edge of technological awareness at the time, Millard describes how Bond goes from protecting 1950s England from criminal activity to savingTrade Review"Equipping James Bond sheds fascinating light on . . . the weapons and technology depicted throughout the 007 books and films."—Matthew Chernov, James Bond RadioOne of the best capsulized histories of technology in warfare I've ever read.—John Greenya, Washington TimesTable of ContentsIntroduction1. The Technological Enthusiasts2. The Secret Intelligence Service3. The Great War and the Threat of Modernity4. Imagining the Future: Technology on Film5. Spy Films6. Ian Fleming, Intelligence Officer 7. Equipment8. Irregular Warriors9. The Treasure Hunt10. Nuclear Anxieties11. Gadgets12. Guns13. The Special Relationship and the Cold War14. The Technological Revolution15. Into the Future16. Keeping up with the TimesNotesIndex

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisJourney to amazing worlds as Star Wars: The Mandalorian, the critically acclaimed series that expands the Star Wars universe, continues to tell the acclaimed story of the mysterious Mandalorian warrior Dyn Jarren and The Child. This collector's edition includes stunning artwork from chapters 5-8, featuring the droids, rogues, and soldiers of the Empire as seen in the hit series. A unique mix of photography, art and concept illustration showcases the Mandalorian, his allies, his foes and his incredible adventures.

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Book SynopsisThis volume celebrates one of the best known and most loved Italian directors in the world, one of the great masters of tension and horror: Dario Argento. Over the years his cinema has established itself - among cinephiles but not only - for its visionary power, for the search for an aesthetic dimension which is reached through excess. And this excess is not so much what materialises in the virtuosity of the staging of murder and death, as in treating such a brutal and disturbing material in such a way that it becomes something abstract, almost a baroque stylisation. The volume, full of critical essays that investigate the poetics and imagination of Dario Argento, retraces the director’s complete filmography. It also welcomes the testimonies of collaborators and the statements of great directors and actors who shared his long career. Biographies complete the volume. With texts by: Mick Garris, Domenico De Gaetano, Marcello Garofalo, Stefano Della Casa, Piera Detassis, Roberto Pugliese, Alan Jones, Domenico Monetti; testimonianze di: Stefania Casini, Franco Bellomo, Luigi Cozzi, Claudio Simonetti, Sergio Stivaletti, Luciano Tovoli, Antonello Geleng, Pupi Oggiano; fotogrammi tematici: Grazia Paganelli, Matteo Pollone, and Fabio Pezzetti Tonion. Text in English and Italian.

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Book SynopsisMovie Movements: Films That Changed the World of Cinema is a one-stop guide to the major movements that have shaped our sense of what cinema is and can be. It introduces the reader to definitions of the founding concepts in Film Studies such as authorship and genre, technological impacts and the rise of digital cinema, social influences and notions of the avant-garde, and cinema's emergence as a major art form that reflects and shapes the world. It explores, in concise and clear sections, how major works from the classic French realist La Regle de Jeu to the dazzling animation of Norman McLaren and the memorial documentary of Shoah, were conceived, developed and produced, and eventually received by the public, critics and film history. Offering a concise overview of a vast and compelling subject, it's a book for both the film enthusiast and the Film Studies student.Trade ReviewA tsunami of film noirs and isms * Total Film *Intelligent but very readable...a good coffee table book for any film buff -- Charlene Lydon * Film Ireland *James Clarke's Movie Movements is part of the Kamera book series, which are helpful guides to random cinema-related phenomena -- Charlene Lydon * Film Ireland *

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Book SynopsisMeir Zarchi’s I Spit On Your Grave (1978) is of the most controversial films ever made—both condemned as misogynistic and praised for raising uncomfortable issues about sexual violence. David Maguire investigates the historical, social, and political landscape of the film's release and how it has become ground zero for the rape-revenge genre.Trade ReviewA retrospective book. -- John Squires * Bloody Disgusting *It's a fascinating read . . . it's concise and clear in its purpose. * Cinepunx *Maguire comes across as bright and personable, clever and focused without ever wallowing in jargon, and perhaps most importantly of all, aware that ISOYG is not a perfect film whilst still eminently worth of a closer look. A well-written piece of work, the book could easily reward fans as much as students and it’s well worth a place on the shelf. -- Keri O'Shea * Warped Perspective *ISOYG’s careful research and analysis makes for an insightful and enjoyable read throughout, and Maguire’s clear-sightedness enables him to pull off the difficult feat of treating the subject matter seriously (as one would expect) without the book ever becoming dry and humourless. -- Jon Towlson * Starburst Magazine *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. History and Herstory in the 1970s and 1980s2. ‘Only Women Bleed’: Filth or Feminist?3. I Spit on Your Grave and its LegacyNotesFilmographyBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe term 'New Wave' conjures up images of Paris in the early 1960s: Jean Seberg and Jean Paul Belmondo, the young Jean-Pierre Leaud, the three protagonists of Jules and Jim capering across a bridge, all from the films of French filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. The impact of the French New Wave continues to be felt, and its ethos of shooting in real places, with non-professional actors and small crews would influence filmmakers as diverse as John Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese to Lars von Trier's Dogme 95 movement, all of whom sought to challenge the dominance of traditional Hollywood methods of both filmmaking and storytelling. But the French were not the only new wave, and they were not even the first. In New Waves in Cinema, Sean Martin explores the history of the many New Waves that have appeared since the birth of cinema, including their great forebears the German Expressionists, the Soviet Formalists and the Italian Neorealists. In addition, Martin looks at the movements traditionally seen as the French New Wave's contemporaries and heirs, such as the Czech New Wave, the British New Wave, the New German Cinema, the Hollywood Movie Brats and Brazilian Cinema Novo. The book also covers other new waves, such as those of Greece, Hungary, documentary - Cinema Verité and Direct Cinema - animation, avant garde and the so-called No Wave filmmakers. New Waves in Cinema also explores the differences - and similarities - between the concept of a 'new wave' and a national cinema, citing, among others, the example of the new Iranian cinema, which has given us directors as important as Abbas Kiarostami and the Makhmalbaf family, examines resurgent trends in the national cinemas of Mexico, Japan, American independent cinema and concludes with an examination of the most celebrated movement of the 1990s and 2000s, Dogme 95. New Waves in Cinema makes a convincing case for the necessity for the continued existence of new waves and national cinemas in the face of Hollywood and American cultural imperialism.

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Book SynopsisAuthor Barry Stone has served his apprenticeship as a western movie geek and aficionado. The Magnificent Seven, The Wild Bunch, Red River - for 50 years the western has been the only genre in a life that 'just ain't big enough for two'. He has written on the history of cinema for the illustrated reference book Historica, is a regular attendee to western premieres for FOX Studios Australia, and was recently a guest of the Museum of Western Film History in Independence, California.Intrigued by the idea of frontier wilderness, of law and order vs lawlessness, and a firm belief that 'the better the bad guy, the better the film', he goes beyond the American south-west to pay homage to the Italian and even Australian western - and, after much deliberation, he ranks them in order.

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Book SynopsisThis deluxe, full-colour hardback is packed full of previously unseen images from the collection of James Bond production designer Peter Lamont.      Oscar-winning production designer Peter Lamont worked behind the scenes on 18 lames Bond films, beginning with the 1960s classics starring Sean Connery and George Lazenby. Along the way, he worked with director James Cameron and contributed to The Ipcress File and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Man With the Golden Eye is a richly illustrated memoir that provides an unparalleled insight into some of the best-loved films ever made.

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Book Synopsis“Josh Brolin’s out to catch his breath between the slant-eyed suggestions and irrefutable evidence of his past. He hears voices, and he listens, reminding us with brutal honesty that our surroundings were never there to be carried, rather woven into the fabric of the freedom to be who we are.”—Matthew McConaugheyFrom Josh Brolin, a unique and decidedly un-celebrity memoir, by turns affecting, funny, uncanny, and unforgettable.Weaving a latticework of different strands, moving back and forth through time, Josh Brolin captures a life marked by curiosity, pain, devotion, kindness, humor. He recounts an unconventional childhood far from Hollywood. Raised on a ranch in Paso Robles, California, he was surrounded as a child by the wolves, cougars, and other wild animals gathered by his fearless and explosive mother, Jane Agee Brolin. Her tragic, early death haunts this book, and the force of her unforgettable personality is felt throughout. Brolin also brings to life his career in the film industry—from his breakout role in The Goonies to the set of No Country for Old Men—and the professional and personal ups and downs in between and since. With unflinching honesty but also great humor, he shares insights into relationships, addiction, love, and fatherhood, while letting the white space in between words speak for itself. Grappling with the mysteries of life and death in a way that will catch readers by surprise, From Under the Truck is an audacious and riveting memoir from a born writer.

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Book SynopsisA History of the American Musical narrates the evolution of the film musical genre, discussing its influences and how it has come to be defined; the first text on this subject for over two decades, it employs the very latest concepts and research. The most up-to-date text on the subject, with uniquely comprehensive coverage and employing the very latest concepts and research Surveys centuries of music history from the music and dance of Native Americans to contemporary music performance in streaming media Examines the different ways the film musical genre has been defined, what gets counted as a musical, why, and who gets to make that decision The text is written in an accessible manner for general cinema and musical theatre buffs, whilst retaining theoretical rigour in research Describes the contributions made to the genre by marginalized or subordinated identity groups who have helped invent and shape the musical <Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 1 Overture: Musical Traditions before Cinema 11 2 You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet: The Sound Revolution 35 3 Face the Music and Dance: The Depression 67 4 Singing a Song of Freedom: World War II 97 5 There’s Beauty Everywhere: MGM and the Freed Unit 125 6 Something’s Gotta Give: The Postwar Musical 147 7 Bustin’ Out All Over: The Rise of the Musical Blockbuster 175 8 In a Minor Key: The B Musical and Beyond 197 9 The Sound of Money: Musicals in the 1960s 225 10 Whistling in the Dark: A Genre in Crisis 251 11 Can’t Stop the Music: Musicals and the New Hollywood 279 12 Just Like Scheherezade: Reviving the Musical Film Genre 307 Index 335

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Book SynopsisThis book probes the feminist faultlines in Derrida's thought and generates original feminist insight into key concerns of contemporary film studies, including spectatorship, realism vs artifice, narrative, adaptation, auto/biography and the still.

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Book SynopsisSusan Fleming appeared in three Broadway shows and twenty-eight films before she turned her back on a show business career she never really enjoyed or wanted. The role of her lifetime came when she married Harpo Marx in 1936. Together, they raised four adopted children and enjoyed one of Hollywood''s happiest and most successful unions. But their twenty-year age difference made Susan a young widow in 1964.On her path to Hollywood, Susan worked in Broadway musicals produced by Florenz Ziegfeld and George White and befriended a young dancer who would later be known as Paulette Goddard. In Hollywood, she appeared in films with stars like John Wayne, W.C. Fields, and Katharine Hepburn and worked at all the major studios. But it wasn''t until she fell in love with a confirmed bachelor, twenty years older than her, that she found her purpose. Her story is the counterpoint to the beloved and acclaimed Harpo Marx autobiography, Harpo Speaks! Susan''s frank, opinionated perspective pr

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Book SynopsisMalcolm Turvey examines Jacques Tati’s unique comedic style and evaluates its significance for the history of film and modernism. Richly illustrated with images from the director’s films, Play Time offers an illuminating and original understanding of Tati’s work.Trade ReviewTurvey provides a sharply observant account of the scope and function of the more ‘cognitively challenging’ of these comic devices in Tati’s major films. -- David Trotter * London Review of Books *Turvey’s study of Tati’s context traces a fascinating continuity between the clown tradition, Charlie Chaplin’s construction of comic personas and the role of the 'living object' in Dada, Surrealism, Cubism and other interwar artistic movements. * Times Literary Supplement *Play Time is a subtle, intelligent—and wonderfully funny—book. It has much to offer both Tati novices and his connoisseurs. -- Pardis Dabashi * Modernism/modernity *The book is a delicious treat, and serious film students will appreciate it as a penetrating primer on the cinematic comic artisdt at work. * Choice *Play Time: Jacques Tati and Comedic Modernism must be warmly recommended reading for all lovers of Tati, particularly since it is written by one of them, which shows. And my recommendation gets only warmer for all those who, like myself, are interested in understanding comedy and its mechanisms. -- Gianni Barchiesi * Alphaville Journal *Malcolm Turvey’s exhilarating study of Jacques Tati is a precise, loving appreciation of the unique style and worldview of a great filmmaker. It’s also a history of avant-garde humor and a deep analysis of techniques of slapstick and satire. Turvey, one of our finest scholars of modernity in the arts, shows in detail how Tati’s comedy turned modernist experimentation into popular entertainment. -- David Bordwell, author of Reinventing Hollywood: How 1940s Filmmakers Changed Movie StorytellingMalcolm Turvey’s Play Time is the best extended critical study of Tati I’ve encountered: persuasively argued, scrupulously observed, and beautifully illustrated. The writing is clear and graceful, and the research is impressive, especially regarding the relation of slapstick films to avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century and Tati’s critiques of modern architecture. Most critical books about Tati have been short on close analysis, but this one beats them all. -- Jonathan Rosenbaum, author of Cinematic Encounters: Interviews and DialoguesFew films deserve a book-length study as much as those of Jacques Tati. Malcolm Turvey has done them justice. His explanation of their context in the slapstick and modernist traditions is fascinating. Turvey takes Tati’s work seriously, not by spoiling the fun but by respecting its extraordinary complexity. His title comes from Tati’s masterpiece. No matter how many times you have seen Play Time—and it is a film made for many viewings—Turvey will reveal something new and make you want to see it yet again. -- Kristin Thompson, Honorary Fellow in the Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-MadisonThis book is an excellent, detailed study of the films of Jacques Tati that establishes how Tati’s work draws upon classical “comedian comedy” while also connecting with the interwar European avant-garde. Moreover, the author insightfully discusses Tati’s love/hate relationship with modernity as well as his passion for creating a participatory style in which the spectator works to find humor in his films and also in the real world. -- Lucy Fischer, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of PittsburghMalcolm Turvey’s Play Time is a completely joyful and entirely refreshing account of the films of Jacques Tati. It is also one of the finest, most nuanced accounts of comedic form that we have, a work that no one who studies comedy, or simply enjoys it, should be without. In tending so carefully to the structure of Tati’s gags—a seemingly infinite amount of them—Turvey does something that is as extraordinary as it is subtle. With Tati, he shows us how intelligence and popularity, structure and participation, aesthetic excellence and ordinary life, cannot be easily or gainfully opposed. -- Brian Price, University of TorontoTable of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Comedic Modernism2. Comedy of Everyday Life3. The Beholder’s Share4. Satirizing ModernityAfterword: Parade, Tati, and Participatory CultureNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate reference guide to 100s of teen comedies that captivated audiences from 1973 to 1993.

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Book Synopsis

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