Film: styles and genres Books

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the role of the trickster figure in contemporary film against the cultural imperatives and social issues of modernity and postmodernity, and argues that cinematic tricksters always reflect psychological, economic and social change in society. It covers a range of films, from Charlie Chaplin's classics such as Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940) to contemporary comedies and dramas with trickster actors' such as Jim Carrey, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Andy Kaufman and Jack Nicholson. The Trickster in Contemporary Film offers a fresh perspective on the trickster figure not only in cinema but in Western culture in general. Alongside original film analyses, it touches upon a number of psychosocial issues including sovereignty of the individual, tricksterish qualities of the media, and human relationships in the mercurial digital age. Further topics of discussion include: common motifs in trickster narratives<Trade Review"This book surprises us and gratifies us with its scope, its detail and how, like the trickster himself, it challenges our beliefs about the function of popular culture." - Christopher Hauke, Senior Lecturer, Goldsmiths, University of London. Table of ContentsIntroduction. Common Motifs in Trickster Narratives. The Trickster and Personal Relationships. The Trickster and the Economic System. The Trickster and Contemporary Powers. Gonzo-Trickster and the Art of Comic Insurrection. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisTraces recurring debates about what constitutes film''s political potential and argues that the relation between the film and the urban space has been critical to these debates and their historical transformations. The book demonstrates that certain recurring prescriptions - shooting on location, disrupting normalising time, experimenting with memory, interlinking the spaces of screen and cinema - draw on the relation between film and urban space as a kind of laboratory--Provided by publisher.

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Book SynopsisA unique study of the film musical, a global cinema tradition.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Corey K. Creekmur and Linda Y. Mokdad; PART I: EUROPE; 1. Great Britain: John Mundy; 2. France: Kelley Conway; 3. Germany: Antje Ascheid; 4. Portugal: Lisa Shaw; 5. Spain: Inmaculada Sanchez Alarcon; 6. Italy: Alex Marlow-Mann; 7. Greece: Lydia Papadimitriou; 8. Russia: Richard Taylor; PART II: LATIN AMERICA; 9. Mexico: Ana M. Lopez; 10. Brazil: Joao Luis Viera; PART III: ASIA; 11. Japan: Aaron Gerow; 12. China: Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh; 13. India: Michael Lawrence; PART IV: THE MIDDLE EAST; 14. Egypt: Linda Y. Mokdad; 15. Turkey: Nezih Erdo?an; PART V: HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD; 16. The Postmodern Transnational Film Musical: Bjorn Norofjoro; Coda: Rick Altman.

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Book SynopsisThe New Neapolitan Cinema provides close analysis of the whole of this movement, which stands as one of the most vital and stimulating currents in contemporary European Cinema.Trade ReviewThis superbly researched volume provides a wealth of information on the recent renaissance of filmmaking in Naples, considered in its broader cultural context. Not only does the author build a persuasive analysis of this body of films, but he also offers crucial insights into the conditions of their production. -- Aine O'Healy, Loyola Marymount University An exemplary piece of scholarship, marshalling a wealth of factual information and an intimate knowledge of a broad range of films, many of which are largely unfamiliar to English language audiences. The book's analysis of cinema's role in the construction of identity is steeped in film history and is a rewarding and original comment on the culture of which the New Neapolitan Cinema forms a highly valuable part. -- Dr Louis Bayman, Kings College London Viewfinder This superbly researched volume provides a wealth of information on the recent renaissance of filmmaking in Naples, considered in its broader cultural context. Not only does the author build a persuasive analysis of this body of films, but he also offers crucial insights into the conditions of their production. An exemplary piece of scholarship, marshalling a wealth of factual information and an intimate knowledge of a broad range of films, many of which are largely unfamiliar to English language audiences. The book's analysis of cinema's role in the construction of identity is steeped in film history and is a rewarding and original comment on the culture of which the New Neapolitan Cinema forms a highly valuable part.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The Italian Film Industry and Neapolitan Cinema; 2. Characteristics and Functions of the Neapolitan Formula; 3. 'Estranei alla massa': The New Neapolitan Cinema and the Crisis in Napoletanita; 4. Gold and Dust: Hybridity, Postmodernism and the Legacy of Neapolitan Narrative; 5. Symbolic Politics: The Neapolitan Renaissance and the Politics of the New Neapolitan Cinema; Conclusion; Appendices.

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Book SynopsisThis book fills this gap and provides an essential resource for academics and researchers with an interest in cinematic representations of the family and transnational cinema.

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Book SynopsisIn a fresh and invigorating look at British cinema that considers film as an art form among other arts, John Orr takes a critical look at the intriguing relationship between romanticism and modernism in British cinema.Trade ReviewRomantics and Modernists retains Orr's characteristic pith and insight. What is more, with unconventional heroism it utterly dispenses with the all the notes, references, quotes and secondary evidences which buttress and clutter many a lesser tome. This is all Orr, crammed with provocative opinion and imaginative flight. It is a gem-like swansong. -- Andrew Moor, Manchester Metropolitan University Journal of British Cinema and Television When Orr is writing about the cinema he clearly loves most (Hitchcock, Reed, Douglas, Davies, McQueen) his own fusing of modernism and romanticism comes to the fore - clear, cogent analysis with an underlying lyricism that inspires an imaginative passion in the reader. -- Nick James Sight and Sound Orr has already written valuable books on Hitchcock's influence and on cinema and modernity. Drawing on these, he traces a dialectic between romanticism and modernism that runs through UK cinema from the beginning of the sound era to the present - often creating a vital tension within its major filmmakers. His themes and juxtapositions are never conventional: chapters on the fugitive 'running man' and the 'trauma film' introduce important new critical perspectives, and his enthusiasms are infectious. Not since Ray Durgnat's A Mirror for England (an acknowledged inspiration) has there been such a stimulating book on cinema in the British Isles. -- Ian Christie, Professor of Film and Media History, Birkbeck, University of London. Author of Arrows of Desire: the Films of Powell and Pressburger and The Art of Film: John Box and Production Design John Orr's book gives the most ambitious single-author overview of British cinema since Raymond Durgnat's ground-breaking A Mirror for England 40 years ago. Not only does Orr offer much that is fresh and illuminating on film-makers ranging from Lean and Reed, through outsiders like Losey and Polanski, to Bill Douglas and Terence Davies, but he places them in a convincing overall perspective. Anyone interested in the riches of Britain's film history will gain from reading it. -- Charles Barr, Emeritus Professor, University of East Anglia Agreeably concise and superbly organised, with a brace of excellent stills to complement the text, this book provides an enjoyable, accessible read while also displaying intellectual rigour and insight. Highly recommended. -- W. W. Dixon, University of Nebraska Choice Romantics and Modernists retains Orr's characteristic pith and insight. What is more, with unconventional heroism it utterly dispenses with the all the notes, references, quotes and secondary evidences which buttress and clutter many a lesser tome. This is all Orr, crammed with provocative opinion and imaginative flight. It is a gem-like swansong. When Orr is writing about the cinema he clearly loves most (Hitchcock, Reed, Douglas, Davies, McQueen) his own fusing of modernism and romanticism comes to the fore - clear, cogent analysis with an underlying lyricism that inspires an imaginative passion in the reader. Orr has already written valuable books on Hitchcock's influence and on cinema and modernity. Drawing on these, he traces a dialectic between romanticism and modernism that runs through UK cinema from the beginning of the sound era to the present - often creating a vital tension within its major filmmakers. His themes and juxtapositions are never conventional: chapters on the fugitive 'running man' and the 'trauma film' introduce important new critical perspectives, and his enthusiasms are infectious. Not since Ray Durgnat's A Mirror for England (an acknowledged inspiration) has there been such a stimulating book on cinema in the British Isles. John Orr's book gives the most ambitious single-author overview of British cinema since Raymond Durgnat's ground-breaking A Mirror for England 40 years ago. Not only does Orr offer much that is fresh and illuminating on film-makers ranging from Lean and Reed, through outsiders like Losey and Polanski, to Bill Douglas and Terence Davies, but he places them in a convincing overall perspective. Anyone interested in the riches of Britain's film history will gain from reading it. Agreeably concise and superbly organised, with a brace of excellent stills to complement the text, this book provides an enjoyable, accessible read while also displaying intellectual rigour and insight. Highly recommended.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Romantics versus Modernists?; 1. 1929: Romantics and Modernists on the Cusp of Sound; 2. The Running Man: Hitchcock's Fugitives and 'The Bourne Ultimatum'; 3. Running Man 2: Carol Reed and his Contemporaries; 4. David Lean: The Troubled Romantic and The End of Empire; 5. The Trauma Film from Romantic to Modern: 'A Matter of Life and Death' to 'Don't Look Now'; 6. Losey and Antonioni: The Expatriate Eye and the Parallax View; 7. Expatriate Eye 2: Kubrick and Skolimowski; 8. Terence Davies and Bill Douglas: The Poetics of Memory; Conclusion: Into the New Century; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisOffers a study of how Italian films re-envisage male identity in response to sexual liberation. This book examines how this preoccupation with male identity becomes especially acute in the 1970s when a set of more diverse and inclusive images of men emerge in response to the rise of feminism and gay liberation.

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Book SynopsisWhat exactly is the happy ending? Is it simply a cliche, as commonly supposed? Why has it earned such an unenviable reputation? What does it, or can it, mean? This book traces the historical development of the scholarly approaches taken towards the cinematic happy ending.

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Book SynopsisSince the Catalan government passed the first of Spain''s regional governmental laws on same-sex partnership in 1998, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer culture in Spain has thrived. Spanish Queer Cinema assesses the impact of this significant cultural expression on Spanish Cinema and evaluates the role LGBTQ film has had in creating and shaping identity and experience.Focusing on films from 1998 to the present day, Chris Perriam skilfully analyses the development of LGBTQ filmmaking and filmwatching in Spain and places this within the wider cultural context. Covering lesbian cinema, gay and queer documentaries and short films, as well as mainstream features, the book investigates how LGBTQ films are distributed and how audiences react to them. It includes discussions of film festivals, cultural centres and social networking sites and it places the filmwatching experience within the context of other cultural activities such as television viewing, reading, surfing, downloading and festival-going. It assesses the importance and impact of Spanish queer cinema on the construction of LGBTQ identities and experiences.An informative and thought-provoking book, Spanish Queer Cinema is an essential read for students and scholars working in the fields of Film Studies, Spanish Studies and Cultural Studies.

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Book SynopsisAddresses the socio-political context informing both queer DIY video and independent gay cinema, including films such as Patrice Chereau's Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train, Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau's Drole de Felix, Francois Ozon's Le Temps qui reste and Andre Techine's Les Temoins.

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Book SynopsisExplores the development of film noir as a cultural and artistic phenomenon. This book traces the development of what we know as film noir from the proto-noir elements of Feuillade's silent French crime series and German Expressionism to the genre's mid-20th century popularization and influence on contemporary global media.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Notes on Contributors; List of Figures; The Noir Turn, Homer B. Pettey; 1. The Cinema of Uncertainty and the Opacity of Information from Louis Feuillade's Crime Serials to Film Noir, Vicki Callahan; 2. Warning Shadows: German Expressionism and American Film Noir, Janet Bergstrom; 3. Hard-boiled Tradition and Film Noir, Homer B. Pettey; 4. Cold War Noir, R. Barton Palmer; 5. Noiring the Pitch: The Conflicted Soundtracks of Out of the Past, The Blue Gardenia, and The Long Goodbye, Krin Gabbard; 6. Split Screen: Sound/Music in The Stranger/Criss Cross, Robert Miklitsch; 7. Gender and Noir, Elisabeth Bronfen; 8. The Subversive Shade of Black in Film Noir, Charles Scruggs; Postscript: A History of Our Writing about Film Noir, Alain Silver and James Ursini; Selected Reading Guide to Film Noir: Book and Book Chapters; Selected Viewing Guide to Film Noir; Index.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on extensive archival research, In Secrecy''s Shadow explores the revolution in the relationship between Hollywood and the secret state, from unwavering trust and cooperation to extreme scepticism and paranoia.

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Book SynopsisThe first book to address the vast diversity of Northern circumpolar cinemas from a transnational perspective, Films on Ice presents the region as one of great and previously overlooked cinematic diversity. With chapters on polar explorer films, silent cinema, documentaries, ethnographic and indigenous film, gender and ecology, as well as Hollywood and the USSR''s uses and abuses of the Arctic, this book provides a groundbreaking account of Arctic cinemas from 1898 to the present and radically alters stereotypical views of the Arctic region.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a new interpretation of Ozu Yasujiro career, from his earliest work in the 1920s up to his death in 1963, focusing on Ozu's depiction of the everyday life and experiences of ordinary Japanese people during a time of depression, war and economic resurgence.

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Book SynopsisExtreme Asia charts the history of the recent cult Asian film invasion, covering a five-year period and focusing on the activities of the distribution company Tartan Films and their incredibly influential ''Asia Extreme'' brand.

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Book SynopsisIn recent years some of the best known European and American art film directors have made films that place the spectator in a position of intense discomfort. How are these unpleasurable viewing experiences created? What do the directors believe they can achieve via the feel bad experience? These questions will be answered in this book.

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Book SynopsisAnalyses the growth of the American comedy film in relation to world events and cultural trends. This book uses large scale social and cultural trends and major world events to analyse the American comedy film.Table of Contents1. American Film Comedy and Cultural Critique: Glitches in the Smooth Running of the Social Machine; 2. The Feeding Machine and Feeding the Machine: Silence, Sound and the Technologies of Cinema; 3. The Constitution of the Real: Documentary, Mockumentary and the Status of the Image; 4. Parody: Targeting Cinema's Narrative Technics; 5. The Unspeakable and Political Satire: Performance, Perception and Technology; 6. Conclusion: Between the Machine and the Event: Film Comedy.

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Book SynopsisToo often dismissed as nothing more than ''trash cinema'', exploitation films have become both earnestly appreciated cult objects and home video items that are more accessible than ever. In this wide-ranging new study, David Church explores how the history of drive-in theatres and urban grind houses has descended to the home video formats that keep these lurid movies fondly alive today.Arguing for the importance of cultural memory in contemporary fan practices, Church focuses on both the re-release of archival exploitation films on DVD and the recent cycle of ''retrosploitation'' films like Grindhouse, Machete, Viva, The Devil''s Rejects and Black Dynamite. At a time when older ideas of subcultural belonging have become increasingly subject to nostalgia, Grindhouse Nostalgia presents an indispensable study of exploitation cinema''s continuing allure, and is a bold contribution to our understanding of fandom, taste politics, film distribution and home video.

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Book SynopsisAdvancing the current state of film audience research and of our knowledge of sexuality in transnational contexts, French and Spanish Queer Film analyses how French LGBTQ films are seen in Spain and Spanish ones in France.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines five highly influential Francoist films produced from 1938 until 1964 and three later films by critically acclaimed directors Luis Bunuel, Guillermo del Toro, and Alex de la Iglesia that attempt to undermine Francoist aesthetics by re-imagining its visual and narrative cliches.

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Book SynopsisOffers a critical study of the 'happy ending' in classical and contemporary Hollywood cinema. This book encourages students and scholars of film to reconsider some tenacious critical preconceptions, inviting them to approach afresh their understandings of perhaps the most infamous narrative convention in Hollywood cinema.

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Book SynopsisFully loaded with John McClane sarcasm, Alan Rickman as a German terrorist, and Nakatomi Plaza blowing up on Christmas Eve, Die Hard is often cited as the film that took action blockbusters to the next level, but what has earned the film its fiercely devoted fan base? That''s the question that Why We Love Die Hard seeks to answer. This is the first and only guide that combines entertaining information about the history and making of the film with a celebratory look at all the different aspects that have helped solidify Die Hard as a must-see film. A Die Hard lover''s dream, this guide includes punchy illustrations paired alongside essays exploring the film''s history, characters, unique film techniques, and the thematic elements that have helped this film become the beloved classic it is today.

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Book SynopsisRemember a time when all of Hollywood-with the expressed encouragement and investment of the government-joined forces to defend the American way of life? It was World War II and the gravest threat faced the nation, and the world at large. Hollywood answered the call to action.This is the riveting tale of how the film industry enlisted in the Allied effort during the second World War-a story that started with staunch isolationism as studios sought to maintain the European market and eventually erupted into impassioned support in countless ways. Industry output included war films depicting battles and reminding moviegoers what they were fighting for, home-front stories designed to boost the morale of troops overseas, and even musicals and comedies that did their bit by promoting the Good Neighbor Policy with American allies to the south. Stars like Carole Lombard-who lost her life returning from a war bond-selling tour-Bob Hope, and Marlene Dietrich enthusiastically joined USO

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Book SynopsisThis collection focuses on 1970s films from a variety of countries, and from the marginal to the mainstream, which, by tackling various difficult' subjects, have proved to be controversial in one way or another. It is not an uncritical celebration of the shocking and the subversive but an attempt to understand why this decade produced films which many found shocking, and what it was that made them shocking to certain audiences. To this end it includes not only films that shocked the conventionally minded, such as hard core pornography, but also those that outraged liberal opinion for example, Death Wish and Dirty Harry. The book does not simply cast a critical light on a series of controversial films which have been variously maligned, misinterpreted or just plain ignored, but also assesses how their production values, narrative features and critical receptions can be linked to the wider historical and social forces that were dominant during this decade. Furthermore, it Trade ReviewIt’s alive … again! Shocking Cinema of the Seventies is back but not as we knew it. More than merely an updating of the previous edition, this volume is a wholly new collection that responds to the profound changes that have taken place in the status of 1970s cinema over the last two decades. An indispensable volume in its own right! -- Mark Jancovich, University of East Anglia, UKMendik and Petley’s new volume unearths little-suspected histories and sub-genre cycles hidden in plain sight and material from darker recesses of criminality and fantasy. Contributors challenge conceptions of cinema and how and why academics study it, disturbing both conservative and radical sensibilities as much as do the films themselves. -- Nigel Morris, University of Lincoln, USA.This exciting collection advances significant new research in 70s cult cinema, especially fascinating work in international cinema including Japan. With an introduction rightly interrogating what is meant by ‘shocking’ and asking us to rethink our commonly held assumptions, this is compulsory reading for all film scholars and those interested in cult cinema and television. -- Jason Lee, De Monfort University, UKA collection as electrifying and as essential as the wild, diverse range of films from the 1970s it explores, authored by some of the most vital and exciting voices in cult film studies today. -- Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study (2021)It’s hardly shocking that two of the UK’s most distinguished film journalists have produced this impressive new edition of a film book which has long been an essential component of any cinéaste’s shelves. * Crime Time *Shocking Cinema of the 70s offers a range of opinion and insight on films which caused public outcry, upset the critics, or troubled governments. Whereas some of these films, looked at almost fifty years later, might make that seem like an overreaction, others might still make for uncomfortable viewing today. This collection enables us to understand what a ‘Shocking’ film is, and what there still is to learn from them. Highly recommended. * Cinema Retro *Table of ContentsNew Shocks to the System: An Introduction to the Second Edition of Shocking Cinema of the Seventies Xavier Mendik and Julian Petley Section One: International Visions of the Extreme 1. Walerian Borowczyk: Seventies Sexploitation through Sublimation Aga Skrodzka 2. A Woman’s Grudge: Figuring Female Resentment in Japanese 1970s Grindhouse Cinema Laura Treglia 3. Rethinking Representation, Race and Rape in the 1970s Women in Prison Movie James Newton Section Two: From the Vigilante to the Violated 4. Death Wish: A Vigilante’s Journey, An Urban Tragedy William Gombash 5. Rough Justice: Lone Cops, Vigilantes and Penal Populism Julian Petley 6. Small Screen Shockers: Rape-Revenge Narratives in the TV Movie Jennifer Wallis Section Three: State Sponsored Shocks 7. Tax Shelter Terrors: Cinépix and the Hidden History of 1970s Canadian Horror Cinema Xavier Mendik 8. Shocking Canadian Cinema of the Seventies: An Interview with William Fruet Xavier Mendik 9. ‘You miserable, no good, dirty sons of bitches!’: Queer(y)ing ‘Canuxploitation’ revenge narratives in the films of John Dunning and André Link Robin Griffiths Section Four: Family-sploitation and Threats to the Family 10. Family Entertainment: Psychotic Slaughter in the 1970s Charles Manson Movies Bill Osgerby Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSheldon Lu is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at UC Davis, USA. He is the author and editor of more than a dozen books in English and Chinese. These include Chinese Modernity and Global Biopolitics: Studies in Literature and Visual Culture (2007), China, Transnational Visuality, Global Postmodernity (2001), and From Historicity to Fictionality: The Chinese Poetics of Narrative (1994). Chinese-Language Film: Historiography, Poetics, Politics (co-edited with Emilie Y. Y. Yeh, 2005) was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title.Trade ReviewSheldon Lu has contributed significantly to the study of Chinese language cinema, literature, and visual arts over the years, and initiated important concepts such as transnational cinema which has become an indispensable framework for scholars and students to look at Chinese cinema, world cinemas, and visual culture. His latest book covers a broad array of visual and artistic medium: film, painting, graffiti, photography, architecture, installation, performance and poetry. It is illustrated with photographs of artworks and stills from films which contribute to the understanding of the text. This book brings the subject matter alive and up to date, revealing the diversity and vibrancy of Chinese aesthetic culture for readers. -- Stephen Teo, Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeA timely intervention in academic debates and visual productions that challenges the reader to rethink familiar concepts (e.g., nation, masculinity, environment) and reconfigure relationships between cinema and other arts. A must-read for those interested in the expert judgment of a leading voice in the field. -- Yingjin Zhang, University of California, San Diego, USAIn a world ravaged by pandemics, ecological degradation, sexual violence, racial assaults, territorial disputes, and trade wars, Sheldon Lu’s book makes a critical intervention into ongoing debates about China by focusing on the notion of the “nation” in cinema and related visual arts. Absolutely essential reading. -- Gina Marchetti, University of Hong Kong, Hong KongAs the originator of the transnational concept, Sheldon Lu is the most able scholar to probe the vagaries of national cinema in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. We tend to think of globalisation and nationalism as antithetical forces, but Lu presents case after case of how nationalism is aided and abetted by globalisation and transnationalism. China’s film and visual culture carry the aims of patriotic ideologues, but also present visions of individual struggles against repression, inequality and patriarchy. Contemporary Chinese Cinema and Visual Culture is an incisive, expansive intervention into China’s global figurations. -- Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh, Lingnan University, Hong KongTable of ContentsIntroduction: Refashioning the Nation in Transnational Cinema and Art Part 1: Nationhood, Gender, Sexuality, Masculinity in Feature Film 1.Projecting the Chinese Nation on Domestic and Global Screens 2. Space, Mobility, Modernity: The Female Prostitute in Chinese-language Film 3. Re-orientations of Hong Kong Cinema and Transformations of Masculinity 4. Masculinity in Crisis: Male Characters in Jia Zhangke’s Films Part 2. Multimedia Engagements with the Local, National, and Global 5. Peripheral, Underground, and Independent Cinema 6. Performing and Romancing the Other in Film, Television Drama, and Ballet 7. Reshaping Beijing’s Space: Architecture, Art, Photography, Film 8. Artistic and Multimedia Interventions Conclusion: Globalization at Bay Filmography Bibliography Index

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