Individual actors Books

Book SynopsisAs an actor, awareness of your movement is the key to transformation. By making deliberate physical choices, you can fully and articulately embody different ways of being: you can become someone or something else. Laban''s Efforts give you a way of identifying and making these choices. Working with them helps the actor to create wholly present and physically ambitious performances. This book outlines Ewan''s practical process, which allows the actor to understand their own movement and that of others by exploring one key part of Laban''s work: the ''Efforts of Action Drive''. This complete, stage-by-stage, working process has been developed through more than thirty years of work with actors in the studio. Clear instructions for practical exercises are woven throughout the book, as well as exciting ways to apply the work in rehearsal, performance and on set. This allows the actor to learn and apply Laban''s Efforts for themselves. Full video and audio resources allow the reader tTrade ReviewThis is a fresh and invigorating new addition to the Laban for Actors family of publications. It’s just like being in the studio with Vanessa - with practical how-to exercises and guided explorations in Effort, this book will be invaluable for all actors and teachers of movement for actors * Juliet Chambers, Guildford School of Acting/University of Surrey, UK *Vanessa Ewan's work with Laban and the Efforts, as you will find in this inspired book, provides performers with an incredibly fertile foundation from which to create. She has found an astoundingly practical way of applying Laban's work to the quest of being a fully embodied actor. You will find tools in this book that will open door after door to your own creativity and awaken you to the endless possibility of what you can create on stage and on screen. * Andrew Garfield, actor *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION Laban and His Work Laban’s Work on Effort Approaching the Efforts About this Book How to Use this Book Part A: THE BIGGER PICTURE CHAPTER ONE: MOVEMENT AND THE ACTOR What is Movement? What is Effort? What is Action? Laban’s Efforts and the Actor CHAPTER TWO: UNLOCKING MOVEMENT POTENTIAL The Body in Space Basic Locomotion The Body as Orchestra Part B: BUILDING BLOCKS CHAPTER THREE: WEIGHT, TIME, SPACE The Motion Factors Examining Weight, Time, and Space CHAPTER FOUR: EMBODYING THE MOTION FACTORS Weight Time Space Discovering the Eight Basic Efforts Part C: DISCOVERING THE EFFORTS CHAPTER FIVE: ABOUT THE PROCESS Process Overview Basic Philosophies CHAPTER SIX (a): THE PROCESS WITH FLOATING Preparation Meeting the Effort Mapping the Effort The Effort as Code A Journey (Guided Improvisation) Efforts in the World CHAPTER SIX (b): THE OTHER SEVEN EFFORTS Dabbing Wringing Thrusting Pressing Flicking Slashing Gliding Part D: THE EFFORTS AT PLAY CHAPTER SEVEN: THE EIGHT EFFORT ARCHETYPES What is an Effort Archetype? Embodying the Eight Effort Archetypes Applying the Eight Effort Archetypes Observing the Eight Effort Archetypes CHAPTER EIGHT: THE EFFORT WEAVE What is an Effort Weave? Effort Weave Preparation Basic Effort Weave Internalised Effort Weaves Effort Weaves with An Agenda CHAPTER NINE: EFFORT DUOS What is an Effort Duo? Discovering Effort Duos Embodying Effort Duos Effort Equation Creating Effort Equations Part E: APPLYING THE EFFORTS CHAPTER TEN: ADVANCED EXPLORATIONS Uniting Efforts and Text ‘Giving Birth’: Embodied Storytelling Creating a Precise Physical Score ‘Cloning’: Discovering Characters ‘Gallery-Glide’: Unlocking Text Manifesting Thoughts and Feelings: Subtext in Action ‘Bottling’: Mapping Bottled Emotions CHAPTER ELEVEN: EFFORTS IN REHEARSAL Preparation Creating Character The World of the Play Advanced Observation Final Reflections APPENDICES APPENDIX A: NOTES ON PROCESS The Role of Flow Self-Reflection Control Working with Gestures Working with Vocalisation Using Music The Game of Life Relating to Constraints APPENDIX B: A NOTE ON WORD CHOICES APPENDIX C: FOCUSING THE WORK FOR THE ACTOR APPENDIX D: MUSIC SUGGESTIONS GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST OF VIDEO RESOURCES ABOUT THE AUTHORS INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe Actor's Business Plan is a self-directed practical guide for actors graduating from formal training programs, as well as for those already in the business whose careers need to move ahead more successfully. Using the familiar language of acting training, the book offers a method for the achievement of dreams through a five-year life and career plan giving positive steps to develop a happy life as an actor and as a person. It assists performers to flourish using the same kind of business/career planning that is a necessary part of life for entrepreneurs and business people. This introduction to the acting industry provides essential knowledge not only for how the business actually works, but also describes what casting directors, agents, and managers do, demystifies the role of unions, discusses how much things cost, and offers advice on branding and marketing strategies. It differs from other such handbooks in that it addresses the everyday issues of life, money, and jobs thTrade ReviewSince actors spend much more time seeking and preparing for roles than actually acting, a career in acting should be viewed as a business. An actor, like any other professional, needs career plans, which pretty much sums up the main message of this work by veteran actor, director/producer, and agent Brody. Individual chapters cover the development of a five-year plan to achieve one's goals, getting an agent, and trying to land a job in a desired theater. Also covered are topics such as taking coaching classes, trying out for roles, handling life-plan obstacles (e.g., student debt), and dealing with business expenses (e.g., headshots, union fees, relocation expenses, or health insurance), along with tips on how to make contacts and write query letters or resumés. There is a section on what casting directors, agents, and managers actually do. The second half of the book focuses on the major acting centers of the country: Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and the Washington, DC-Baltimore area. For each of these areas, the author provides a selection of agents, casting directors, photographers, drama schools, management, and theater companies with contact information. Summing Up: Recommended. All audiences. -- C. E. King, Iowa State University * CHOICE *The book promises to be an extremely practical and helpful guide for the young actor embarking on a professional acting career . . . I wish such a book existed when I was graduating -- Lucien Douglas, Head of Acting, University of Texas, Austina smart approach, and one that I think will make the information very accessible to young professionals in the industry * Melia Bensussen, Chair, Performing Arts Department, Emerson College, Boston *Since actors spend much more time seeking and preparing for roles than actually acting, a career in acting should be viewed as a business. An actor, like any other professional, needs career plans, which pretty much sums up the main message of this work by veteran actor, director/producer, and agent Brody. Individual chapters cover the development of a five-year plan to achieve one's goals, getting an agent, and trying to land a job in a desired theater. Also covered are topics such as taking coaching classes, trying out for roles, handling life-plan obstacles (e.g., student debt), and dealing with business expenses (e.g., headshots, union fees, relocation expenses, or health insurance), along with tips on how to make contacts and write query letters or resumés. There is a section on what casting directors, agents, and managers actually do. The second half of the book focuses on the major acting centers of the country: Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and the Washington, DC-Baltimore area. For each of these areas, the author provides a selection of agents, casting directors, photographers, drama schools, management, and theater companies with contact information. Summing Up: Recommended. All audiences. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1: Dreams for Your Life Play Chapter 2: Given Circumstances of Your Life Play: Obstacles Chapter 3: Your Life Play’s Five Year Plan: Objectives, Events, Tactics, Beats, and Tasks Chapter 4: Making Your Five Act Life Plan Happen Chapter 5: Handling the Obstacles in your Life Play Chapter 6: Access to the Fulfillment of your Life Plan Chapter 7: The Cast of your Life Play: Casting Directors, Agents, and Managers; Who They Are and What They Do Chapter 8: Building a Character: Type versus Brand Chapter 9: Doing Your Life’s Play, Action! Chapter 10: Your Life Play’s Experience: Resumes Chapter 11: The Album of Your Life Play: Pictures, Reels, and Websites Chapter 12: Learning Your Lines and Showing up for Your Life Play: Auditions Chapter 13: The Location of Your Life Play: Markets Appendix: Resources and Recommended Reading

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Book SynopsisPart of the series Shakespeare in the Theatre, this book examines the work of renowned theatre director Nicholas Hytner (Artistic Director of the National Theatre from 2003-2015). Featuring case studies of Hytner's Shakespeare productions and interviews with actors, designers, directors and other practitioners with whom Hytner has worked, it explores Hytner's own productions of Shakespeare's plays within their respective socio-cultural contexts and the context of Hytner's other directing work, and examines his working practices and the impact of his Artistic directorship on the centrality of Shakespeare within the repertoire of the National Theatre.Trade ReviewThe book will be extremely useful for anybody studying, acting and directing Shakespeare and of immense value to future theatre historians. * Mature Times *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION PART 1 CHAPTER 1: Education and the Early Years Case Study: As You Like It CHAPTER 2: Hytner and the RSC CASE STUDY: Measure for Measure CHAPTER 3: Hytner at the National Theatre – as director CASE STUDY: Henry V and Othello CHAPTER 4: Hytner at the National Theatre – as Artistic Director PART 2: INTERVIEWS Timeline Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBy turns, it is riotous, deeply serious, practical and sad. Reading it is like being at her kitchen table with a glass of wine to hand. (Daily Telegraph)Lynda Bellingham was a tremendously gifted storyteller with a rich collection of tales of love, loss and laughter and this memoir brings her kind heart, courage and emotion to the page in vivid detail. There''s Something I''ve Been Dying To Tell You is a brave memoir about Lynda''s battle with cancer, facing death she found joy and shared it with millions. Her story is an affecting and at times heart-breaking one but it is so often laugh-out-loud too and ultimately the way Lynda told her life story serves as a great inspiration to us all. Woven into this very moving and brave story are extraordinary, colourful tales of her acting and family life that will enlighten and entertain as well as the journey that Lynda has taken to find the family of her birth father having already suffered heartache in her seTrade ReviewHer brilliantly titled book, There's Something I've Been Dying to Tell You, charts the unravelling of that delusion, and her determination to wrest a meaningful life out of sudden chaos. By turns, it is riotous, deeply serious, practical and sad. Reading it is like being at her kitchen table with a glass of wine to hand. Not just listening to the expletives of pain or the dawning of reality, but rooting for her when the treatment appears to be working, sharing her fears as her life expectation dwindles, and rocking with laughter at the absurdities that go with having the "least sexy" cancer of them all. Her description of the mechanics of dealing with a stoma bag in the ladies' at Buckingham Palace, when she accepted her OBE in March, reads like a comedy script. * Daily Telegraph *Bellingham has started a necessary conversation where often there is silence. The rest of us look on at these extraordinary people and wonder how we ourselves would manage. I am so grateful that such people are speaking out, now while they can. * Guardian *I laughed and I cried. The strength shines through in the whole book and the honesty. A fantastic woman. * Coleen Nolan *Touching and honest...It may be packed with heartfelt emotion, but don't expect to be wiping your eyes every time you turn the page - Lynda's cheeky humour is woven through every chapter. It's the perfect memoir from a much-missed star. * BEST Magazine *Moving and inspirational. A fitting memorial to an amazing woman. * Daily Express *Lynda's book is chirpy, positive, magnificently sane and, paradoxically reassuring. * Daily Mail *The actress bore no bones about sharing some of the most intimate details about her bowel cancer, and did so with admirable honesty. * Independent *The rawness of their situation is undeniably distressing, but what leaps from the pages is Lynda's stoicism and determination not to let sadness destroy her spirit. * Daily Mail *Praise for Lost and Found by Lynda Bellingham * : *Courageous... searingly honest * Mail on Sunday *A gripping tale of triumph over adversity * Woman's Own *Very honest -- Phillip Schofield * This Morning *

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Book SynopsisWhat it takes to be a 21st century woman.Trade ReviewJessi Klein is a brilliant comedic mind and this book is a perfect reflection of that. It's like having a glass of wine with the best friend you wish you had. * Amy Schumer *Her writing is equal parts funny, strange and poetic. Think Miranda July meets Tina Fey * The Pool *Hilarious... In these 24 short pieces, her irreverent and inventive brand of humor almost seamlessly transfers to essay form. Riffs on dating, aging, marriage, infertility and childbirth have the zing-and-run rhythm of sketch comedy, but structured for the page... These pieces often have a let-me-level-with-you directness reminiscent of Ephron without being too imitative... One of the higher echelons of praise for confessional essays is that they mimic the experience of listening to your best friend. Klein's read as if you're texting with her and have been for your whole life. * New York Times *Klein shares her eccentric path to adulthood, from her tomboyish girlhood to sidesplitting dating tales and beyond in this uproarious, relatable, and irresistible memoir. * Harper's Bazaar *[Jessi Klein's] astute, hilarious essays about the perilous path to modern womanhood will have you wincing in recognition. * People *You'll Grow Out Of It does an amazing job making me understand what my life might be like if I were a woman. Or if I were Jessi Klein. I laughed. Lots. Not at what it's like to be a woman! That would be sexist. I laughed at the parts that you're supposed to. Which are plentiful. Because Jessi Klein is truly really funny. * Ira Glass *Is it really a surprise that comedian Jessi Klein, head writer and executive producer for Inside Amy Schumer, would write a book of personal essays brimming with sharp observations and insights and poignant recollections but that above all is very, very funny? ...We guarantee that this book will quickly become one of your summer favorites. * Entertainment Weekly *Chances are Jessi Klein made you ugly-laugh... laugh even harder with the comedian's essay collection * Marie Claire *Her arguments are sharp, her confessions just light enough, and-most crucially-her quips LOL-worthy on almost every page * Vulture *[Klein's] collection of mini rants strike that rare balance of honesty, brutality, and soul * Glamour *This book, her first, is the kind you dog-ear to death because there are so many good lines * New York Post *Fans of Amy Schumer (i.e., everybody?) will fall in love with funny-woman-and Emmy Award-winning Inside Amy Schumer writer-Jessi Klein's relatable collection of humor essays....Klein is a truly witty PRINZESS. * Bust *Never afraid to share insights and reveal the raw truth behind her own stories, Klein makes readers laugh while inspiring them, a feat that calls to mind the work of the late Nora Ephron. This uplifting and uproarious collection of personal essays will be repeatedly shared among friends. * Publishers Weekly *A gifted comedian turns the anxieties, obsessions, insecurities, and impossible-to-meet expectations that make up human nature into laughter. * Kirkus *Words of wisdom ... everything from breakups to pregnancy to ageing -- Abby Haglage * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisWhat it takes to be a 21st century woman.Trade ReviewJessi Klein is a brilliant comedic mind and this book is a perfect reflection of that. It's like having a glass of wine with the best friend you wish you had. * Amy Schumer *Her writing is equal parts funny, strange and poetic. Think Miranda July meets Tina Fey * The Pool *Hilarious... In these 24 short pieces, her irreverent and inventive brand of humor almost seamlessly transfers to essay form. Riffs on dating, aging, marriage, infertility and childbirth have the zing-and-run rhythm of sketch comedy, but structured for the page... These pieces often have a let-me-level-with-you directness reminiscent of Ephron without being too imitative... One of the higher echelons of praise for confessional essays is that they mimic the experience of listening to your best friend. Klein's read as if you're texting with her and have been for your whole life. * New York Times *Klein shares her eccentric path to adulthood, from her tomboyish girlhood to sidesplitting dating tales and beyond in this uproarious, relatable, and irresistible memoir. * Harper's Bazaar *[Jessi Klein's] astute, hilarious essays about the perilous path to modern womanhood will have you wincing in recognition. * People *You'll Grow Out Of It does an amazing job making me understand what my life might be like if I were a woman. Or if I were Jessi Klein. I laughed. Lots. Not at what it's like to be a woman! That would be sexist. I laughed at the parts that you're supposed to. Which are plentiful. Because Jessi Klein is truly really funny. * Ira Glass *Is it really a surprise that comedian Jessi Klein, head writer and executive producer for Inside Amy Schumer, would write a book of personal essays brimming with sharp observations and insights and poignant recollections but that above all is very, very funny? ...We guarantee that this book will quickly become one of your summer favorites. * Entertainment Weekly *Chances are Jessi Klein made you ugly-laugh... laugh even harder with the comedian's essay collection * Marie Claire *Her arguments are sharp, her confessions just light enough, and-most crucially-her quips LOL-worthy on almost every page * Vulture *[Klein's] collection of mini rants strike that rare balance of honesty, brutality, and soul * Glamour *This book, her first, is the kind you dog-ear to death because there are so many good lines * New York Post *Fans of Amy Schumer (i.e., everybody?) will fall in love with funny-woman-and Emmy Award-winning Inside Amy Schumer writer-Jessi Klein's relatable collection of humor essays....Klein is a truly witty PRINZESS. * Bust *Never afraid to share insights and reveal the raw truth behind her own stories, Klein makes readers laugh while inspiring them, a feat that calls to mind the work of the late Nora Ephron. This uplifting and uproarious collection of personal essays will be repeatedly shared among friends. * Publishers Weekly *A gifted comedian turns the anxieties, obsessions, insecurities, and impossible-to-meet expectations that make up human nature into laughter. * Kirkus *Words of wisdom ... everything from breakups to pregnancy to ageing -- Abby Haglage * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSimon Shepherd is Emeritus Professor of Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK. He conceived and edits Palgrave's Readings in Theatre Practice series, for which his volume Direction appeared in 2012. Among his other titles are The Cambridge Introduction to Modern British Theatre, Drama/Theatre/Performance (with Mick Wallis), and Studying Plays (with Mick Wallis, Bloomsbury, 2010).Professor Peta Tait (La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia) is an academic scholar and playwright with an extensive background in theatre, dramatic literature, performance theory and creative arts practice. She has authored four scholarly books, and edited and co-edited three further books, with sixty other publications including articles in Theatre Journal, Modern Drama and Performance Research.David Barnett is Professor of Theatre at the University of York, UK. He is the author of Brecht in Practice

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Book SynopsisThe Great European Stage Directors Set 2 offers an authoritative account of the work, lineage and legacy of the major European theatre directors from the second half of the twentieth century. Across the four volumes and the companion series Set 1: Pre-1950, it provides a uniquely rich study of the genealogy and development of a practice through focus on individual directors and the wider context and artform in which they worked. For professional practitioners and those developing their skills, as well as those engaged in the analysis of theatre practices, forms and history, it will prove an essential resource. Each volume provides substantial treatment of three major directors, with each director considered by two specialists, combining analysis of the director's practical craft with accounts of the historical, cultural and theoretical context of their practice. Links between the featured directors and other artists and directors from the period are traced to round out th

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Book SynopsisI wish I had copies like this at Drama School. Essential notes on the language for those who will get up and speak it, not purely for those who will sit and study it. An incredibly useful tool with room on every page to make notes. Next time I'm in rehearsal on a Shakespeare play, I have no doubt that a copy from this series will be in my hand.' ADRIAN LESTER, Actor, Director and Writer Arden Performance Editions are ideal for anyone engaging with a Shakespeare play in performance. With clear facing-page notes giving definitions of words, easily accessible information about key textual variants, lineation, metrical ambiguities and pronunciation, each edition has been developed to open the play's possibilities and meanings to actors and students. Each edition offers: -Facing-page notes -Short, clear definitions of words-Easily accessible information about key textual variants-Notes on pronunciation of difficult names and unfamiliar words-An easy to read layout -Space to wrTrade ReviewPerformance Editions provide the basis for fascinating discussions about where different communities locate the quintessence of Shakespeare and early modern drama. * Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *These editions are likely to help not only actors and drama students but also all amateur Shakespeareans including schools and colleges which stage the plays … What genius to have Simon Russell Beale as a series editor along with two Shakespeare Institute academics, Michael Dobson and Abigail Rokison-Woodall. * Ink Pellet *Table of ContentsIntroduction; Othello; Longer Notes

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Book SynopsisDavid Barnett is Professor of Theatre at the University of York, UK. He is the author of A History of the Berliner Ensemble (2015), Brecht in Practice: Theatre, Theory and Performance (Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2014), Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the German Theatre (2005) and a monograph on Heiner Müller (1998). He has written several articles and essays on German-, English-language, political and postdramatic theatre.

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Book SynopsisOffers a study of Chinese stars and transnational stardom focussing on the career of Jet Li who is a martial arts actor. This book explores the way in which Li has evolved from a Chinese wuxia hero to a transnational kung fu star in relation to the discourses of genre, gender, sexuality, ethnicity and national identity.

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Book SynopsisGathering together the most important new research on star studies, with case studies of stars from many different cultures, this collection looks at film stardom from new angles, challenging the received wisdom on the subject and raising important questions about image, performance, bodies, voices and fans in cultures across the globe.

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Book SynopsisThis two-volume set presents detailed interpretations of singular performances by several of the most compelling actors in cinema history. This volume focuses on American cinema, including case studies of key performances from actors like Bette Davis, Irene Dunne, Whoopi Goldberg, Cary Grant, Oscar Isaac, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino.

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Book SynopsisThis book analyses the distinctive screen art of Geraldine Chaplin and uncover parallels between her performances and her father's work on film and thereby explores the rich and surprising relationships between art cinema and silent film comedy, and between modernist and classical cinematic performance.

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Book SynopsisWith case studies of high-profile stars like Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, this ground-breaking book examines transnational Chinese stardom as a Web-based phenomenon, and as an outcome of the participatory practices of cyber fans.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book in English dedicated to the actress and director Tanaka Kinuyo. Her career overlapped with a transformative period in Japanese history, and this close analysis of her fascinating life and work offers new perspectives, subjectivities and modes of analysis for the classical era of Japanese cinema.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a new reading of Pina Bausch's dance theatre, orienting it within an international legacy of performance practice.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a new reading of Pina Bausch's dance theatre, orienting it within an international legacy of performance practice.

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Book SynopsisAnalyses the cinematic and social significance of the star phenomenon in Southeast Asia.

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Book SynopsisEstablishes the cultural and historical contexts for representations of female ageing in British film since the 1930s.Trade Review"Claire Mortimer's study emphasises the centrality of older women to the stories British cinema has told, despite the social marginalisation frequently visited upon them in real life. Examining familiar films with a fresh lens while also shining a light on lesser-known films, and spanning the 1930s to the present day, this book offers a spirited critical survey of the female figurations of age in British films, encompassing bluestockings and battleaxes, witches and widow-women, charladies and duchesses, spinsters and matriarchs. It also celebrates the powerful performances that brought sometimes stereotypically conceived characters to subversive life on the screen. Essential reading for scholars of both British cinema history and the cultural politics of femininity and ageing." -Melanie Williams, University of East Anglia

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Book SynopsisThe first substantial academic study on Tyrone Power

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Book SynopsisHorror cinema is a genre that is undergoing constant evolution, from the sub-genre of 'found footage,' to post-cinematic new media forms such as Youtube horror, horror video games and cinematic virtual reality horror.

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Book SynopsisExamines the star persona of Argentine actor Ricardo Dar nTrade Review"In this brilliant book, Clara Garavelli presents an incisive and comprehensive analysis of Argentina's leading actor. Garavelli places Dar n within the national context of the Argentine cultural industries and traces his rise to transnational stardom. A must read for anyone interested in Argentine cinema and culture, star studies and Ricardo Dar n." -Deborah Shaw, University of Portsmouth

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Book SynopsisExamines Diana Dors' film career, acting method, star image and enduring celebrity

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Book SynopsisExamines Diana Dors' film career, acting method, star image and enduring celebrityTrade Review"Shingler on Dors is a dream team: the doyen of Star Studies on the most warmly beloved of stars. Packed with detail, beautifully written, Shingler draws out the resonances of the Dors persona alongside demonstrating the skill of her performances, brilliantly fusing appreciation of the star as image and actor." -Richard Dyer, King's College London

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Book SynopsisThe book examinesMonty Python's enduring status as an unconventional, anti-authoritarian comedy touchstone, this book reappraises Python's comedy output from the perspective of its fifty years of cultural circulation.

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Book Synopsis''[A] fascinating voyage round McKellen'' Simon Callow, Guardian''Surely the definitive McKellen biography'' Alexander Larman, Observer''A well-researched, eminently readable book'' Benedict Nightingale, The TimesFew actors achieve in their lifetime what Sir Ian McKellen has. A repertoire of vast commercial success coupled with critically acclaimed and authoritative Shakespearian roles. A man whose achievements inspire both admiration and affection. McKellen has been feted and admired in every country across the globe, and has been knighted by, and received the Companionship of Honour from Queen Elizabeth II. He is an icon of, and ardent campaigner in the cause for LGBT rights.Many of us know of McKellen through his depiction of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Garry O''Connor''s definitive biography reveals the man behind McKellen the actor. The inside story of the person himself: a constantly developing drama aTrade Review[A] fascinating voyage round McKellen -- Simon Callow * Guardian *With his varied career and position as LGBT campaigner, icon Sir Ian McKellen's story is one that delights and inspires * WOMAN & HOME *A well-researched, eminently readable book * THE TIMES *There is serious analysis of McKellen's greatest performances - Iago, Richard III, Gandalf - and some of his less successful ones ... Yet O'Connor also has time for theatre lore and gossip ... It is as much a "voyage of discovery" around British theatre as it is around its subject's psyche, but unless McKellen rethinks his decision and writes his memoirs, this sprawling portrait might be as close as anyone gets. * THE SUNDAY TIMES *Sir Ian McKellen got cold feet about writing his memoirs, in the end returning a substantial advance to his publisher. In its stead his old friend Garry O'Connor has produced a fascinating account of the actor's life and career - his passions, his craft, his gay rights activism, not to mention his generosity ("Gandalf pays"' is his habitual cry at the end of a meal) ... This is surely the de?nitive McKellen biography. * THE OBSERVER *A revealing and in-depth look at [McKellen's] wide-ranging career and personal relationships * CHOICE magazine *[An] extensive new biography written by Garry O'Connor, whom [McKellen] met 60 years ago when they were students at Cambridge. The book deals with all areas of McKellen's eventful life, professional, personal and political: from his energetic campaigning for gay rights to the time he kissed Tony Blair; his acclaimed Shakespeare roles and his much-loved Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and Widow Twankey in panto; and his close friendships with Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Patrick Stewart * RADIO TIMES *A fascinating biographical study of a stellar acting career - including the secrets that lie behind it * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisONE OF THE SUNDAY TIMES'' 100 BEST SUMMER READS OF 2020''It''s hard to beat Susanna Moore''s Miss Aluminium'' Vogue''A sharp-edged summery treat'' Hadley Freeman''Unlike any Hollywood memoir you''ll have read'' MetroAt seventeen, Susanna Moore left her home in Hawai''i, with no money, no belongings and no prospects. But in Philadelphia, an unexpected gift of four trunks of beautiful clothes allowed her to assume the first of many disguises. Her journey takes her from New York to Los Angeles where she becomes a model and meets Joan Didion and Audrey Hepburn. She works as a script reader for Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, and is given a screen test by Mike Nichols. But beneath Miss Aluminium''s glittering fairytale surface lies the story of a girl''s insatiable hunger to learn. Moore gives us a sardonic, often humorous portrait of Hollywood in the seventies and of a young womanTrade ReviewAn outstanding memoir... A novelist best known for her extraordinary 1995 erotic thriller In the Cut, Moore has now written an extraordinary memoir... The descriptive writing is a joy. * The Sunday Times *Poignant and hugely entertaining... As she tries on different identities, the book becomes less about childhood trauma than an examination of the masks women wear to meet social expectations, occasionally prompting them to forget who they are entirely... The book bursts with brilliantly gossipy titbits, recounted with wry understatement... From the outside, Moore's life seemed gilded with its merry-go-round of parties, lovers, designer clothes and dizzyingly famous friends. In Miss Aluminium, her tales of the Hollywood high life certainly provide giggles and glitz, though the darkness is never far from the surface. The real story is the ripple effect of grief, a woman's self-invention and the awful deeds of powerful men. -- Fiona Sturges * Guardian *Moore's account of her time as a model and bit-part actress in Hollywood is peppered with famous names, from Audrey Hepburn and Harrison Ford to Warren Beatty and Roman Polanski. But this riveting book isn't just about being on the fringes of celebrity: it's a compellingly dark tale of a young woman navigating her way through a sea full of sharks ... This is a totally gripping and tremendously entertaining memoir. * Daily Mail *A striking new memoir ... Through the #MeToo lens, Moore's measured, superficially judgment-free recounting of her time in the middle of All That can be read as a personal statement of empowerment: She came, she saw, she took notes, and she left to become a novelist and a miss-no-detail student of female autonomy. * New York Times *Miss Aluminium, is a triumphant, inspiring account of how to find your true self in the most unlikely of settings * RED magazine *As well as documenting Moore's heartbreaks, Miss Aluminium is also full of humorous tales about the famous... a poignant remembrance of a life lived in the shadow of family tragedy, as well as being a wry peak into celebrity narcissism. * Independent (App Edition) *Susanna Moore on working in Hollywood in the 1970s is literally my fantasy weekend read, and it does not disappoint. -- Hadley FreemanA sharp-edged summery treat -- Hadley FreemanDisarmingly candid... This is her first memoir and it's even better than her fiction... Moore deploys a disarming repertoire of sideswipes, gallows humour and raised eyebrows, whether writing about trivia or tragedy... There's a fascination here with toxic masculinity that makes you think of the dangerous, sexually potent detective in In the Cut. * The Times *Susanna Moore's memoir Miss Aluminium is the most blissful brilliant beautiful book. How it manages to be so glittery with old Hollywood gossip, and yet to be so utterly serious about a woman's struggle for self-determination, I don't know, but there it is. -- Rachel CookeNow seventy-four, and a well-regarded author, Moore is ready to expose her "shadow self" and the pain of her early life . . . One gets a sense that what is revealed has been chosen appraisingly, not out of coyness but, rather, out of something resembling an architect's appreciation of a structure's good bones. Moore's writing has the slightly mysterious sense of detachment that she adopted when building her persona, many years ago, though paradoxically this is what makes her revelations, when they come, more piercing. * The New Yorker *Moore's search for stability during a free-spirited decade is a whirlwind of celebrity encounters and a lyrical exploration of the lingering effects of a mother's death * Publishers Weekly *As readers of Moore's fiction know, she is a brilliant storyteller and sentence-maker . . . Miss Aluminum reminded me of everything I ever loved about her as a writer and now, as happens with certain memoirs, I feel like she is my friend? A very elegant, accomplished grande dame sort of friend, to be sure, one who might loan you a pair of blue velvet Pucci bell-bottoms or a copy of 'The Great War and Modern Memory' on your way out the door after tea. * The Washington Post *A tantalizing tale, told in a seductive and provocative voice. * Booklist *A captivating portrait of a woman in search of herself * Kirkus *It's a tale of shimmering, glamorous surfaces that conceal something darker and more painful... Miss Aluminium positions Moore as a chronicler of Sixties power and pleasure to rival her friend Didion, and, you sense, this model-actress-author has plenty more Hollywood stories to tell. We can only hope she chooses to share them. * Evening Standard *It's hard to beat Susanna Moore's Miss Aluminium * Vogue *There may not be an air bridge to the US just yet but you can still touch down on Tinseltown high life thanks to Susanna Moore's memoir, Miss Aluminium... her understated book is unlike any Hollywood memoir you'll have read * Metro *Wonderful ... Moore's sketches of famous friends cut to the quick - Nichols is tiringly brilliant; Beatty is restless and ravenous; Roman Polanski (this 20-something starlet was "too old to interest him") makes a contest of everything * Daily Telegraph *Moore's book captures what it was like to come of age in a glamorous world, but there was darkness beneath the surface. If the 70s was Hollywood's Golden Age, Miss Aluminium illustrates that there was much suffering and exploitation behind the scenes - and yet the young wannabe writer and actor from Hawaii clearly had plenty of fun along the way * Irish Independent *In this superb Hollywood memoir, novelist Susanna Moore tells the story of her early years... just as memorable is Moore's unflinching portrayal of the darkness beneath the glamour of Seventies Hollywood * Tatler *Miss Aluminium is a different order of achievement entirely, both in its scalding honesty and its sly, watchful humour. I haven't read a book like it in years. -- Anthony Quinn * Mail on Sunday *There's a kind of writing about LA that I am a sucker for. Gossipy, lyrical, with a surface of affectless simplicity but an undertow of melancholy that can be personal or institutional or, best of all, both entwined ... Joan Didion did it; Eve Babitz specialised in it... Miss Aluminium is that kind of book. I, of course, adore it. Miss Aluminium ends before Moore really becomes a writer, but with her poised for that part of her life to begin; its ravishing execution is testament to how fine a writer she became. * Spectator *There is a coolness in the way she describes traumatic events. Such understatement also lends itself to wicked humour... In another's hands, a Hollywood memoir would be pure titillation. What makes this stand out is its depiction of a specific place in time and the elegant restraint of its prose... an excellent book * Financial Times *A rollercoaster ride that will both move and entertain -- Alex Clark * Financial Times *Hollywood's darker side is exposed in this model-turned-writer's tales of her time among the stars * Sunday Times *The bare-bone facts of Susanna Moore's memoir read like a dark fairy tale... Heartbroken, directionless and adrift in a man's world... she embarks on a quest to find a voice and sense of selfhood, poignantly described by the older, wiser Susanna * Sunday Express *Moore's book captures what it was like to come of age in a glamorous world, but there was darkness beneath the glittering surface. If the 70s was Hollywood's Golden Age, Miss Aluminium illustrates that there was much suffering and exploitation behind the scenes * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe classic, definitive biography of Marilyn Monroe, now updated in the year of the 60th anniversary of the iconic star''s death - now a major Netflix film, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Untold Tapes''Gets as near to the heart of the mystery as anyone ever will'' GuardianMore than half a century after her death, Marilyn Monroe is arguably still one of the most famous people in the world. Her life was a contrast of public brilliance and private misery, her death a tragedy suffused by dark questions - about her relations with President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. Drawing on more than 600 first-hand interviews, Anthony Summers offers the classic, definitive biography of a woman who captivated the world. Marilyn''s tragic story is clouded by gossip-reporting more than almost any other. GODDESS, however, delivers new, fully documented yet exciting fact.''Gets as near to the heart of the mystery as anyone ever Trade ReviewThe fullest factual account of Monroe's life and death we're likely to get * Evening Standard *Convincing evidence of a crude but effective cover-up which was designed to protect Robert Kennedy * Times Literary Supplement *Gets as near to the heart of the mystery as anyone ever will * Guardian *The most authoritative account ever written about the greatest sex symbol of them all * Woman *A remarkable performance . . . The ghost of Marilyn Monroe cries out in these pages * New York Times *[Marilyn] was a genius, a sorceress who could stimulate the world's sexuality and still seem innocent, turn on a light and become 'Marilyn Monroe.' And she has become eternal. This is the most believable, useful book of all the books about her -- Harvey Wasserman, former professor of psychiatry, Yale University College of MedicineMesmerizing ... reads like something out of a Robert Ludlum thriller * BOSTON GLOBE *A very fine piece of writing * LITERARY REVIEW *Anthony Summers is one of the most highly skilled investigative reporters writing today -- Norman Mailer

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Book Synopsis Character actor Richard Jaeckel worked five decades in Hollywood alongside the industry''s biggest names. Noted for tough-guy portrayals, he appeared in such classic westerns and war films as Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and The Dirty Dozen (1967). Bringing strength and integrity to his roles, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Sometimes a Great Notion (1970). A World War II veteran and Merchant Marine, he was respected in the surfing and fitness communities for his ageless athleticism. His performance as Turk in Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) was groundbreaking for iron-pumping actors wanting to be taken seriously for their dramatic abilities. This revealing portrait of the life of a working character actor covers Jaeckel''s noteworthy career through each of his film and television appearances, from Guadalcanal Diary (1943) to Baywatch (1994). R

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Book Synopsis A television genre best known for romantic storytelling, daytime soap operas have for decades spun tales of couples embroiled in passion, lust and adventure. Yet it was not until the early 1980s that star-crossed lovers became standard and the term super couple was coined by the media, marking a new era of experimentation and growth in daytime soaps. This book documents the phenomenon, tracing its history, legacy and impact on the soap opera industry and on popular culture at large.

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Book Synopsis Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014) was an American film, television and stage actor, film producer, and film and stage director, best known for his memorable supporting roles in independent films. Considered one of the best actors of his generation, he died of a drug overdose at age 46 after years of sobriety. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his titular role in Capote (2005), and Best Supporting nominations for Doubt (2008) and The Master (2012). This biography covers his life and career and provides an appendix listing his film, television and stage appearances.

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Book Synopsis Maria Callas was, perhaps, the greatest opera singer of the 20th century. Hers was a life lived on the world stage, and her fame extended to the public consciousness of many parts of the world. Even after her mysterious death in 1977, her singing and acting continue to thrill new generations of opera fans thanks to her many recordings and her fascinating life. This new biography of Callas tells her story from difficult beginnings as the daughter of Greek immigrants to New York City in 1923 to her wonderful performances at La Scala, Covent Garden, and the Metropolitan Opera. Callas was quite a diva and a master at creating a captivating public image. She also became notorious because of her very public affair with Aristotle Onassis, the wealthy ship-owner who left Callas to marry Jacqueline Kennedy.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments viPreface 1Introduction 31. Birth in New York 72. Athens and World War II 203. Back to New York 324. Verona and the Arena 415. Conquering Italy and South America 576. Titta, Marriage and Meteoric Ascent 667. La Scala at Last 758. Back to La Scala—Conquering America 839. Enter Onassis, and Addio, Titta 10410. 1959 and the Affair with Onassis 11811. Free of Battista and Pursuing Aristo 12712. Loving Onassis 13213. Enter Jacqueline Kennedy 14014. Vocal Problems: "The Wobble" 15015. The Return of Onassis 15816. Teaching in New York, Directing in Turin 16217. The Final Tour with Di Stefano 16918. Death in Paris 18419. The Aftermath and the Callas Legacy 192Bibliography 203Index 207

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Book Synopsis When Carole Lombard was tragically killed in a plane crash on January 16, 1942, she was 33 years old and had been a film actress for almost 20 years, yet her best work probably still lay ahead. She had reached a career high point, earning praise for her talents as a comedienne as well as a dramatic actress. As well liked as she was on screen, she was equally popular off screen, known for being witty, uninhibited and a great party-giver. Blonde and beautiful, she reigned as the queen of Hollywood when she married Clark Gable, its king. This book offers a thorough examination of her too-short life and provides information about her 78 films, including cast and credits, synopses, reviews and comments. Photographs from her life and films complete the work.Table of Contents Table of Contents Preface The Biography The Films (in Order of Release) A Perfect Crime Gold Heels Dick Turpin Gold and the Girl Marriage in Transit Hearts and Spurs Durand of the Badlands The Road to Glory The Johnstown Flood The Fighting Eagle Smith's Pony A Gold Digger of Weepah The Girl from Everywhere Run, Girl, Run The Beach Club Smith's Army Life The Best Man The Swim Princess The Bicycle Flirt Half a Bride The Divine Sinner The Girl from Nowhere His Unlucky Night Smith's Restaurant Power The Campus Vamp Motorboat Mamas Me, Gangster Show Folks Hubby's Weekend Trip The Campus Carmen Ned McCobb's Daughter Matchmaking Mamas High Voltage Don't Get Jealous Big News The Racketeer Dynamite The Arizona Kid Safety in Numbers Fast and Loose It Pays to Advertise Man of the World Ladies' Man Up Pops the Devil I Take This Woman The House That Shadows Built No One Man Sinners in the Sun Virtue No More Orchids No Man of Her Own From Hell to Heaven Supernatural The Eagle and the Hawk Brief Moment White Woman Bolero We're Not Dressing Twentieth Century Now and Forever Lady by Choice The Gay Bride Rumba Hands Across the Table Love Before Breakfast The Princess Comes Across My Man Godfrey Swing High, Swing Low Nothing Sacred True Confession Fools for Scandal Made for Each Other In Name Only Vigil in the Night They Knew What They Wanted Mr. & Mrs. Smith To Be or Not to Be Carole Lombard on Radio Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis As movie patrons sat in darkened theaters in January 1914, they were mesmerized by an alluring temptress with long sable hair and kohl-rimmed eyes. Theda Bara--the vamp, as she would come to be known--would soon be one of the highest paid film stars of the 1910s, earning an unheard of $4,000 per week, before retiring from the screen in 1926. In 1946, at age five, the author met Bara--then 61--at her Beverly Hills home and the actress became her mentor. This memoir is the story of their friendship.

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Book Synopsis Bringing together some of the best work from the 2015 Comparative Drama Conference in Baltimore, this book covers subjects from ancient Greece to 21st century America with a variety of approaches and formats, including two transcripts, 10 research papers and six book reviews. This year''s highlight is the keynote conversation featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. This volume is the twelfth in a series dedicated to presenting the latest research in the fields of comparative drama, performance and dramatic textual analysis.

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Book Synopsis Bringing together some of the best work from the 2016 Comparative Drama Conference in Baltimore, this collection of essays presents the latest research in comparative drama, performance and dramatic textual analysis. A variety of approaches and formats--including twelve research papers, five book reviews and one transcript--cover topics ranging from Ancient Greece to 21st century America. A highlight is the keynote conversation featuring the great American playwright Tony Kushner.

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Book Synopsis Groucho Marx''s career as a solo performer began long before the Marx Brothers and lasted almost until the end of his life, with a series of controversial sold-out concerts in his eighties. In between came several films, numerous television and radio appearances, theater performances, dramatic acting and writing and his smash hit radio and TV quiz show You Bet Your Life (1947-1961). This first ever comprehensive study of his work without his famous brothers reveals a Groucho perhaps unfamiliar to the public. Driven to prove he was much more than just a comedian with a greasepaint (later real) mustache, Groucho always thought of himself as essentially a solo performer and strove for individual success in his professional life--and to balance (if not always successfully) his career with his family life. Many rare photographs are included, along with new and previously unpublished interviews.

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Book Synopsis The 1916 silent film Cenere (Ashes) features the great Italian actress Eleonora Duse (1858-1924) in her only cinematic role. In her meditative approach to her craft, she reprised for the screen all the mother roles she had created for the theater. Marking the film''s 100th anniversary, this collection of essays brings together for the first time in English a range of scholarship. The difficulties involved in the making of the film are explored--Duse''s perfectionism was too advanced for the Italian movie industry of the 1910s. Her work is discussed within the creative, political and historical context of the silent movie industry as it developed in wartime Italy.

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Book SynopsisIn his time theatre actor and manager Jack Langrishe (1825-1895) could claim to be as well known in the American frontier West as General Grant was in the East. He gained his fame providing welcome entertainment to prospectors and miners pursing gold and silver bonanzas in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and Idaho. He led a life as thrilling as any drama he presented. He participated in the tumultuous life of mining camps as he followed the expanding American frontier from the old Northwest Territory to early Denver, Deadwood and Idaho's Coeur D'Alene. He survived the Chicago Fire of 1872 and crossed the same Indian territory at the time when Custer made his last stand. While best known as a gifted comic actor and producer of fine dramas, Langrishe also edited western newspapers, won election as an Idaho state senator and served as a justice of the peace. Here for the first time is the complete tale of Jack Langrishe, a major figure in the epic of the American frontier, how he gain

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Book Synopsis Exploring the early westerns of John Wayne--from his first starring role in the The Big Trail (1930) to his breakthrough as the Ringo Kid in John Ford''s Stagecoach (1939)--the authors trace his transformation from Marion Mitchell Morrison, movie studio prop man, into John Wayne, a carefully crafted film persona of his own invention that made him world famous. Wayne''s years of training went well beyond honing his acting skill, as he developed the ability to do his own stunts, perfected his technique as a gun handler and became an expert horseman.Trade Review"An interesting read." — Screentrade Magazine (2018)

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Book Synopsis Ermanno Olmi is one of cinema''s great, unsung filmmakers. Emerging onto the Italian art film scene just as the last canonical neo-realist movies were released in the late 1950s and early 1960s, several of Olmi''s films, including Il Posto (1961), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) and The Legend of the Holy Drinker (1988), won top prizes at Cannes and Venice. However, the majority of his work has remained unappreciated. This, the first English language book on Olmi, explores the director''s style and evolving environmentalism, from his early, institutional short films, made while working at an Italian energy company, to his 19 feature films. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface A Brief Biography 1. In the Beginning, There Was … Edisonvolta 2. Time Standing Still and Moving Freely: Olmi's Boom Trilogy and the Evolution of His ­Time-Shifting Style 3. Disillusionment with Success During gli anni di piombo in Olmi's ­Post-Boom Trilogy 4. Revisiting the Past to Contemplate Our Freedom in the Present: Olmi's History Films 5. Exemplary Realities: Olmi's Fables and Parables 6. Christ and Religion According to an Aspiring Christian Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis Before his rise to superstardom portraying Detective Steve McGarrett on the long-running police drama Hawaii Five-O, Jack Lord was already a dedicated and versatile actor on Broadway, in film and on television. His range of roles included a Virginia gentleman planter in Colonial Williamsburg (The Story of a Patriot), CIA agent Felix Leiter in the first James Bond movie (Dr. No) and the title character in the cult classic rodeo TV series Stoney Burke. Lord''s career culminated in twelve seasons on Hawaii Five-O, where his creative control of the series left an indelible mark on every aspect of its production. This book, the first to draw on Lord''s massive personal archive, gives a behind-the-scenes look into the life and work of a TV legend.

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Book Synopsis Brian Donlevy (1901-1972) was an underrated film actor with surprising range and a little-heralded gift for comedy. Often typecast as a villain, he played the definitive bad guy in such films as Destry Rides Again, Union Pacific and Beau Geste (all in 1939). He showed his versatility in the title role of Preston Sturges'' political satire The Great McGinty (1940) and impressed both New York critics and the Soviet government as the cooly authoritative Major Caton in Wake Island (1942). Donlevy was fondly remembered as globe-trotting U.S. Special Agent Steve Mitchell in the television series Dangerous Assignment (1952) and as Professor Quatermass in two acclaimed science fiction films. This first ever biography of Donlevy covers his colorful early life as a boy soldier, his years playing comedy roles on Broadway and his long career in Hollywood.

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Book Synopsis In a career spanning six decades, Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) was perhaps unique among 20th-century American actresses in making her name in four entertainment media--radio, theater, film and television--after age 40. Focusing on 25 of her most representative performances, this retrospective analyzes her work on radio serials like Mayor of the Town (1942-1949) and Suspense (1942-1962), her stage productions of Don Juan in Hell and Gigi, her television appearances on Bewitched and The Twilight Zone and her Emmy-winning appearance on The Wild Wild West. The author presents Moorehead''s roles in the context of her personal life, discusses her relationship with directors, producers and other performers and provides little known facts about the productions.

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