Poetics of the Paranormal
The appearance of ghosts in art and popular culture has transformed throughout history. From the undead corpse of the medieval tradition to the transparent forms of photographic film, to the infrared and thermal images that now populate reality television, the paranormal has literally changed shape over the centuries. In Poetics of the Paranormal Kevin Chabot articulates the idea of spectrality, demonstrating how the paranormal is far from a stable, metaphysical category: it is a dynamic and historically contingent discourse, the contours of which shift over time. Specific media, Chabot argues, present the ghost in distinct ways that emphasize the ghostly qualities of the medium and, conversely, the technological qualities of the ghost. Through detailed analyses of nineteenth-century spirit photography, horror films, ghost-hunting reality television, and the viral internet phenomenon Slender Man, Chabot shows how the paranormal both shapes and is shaped by media. Exploring key historical shifts in contemporary media while providing a rich and novel theoretical framework, Poetics of the Paranormal addresses with renewed rigour the relationships between media, perception, temporality, and the elusive concept of the evidential.
Never Sleep Again The Elm Street Legacy
In 1984, a new vision of horror was unleashed upon terrified moviegoers-a razor-gloved bogeyman who slashed his way through the children of those who had murdered him years before. In doing so, this cinematic monster would not just invade the dreams of his victims but give those watching a brand-new nightmare to fear forever.His name was Freddy Krueger, and the man who created him was master of horror Wes Craven.Since its release decades ago, A Nightmare on Elm Street has become synonymous with archetypical genre cinema. Now, go deeper than anyone ever has inside the making of this groundbreaking classic. Exclusive cast and crew interviews with those who survived the blood, sweat, and tears will take you through incredible behind-the-scenes triumphs, struggles, and controversies as they worked to bring Craven's vision to life.No one would have imagined that the in-the-shadows, rancorous killer would become a global pop-culture phenomenon and the star of a franchise that would scare up nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. Firmly rooted in the mainstream, it has become clear that Freddy Krueger may never rest in peace.Including rare and never-before-seen material, this extensively researched, comprehensive look back is the definitive account of the film that began what many have called the best, most frightening, and imaginative horror franchise in motion picture history.And remember: if you think you know everything about Wes Craven's 1984 horror classic... you must be dreaming!
Scene-Writing for Film and TV
Focusing on an integral aspect of screenplays, this book takes students and writers at all levels through the process of understanding and writing better scenes. It interrogates the functions of a scene and how writers can then apply this knowledge to their own film and television scripts. Author Simon van der Borgh familiarises the screenwriter with the fundamental aspects of a scene, looking at what a scene is, the characters involved, the action depicted, dialogue, setting, and style. Featuring original scenes which show the practice of scene-writing and the application of ideas and approaches alongside in-depth analysis and critique, the book explores the process and approach to scene-writing and how to learn and improve methods of telling dynamic, engaging and moving stories of diverse types and formats on screen. With a strong focus on practice-based advice, the book includes exercises at every step to enable writers to build on and extend their knowledge and skills with confidence and clarity chapter by chapter. Exploring the film and TV scene with its different types, forms, and functions, it is the ideal book for aspiring screenwriters and students of screenwriting and filmmaking at all levels, as well as directors, producers and actors looking to better understand the contextual and sub-textual motivations intended by the writer.
The Magnificent, Magical, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The first and only authorized guide to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel brings fans behind the scenes with the writers and onto the set with the actors to unpack every season of this Emmy-winning television series The authorized companion to the Emmy-winning Amazon drama The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a show chronicling the adventures (and misadventures) of Midge Maisel in her transformation from fifties housewife to standup comedian. The series starred Rachel Brosnahan and remains beloved for its humor, vibrancy, and portrayal of a woman fighting the odds and the prevailing culture to gain success. The book covers all five seasons of the show and captures its colorful and authentically vintage atmosphere. Featuring conversations with show creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, and insights from show stars Alex Borstein, Luke Kirby, and Stephanie Hsu, this is a deep dive that includes script extracts, production details, thoughtful analysis, every key place and set (from Coney Island to Carnegie Hall), plus a look inside Midge's closet, her hair and makeup essentials, thoughts on fame, women in comedy, kitten heels, brisket, shooting a blizzard episode in the heat of summer, and all of the ingredients that combined to make the world of Mrs. Maisel so magical. For fans and newcomers alike, the book is a binge-worthy treat that is as entertaining, glamorous, and irresistible as Mrs. Maisel herself.
The Short: Personal Writing Tools to Free the Imagination
There is magic in the short form - a style that has evolved to create an entirely new universe of stories for us to uncover.Short form captivates the world through narratives, documentary shorts, web series, music videos, social media, and more. In The Short, Rae Shaw helps you deploy the tools of screenwriting through a short form lens, helping you master a powerful tool of creative expression.
Brazilian Cinema and the Aesthetics of Ruins
Winner of the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) 2023 Award for Best First Monograph. Winner of the Association of Moving Image Researchers (AIM) 2022 Award for Best Monograph. Guilherme Carr矇ra's compelling book examines imagery of ruins in contemporary Brazilian cinema and considers these representations in the context of Brazilian society. Carr矇ra analyses three groups of unconventional documentaries focused on distinct geographies: Bras穩lia - The Age of Stone (2013) and White Out, Black In (2014); Rio de Janeiro - ExPerimetral (2016), The Harbour (2013), Tropical Curse (2016) and HU Enigma (2011); and indigenous territories - Corumbiara: They Shoot Indians, Don't They? (2009), Tava, The House of Stone (2012), Two Villages, One Path (2008) and Guarani Exile (2011). In portraying ruinscapes in different ways, these powerful films articulate critiques of the notions of progress and (under) development in the Brazilian nation. Carr矇ra invites the reader to walk amid the debris and reflect upon the strategies of spatial representation employed by the filmmakers. He addresses this body of films in relation to the legacies of Cinema Novo, Tropic獺lia and Cinema Marginal, asking how these presentday films dialogue with or depart from previous traditions. Through this dialogue, he argues, the selected films challenge not only documentary-making conventions but also the country's official narrative.
Cosmopolitan Cinema
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by the University of Manchester. Films are produced, reviewed and watched worldwide, often circulating between cultural contexts. The book explores cosmopolitanism and its debates through the lens of East Asian cinemas from Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Singapore, throwing doubt on the validity of national cinemas or definitive cultural boundaries. Case studies illuminate the ambiguously gendered star persona of Taiwanese-Hong Kong actress Brigitte Lin, the fictional realism of director Jia Zhangke, the arcane process of selection for the Best Foreign Film Oscar and the intimate connection between cinema and identity in Hirokazu Koreeda's Afterlife (1998). Considering films, their audiences and tastemaking institutions, the book argues that cosmopolitan cinema does not smooth over difference, but rather puts it on display. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the University of Manchester, UK
Ethnicity as Desire
What can ethnic differences tell us about the desiring gaze while addressing the motives that result from the power and desire in gay ethnic pornography in Europe? How do pornographic films authenticate their ethnic subject in different European countries and how can the fetishism of presenting an authentically foreign body be best approached? Is the transformation of sex tourism, which affects countries differently, reflected through the ever-evolving history of gay pornography in Europe? And how does this transformation contrast or overlap with the legacies of Orientalism and colonialism? In addressing these questions, this book will participate in ongoing debates concerning Orientalism and colonialism, and make a contribution to the growing field of pornography studies. While recent works by scholars have considered the relation between US mainstream gay pornography and its representations of ethnicity and 'race, ' and have also discussed examples from Europe (predominantly France), no historical study has yet bridged the gap between earlier European gay ethnic pornography and its current, specifically German-Turkish manifestations. Furthermore, this exploration of recent studios like GayHeim will also contribute to discussions on the mobility issues of non-European men, while illustrating how these new productions can be refugee--or migrant--positive while simultaneously perpetuating Orientalism.
Abraham Lincoln on Screen
President Abraham Lincoln is the most frequently portrayed American historical figure in the history of the film and television arts, appearing onscreen as a character in more than 250 productions since the birth of the motion picture medium. This work covers each film and television portrayal of Lincoln, providing essential cast, production and release information, and discussion of each work's historical accuracy and artistic merits. This updated edition provides commentary on all new screen works produced in recent years, including Steven Spielberg's award-winning 2012 film Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role.
Wheel of Fortune 2025 Day-To-Day Calendar
Compete against yourself every day with this highly entertaining calendar based on the award-winning game show, Wheel of Fortune. Whether you're a dedicated Wheel of Fortune fan or just love to solve word puzzles, this calendar is perfect for you. Each daily page contains a new puzzle for you to solve, along with the category and used-letter board. The answers are printed on the back of the page. Both challenging and entertaining, this daily calendar brings the fun of America's Game(R) to your home and office. Features include: 4.6" x 4.6" page size No single-use plastic Recyclable chipboard easel backer for desk or tabletop display Printed on FSC certified paper with soy-based ink Tear-off pages Day/Date reference on each page Official major U.S. and Canadian holidays and observances Answers are printed on the back Includes a new Wheel of Fortune(R) puzzle each day
Hard to Watch
We've never had better access to movies than we do today. Thanks to streaming services, video-on-demand, boutique physical media, repertory theaters, and the wild frontiers of the internet, we have ready access to a huge range of titles--Hollywood classics, art films from around the world, and audacious contemporary works are all right at our fingertips.Yet, despite this embarrassment of riches, most of us gravitate to the popular and familiar, barely scratching the surface of what's available. According to philosopher Matthew Strohl, we're doing ourselves a disservice by overlooking the range of so-called "difficult" movies. Hard to Watch is a joyous celebration of cinema that might seem boring, pretentious, or offensive at first glance but that offers its own distinctive rewards when we give ourselves over to it. Writing with infectious enthusiasm--and a refreshing lack of condescension--Strohl discusses everything from the challenging late works of beloved directors like Terrence Malick and David Lynch to such visionary but divisive films as Alain Resnais's Muriel, or the Time of Return, Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, and Julia Ducournau's Titane, evocatively showing why they're worth the time and effort to engage with, and how to get the most out of them.Whether you're a film lover looking to step up your game or just someone who's bored with Netflix, Hard to Watch is a brisk and accessible guide to expanding your horizons.
The Worlds of Wes Anderson
In all his films, Wes Anderson turns the mundane into magic by building distinctive and eccentric worlds. But how well do you know the man behind the camera? Discover the inspirations of one of our most revered auteurs with The Worlds of Wes Anderson.Anderson's playful and vibrant aesthetic is universally admired - but how has he managed to create such a recognisable identity?From Hitchcock and Spielberg to Truffaut and Varda, there are countless homages and references scattered throughout Anderson's filmography, while his cultural anchor points go far beyond film and into the worlds of art and literature.Evocations of place and time underpin his work, from mid-century Paris in The French Dispatch to grand pre-war Europe in The Grand Budapest Hotel, while cultural institutions - such as Jacques Cousteau and The New Yorker magazine - are other touchstones.For Wes Anderson fans and cinephiles alike, this is an essential insight into the creative process of one of the world's most unique filmmakers.
Zeppo
"Marx Brothers authority Bader has done a remarkable job successfully uncovering the story of the unknown brother, revealing a genuinely complex character. This book is revelatory not just about Zeppo but also about the rest of the Marx Brothers." - Library Journal Zeppo was the Marx Brother who didn't want to go into the family business. A juvenile delinquent in his teen years, before joining his brothers on stage, Zeppo balanced two careers: auto mechanic and petty criminal. Even after getting dragged into the world of entertainment--for sixteen years, he did his familial duty as a vaudeville, Broadway, and movie star--he finally made his escape from the Four Marx Brothers. After failed attempts to find steady work in real estate, screenwriting, and the restaurant business, Zeppo finally hit it big as a Hollywood talent agent, representing stars like Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, and Lana Turner. From there, he bred racehorses, owned a manufacturing plant, tried out citrus ranching and commercial fishing, and patented several new inventions. He was, in short, a complex character, and his own family never quite figured him out.Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother gives a lively account of this checkered life and career. As Robert Bader recounts, Zeppo's lifelong addiction to gambling led him into relationships with several notorious organized crime figures, and he would ultimately appear before grand juries more frequently than movie cameras. (He was certainly the only Marx Brother who saw the corpse of a friend in a newspaper crime scene photo.) Socially, he mixed as easily with mobsters like Mickey Cohen as he did with movie stars like Clark Gable. Comprehensively researched with the full cooperation of Zeppo's estate, including the first-ever interviews with his two sons, this is a remarkable look at the many lives of Zeppo Marx--even the ones he did his best to keep secret.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is a film very much of its cinematic moment, combining the gritty realism of entrapment in the everyday with furtive dreams of escape. Dana Polan's compelling study of the film examines its significance to New Hollywood cinema and the science fiction genre. He argues that Close Encounters is a film that is an allegory of the cinematic experience overall; it both narrates a tale of visual seduction and plays it out viscerally for the spectator who shares the amazement of the protagonist Roy Neary as his mundane reality is transformed into something awe-inspiring. Providing an in-depth look into the film's production history, including all three different versions, Polan situates Close Encounters within Spielberg's repertoire. He argues that despite the film's popular success, it is in fact a rejection of several entrenched American values, including family, home and marriage. It offers, through its visual fascination, alternative understandings of masculinity and morality, familial responsibility, and what it means to follow the 'American Dream'.
Cure
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 1997 psychological horror, Cure, follows a detective (played by Koji Yakusho) as he investigates a string of gruesome murders in Tokyo, where each victim has an 'X' carved into their neck. Dominic Lash provides an in-depth analysis of Cure's themes, generic conventions, cinematography, editing, mise-en-sc癡ne, sound, and legacy. In examining the film's aesthetics he highlights the unique way in which it balances meticulous precision with a persistent and purposeful ambiguity. Lash goes on to situate Cure within its various contexts; firstly, as Kurosawa's 'breakthrough' film following a decade of mostly straight-to-video work and then its position in relation to the J-Horror boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Through a close reading of Cure's key scenes, particularly its final scene, Lash analyses the motivations behind Kurosawa's resistance to a definitive resolution. He argues that, just like its hypnotist antagonist, Mamiya, Cure unsettles some of our basic psychological assumptions. In doing so, he attempts to understand what it is about the film that lingers so disturbingly, long after the credits have rolled.
Midnight Cowboy
John Schlesinger's 1969 drama, Midnight Cowboy, follows the story of na簿ve would-be hustler Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and ailing con man Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), set against the gritty backdrop of New York City in the late 1960s. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, becoming the only X-rated film to the win the Academy Award for Best Picture. James Kendrick argues that this film, more so than its notable contemporaries, captures the immense turmoil, change and revolution that was taking place both in Hollywood and in the larger American culture of the late 1960s. He explores the film's production, reception, visual and thematic innovation, and cultural impact-not only its ground-breaking portrayal of sexuality and relationships, but also its exploration of themes of urban loneliness and socio-economic disparity. Through close analysis of the film and examination of articles, press reports, interviews and reviews from the five decades following its release, Kendrick shows how Midnight Cowboy, with its mix of visual poetry, documentary-like realism, fragmentary flashbacks, and unvarnished depiction of desperate characters on the fringes of society, offers a unique focal point for the intersection of European art cinema and the new parameters of mainstream Hollywood at the end of the classic era.
The Story of British Propaganda Film
'All art is propaganda, ' wrote George Orwell, 'but not all propaganda is art.' Moving from World War I to the 'War on Terror' and beyond, The Story of British Propaganda Film shows how the emergence of film as a global media phenomenon reshaped practices of propaganda, while new practices of propaganda in turn reshaped the use of the moving image. It explores classic examples of cinematic propaganda such as The Battle of the Somme (1916), Listen to Britain (1942) and Animal Farm (1954) alongside little-known newsreels, 'telemagazines' and digital media initiatives, in the process challenging our understanding of propaganda itself, and its many diverse manifestations. Richly illustrated with unique material from the BFI National Archive, the book shows how central propaganda is to the development of British film, and how it has filtered our understanding of modern British history, from narratives of decolonisation to the celebration of pop culture and the meanings of the postwar consensus. In a contemporary moment so preoccupied with misinformation, malinformation and disinformation, Scott Anthony explains why the response to the ubiquity of the propaganda film has often turned out to be the production of ever more propaganda.
The Unfinished Harauld Hughes
Richard Ayoade's fictional quest to rescue HarauldHughes - the almost mythical mid-century playwright -from obscurity.The gifted filmmaker, corduroy activist and amateur dentist, Richard Ayoade, first chanced upon a copy of The Two-Hander Trilogy by Harauld Hughes in a second-hand bookshop. At first startled by his uncanny resemblance to the author's photo, he opened the volume and was electrified. Terse, aggressive, and elliptical, what was true of Ayoade was also true of Hughes's writing, which encompassed stage, screen, and some of the shortest poems ever published. Ayoade embarked on a documentary, The Unfinished Harauld Hughes, to understand the unfathomable collapse of Hughes's final film O Bedlam! O Bedlam!, taking us deep inside the most furious British writer since the Boer War. This is the story of the story of that quest.
Ugly Mugs
A girl on a footy field cops a blow to the head and her bag is stolen. A teenage boy grapples with his role in a disturbing event. A woman relives a nightmare while her doctor looks on. None of them saw it coming. None of them were ready for what happened next. Taking its title from the name sex workers use for aggressive clients, Peta Brady's Ugly Mugs emerged from a Melbourne shocked by violence against women and interrogates the culture of abuse lurking in the shadows of every Australian city.
The Cinema of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
THE CINEMA OF JASON FRIEDBERG AND AARON SELTZERBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonThey're dubbed 'the worst filmmakers in the world' (are they? Hell, no!). Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are best-known for producing a series of highly entertaining spoof movies, beginning with Date Movie in 2006, and including Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans, Superfast, The Starving Games, and their finest work, Vampires Suck, a parody of the Twilight Saga. Friedberg and Seltzer also contributed to the scripts of the Scary Movie series, Spy Hard and Maximum Risk. The finest of the spoof movies of Friedberg and Seltzer are Date Movie, Vampires Suck and Meet the Spartans; Vampires Suck is probably the best-known, because of its association with the Twilight Saga (and Vampires Suck is certainly the premier send-up of Twilight in movie form). Many of the movies parodied by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer cried out for parodies - 300, The Hunger Games, Twilight, The Fast and the Furious, Narnia, etc. As soon as dreck like Narnia or The Hunger Games is released, you beg for someone - anyone! - to lampoon it. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and their movies have been described as 'abominations', 'horrifying' (Flavorwire) - 'a plague' (Austin Chronicle) - 'evildoers' (Slate) - 'cultural blight' (A.V. Club) - 'comic terrorists' (A.V. Club) - 'the worst film- makers in Hollywood' (New York Post). The vitriol that Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer have attracted is startling: one hopes that they don't take any of it to heart, and keep making movies. This is loathing worse than that endured by film directors such as Ken Russell, Michael Winner, James Cameron, Joel Schumacher, Russ Meyer or George Lucas (well, maybe not Lucas! We know how intense and bitter Star Wars fans can be!). But why? Why have Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg angered so many viewers and critics? However, many people have enjoyed their movies: of Vampires Suck, viewers wrote: 'It was absolutely PERFECT for people like me who couldn't stand the Twilight franchise and it was a movie that needed to be made.' 'Vampires Suck succeeds in mocking even the smallest details of the Twilight saga and is a great film whether you love Twilight or not.' 'This was the Best Movie Ever! it was hilarious!' This book looks at each of the movies of Friedberg and Seltzer in detail; there are chapters on films such as Spy Hard and the Scary Movie franchise; on spoof movies; and on comedy cinema and the critics. With filmography, bibliography and notes. Illustrated with 90 illustrations. 276 pages. www.crmoon.com
Jean-Luc Godard
JEAN-LUC GODARD: THE PASSION OF CINEMAVOLUME 2: 1968 ONWARDSBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonThere's no one else quite like Jean-Luc Godard, one of the most significant and inspiring filmmakers of recent times. Where the flood of movies globally now runs into many thousands, Godard's works stand out as original, acerbic, romantic, ironic, controversial, humorous and explorative. This book considers all of Godard's works in cinema, from his early short films and the important success and cultural impact of Breathless through the remarkable series of movies of the 1960s to the latest feature films. The book is split into two volumes: Jean-Luc Godard: The Passion of Cinema/ Le Passion de Cinema: Volume 1: To 1968Jean-Luc Godard: The Passion of Cinema/ Le Passion de Cinema: Volume 2: From 1968Volume 2 includes a biography of Godard; an exploration of aspects of his cinema; and chapters on movies such as Tout Va BIen, the political films of the Dziga Vertov period (1968-73), Passion, First Name: Carmen, Slow Motion, Detective, King Lear, J.L.G./ J.L.G., New Wave, Woe Is Me, Hail Mary, later works such as Socialism, Goodbye To Language, In Praise of Love and Our Music, and Godard's masterpiece, a history of cinema. EXTRACT FROM THE CHAPTER ON HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMAJean-Luc Godard produced an epic history of cinema, between 1989 and 1998, Histoire(s) du Cin矇ma (which means Stor(ies) of Cinema, as well as Histor(ies) of Cinema). This was a major work, and has generated a good deal of critical comment. As well as being a history of cinema, it was also a history of the age - and a history of Godard himself. It was completed in 1998 (but may develop further): there were five audio CDs (from Edition of Contemporary Music Records),2 a video release of the 8 parts on video from Gaumont (running to 266 minutes), and a boxed set of 4 books from Gallimard.3 A 90-minute 'best of' film was edited for cinemas: Le Moment choisi des Histoire(s) de cin矇ma, 2004). In Histoire(s) du Cin矇ma, Jean-Luc Godard delivered a poetic document of cinema in his highly idiosyncratic style of overlays and endless quotations, a montage style all his own, which combined multiple voices, layers of sounds and music, sound clips from films, captions, and an endless stream of visuals (interspersed with images of Godard at work in his offices, typing or writing or talking). Histoire(s) du Cin矇ma was a super-dense collage of photos, music, sounds and movie clips, written texts, taking in prints (Rembrandt, Dor矇), paintings (Turner, Moreau, Renoir, Goya, Gr羹newald, Delacroix, Kandinsky, van Gogh, Uccello, Klimt, Gentileschi, Giotto, Botticelli, Angelico, Fuseli, Caravaggio, Blake, El Greco, Piero, Monet, Manet, Picasso, Byzantine ikons), writers (Rimbaud, C矇line, Brecht, Bataille, Faulkner, Flaubert, Duras, Val矇ry, Hugo, Dante, Ovid, Aragorn, Malraux, Proust, Gide), cin矇-heroes like Henri Langlois, newsreel, pornography, television, and complex video techniques, such as super-impositions, irses, masked frames, visual mixes, flash cuts, repeated phrases, and echo and reverb effects on voices and sounds. And it's Godard's vision, his narration, his philosophy, his ideas, and his emotions that unites it all, that makes it all work. Certainly there are very few filmmakers on the planet who could've pulled it off. Fully illustrated. Bibliography, filmography, Godardisms and notes.
The New Methods of Funding of the Cinema in Bulgaria and Spain
This book provides useful guidance on how filmmaking can be de-risked by using new forms of financing instead of the well-trodden paths of traditional funding. The author will present the results of a study of the opportunities for cinema funding and its related policies in Bulgaria and Spain. She makes a comparative analysis of cinema politics in Bulgaria and Spain. She finishes with general conclusions and recommendations - prospects for further development.
Screening Work
Christian Petzold (b. 1960) is arguably the most prominent filmmaker working in Germany today, with a growing international reputation for his carefully fashioned narrative studies of identity and relationships. Running through the core of his films is the theme of work, in various forms - manual, intellectual, psychological, emotional, ethical, social, political, economic and aesthetic. Focusing on close reading of key scenes, Stephan Hilpert and Andrew J. Webber demonstrate the crucial role of this theme in his filmmaking. Each chapter engages with particular aspects or modes of work, as evidenced by specific films, across the span of the director's career. The analysis of Petzold's own ways of working - including the crucial forms of collaboration that he has undertaken - is supported by the inclusion of material drawn from two interviews conducted with the director around the themes of the volume.Stephan Hilpert is a filmmaker and Professor of Film and Television at Macromedia University, Berlin. Andrew J. Webber FBA is Professor of Modern German and Com-parative Culture at the University of Cambridge.
The Cinema of Cecilia Bartolom矇
Fusing a distinctive feminist aesthetics with a startling vision of twentieth-century Spain, the work of Cecilia Bartolom矇 casts a new light on the histories of both Spanish national film, and transnational women's cinema. This book places Bartolom矇 among other key auteurs of national Spanish, and transnational feminist, cinema.
Steven Spielberg
Updated edition published to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Spielberg's first feature film and featuring a foreword from the master filmmaker himself.From the irresistible fantasy of E.T. to the gritty realism of Saving Private Ryan, the films of Steven Spielberg have captured the imagination of the world. Renowned critic Richard Schickel now gives us the definitive illustrated monograph on this Oscar-winning Hollywood icon, whose long and glittering career few directors have equaled.Spielberg is one of the most influential and inspirational minds in cinema, and Schickel provides perceptive analysis of 60 years' worth of work, with illuminating film-by-film commentary on such masterpieces as the underwater thriller, Jaws; the high-speed adventures of Indiana Jones; the harrowing Schindler's List; sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind; to his most recent releases, the Oscar-winning Bridge of Spies and West Side Story.
The Shadow of the Tower
This is a reference book on the 1972 television serial The Shadow of the Tower. The book includes all 13 episodes in original transmission date order, complete cast listings, numerous photographs, directorial credits, and a story synopsis for each episode. The Shadow of the Tower was a historical drama that was broadcast on B.B.C. 2 in 1972. It focused on the reign of King Henry VII of England and the creation of the Tudor dynasty. James Maxwell stars as King Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty, in this remarkable series, the prequel to the BBC's award-winning Tudor histories, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R.
La La Land
In this Oxford Guide to Film Musicals, author Hannah Lewis gives readers fascinating new insights into the development, style, and reception of the 2016 film musical La La Land. Directed by Damien Chazelle with music by Justin Hurwitz, the film tells the story of a romance between an aspiring actress and jazz pianist as the two pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. It uses a vintage form to tell a modern story and its blend of nostalgia and realism made it an instant classic even as it prompted a range of critical and audience responses. Drawing on extensive personal interviews with director Damien Chazelle, composer Justin Hurwitz, choreographer Mandy Moore, and lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the book explores La La Land's aesthetic approach to the film musical genre, particularly its engagement with and subversion of the classic Hollywood musical's stylistic and narrative expectations. Lewis offers readers ways of listening to the film's depiction of jazz, focusing especially on how race and genre intersect in its narrative. She also reveals new insights into the film's reception, showing how the critical response from its premiere to its place at the Academy Awards reflected broader cultural expectations and understandings of the film musical and its continued appeal for twenty-first century audiences. By exploring the range of stylistic and cultural debates that La La Land prompted, this book gives readers new ways of thinking about the film musical genre's enduring and evolving place in contemporary American culture.
Belgian cinema
In Belgian Cinema: 1973-2016, Ricardo Luiz de Souza analyses Belgian cinema in the period from 1973 to 2016, a time when names such as Chantal Ackerman, Andr矇 Delvaux and the Dardenne brothers made their films. This period of Belgian cinema is analysed not only from the point of view of the masterpieces that were made in it, but also from the point of view of some less happy and expressive moments, which nevertheless help us to understand some of the strands and guidelines of this cinema.
Television and Repetition
Resisting some of the negative connotations that repetition can attract, this book illustrates how it has been used as a catalyst for creative expression across a range of television genres.Divided into two parts, the first three chapters contextualise repetition within related media and critical debates, before locating it as an important facet of television that is worth exploring in detail. The final three chapters discuss specific television shows that incorporate repetition creatively within their narrative structure and aesthetic composition, ranging from The Royle Family and Doctor Who to I May Destroy You and This is Going to Hurt. In each case, James Walters argues that repetition emerges as crucial to the expression of key themes and ideas, thus becoming a structural and compositional element itself.Exploring the ways in which repetition has featured in the work of figures such as Umberto Eco, Raymond Bellour and Bruce Kawin, and has influenced the approaches of television scholars like Raymond Williams, Roger Silverstone and John Ellis, this book is essential reading for scholars and students of film, television and media studies.
Hunger Games: The World of Hunger Games 2025 12 X 12 Wall Calendar
Volunteer as tribute for a year full of some of the best moments from the Hunger Games. Based on the best-selling books by Suzanne Collins, the fil trilogy starring Jennifer Lawrence is a global megahit that enthralls kids and adults alike.Stay organized in the upcoming year with a Willow Creek Press 2025 12" x 12" Wall Calendar. This calendar features large grids for easy notation of dates and events, helping you stay efficient and on top of your commitments. Let this calendar guide you to a more organized, successful and fulfilled year ahead.PERFECT GIFT - Look no further for the perfect gift for any special occasion. Make someone's year extra special with one of our 2025 Wall Calendars. Our calendars are the perfect choice for your friends or family, even for those difficult to buy forPLANNING - Stay organized and inspired throughout the year. Ideal calendar for taking notes, recording dates to remember, tracking appointments and assisting in family activity organizationINCREDIBLE IMAGES - Crisp, detailed full-color images every month providing Wall art for Home, Office or SchoolLARGE GRIDS - 12" x 12" format, with large daily blocks providing ample writing roomSUPERIOR QUALITY - High quality paper stock that lays flat when hanging and offers crisp, bright colorsMONTHLY OVERVIEW - Plan ahead or look back with grids of the upcoming and previous months at a glanceECO FRIENDLY - Willow Creek Press is committed to eco-friendly efforts to make our products more sustainable, our 2025 12" x 12" wall calendars are printed with soy-based inks on high-quality FSC certified paper for smooth writingDATE RANGE - 2025 Wall Calendar with 6 bonus months from July-December 2024BONUS FEATURES -US and International holidays and moon phases (CST) noted on each month for easy trackingThis year can be your most successful yet, with this beautiful and brilliant wall calendar. Learn how to become a highly effective person, one month at a time!
Through a Nuclear Lens
The Franco-Japanese coproduction Hiroshima mon amour (1959) is one of the most important films for global art cinema and for the French New Wave. In Through a Nuclear Lens, Hannah Holtzman examines this film and the transnational cycle it has inspired, as well as its legacy after the 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi. In a study that includes formal and theoretical analysis, archival research, and interviews, Holtzman shows the emergence of a new kind of nuclear film, one that attends to the everyday effects of nuclear disaster and its impact on our experience of space and time. The focus on Franco-Japanese exchange in cinema since the postwar period reveals a reorientation of the primarily aesthetic preoccupations in the tradition of Japonisme to center around technological and environmental concerns. The book demonstrates how French filmmakers, ever since Hiroshima mon amour, have looked to Japan in part to better understand nuclear uncertainty in France.
Sex and Desire in British Films of the 2000s
This book explores how British filmmakers of the 2000s engaged with the themes of love, sex and desire in a wide variety of movies. It ranges from powerful contemporary dramas such as Kidulthood, Closer and Disobedience to the lighter mood of the Bridget Jones series. It also analyses how the lives, loves and traumas of historical figures such as Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Plath and Iris Murdoch were dramatised on film. The book will appeal to literature enthusiasts, film students and readers interested in exploring how we may currently live out our hopes, fears and dreams in relation to sexual matters and affairs of the heart.
Moguls
The sensational, lurid, and wickedly entertaining true story of the brothers who invented Hollywood to become the godfathers of cinema - movie moguls Nicholas and Joseph Schenck - studded with glamorous stars, scandals, mobsters, murders, and one legendary blond bombshell. . . Groundbreaking pioneers of the Hollywood Dream Factory, Joseph and Nicholas Schenck may not have been household names like the Warner brothers or Louis B. Mayer, but they were infinitely more powerful, influential--and ruthless. A pair of Russian immigrants with giant ambitions, the Schencks turned their small nickelodeon business in New York's Bowery into a partnership with Loew's movie theaters and a controlling interest in three major studios: MGM, 20th Century Fox, and United Artists. They painted the silver screen silver, laid the foundations for the all-powerful studio system, and ruled a global movie empire from their Gatsby-sized mansions on the East and West coasts. The Schencks had become moguls. Their story is the stuff of legends--and their scandals are among the greatest stories Hollywood never told. This riveting, behind-the-scenes account reveals the suprising truth about: The union-busting mob deal that landed Joe Schenck in federal prison for four years--on tax evasion charges including deductions for a menage a trois.The cutthroat and merciless political maneuvering that defined the Hollywood studio heads.The lurid murder charges against silent film star "Fatty" Arbuckle--whose legal defense was paid for by Joe Schenck.Joe's secret infatuation with Marilyn Monroe, even though Marilyn's mother named her Norma after Joe's wife!The brothers' ingenious creation of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Oscars--and indomitable control over the entire film industry.From the earliest days of silent films and the swinging era of the Roaring Twenties, through the Golden Age of the studio system and the patriotic call of WWII, to the Red Scare paranoia of the McCarthy years, the history of the Schenck brothers is the story of Hollywood itself--and the endurng power of the American Dream. Moguls is a must-read for film fans, history buffs, and anyone who loves the movies.
Movies with Balls
"Movies with Balls is equal parts fandom, analysis, and nerdiness. It's a wonderful time."--Shea Serrano, New York Times best-selling author of Movies (and Other Things) Featuring original illustrations of fantasy memorabilia, ticket stubs, and playmaps, Movies with Balls will make you want to rewatch the movies you already love, and discover gems you've never seen. Play ball! If you're the kind of fan who cheers every single time you watch Rocky beat Drago, or remembers who said "Be the ball, Danny" and "If you build it, he will come," this is the book for you. Movies with Balls celebrates and analyzes more than two dozen of the greatest sports films of all time, with expert play-by-play and color commentary on the movies themselves and the athleticism they portray. You'll be transported into fictional arenas, stadiums, gyms, fields, and golf courses to relive the climactic moments from: CaddyshackThe NaturalField of DreamsDodgeballThe Karate KidRocky IVThe WaterboyBend it Like BeckhamCreedAnd many more!
English cinema
In English Cinema 1957-1968, Ricardo Luiz de Souza analyses the course of English cinema from 1957_the inaugural milestone of Free Cinema_ until the end of the 1960s, based on the study of various films made during this period. It was a period in which, as always, English cinema remained mostly tied to a reluctant academicism, but in which a whole process of renewal was carried out during and after Free Cinema. This movement remained conservative in terms of film language and had an infinitely smaller influence, practically nil, in world terms. Today, it is barely mentioned, while the Nouvelle Vague remains praised, discussed and recognised as a milestone. This oblivion, however, carries with it a good deal of injustice, since memorable films linked to the movement were made. And yet, in specific terms, it is impossible to understand the evolution of English cinema without taking Free Cinema into account. After all, although it had a fairly limited global reach, it changed the course of British cinema.
Kubrick's Mitteleuropa
Stanley Kubrick was arguably one of the most influential American directors of the post-World War II era, whose Central European Jewish heritage, though often overlooked, greatly influenced his oeuvre. Kubrick's Mitteleuropa explores this influence in ways that range from his work with Hungarian and Polish composers B矇la Bart籀k, Gy繹rgy Ligeti, and Krzysztof Penderecki to the visual inspiration of artists such as Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and other Central European Modernists. Beyond exploring the Mitteleuropean sensibility in Kubrick's films, the contributions in this volume also provide important commentary on the reception of his films in countries across Eastern Europe.
House of Cards Trilogy
This is a reference book on THE HOUSE OF CARDS trilogy, starring Ian Richardson, which was in three separate parts consisting of four episodes for each section. They include House of Cards (1990), To Play the King (1993), and The Final Cut (1995). The book includes all three parts and twelve episodes, in original transmission date order, and includes complete cast lists, numerous photographs, directorial credits, and a story synopsis for each episode.
Virginity on Screen
Virginity--a major adolescent rite of passage--has been explored in the coming-of-age film genre for many decades. This book examines the evolution of teen movies over the past 40 years, posing crucial questions about how film shapes our cultural understanding of virginity. By surveying more than 30 mainstream and independent coming-of-age films from the 1980s to the present, it considers what types of first-time sexual experiences are represented on screen, how they are different for men and women, and whether they are subverting or reinforcing gender stereotypes. Drawing from notable teen movies such as Dirty Dancing (1987), American Pie (1999), Real Women Have Curves (2002), Lady Bird (2017), and Plan B (2021), the book identifies a progressive shift toward more sex-positive and feminist representations of first-time sexual experiences on screen. Each chapter studies how the political climate, sex education policies, and cultural norms specific to each era impact the film's release and its teenage audience.
Decline and Reimagination in Cinematic New York
Decline and Reimagination in Cinematic New York examines the cinematic representation of New York from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, placing the dominant discourse of urban decline in dialogue with marginal perspectives that reimagine the city along alternative paths as a resilient, adaptive, and endlessly inspiring place.
Intersectional Humanism and Star Trek
Intersectional Humanism and Star Trek: Discovery focuses on the shift from the liberal humanism of the Star Trek franchise to the intersectional humanism of Star Trek: Discovery. Featuring a great deal of diversity both in front of and behind the camera, Discovery affirms the guiding principle of the franchise: infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Arguing that the focus of Discovery is a connection between a variety of beings and ways of being in the world, the author analyzes the relationships among humanoids and machines, animals, and between each other as well as the representation of trauma in the series. The author finds that, while there are reversions to some of the more problematic elements of liberal humanism over the course of the series, ultimately it forms connections that will progress humanity and deepen our relationship to each other and the world around us.
The Works of Shonda Rhimes
The Works of Shonda Rhimes, the first book in Bloomsbury's Screen Storytellers series, brings together a collection of essays that look critically at the works of this award-winning writer, producer, and CEO of the global media company, Shondaland. Shonda Rhimes's television series, and those created and produced through Shondaland, have left an important imprint on television history. Beginning with her groundbreaking series Grey's Anatomy, the series created under the umbrella of Rhimes's brand, including Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, For the People, Station 19, Bridgerton, Inventing Anna, and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, have delighted global audiences with their innovative storytelling, dynamic characters, and the inclusion of contemporary social issues woven throughout the storylines. In this collection of essays, screenwriting and television studies scholars explore the ways in which Rhimes's series have been at the forefront of change in the television landscape in the past two decades, including discussions of the representation of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ characters; inclusivity in casting; innovations in pilot and series development; variations on genre; and disruptive business and marketing practices. This collection of essays offers emerging screenwriters and informed consumers of television insights into the cultural impact of Rhimes's work as well as how one of the most powerful television creators and showrunners in the history of the medium has crafted and shaped screen stories that speak to viewers spanning all demographics across the globe.
Pop Stars on Film
Pop stars have provided audiences with performative moments that have become ingrained in popular consciousness. They are a lens through which deeper understandings about race, gender, politics, history and the artistic process can be understood. When combined with the most affective of mediums - cinema, the combination can be both thrilling and alarming. From the relatively early days of cinema, figures from the world of popular music have made forays into acting and contributed cameo appearances. From Little Richard and Kylie Minogue to Nick Cave and Tom Waits, Pop Stars On Film: Popular Culture in a Global Market offers a collection of essays on some of the most influential international performances from a diverse range of cultural icons. The book considers industry shifts, access and diversity, but also the notion of cultural appropriation, audience appeal, marketing and demographics. Perhaps most importantly, the publication will look at what happens when cultures collide and coalesce.
The Documentarian
The Documentarian is the ultimate go-to source for making documentaries. It explains how to conceive, shoot, and sell a documentary, along with specific advice overall in how to succeed in the independent film business.
Steven Spielberg
This comprehensive and in-depth study delves into the life and works of the most famous director who has ever lived, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is the medium's defining artist--the embodiment of the Hollywood ideal: the commercial potential of film married to its creative possibilities. He's widely popular, but he's also a stylist, and far darker than he is given credit for. Often, it is this very darkness that speaks to us. But, it's also his incredible knack for telling stories with lightness that speaks to millions, by mixing the extraordinary with the ordinary. His leading characters, even Indiana Jones, are marked by their vulnerability, their mistakes, their yearning. It's the human touch. There are so many parts to Spielberg's story: the suburban background that supplied the films with a biographical streak; the collaborations (with George Lucas and the Movie Brats in general, with composer John Williams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, editor Michael Khan, stars Richard Dreyfus, Harrison Ford, and Tom Hanks, and mogul and mentor Sid Sheinberg). The myths that bloomed from the making of these films.The nightmare shoot and stubborn shark behind Jaws. The strange ambitions of Close Encounters. Dive bombing with 1941. Inventing Indiana Jones. Re-inventing the blockbuster with Jurassic Park. Venturing into history's darkest shadows with Schindler's List. Transforming a genre with Saving Private Ryan. The muscular, unpredictable, confrontational Spielberg of Minority Report, Munich, and Lincoln. And then there is his family. How his films, even late in his career--lionized, untouchable--went in search of approval from his parents. Just as he has craved the approval of his peers. That fateful Oscar took so long in coming... Defining, appreciating, contextualizing, and understanding the films of Spielberg is a tall order. Their simplicity is deceptive. You have to cut through the glow, the adoration, the simple joy that comes with their embrace, and get to the thrust of the filmmaking. Sourcing the inspirations, locating the critical nuance, the nurtured performance, and the recurrent theme--so many of his films have become timeless--this book celebrates all this and more.
Disney High
The first unauthorized look at the inner workings--and ultimate breakdown--of the Disney Channel machine For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in primetime at its peak. Today, it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symon矇, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya. It wasn't always destined for greatness: when The Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney's more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival--among them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling--slip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium, it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of the pie--and there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars. From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV's House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.
