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Criticism, Theory & History
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See also: On Individual Films
and Media > Film
Criticism
 Adventures of Perception: Cinema as Exploration: Essays/Interviews
Scott MacDonald
Over the past twenty-five years, Scott MacDonald's kaleidoscopic explorations of independent cinema have become the most important chronicle of avant-garde and experimental film in the United States. In this collection of thematically related personal essays and conversations, MacDonald takes us on a fascinating journey into many underexplored territories of cinema. Softcover, $35.95.
 Cinema of Obsession: Erotic Fixation and Love Gone Wrong in the Movies
Dominique Mainon & James Ursini
In Cinema of Obsession, noted film scribes Dominique Mainon and James Ursini tackle stories of love and its many dark permutations -- the star-crossed love stories of Romeo and Juliet and Bonnie and Clyde, the violent female obsession of Mulholland Drive and Fatal Attraction -- all of these and dozens more are discussed in depth, analyzed, and dissected. In addition to plot description, character analysis, and commentary, Mainon and Ursini offer psychological profiles of cinema's most infamous and tortured characters. No stone is left unturned in this, the first-ever comprehensive guide to the twisted side of romantic cinema. Softcover, 392 pp. $28.95.
 Hollywood Independents: The Postwar Talent Takeover
Denise Mann
This book explores the crucial period from 1948 to 1962 when independent film producers first became key components of the modern corporate entertainment industry. Denise Mann examines the impact of the radically changed filmmaking climate -- the decline of the studios, the rise of television, and the rise of potent talent agencies like MCA -- on a group of prominent talent-turned-producers, including Burt Lancaster, Joseph Mankiewicz, Elia Kazan, and Billy Wilder. Softcover, $31.95.
 Crossing
New Europe: Postmodern Travel and the European Road Movie
Ewa Mazierska & Laura Rascaroli
The first comprehensive study of the European road cinema, Crossing New
Europe investigates its long-established and influential tradition,
its relationship with the American road movie, and examines such crucial issues
as shifting identities, displacement, tourism, diaspora, migration and nomadism
in postmodern, post-Berlin Wall Europe. Drawing on the work of important contemporary
cultural theorists, this volume discusses directors who have long been associated
with the road movie, such as Wim Wenders (Alice in the Cities)
and Aki Kaurismaki (Leningrad Cowboys, Go America );
filmmakers with a distinctive vision of the road, such as Eric Rohmer, Werner
Herzog and Patrick Keiller; and more recent contributions to the genre including Morvern
Callar, Calendar, Code Unknown, The
Gleaners & I, Dear Diary and Last Resort.
Softcover, 245 pp. $32.95.
 Bullets Over Hollywood: The American Gangster Movie from the Silents to The Sopranos
John McCarty
In Bullets Over Hollywood, film scholar
John McCarty traces the history of mob flicks
and reveals why these films are so beloved
by Americans. As McCarty demonstrates, the themes, the characters,
landscapes, and stories of the gangster genre have proven resiliant
enough to be updated, reshaped and expanded upon to connect even
with today's young audiences. Packed with information,
anecdotes, analysis
and a solid historical perspective, Bullets over Hollywood will
be the definitive book on the gangster movie for years to come. Softcover,
325 pp. $25.50.
 Digital Storytelling: The Narrative Power of Visual Effects in Film
Shilo T. McClean
Rather than focusing on techno-jargon, Digital Storytelling is
grounded in filmmaking - the scriptwriting process in particular. Author Shilo
T. McClean considers crucial questions about digital visual effects and looks
at contemporary films and contemporary film theory to find the answers. McClean
argues that to consider digital visual effects as simply contributing to the "wow" factor
underestimates them. They are, she writes, the legitimate inheritors of film
storycraft. Softcover, 303 pp. $26.95.
 The
Death of Classical Cinema: Hitchcock, Lang, Minnelli
Joe McElhaney
The Death of Classical Cinema uncovers the extremely rich yet
insufficiently explored dialogue between classical and modernist cinema, examining
the work of three classical filmmakers - Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, and Vincente
Minnelli - and the films they made during the decline of the traditional Hollywood
studio system. Faced with the significant challenges posed by alternative art
cinema and modernist filmmaking practices in the early 1960s, these directors
responded with films that were self-conscious attempts at keeping pace with the
developments in film modernism. Softcover, 255 pp. $41.95.
 From
Shane to Kill Bill: Rethinking the Western
Patrick McGee
Offering sensitive readings that extend and deepen our understanding of the American
West -- from Shane, Stagecoach, and The
Searchers to Heaven's Gate, Unforgiven,
and Kill Bill -- this book discusses the Western in new and
insightful ways. Patrick McGee appreciates the limits of this film genre, but
also articulates its positive political value as an expression of social desires
typically unspoken in American public discourse. Informative and compelling,
this book suggests new understandings of this much-discussed genre. Softcover,
262 pp. $41.95.
 He Was Some Kind of Man: Masculinities in the B Western
Roderick McGillis
He Was Some Kind of a Man explores the construction and representation of masculinity in low-budget western movies. These films contained some of the mid-twentieth century's most familiar cowboy names: Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, and Red Ryder. The first serious study of a body of films that was central to the youth of two generations, this book combines the author's childhood fascination with this genre with an interdisciplinary scholarly exploration of the films' influence on modern views of masculinity. Softcover, 208 pp. $29.95.
 The Power of Movies: How Screen and Mind Interact
Colin McGinn
How is watching a movie similar to dreaming? What goes on in our minds when we become absorbed in a movie? How does looking "into" a movie screen allow us to experience the thoughts and feelings of the characters? These and related questions are answered in The Power of Movies, an accessible book about a phenomenon seemingly beyond our understanding. Colin McGinn enhances our comprehension of both movies as well as ourselves in this book. Softcover, 210 pp. $17.95.
 My Mother
is an Alien: Ten Takes on Life & Film
George Melnyk
Written by critically acclaimed Alberta author George Melnyk, My
Mother is an Alien brings autobiographical responses to film, daringly
exposing and examining the personal insights, beliefs, and sensitivities
that film arouses. The thoughtful essays delve into such films as Leolo, Last
Night, Clearcut, and, as the title implies, Alien.
Softcover, 144 pp. $18.95.
Underground U.S.A.: Filmmaking Beyond the Hollywood Canon
Xavier Mendik and Jay Schneider
Underground U.S.A. offers a fascinating overview of this area of maverick
movie-making by considering the links between the experimental and exploitation
traditions of the American underground. This volume brings together leading film-writers
and filmmakers who take as their focus those directors, films and genres not
easily assimilated by the mainstream. Softcover, 235 pp. $32.95.
 Melodrama:
Genre, Style, Sensibility
John Mercer & Martin Shingler
This is an accessible overview of the complex debates around the connections
between melodrama and cinema. This book identifies three distinct
but connected concepts through which it is possible to make sense
of melodrama: as a
genre, originating in early European theatre; as a specific cinematic
style, epitomised by the work of Douglas Sirk; or as a sensibility
that reflects
the desires, concerns and anxieties of audiences.
Softcover, 134 pp. $25.95.
 The
Road Story and the Rebel: Moving Through Film, Fiction, and Television
Katie Mills
In The Road Story and the Rebel: Moving Through Film, Fiction, and Television,
Katie Mills traces the evolution of stories of automobility--autonomy and mobility--from
the Beats' postwar literacy adventures to today's postmodern reality television
shows and digital interactions. The Road Story and the Rebel, which includes
twenty illustrations, offers interdisciplinary insights to schools and students
of genre, film and media studies, and cultural studies by revealing how rebels
with a cause consistently revise the road genre. Softcover, 270 pp. $41.50.
 The
Digital Film Event
Trinh T. Minh-Ha
Endless travel in cyberspace, virtual reality, and the dream of limitless speed:
technology changes our sense of self. In her new book, Trinh Minh-ha explores
the way technology transforms our perception of reality. With her signature amalgam
of feminism, postcolonial theory, Eastern philosophy, and practical understanding
of filmmaking, Trinh Minh-ha presents a much needed advance in our understanding
of the real technological age. Softcover, 219 pp. $39.95.
 How to Read a Film
Fourth Edition
James Monaco
This hugely popular book became an instant classic when it was first published in 1977. Now, James Monaco offers the fourth edition of How to Read a Film, completely revised and expanded, featuring new sections on movies and media in the 21st century. With nearly 500 illustrative film stills and more than sixty diagrams, this book is an indispensable addition to the library of everyone who loves the cinema and wants to understand it better. Softcover, 729 pp. $31.95.
 The
Sixties: 1960-1969
Paul Monaco
Amid the turbulence of political assassinations, the civil rights struggle, and
antiwar protests, American society was experiencing growing affluence and profound
cultural change during the 1960s. It was in this climate that the film industry
gradually redirected its energies, resulting in a distinctive break from traditional
business and stylistic practice and the emergence of a new wave of American filmmakers.
Paul Monaco gives a sweeping view of this exhilarating decade, ranging from the
visceral sensation of Bonnie and Clyde to the comic-book satire
of Dr. Strangelove and the youthful alienation of The
Graduate. Softcover, 346 pp. $34.95.
 The
Stars
Edgar Morin
Worshipped as heroes, treated as gods, movie stars are more than objects of admiration.
A star's influence touches every aspect of ordinary life, dictating taste in
fashion, lifestyle and desire. Edgar Morin's remarkable investigation into the
cultural and social significance of the star system traces its evolution from
the earliest days of the cinema to the postwar era. Hardcover, 160 pp. $25.95.
 The
Cinema, or the Imaginary Man
Edgar Morin
When The Cinema, or the Imaginary Man first appeared in 1956,
the movies and the moviegoing experience were generally not regarded worthy of
serious scholarly consideration. Yet, French critic and social theorist Edgar
Morin perceived in the cinema a complex phenomenon capable of illuminating fundamental
truths about thought, imagination, and human nature. This audacious, provocative
work draws on insight from poets, filmmakers, anthropologists, and philosophers
to restore to the cinema the sense of magic first enjoyed at the dawn of the
medium. Softcover, 292 pp. $27.95.
 The
Sundance Kids: How the Mavericks Took Back Hollywood
James Mottram
A formidable new generation of American filmmakers are currently in their prime:
Paul Thomas Anderson, Alexander Payne, Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, Spike Jonze,
and Wes Anderson, to name but six. In The Sundance Kids, author
James Mottram offers a detailed analysis of each director and their oeuvre, placing
them within a framework of new golden age, one not seen since Scorsese, Altman,
Spielberg, and Coppola in the 1970s. Softcover, 480 pp. $29.00.
 Re-Takes:
Postcoloniality & Foreign Film Languages
John Mowitt
Exploring several dimensions of the problem of "film languages," this
volume engages the complications inherent in the study of the "other" and
investigates the intricate relationship between postcoloniality, national identity,
ideology, and filmmaking. Softcover, 209 pp. $30.95.
 Singing
a New Tune: The Rebirth of the Modern Film Musical
John Kenneth Muir
Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Hedwig and the
Angry Inch, The Phantom of the Opera: of late, there
has been a Renaissance in the Hollywood musical. In this well-researched book,
author and film expert John Kenneth Muir offers a detailed look at this recent
trend in filmmaking. Starting with a succinct introduction to the history of
the Hollywood musical, Muir goes on to give his account on this renewed interest
in this popular genre. Hardcover, 457 pp. $32.95.
 On Film
Second Edition
Stephen Mulhall
In this significantly expanded new edition of his widely acclaimed exploration
between philosophy and film., Stephen Mulhall broadens the focus of his work
from science fiction to the espionage thriller and beyond. On Film is
essential reading for anyone interested in philosophy, film theory and cultural
studeis, and in the way philosophy can enrich our understanding of cinema. Softcover,
270 pp. $31.95.
 Movies
of the 40s
Jurgen Muller
In Hollywood, the 1940s were probably the most creative phase in the history
of the studios. With the world at war, directors served up propaganda and escapist
entertainment to the moviegoing masses of the pre-television age. Yet in many
countries, a parallel tendency towards greater realism took root: Neorealism
in Italy, for example. In this beautifully illustrated book, Jurgen Muller provides
a complete overview to this remarkable decade in film. Softcover, 575 pp. $54.99.
 Movies
of the 50s
Jurgen Muller
With TV stealing audiences away from movie palaces, filmmakers in the 50s sought
to provide the public with an experience that they couldn't get in their living
rooms. James Dean, Cinemascope, The French New Wave, and Godzilla:
the 1950s marked the transition to a truly modern cinema. In this glorious volume,
a varied cornucopia of films have been collected and profiled, to offer an unrivaled
perspective on the decade in film. Illustrated cover-to-cover in colour and black & white.
Softcover, 577 pp. $54.99.
 Movies
of the 60s
Jurgen Muller
Positioned precariously between the uptight 50s and the freewheeling 70s, the
1960s marked a turbulent time in the film industry. Now that audiences were
more and more glued to their TV sets and the abolition of the Production Code
loosened up the rules about what was “permissible” in cinema, filmmakers
had more freedom to explore the possibilities of film as an art form. Softcover,
640 pp. $59.99.
 Movies
of the 70s
Jurgen Muller
Often referred to as the last Golden Age of cinema, the 1970s was a period
of artistic innovation, formal experimentation, and commercial explosion. In
this splendidly designed year by year chronicle, the most significant films
of this revolutionary decade are examined. 736 pp. $59.99.
 Movies
of the 80s
Jurgen Muller
The 1980s brought us a cinema of polarities: high-tech futurism and gritty
urbanism; big-budget blockbusters and low-budget independents; escapist fantasies
and compelling realism. This stunning visual catalogue offers a comprehensive
look at the decade and offers insightful comments on the defining trends. Softcover,
863 pp. $54.99.
 Best
Movies of the 90s
Jurgen Muller
This eclectic list of 63 films represents the wide variety of remarkable movies
that graced the silver screen in the 1990s. Each film is profiled with an essay,
and additionally accompanied by a glossary entry devoted to one person or a cinematographic
term. Furthermore, this book is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of movie stills.
Hardcover, 351 pp. $17.99.
 Death
24x a Second
Laura Mulvey
In Death 24x a Second, Laura Mulvey examines the ways in which
new media technologies, such as video and DVD, have transformed the way we experience
film. With the power to fast-forward, reverse, and freeze the image, these technologies
give viewers the power to manipulate both image and story. Mulvey argues that
this new-found control over films -- films produced to be seen collectively and
followed in a linear fashion -- can result in unexpected, even unintended, pleasures.
Softcover, 216 pp. $34.95.
 Genre and Contemporary Hollywood
Steve Neale
Focusing on Hollywood in the 1980's and 1990's, this anthology
of insightful essays examines the cycles and trends exhibited in
genre films. Every genre is considered: teenpics, biopics, animated
films, comedies, westerns, horror films, gangster films, Shakespearian
adaptations, and war films. A richly detailed introduction to the
subject, ideal for students and film fans alike. Softcover, 322 pp.
$37.95.
 Introduction to Film Studies
Jill Nelmes
Introduction to Film Studies is a comprehensive leading textbook
for students of cinema. This updated fourth edition guides students through the
key issues and concepts in film studies, traces the historical development of
film and introduces some of the world's key national cinemas. Reviewed widely
by teachers in the field and with a foreword by Bill Nichols, it can be essential
for any introductory student of film, media studies or the visual arts worldwide.
Softcover, 478 pp. $47.95.
 Icons
of Grief: Val Lewton's Home Front Pictures
Alexander Nemerov
Between 1942 and 1946 Val Lewton made horror films such as I Walked with
a Zombie, The Ghost Ship, The Curse of the
Cat People, and Bedlam. Scholars and fans of Hollywood
film have long admired these movies, but here they are presented in a new light:
as uniquely powerful commentaries on the American home front during World War
II. This stimulating analysis fills a major gap in Val Lewton scholarship. Softcover,
213 pp. $34.95.
 The
Violent Woman
Hilary Neroni
In The Violent Woman, Hilary Neroni brings psychoanalytically
informed film theory to bear on issues of femininity, violence, and narrative
in contemporary American cinema. Examining such films as Thelma and Louise, Fargo, Natural
Born Killers, and The Long Kiss Goodnight, Neroni explores
why American audiences are so fascinated--even excited--by cinematic representations
of violent women, and what these representations reveal about violence in our
society and our cinema. Neroni argues that violent women characters disrupt cinematic
narrative and challenge cultural ideals, suggesting how difficult it is for Hollywood--the
greatest of ideology machines--to integrate the violent women into its typical
narrative structure. Softcover, 203 pp. $29.95.
 A
History of the French New Wave Cinema
Richard Neupert
Famous for its exhuberance, daring, and avant-garde techniques, the French New
Wave is arguably the most fascinating of all film movements. This well-researched
book offers a fresh look at the social, economic, and aesthetic mechanisms that
shaped French film in the 1950s, as well as detailed studies of the most important
New Wave movies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Softcover, 342 pp. $29.95.
 Making Waves: New Cinemas of the 1960s
Geoffrey Nowell-Smith
The 1960s was a famously the decade of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. It was also a decade of revolution and counter-revolution, of consumerism and rebellion against it. The cinema was central to this atmosphere of cultural ferment. Hollywood was in decline, both artistically and commercially. The genres which had held audiences captive in the 1940s and 50s were losing their appeal and their great practitioners were approaching retirement. Making Waves is a sharp, focused, and brilliant survey of the innovative filmmaking of the 1960s, placing it in its political, economic, cultural, and aesthetic context -- capturing the distinctiveness of a decade which was groundbreaking for the cinema and for the world at large. Softcover, 230 pp. $26.95.
 Avant-Garde
Film: Forms, Themes, and Passions
Michael O'Pray
Avant-Garde Film examines the variety of concerns and practices that have
comprised the long history of avant-garde film. Through in-depth case-studies,
the book introduces students not only to the history of the avant-garde but also
to varied analytical approaches to the films themselves ranging from abstraction
and surreal visions, to underground subversion and experimental narrative. Softcover,
136 pp. $25.95.
 Cinematic
Prophylaxis: Globalization and Contagion in the Discourse of World Health
Kirsten Ostherr
A timely contribution to the fields of film history, visual culture, and globalization
studies, Cinematic Propylaxis provides essential historical
information about how the representation of biological contagion has affected
understandings of the orgins and vectors of disease. In collecting visual representations
of the contamination of bodies across a range of media, Kirsten Ostherr notes
the changes -- and the alarming continuities -- in popular understandings of
the connection between pathologized bodies and the global spread of disease.
Softcover, 275 pp. $32.95.
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Nineteenth-Century American Fiction on Screen
Twentieth-Century American Fiction on Screen
Captured:
A Film History of the Lower East Side 
Art
and Its Shadow
Journeys
of Desire: European Actors in Hollywood
Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-Creation of the World
Scenes of Instruction: The Beginnings of the U.S. Study of Film
Where
the Boys Are: Cinemas of Masculinity and Youth 
Early Cinema: From
Factory Gate to Dream Factory
Dekalog 3: On Film Festivals
Invisible Natives
