Criticism, Theory & History

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Film Fables
Jacques Ranciere
Encyclopedic in scope, Film Fables is that rare work that manages to combine extraordinary breadth and analysis with a lyricism that attests time and again to a love of cinema. Jacques Ranciere moves effortlessly from Eisenstein's and Murnau's transition from theatre to film to Fritz Lang's confrontation with television; from the classical poetics of Mann's Westerns to Ray's romantic poetics of the image; from Rossellini's neo-realism to Deleuze's philosophy of the cinema and Marker's documentaries. Film Fables shows us how, between its images and its stories, the cinema tells the truth. Softcover, 196 pp. $39.95.

Subversion: The Definitive History of Underground Cinema
Duncan Reekie
Subversion is the first complete history of underground cinema, tracing the hidden life of subterranean filmmaking from its pre-history in bohemian cabaret, through the early cinematic avant-gardes of the 1920s, to the worldwide blossoming of microcinema festivals in the 1990s. Part cultural history, part radical polemic, Subversion is set to become an essential text for scholars as well as filmmakers. Softcover, 259 pp. $29.95.

San Francisco Noir
Nathaniel Rich
All cities have their secrets, but none are so dark as San Francisco's. With its reputation as a shadowy land of easy vice and hard virtue, San Francisco provided the ideal setting for many of the greatest film noirs, from classics like The Maltese Falcon and Dark Passage to obscure treasures like Woman on the Run and D.O.A., and neo-noirs like Point Blank and The Conversation. In this fascinating guide, readers are guided through more than forty of the Bay area's most famous film locations. Softcover, 167 pp. $23.95.

Surrealism and Cinema
Michael Richardson
Surrealism has long been recognised as having made a major contribution to film theory and practice, and many contemporary filmmakers acknowledge its influence. However, most of the critical literature focuses either on the 1920s or the work of Bunuel. The aim of this book is to open up a broader picture of surrealism's contribution to the conceptualisation and making of film. Softcover, 202 pp. $33.95.

The Science Fiction Film Reader
Gregg Rickman
This lavishly illustrated collection of essays covers an astonishing amount of territory, real, imagined or somewhere in between, digging as they go to find insights and adventures that deeply enrich our understanding of science fiction on film. Included are essays by Arthur C. Clarke, Anthony Burgess, J. Hoberman, Pauline Kael, Robin Wood, Susan Sontag, and several others. Softcover, 432 pp. $37.95.

The Great American Playwrights on the Screen
Jerry Roberts
Here is a complete, up-to-date record of movie and television productions of classic and contemporary works by America's greatest playwrights. Organized in an easy-to-use A-Z format, this volume features more than 200 playwrights and compares and contrasts the adapted versions of their works. An unique resource for academics, students of drama, actors, directors, and producers. Softcover, 573 pp. $37.95.

Hollywood's West: The American Frontier in Film, Television, & History
Peter C. Rollins & John E. O'Connor
In Hollywood West, a group of distinguished American film scholars analyze popular conceptions of "the frontier" as a fundamental element of American history and culture. This volume examines classic Western films and programs that span nearly a century, including some films that are considered among the greatest cinematic landmarks of all time. Hardcover, 373 pp. $57.50.

Hollywood's White House
The American Presidency in Film and History
Peter C. Rollins & John F. O'Connor
According to the introduction of this book, whenever Hollywood attempts to portray American presidents, "movies always get the facts wrong". When it comes to portaying the leaders of the United States, Hollywood movies tend to provide one-dimensional characterizations, lacking emotional depth and credibility. This interesting and highly readable book looks at this unique intersection of art and politics, and it will make sure that you never mistake the reel president for the real president again. Softcover, 441 pp. $39.95.

All About Thelma and Eve: Sidekicks and Third Wheels
Judith Roof
A meticulous rereading of Hollywood from the margins, All About Thelma and Eve offers an inventive look at female comic secondary characters who, though never on center stage, play an indispensible role in enriching and complicating the course of the narrative. Softcover, 212 pp. $28.95.

Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons
Jonathan Rosenbaum
In Essential Cinema, Jonathan Rosenbaum considers the overall mediocrity of contemporary cinema and forcefully argues for the necessity of canons of great films. He proposes specific definitions of excellence in film art through the creation of a personal canon of both well-known and obscure movies from around the world and suggests ways in which other canons might be similarly constructed. Hardcover, 445 pp. $52.95.

Movie Mutations: The Changing Face of Hollywood Cinephilia
Jonathan Rosenbaum & Adrian Martin
At the beginning of the 21st century, corporatism, public relations and bottom-line accounting seem to govern mainstream filmmaking. In this formula-driven landscape, the cinephile has to wonder whether the love of cinema can still flourish? Movie Mutations weaves together transnational discussions and debates, and pronounces the art form alive and well. Furthermore, it shows why the idea of cinephilia is just as relevant today as it ever was. Softcover, 196 pp. $33.95.

The "I" of the Camera: Essays in Film Criticism, History, and Aesthetics
William Rothman
Originally published in 1988, The "I" of the Camera has become a classic in the literature of film. In a series of eloquent essays examining particular films, filmmakers, genres, and movements, Willam Rothman offers convincing alternatives to the doctrinaire approaches that have gained most prominence in academic film study. This stimulating book will challenge readers to look at film in new and adventurous ways. Softcover, 389 pp. $40.95.

The Philosopher at the End of the Universe
Philosophy Explained Through Science Fiction Films
Mark Rowlands
This intellectually stimulating book demonstrates how anyone can grasp the basic concepts of philosophy while still holding a bucket of popcorn. Learn about: The Nature of Reality from The Matrix, Good and Evil from Star Wars, Morality from Aliens, Personal Identity from Total Recall, The Mind-Body dilemma from Terminator, Free Will from Minority Report, Death and the Meaning of Life from Blade Runner, and much more. Hardcover, 276 pp. $34.95.

Moving Pictures, Migrating Identities
Eva Rueschmann
In recent decades, the experiences and political struggles of immigrants, exiles, and sojurners have inspired some of our most provocative feature films and documentaries in world cinema. These have sparked theoretical debates about cultural identity, place, and representation in the media. The thirteen essays in this anthology contribute to a growing interest in the emerging international genre of exile and diaspora films, treating a variety of motion pictures from Europe and the United States in their national and transnational contexts. Hardcover, 265 pp. $62.95.

How Hysterical: Identification and Resistance in the Bible and Film
Eric Runions
This innovative book on the relationship between the bible and cinema looks at several films alongside their analogous biblical texts. Through accessible engagement with feminist, queer, postcolonial and ideological critical theories, How Hysterical discusses the processes by which biblical and filmic texts can challenge the perceived norms that drive politics and culture. Softcover, 208 pp. $36.95.

Virtual Voyages: Cinema and Travel
Jeffery Ruoff
Virtual Voyages illuminates the pivotal role of travelogues within the history of cinema. The travelogue dominated the early life of cinema period from 1895-1905, was central to the consolidation of documentary in the 1910s and 1920s, proliferated in teh postwar era of 16mm distribution, and today continues to flourish in IMAX theatres and a host of non-theatrical venues. In this collection, leading film scholars trace the intersection of technology and ideology in representations of travel across a wide variety of cinematic forms. In so doing, they demonstrate how attention to the role of travel imagery in film blurs distinctions between genres and heightens awarness of cinema as a technology for moving through space and time, of cinema itself as a mode of travel. Softcover, 300 pp. $29.95.

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Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies
James Sanders
New York City is one of the most indelible film locations in all of cinema. Able to transcend the label of "setting", the Big Apple often functions as a full-fledged character in the films in which it appears. This magnificent book chronicles the romance between the movies and New York City and ultimately offers a fresh way to look at America's greatest Metropolis. Softcover, 496 pp. $44.95.

Adaptation and Appropriation
Julie Sanders
From the apparently simple adaptation of a text into film, theatre, or a new literary work, to the more complex appropriation of style or meaning, it is arguable that all texts are somehow connected to a network of existing texts and art forms. This well rounded volume brings clarity to the complex debates around adaptation and appropriation, offering a much-needed resource for those studying literature, film or culture. Softcover, 184 pp. $26.95.

Deathtripping: The Extreme Underground
Jack Sargeant
Deathtripping focuses on the post-punk New York filmmakers that coalesced around the radical manifesto by downtown filmmaker Nick Zedd, exploring in depth his demand for a cinema from which "none shall emerge unscathed." Contextualizing the work of these filmmakers within the wider underground film and downtown post-punk No Wave scenes, Deathtripping offers detailed analysis of the extreme cult films produced but this loose knit movement. Also presented are interviews with infamous and legendary filmmakers, including Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, Tommy Turner, Tessa Hughes-Freeland, Beth B and Casandra Stark. Softcover, 282 pp. $19.95.

Naked Lens: Beat Cinema
John Sargeant
Naked Lens is a vital collection of essays and interviews focusing on the most significant interfaces between the Beat writers, Beat culture and cinema. New, updated and expanded version. Softcover, 255 pp., $32.95.

Direct Cinema: Observational Documentary and the Politics of the Sixties
Dave Saunders
Direct Cinema is the first comprehensive study of the seminal 'reactive obeservationalist' movement of 1960s America. Outlining the methods and achievements of a diverse range of filmmakers who together created the notion of the 'fly on the wall' documentary, this volume suggests that direct cinema was not only closely attuned to the artistic and political revolutions of the 1960s, but also representative of a resurgence of the United States' homegrown philosophical ideals. Softcover, 236 pp. $31.95.

Trancendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, & Dreyer
Paul Schrader
Acclaimed filmmaker Paul Schrader here analyzes the film style of three great directors: Yasajiro Ozu, Robert Bresson, and Carl Dreyer. Even though these artists come from divergent cultures, Schrader identifies within their work a common dramatic language: "Trancendental Style", a spiritual expression characterized by austere camerawork, acting devoid of self-consciousness, and editing that avoids editorial comment. Softcover, 194 pp. $28.00.

Cinema's Illusions, Opera's Allure: The Operatic Impulse in Film
David Schroeder
Inventor Thomas Edison originally saw the moving picture as a tool for presenting opera. While this did not become film's primary use, the influence of opera on cinema is striking. This book examines how the influence is seen in works of many contemporary and past cinematographers and directors. Softcover, $25.95.

On Hollywood: The Place, The Industry
Allen J. Scott
Why is the U.S. motion picture industry concentrated in Hollywood and why does it remain there in the age of globalization? Allen uses the tools of economic geography to explore these questions and to provide a number of highly original answers. On Hollywood will appeal to not only to general readers with an interest in the motion picture industry, but also to economic geographers, business professionals, regional development practioners, and cultural theorists as well. Hardcover, 200 pp. $59.95.

Sontag & Kael: Opposites Attract Me
Craig Seligman
With a wit and style worthy of his subjects, Craig Seligman explores the enduring influence of two critics who defined the cultural sensibilities of a generation: Susan Sontag and Pauline Kael. By considering their similarities as well as their differences -- both as writers as well as women -- Seligman ultimately explores a far broader issue: can criticism be art? This highly readable duo-analysis will be of interest to any student of cultural criticism, particularly devotees of Sontag and Kael. Hardcover, 244 pp. $36.00.

Teen Movies: American Youth on Screen
Timothy Shary
This is a detailed look at the depiction of teens on film, the influence they have had on the cinema, and the impact that they have had throughout film history. Timothy Shary looks at the development of the teen movie from the earliest days of cinema up to the most contemporary films. Profiled films include Rebel Without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass, Carrie, The Breakfast Club, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and American Pie. Softcover, 125 pp. $28.00.

The Age of Gold: Surrealist Cinema
Robert Short
The Age of God revisits the two quinessential films of Surrealist cinema -- Un Chien Andalou and L'Age d'Or -- and places them within the context of the subversive cultural movement that was Surrealism. The expertly written text is supplemented by a host of striking images which clearly illustrate the Surrealists' themes of sex, mutilation, sadism, murder, and excremental mania. Softcover, 188 pp. $26.95.

The Invention of the Western Film: A Cultural History of the Genre's First Half-Century
Scott Simmon
This exciting publication ranges across literature, visual arts, social history, ideology, and legend to provide, for the first time, and in-depth exploration of the early western. From short kinetoscopes of the 1890's through the "classic" features of the 1940's, this encyclopedic book revitalizes familiar Western icons and recovers forgotten masterworks from the genre's formative years. Softcover, 393 pp. $44.95.

John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982 - 2001
John Simon
Providing evidence of both a wide-ranging intellect as well as scrupulous critical faculties, John Simon's film reviews make for intensely satisfying reading. His criticism, collected here, provides a wonderous overview of cinema from 1982 - 2001. This provocative book is but one volume of a major publishing event that wil bring together the cultural writing of this highly respected cultural critic. Hardcover, 662 pp. $38.95.

Shadows, Specters, Shards: Making History in Avant-Garde Films
Jeffrey Skoller
In Shadows, Specters, Shards, Jeffrey Skoller challenges the myth that avant-garde films are obscurantist and disconnected from the realities of social and political history and identifies a group of experimental films that take up some of the most important historical events of our era. This cinema of evocation rather than representation calls attention to those aspects of history that exceed the visible and representable but nonetheless profoundly impact our experience of everyday life. Softcover, 233 pp. $37.95.

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Silent Players
Anthony Slide
100 of the best, brightest, and most unusual silent film actors and actresses are profiled in this illuminating collection of biographical and autobiographical sketches. Silent Players also offers fascinating insight into silent film performance, from makeup to acting techniques and pantomine to the role of the director. A remarkable resource for fans of the silent cinema. Hardcover, 439 pp. $65.95.

Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons from the Movies
Dean Sluyter
Movie fans and spiritual seekers, unite! In Cinema Nivana, meditation teacher and award-winning film critic Dean Sluyter illuminates the hidden enlightenment teachings of Casablanca, Jaws, The Graduate, The Godfather, Memento, and ten other classic films, revealing spiritual wisdom in everything from 007's secret weapons to the colours of the Seven Dwarf's eyes. Softcover, 309 pp. $21.00.

Books into Film
Robin H. Smiley
Ever since the beginning of cinema, filmmakers have looked to the canon of literature for inspiration. In the 60+ essays collected in Books into Film, Robin H. Smiley explores the creative process whereby novels are translated into movies. The author thoughtfully considers a wide range of books -- from high comedy to science fiction -- and the films made from them. Hardcover, 275 pp. $44.95.

Disney: The First 100 Years
Dave Smith & Steven Clark
Disney: The First 100 Years explores the Disney story -- the story of a man, a family, and a company. You'll meet the people who helped Walt make his dreams come true, see a museum's worth of classic photos, and be there for the opening of the most famous tourist attraction on the planet. Beautifully illustrated in colour and black & white. Softcover, 214 pp. $36.00.

Gangster Films
Jim Smith
Tracing a path through the iconography and shifting morality of the genre, detailing technical interests and exploring cast and crew histories, Gangster Films is a fascinating journey through cinema's portrayal of criminals and organised crime. Softcover, 291 pp. $37.50.

Queer Screen: A Screen Reader
Jackie Stacey & Sarah Street
Queer Screen: A Screen Reader brings together a selection of key articles on queer audio-visual cultures published over the past two decades in the internationally renowned journal, Screen, with a new introduction by Jackie Stacey and Sarah Street. This book considers a wide range of case studies including mainstream films as well as experimental audio-visual work. Softcover, 304 pp. $40.50.

Literature and Film
Robert Stam and Alessandra Raengo
This is a superb collection of vibrant essays that chart the history and confluence of literature and film. Bringing together the very latest scholarship in the field, this guide contains astute and readable contributions -- both theatrical and thematic -- on the translation of literary into filmic texts. Softcover, 359 pp. $48.95.

Body and Soul: Jazz and Blues in American Film 1927 - 63
Peter Stanfield
Alongside extensive, thought-provoking, and lively analysis of some of the most popular jazz and blues songs of the twentieth century, the book contains new work on blackface minstrelsy in early sound movies, racial representation and censorship, torch singers and torch songs, burlesque and strippers, the noir cityscape, the Hollywood Left, and hot jazz. Softcover, 213 pp. $33.95.

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Guiltless Pleasures: A David Sterritt Film Reader
David Sterritt
Guiltless Pleasures brings together David Sterritt's most incisive essays from 1970 to the present. The collection emphasizes films and filmmakers that are often overlooked or undervalued because they stray from ordinary norms of commercial cinema, including the works of Stan Brakhage, Gaspar Noe, Jean-Luc Godard, David Cronenberg, and others. Softcover, 281 pp.

Dogme Uncut
Jack Stevenson
In 1995, a group of Danish directors swore allegiance to the landmark "Dogme 95" manifesto. Using natural light, hand-held camerawork, and stories of everyday life, they created a cinema that subverted the slick, high-concept, emotionally manipulative movies of the status-quo. Dogme Uncut is a richly illustrated survey of the entire Dogme canon that is both entertaining and hugely informative. Softcover, 302 pp. $25.95.

Fleshpot: Cinema's Sexual Myth Makers & Taboo Breakers
Jack Stevenson
Fleshpot is an indispensible guide to the alternative realms of erotic cinema, and a delirious sampling of the genres, personalities and trends that have set screens aflame since the dawn of motion pictures. This anthology of texts by an international group of experts and cult film personalities provides a fascinating and informative introduction to this multifarious subject. Softcover, 256 pp. $32.95.

Land of a Thousand Balconies
Jack Stevenson
Most books about B-movies are straight forward genre guides, biographies or encyclopedias. Not this one. In addition to chapters on film showmen, gimmicks and cult films, Land of a Thousand Balconies documents incidents and unusual film happenings, and the special theatres and renegade exhibition spaces where they took place. It's all here, the secret history of cult cinema! Softcover, 189 pp. $29.95.

Migrating to the Movies: Cinema and Black Urban Modernity
Jacqueline Najuma Stewart
The rise of cinema around the turn of the last century coincided with the migration of hundreds of thousands of African Americans from the South to the Urban "land of hope" in the North. This richly illustrated book, discussing many early films and illuminating Black urban life in this period, is the first detailed look at the numerous early relationships between African Americans and cinema. Softcover, 343 pp. $34.95.

Hollywood Abroad: Audiences and Cultural Exchange
Melvyn Stokes & Richard Maltby
Hollywood Abroad is the first book to examine the reception of Hollywood movies by non-American audiences. Herein, a number of key international scholars cover topics from the first major penetration of American films into France, Britain and Australia through to the impact of such films as The Best Years of Our Lives and the response of Belgian young people in the age of the multiplex. Softcover, 183 pp. $34.95.

The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded
Wanda Strauven
This anthology traces the history of the "cinema of attractions," reconstructs its conception and questions its attractiveness and usefulness for both pre-classical and post-classical cinema. Softcover, 460 pp. $61.95.

Movie Blockbusters
Julian Stringer
Movie Blockbusters brings together leading film scholars to consider this most high-profile and culturally significant genre. Drawing on a range of critical perspectives, this book traces how and why the 'event movie' has played such a large role in the popular imagination, tracing a path from the spectacles of the silent era to the effects-laden mega hits of the digital age. Softcover 276 pp. $36.95.

The Power of Film
Howard Suber
America's most distinguished film professor provides the definitive A to Z course on the intricacies of the motion picture. While you may not be able to attend UCLA and sit in Howard's class like hundreds of the top directors, screenwriters, and producers in Hollywood, you can now share the knowledge that has had a major impact on the film industry. Softcover, 424 pp. $36.95.

Guts & Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film
Lawrence H. Suid
Guts & Glory is the definitive examination of the relationship between the film industry and the United States armed services. In this expanded edition, which contains over 400 pages of new material, Suid meshes his study of the classic war films -- Wings, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Longest Day, Patton, Apocalypse Now -- with his views on the most recent additions to the genre such as, Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down , and Windtalkers. Softcover, 748 pp. $49.50.

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Last modified July 15, 2003 .
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.