 |
Criticism, Theory & History
Multiple authors
See also: On Individual Films
and Media > Film
Criticism
 Gangster Film Reader
Alain Silver & James Ursini
In Gangster Film Reader, co-editors Alain Silver and James Ursini present a comprehensive overview of this still vital genre via reprints of seminal articles, new essays written especially for this collection, and more than 200 original photographs. It begins with Robert Warshow's celebrated examination of the gangster as a tragic hero. It explores the evolution of the gangster film from D.W. Griffith's 1912 short The Musketeers of Pig Alley to Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather saga. Parts 2 and 3 offer more recent perspectives, with case studies and thematic analyses of such influential films as Raoul Walsh's White Heat, Brian De Palma's 1983 remake of Scarface, John Huston's Prizzi's Honor, and Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. Softcover, 410 pp. $26.00.
 Film Histories: An Introduction and Reader
Paul Grainge, Mark Jancovich & Sharon Monteith
This anthology covers the history of film from 1895 to the present day. The book is arranged chronologically, and each chapter contains an introduction by the the editors on the key developments within the period, followed by a classic piece of historical research about that period. Various types of film history are undertaken in the articles, so that students can become familiar with different types of film historical research. Concentrating on the plurality of the 'historical turn' in film studies, this book demonstrates that film history is, and should be, about more than simply key films, directors and movements. Softcover, 612 pp. $39.95.
 The Cambridge Companion to The Actress
Maggie B. Gale & John Stokes
This is a collection of original essays on the cultural role of performing women on stage and on screen, throughout history and across continents - from Nell Gwyn to Lily Langtry, from Bernhardt to Peggy Ashcroft, from Joyce Grenfell to Vanessa Redgrave, from Ellen Terry to Halle Berry. Topics covered include cross-dressing, solo performance, racial constraints, recent Shakespeare, and the actress in early photography and on film. Softcover, 348 pp. $34.95.
The Cinema of Canada
Jerry White, editor
The Canadian film industry, while often overlooked and overshadowed by its
North American cousin, has nevertheless produced some fascinaating films and
directors, including Atom Egoyan, Robert Lepage, Denys Arcand, Michael Snow
and David Cronenberg. The Cinema of Canada contains 24 essays,
each on a different key film and divides itself into three distinct categories:
English-Canadian cinema, Quebecois cinema and Aboriginal cinema. In so doing,
it provides a fascinating historical account of the development of film and
documentary traditions across the diverse national and regional communities
in Canada. Softcover, 268 pp. $32.95.
Close-Up: 01
John Gibbs, Ian Carwood & Deborah Thomas
Close-Up is an innovative and accessible new annual series
devoted to the close analysis of film and television. Each volume contains
three extended
individual studies linked by a concern to explore in detail the decisions that
go into the making of films or television programmes. The three topics profiles
in this issue are: "Filmmakers' Choices", "The Pop Song in Film",
and "Reading Buffy". Softcover, 244 pp. $32.95.
Global Hollywood 2
Various authors
Overwhelming almost every other national cinema, and virtually extinguishing
foreign cinema in the multicultural US, Hollywood seems everywhere
all powerful. Since the publication of the first edition of this
book, much
has changed that has affected Hollywood, notably the recession and
September 11, while other changes have emerged subsequently -- notably
shifts in
the exchange rate, transformations in US foreign policy, and significant
developments in trade agreements, consumer technology, and ownership
regimes. Despite these changes, Hollywood has continued to expand.
This significantly
revised second edition re-theorizes the continued success of the
Hollywood cinema factory.
Softcover, 442 pp. $40.95.
The Trouble With Men: Masculinities in European and Hollywood
Cinema
Various editors
Divided into four sections -- Stars, Class & Race, Fathers, and
Bodies -- this is a timely new collection of essays focusing on masculinity
and film, particularly the representation of European masculinity.
Actor-specific studies focus on Michael Caine, Gene Kelly, and Alain
Delon; film-specific
studies include Aprille, Seul contre tous, Notting Hill, The
Beach,
and Gladiator. Softcover, 253 pp. $30.95.
Chaplin: The Dictator and the Tramp
Various authors
This anthology of essays collects writings by some of the world's leading authorities
on Chaplin and early film comedy. The primary focus of this volume is Chaplin's
1940
film satire on Nazi Germany, The Great Dictator, which has recently attracted
intense interest during its wide international theatrical and DVD re-release.
Sotfcover,
150 pp. $26.95.
Back to top
|
|
