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National Film Studies
America
 American Movie Critics: An anthology from the silents to now
Edited by Philip Lopate
American Movie Critics, now published in an expanded edition, is an anthology of unparalleled scope that charts the rise of movies as art, industry, and mass entertainment. Softcover, 760 pp. $24.00.
 The Devil's Guide to Hollywood
Joe Eszterhas
The Devil's Guide to Hollywood distills everything one of Hollywood's most accomplished screenwriters knows about the business, from writing advice to negotiation tricks, from the wisdom of past players to the feuds of current ones. Eszterhas dispenses advice as only he can: with his tongue planted firmly in cheek and a certain finger extended good-naturedly towards the sky. His tips on how to survive in Hollywood are based on his own rugged, real-life experiences, and are not just useful but vastly entertaining as well. Softcover, 397 pp. $17.25.
 Boffo!
Peter Bart
In Boffo! Hollywood's ultimate insider unveils the secrets behind history's biggest blockbusters, proving that sometimes you've got to look back to go forward. Twenty-seven hits from film, television, and theatre are presented here - from The Lord of the Rings to the granddaddy of all blockbusters, The Birth of a Nation - each offering a provocative question and fascinating lesson for today's would-be hitmaker. Softcover, 325 pp. $21.95.
 Hollywood Be Thy Name: African American Religion Film, 1929-1949
Judith Weisenfeld
From the earliest years of sound film in America, Hollywood studios and independent producers of "race films" for black audiences created stories featuing African American religious practices. Judith Weisenfeld explores how these cinematic representations reflected and contributed to complicated discourses about race, the social and moral requirements of American citizenship, and the very nature of American identity. Softcover, 341 pp. $32.95.
 America First
Mandy Merck
At a time when the expanded projection of US political, military, economic and cultural power draws intensified global concern, understanding how that country understands itself seems more important than ever. America First, a collection of new critical essays tackles this old problem by examining some of the hundreds of US films that announce themselves as titularly "American." Softcover, 313 pp. $38.95.
 Hollywood Politics and Society
Mark Wheeler
This book concludes with a look at the politics of show business, addressing
links between Hollywood and political activism, and films such as The
Candidate and Bulworth that have themselves engaged with the
political process. Wheeler considers the irony that despite the fact
that Hollywood is perceived as a bastion of liberalism the two most
famous actors-turned-politicians have been Ronald Reagan and Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Softcover, 188 pp. $36.95.
 Hollywood and War : The Film Reader
J. David Slocum
This film reader broadens the reader's understanding of the longstanding
and pivotal relationship between war and cinema by bringing together
key theoretical texts from a range of critical perspectives. Contributors
explore how the images, narratives, and myths of war cinema have influenced,
and, in turn, been influenced by, American social, political, and economic
development since the late nineteenth century. Softcover, 372 pp. $38.95.
 A
Star Is Found
Janet Hirschenson & Jane Jenkins
Taking us from the first casting call through head shots, auditions, meetings,
and desperate searches to fill a part, A Star Is Found gives
readers behind-the scenes access to the machinery of star-making. Recounting
their remarkable shared career that started at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope
studio, the authors tell the funny and fascinating stories of discovering and
casting then-unknown stars like Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio,
John Cusack, Matt Damon, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Brendan Fraser, Virginia
Madsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Meg Ryan, and Benicio Del Toro, as well as share insights
about the many famous directors for whom they've worked. Hardcover, 307 pp. $29.95.
 Silent
Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Charlie Chaplin
John Bengston
Explore the traces of early Hollywood hidden within Charlie Chaplin's timeless
films. This stunning work of cinematic archeology combines Chaplin's movie images
with archival photographs, vintage maps, and scores of then-and-now comparison
photographs to conjure up the silent movie era from an entirely new perspective.
Softcover, 300 pp. $33.95.
 How
I Broke into Hollywood: Success Stories from the Trenches
Pablo F. Fenjves & Rocky Lang
How I Broke into Hollywood shares the voices of nearly fifty Hollywood
survivors as they revisit the highs and lows of their careers in
their own words, dishing dirt and imparting the wisdom they gained
along the way. We learn what drew them to the industry and what made
them stay, what inspired and appalled them, and what secrets propelled
them to professional stardom. Hardcover, 422 pp. $33.50.
 Disney
War
James B. Stewart
Disney War is the breathtaking, dramatic inside story
of what drove America's best-known entertainment company to civil war,
told by one of our most acclaimed writers and reporters. Initiating when
Roy Disney abruptly resigned in November 2003 and declared war on chairman
and chief executive Michael Eisner, this epic story -- with its sudden
twists, vivid, larger-than-life characters, and thrilling climax -- will
galvanize Hollywood insiders and general readers alike. Hardcover, 572pp.
$43.50.
 The
Most Typical Avant-Garde
History and Geography of Minor Cinemas in Los Angeles
David E. James
Los Angeles has nourished a dazzling array of independent cinemas: avant-garde
and art cinemas, ethnic and industrial films, pornography, documentaries,
and works from many other far-flung corners of film culture. David E.
James brilliantly analyzes scores of off-beat movies as he reconfigures
Los Angeles, rather than New York, as the true center of avant-garde
cinema in the United States. Softcover, 548 pp. $41.95.
 American
History and Contemporary Hollywood Film
Trevor McCrisken & Andrew Pepper
Hollywood has always been fascinated by America's past, but never more so than
in the past fifteen years. Bringing exciting new perspectives to how and why
Hollywood has sought to repicture American history, this book offers analysis
of more than twenty mainstream contemporary films, including The Patriot, Amistad,
Glory, Ride with the Devil, Cold Mountain, Saving
Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Pearl Harbor, U-571, Platoon, Born
on the Fourth of July, Heaven and Earth, JFK, Nixon, Malcolm
X, Ali, Black Hawk Down , and Three
Kings. Softcover, 227 pp. $34.50.
 Blockbuster:
How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer
Tom Shone
The moment the shark fin broke the water in 1975, a new monster was born: in
just a few weeks Jaws earned more than $100 million in ticket
sales, an unprecedented feat that heralded the birth of the blockbuster. Soon
Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, James Cameron, and other populist auteurs would
revive the flagging fortunes of the studios and lure audiences back into theatres
with the promise of thrilling escapism. With the passion of a film fan and
the insight of a respected critic, Tom Shone reveals the ways in which blockbusters
have transformed the way Hollywood makes films. Hardcover, 339 pp. $36.95.
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