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From the books and movies that inspired George Lucas to imagine the ÊStar WarsÊ universe to early screenplay drafts that were never filmed to short biographies of many people who made key contributions to the movies' success ÊStar Wars FAQÊ explores every aspect of the original ÊStar WarsÊ trilogy (ÊStar WarsÊ ÊThe Empire Strikes BackÊ and ÊReturn of the JediÊ). Along the way it unearths underreported stories and illuminating minutiae often skimmed over or completely ignored in other histo...

After scores of books and commentaries on film noir and its classic period experts Alain Silver and James Ursini turn their full attention to neo-noir the self-conscious mannered sometimes ersatz and often surprising genre that sprang from the original movement. This volume surveys the full breath of American neo-noir its style and substance its evolution over succeeding generations of filmmakers from activist through postmodern to millennial and on with extensive illustrations in black...

From Tom Joad to Norma Rae to Spike Lee's Mookie in Do the Right Thing, Hollywood has regularly dramatized the lives and struggles of working people in America. Ranging from idealistic to hopeless, from sympathetic to condescending, these portrayals confronted audiences with the vital economic, social, and political issues of their times while providing a diversion-sometimes entertaining, sometimes provocative-from the realities of their own lives. In Blue-Collar Hollywood, John Bodnar examin...

The Auditory Setting introduces and investigates how narrative and a sense of place are constructed in film and media arts through the reproduction and mediation of site-specific environmental sounds, or 'ambience'. Although this sonic backdrop acts as the acoustically mediated space where a story or event can take place, there has been little academic study of sound's undervalued role in cinematic setting and production. Drawing on theories of narrative, diegesis, mimesis and presence, and fol...

With more than 100 new entries, from Amy Adams, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Cary Joji Fukunaga to Joaquin Phoenix, Mia Wasikowska, and Robin Wright, and completely updated,  here from David Thomson—“The greatest living writer on the movies” (John Banville, New Statesman); “Our most argumentative and trustworthy historian of the screen” (Michael Ondaatje)—is the latest edition of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, which topped Sight & Sound’s poll of international critics and writers as THE B...

Main melody films are propaganda works that pay tribute to the Chinese nation, the party and the army. Since the turn of the century, they have gradually developed into the main genre of Chinese cinema, and its blockbusterization is arguably the most phenomenal aspect of the 2010s Chinese film industry. As an increasing number of Hong Kong directors are commissioned to direct main melody blockbusters, Chu examines their contributions to this genre, shedding light on the development of cross-b...

A timely consideration of both the history and the current challenges facing practice-based film training, Educating Film-Makers is the first book to examine the history, impact and significance of film education in Britain, Europe and the United States. Film schools, the authors show, have historically focused on the cultivation of the film-maker as a cultural activist, artist or intellectual – fostering creativity and innovation. But more recently a narrower approach has emerged, placing a new...

For armchair travellers, film buffs, tourists and city dwellers alike, Turner Classic Movies takes you on a one-of-a-kind tour of the cinematic sites of New York City.Highlighting the great films set in the Big Apple since the dawn of cinema to the present, Cinematic Cities: New York City is both a trove of information including behind-the-scenes stories and trivia, and a practical guide full of tips on where to go, eat, drink, shop, and sleep to follow along the path of your favourite films set...

The definitive book on the world's most beloved musical. The 'Sound of Music Companion' charts the incredible and enduring story of Maria Von Trapp and her story over the last hundred years - from Maria's birth in Vienna to Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production in 2006. The book details every step in the evolution of this masterwork from real-life to page to stage to film to international phenomenon. It profiles every creative artist who has helped to shape the musical version of the Von T...

Do you pay a visit to Bedford Falls every Christmas? Does December feel incomplete without a reminder that "no man is a failure who has friends"? If George and Mary Bailey are annual guests at your home during the holidays, you already know that It's A Wonderful Life is far more than just a festive seasonal film. It's a reflection of what we can be when we're at our best and a reminder that our lives can change everyone around us-for better or worse. Revisit the defining lessons in Frank Capra's...

F.W. Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu, the first (albeit unofficial) screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, starring Max Schreck as the hollow-eyed, cadaverous vampire, remains a potent and disturbing horror film. Kevin Jackson's study traces Nosferatu's eventful production and reception history, including attempts by Stoker's widow to suppress it.

Paul Auster's novels have earned him an international reputation as one of America's most exciting and beloved writers. Following his collaboration with Wayne Wang on the films Smoke and Blue in the Face, Auster makes his solo directional debut with Lulu on the Bridge.As in all of Auster's stories, Lulu on the Bridge combines myth, magic and reality to uncover truths about the human experience. Izzy Mauer, a jazz musician, is accidentally hit by a bullet during a performance in a New York club,...

Movie Geek is a nerdy dive into popular movies, brought to you by the award-losing Den Of Geek website, with a foreword by the UK's foremost film critic, Mark Kermode. Discover hidden stories behind movies you love (and, er, don't love so much), and find out just why the most dangerous place to be is in a Tom Hanks film. Fascinating, surprisingly and hugely entertaining, this leftfield movie guide is gold for film buffs, and might just bring out the geek - hidden or otherwise - within you... I...

Take a trip through the history of filmmaking in this illustrated widescreen exploration of the people, technologies, and techniques that have shaped the course of cinema. Going back as far as prehistoric times, when cavemen played with light and shadow, to present day when we can stream Netflix into our living rooms, An Illustrated History of Filmmaking gets down to the nitty-gritty on everything film! This illustrated guide shows filmmaking in action, chock full of factual information abo...

The first book to trace the rise of documentaries as mainstream entertainment. When did documentaries get glamorous? Documentary Superstars looks at the history of documentaries and traces their transition from hands-off to in your face. Exclusive interviews with Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock, Errol Morris, George Clooney, Sacha Baron Cohen, Morgan Freeman, Al Gore, and more of the biggest names in the field show the impact of the documentary style on mainstream movies and on our society. From...

The only guide you'll need for choosing the best videos -- and CD-ROMS -- for your family. INCLUDES: More than 1000 entries of kid-tested and adult-approved videos currently available. Listings organized by age -- from infancy to adolescence -- as recommended by child development specialists. A wide range of categories with special attention to gender and ethnicity: Educatioinal/Instructional; Fairy Tales; Family Literature and Myth; Special Interest; Foreign Language; Holiday; Music; Ho...

Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired from 1969 until 1974, but the conclusion of the series did not mark the end of the troupe’s creative output. Even before the final original episodes were recorded and broadcast, the six members began work on their first feature-length enterprise of new material. Rather than string together a series of silly skits, they conceived a full-length story line with references to the real and imagined worlds of the mythical King Arthur, the lives of medieval peasants,...