Bücher der Reihe Film and History

In 1952, Elia Kazan testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigating alleged communist infiltration of the entertainment industry. The cloud of this cooperation, which assured that the filmmaker would avoid the blacklist, plagued Kazan throughout the remainder of his life and career. This book presents a close analysis of Kazan's cinema following his testimony, examining the political themes they conveyed, in order to gain a better understanding of the filmmaker's consciousness.The films covered in this volume include Viva Zapata (1952), On the Waterfront (1954), East of Eden (1954), Baby Doll (1956), A Face in the Crowd (1957), Splendor in the Grass (1961), America, America (1963), and The Last Tycoon (1976).

The Western film continues to be reexamined by scholars, and this collection offers engaging essays on a variety of films and television shows that represent the genre. Essays in this volume consider star/celebrity studies, the representation of race, overviews of Western subgenres, and international Westerns. In all, this collection provides a diverse selection of chapters that represent current thinking on this enduring genre.

The past three decades have seen the rise of a transnational European cinema, not only in terms of production, but also in terms of a growing focus on multi-ethnic themes within the European context. The collapse of the Iron Curtain and the subsequent (and on-going) enlargement of the European Union have played a major role in this shift from national to trans-European filmmaking. Its most obvious on-screen manifestation is the increased visibility of immigrant groups from former communist countries, ranging from Krzysztof Kies¿lowski's Blanc (1994) and Pawel Pawlikowski's Last Resort (2000) to Hans-Christian Schmid's Lichter (2003), Ken Loach's It is a Free World (2007) and Bobby Paunescu's Francesca (2009).Through its focus on cinematic representations of post-1989 migration from the former Eastern Bloc to Western Europe, When East and West Meet seeks to examine what these films reveal about the cultures producing and consuming these migration narratives and to what extent these images function as a site for new (trans)regional, (trans)national and European identities. When East Meets West explicitly crosses the boundaries of national cinemas and sets out to uncover an array of common tropes and narrative devices that characterize the influences and portrayals of immigration from the former Eastern Bloc.

William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac were three of the most significant figures of the Beat Generation, whose writings have been adapted and appropriated for graphic novels, feature-length films, and other media. Adapting the Beat Poets looks at film versions of their writings-including Naked Lunch, Howl, and On the Road-and examines how these interpretations are linked to each other and how beat literature, which historically and artistically stakes itself on authenticity, can be significantly altered by such adaptations.

This book looks at how the Warner Bros. studio used edgy, stylistic, and brutally honest films to construct a view of America from 1927-1941. Author Chris Yogerst looks at how the Warner Bros. films during this period represented important cultural and social changes-from the coming of sound in film, the Great Depression, the rise of crime, and the increased concern about fascism leading up to World War II.

A man of many film firsts, James Stuart Blackton promoted motion pictures as a mass commercial medium by creating the first true movie studio, adopting the star system, pioneering film animation, and publishing Motion Picture Magazine, one of the first film periodicals. As much of a seminal figure to the film industry as Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith, James Stuart Blackton nonetheless remains unknown to most film enthusiasts and even many cinema scholars. In Buccaneer: James Stuart Blackton and the Birth of American Movies Donald Dewey recounts the drama, intrigue, and romance of this motion picture trailblazer. A gifted director, producer, and founder of Vitagraph studios, BlacktonΓÇÖs personal escapades were nearly as dramatic as his contributions to the medium he helped establish. Decades ahead of his time, Blackton also played a critical role in propagating war-time sentiment during both the Spanish-American War and World War I and was an influence on such key historical figures as Theodore Roosevelt.A fascinating look into the life of a truly distinguished filmmaker, Buccaneer narrates the volatile world of the early motion picture industry, as influenced by a man whose own story rivaled anything on screen. A must read for film lovers, this book will also prove to be invaluable to readers with an interest in American history.

Responsible for some of the greatest films of the 20th centuryΓÇöThe Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, and The Quiet Man among othersΓÇöJohn Ford was best known for motion pictures that defined the American West and the face of wartime military. A Hollywood celebrity, Ford lived his life against the background that Twentieth Century-Fox fashioned for him. As he did, the facts of his life merged withΓÇöand became inseparable fromΓÇöhis multifaceted legend, fostered by HollywoodΓÇÖs studio culture and his own imagination.In The Westerns and War Films of John Ford Sue Matheson offers an engaging look at one of AmericaΓÇÖs greatest directors and the two genres of films that solidified his reputation.Drawing on previously unreleased material, this volume explores the man, the filmmaker, the veteran, and the legendΓÇöand the ways in which all of those roles shaped FordΓÇÖs view of America, national character, and his creative output. Among the films discussed here in depth are FordΓÇÖs early productions, such as The Iron Horse and Drums along the Mohawk, his military films, such as Submarine Patrol, The Battle of Midway, and They Were Expendable, and his Westerns, including Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers, and Cheyenne Autumn. Ford imbued many of his creations with a point of view that represented his ideals, and the films discussed here illustrate their directorΓÇÖs distinct vision of American life on the frontier and in service of the country. That visionΓÇöFordΓÇÖs idealization of the American CharacterΓÇöwould, in turn, shape the worldview of several generations. The Westerns and War Films of John Ford will appeal to critics and scholars, but also to any fan of this iconic filmmakerΓÇÖs work.

This collection addresses the relative scarcity of work relating to food-film studies, showcasing innovative viewpoints about a popular, yet understudied, subject in film. The volume asks provocative questions about food and its relationship with work, urban life, sexual orientation, the family, race, morality, and a wide range of "appetites."

This collection of essays addresses important questions about the relationship between fact and fiction: When does history become myth, and when does myth become legend? Does a romanticized view of history distort the reality it is trying to convey, or in capturing the "spirit" of history, does it teach history in ways that mere fact cannot? What is the impact of motion pictures on our understandings of history and on historical memory? And what of the lives of the individuals it portrays? These essays introduce arguments about how storytelling within a film can help the viewer understand a historical situation better, and even empathize with historical figures in a new way.