This work explores the film histories and cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, tracing the 20th-century development of each country's domestic film prodcuction and cinema audiences. The author discusses the place in cinema history of international figures such as Mauritz Stiller, Victor Sjostrom, Carl Dreyer and Ingmar Bergman, directors of films like Vampyr, Ordet, Wild Strawberries, and Cries and Whispers. The author looks at national film makers: August Blom, Bodil Ipsen, Lau Lauritzen and Nils Malmros; and also discusses contemporary film-makers like Gabriel Axel, the...

Nordic National Cinemas explores the film histories and cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The authors examine each country's domestic film production, social and political context and domestic audiences from the beginning of this century to the twentieth century.
The authors not only explore the work of internationally renowned figures such as Mauritz Stiller, Victor Sjostrom, Carl Dreyer and Ingmar Bergman, directors of such classics as Vampyr, Ordet, Wild Strawberries and Cries and Whispers, but also nationally important film makers such as August Blom, Bodil...

This introduction to Chinese national cinema covers three 'Chinas': mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Historical and comparative perspectives bring out the parallel developments in these three Chinas, while critical analysis explores thematic and stylistic changes over time.

As well as exploring artistic achievements and ideological debates, Yingjin Zhang examines how - despite the pressures placed on the industry from state control and rigid censorship - Chinese national cinema remains incapable of projecting a single unified picture, but rather portrays many different...

Susan Hayward argues that writing on French cinema has tended to focus on either "great" film-makers or on non-specific movements, addressing moments of exception rather than the global picture. Her work offers a thorough and much-needed historical textualization of those moments and relocates them in their wider political and cultural context. Beginning with an "ecohistory" of the French film industry, she then traces the various movements in French cinema and the directors associated with them, including the avant-garde, poetic-realist, New Wave and today's postmodern cinema.
This new...

Sorlin discusses the work of major filmakers such as De Sica, Visconti, Fellini, Antonioni and Moretti in the context of national film output, considering both films which became internationally acclaimed and those which, though popular with the domestic audience, were never released outside Italy. Beginning with the evolution of the cinema audience and the development of domestic production, Sorlin examines Italian cinema from the dark years of fascism through to postwar neorealism and big budget commercial films. In the final section he discusses the place of cinema in the context of the...

With films as diverse as Bhaji on the Beach, The Dam Busters, Trainspotting, The Draughtsman's Contract, Prick Up Your Ears, Ratcatcher, This Is England and Atonement, British cinema has produced wide-ranging notions of British culture, identity and nationhood. British National Cinema is a comprehensive introduction to the British film industry within an economic, political and social context.

British National Cinema analyzes the politics of film and establishes the difficult context within which British producers and directors have...

Although the horror genre has been embraced by filmmakers around the world, Japan has been one of the most prolific and successful purveyors of such films. From science fiction terrors of the 1950s like Godzilla to violent films like Suicide Circle and Ichi the Killer, Japanese horror film has a diverse history. While the quality of some of these films has varied, others have been major hits in Japan and beyond, frightening moviegoers around the globe. Many of these films such as the Ringu movies have influenced other horror productions in both Asia and United States. The Encyclopedia of...

This volume takes up the topic of racism in American Cinema from its early days of film production to the present. Covering over 300 entries that include films, producers, directors, actors, genres, and critical interpretations, this book is the first of its kind.

This volume highlighting the movies that were produced after the Franco's death in 1976--a new era in which creative expression emerged from the censorship imposed by an autocratic dictator. The titles included herein represent a national cinema to reflect a public sentiment about a society in the wake of systematic artistic suppression.

This book identifies the most significant Spaghetti Westerns produced and the individuals who contributed to the genre, including actors Clint Eastwood, composers such as Ennio Morricone, and directors like Sergio Leone. The most memorable movies of the genre are also examined, including Django, A Fistful of Dollars, and They Call Me Trinity.