Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Sidney Lumet, and Paul Mazursky, all sons of East European Jews, remain among the most prominent contemporary American film directors. In this revised, updated second edition of American Jewish Filmmakers, David Desser and Lester D. Friedman demonstrate how the Jewish experience gives rise to an intimately linked series of issues in the films of these and other significant Jewish directors. This book presents the effects of the Holocaust linger, both in gripping dramatic form (Mazursky's Enemies, a Love Story) and in black comedy (Brooks's The Producers). In his...

Ozu's Tokyo Story is generally regarded as one of the finest films ever made. Universal in its appeal, it is also considered to be "particularly Japanese." Exploring its universality and cultural specificity, this collection of specially commissioned essays demonstrates the multiple planes on which the film can be appreciated. Among the topics discussed are Ozu's relationship to aspects of Japanese tradition, situating the film within artistic modes, religious systems and beliefs, and socio-cultural and familial formations; and an analysis of how Ozu has been misunderstood in Western...

Demonstrating the richness and variety of a national cinema that has traditionally struggled to define itself between the paradigms of Hollywood popular film and European art cinema, this study provides comprehensive coverage of British cinema in general as well as critical discussions of specific films--useful for screenings. Each chapter covers a specific topic and includes detailed descriptions of key films representative of different historical periods.

Demonstrating the richness and variety of a national cinema that has traditionally struggled to define itself between the paradigms of Hollywood popular film and European art cinema, this study provides comprehensive coverage of British cinema in general as well as critical discussions of specific films--useful for screenings. Each chapter covers a specific topic and includes detailed descriptions of key films representative of different historical periods.

The Cinema of Hong Kong examines one of the most popular and dynamic cinema traditions in the history of film. Providing an overview of major directors, genres and stars, from its origins to the present, this volume examines Hong Kong cinema in transnational, historical, and artistic contexts. Individual essays focus on Hong Kong cinema before and during World War II; the cinema of the turbulent 1960s; its rise to world prominence in the 1970s and its reception in the United States, and the revival of Cantonese cinema, among other topics.

The Cinema of Hong Kong examines one of the most popular and dynamic cinema traditions in the history of film. Providing an overview of major directors, genres and stars, from its origins to the present, this volume examines Hong Kong cinema in transnational, historical, and artistic contexts. Individual essays focus on Hong Kong cinema before and during World War II; the cinema of the turbulent 1960s; its rise to world prominence in the 1970s and its reception in the United States, and the revival of Cantonese cinema, among other topics.

Aggressive product placement and retail tie-ins are as much a part of moviemaking today as high-concept scripts and computer-generated special effects, but this phenomenon is hardly recent. Since the silent era, Hollywood studios have proved remarkably adept at advertising both their own products and a bewildering variety of consumer commodities, successfully promoting the idea of consumption itself. Hollywood Goes Shopping brings together leading film studies scholars to explore the complex and sometimes contradictory relationship between American cinema and consumer culture, providing an...

Aggressive product placement and retail tie-ins are as much a part of moviemaking today as high-concept scripts and computer-generated special effects, but this phenomenon is hardly recent. Since the silent era, Hollywood studios have proved remarkably adept at advertising both their own products and a bewildering variety of consumer commodities, successfully promoting the idea of consumption itself. Hollywood Goes Shopping brings together leading film studies scholars to explore the complex and sometimes contradictory relationship between American cinema and consumer culture, providing an...

An Introduction to Film Genres, written by leading film scholars specifically for undergraduates who are new to the study of film, provides an introduction that helps students see thirteen film genres in a new light---to help them identify the themes, iconography, and distinctive stylistic traits of each genre.