"Visions of Empire" explores film's function as a medium of political communication, recognizing not just the propaganda film, but the various ways that conventional narrative films embody, question, or critique established social values underlying American attitudes toward historical, social, and political events. Stephen Prince discusses Hollywood film productions of the 1980s in terms of salient political issues of the period, including anxieties about declining U.S. military power, the wars in Central America and the prospects for U.S. intervention, the legacy of the Vietnam War, and...
"Visions of Empire" explores film's function as a medium of political communication, recognizing not just the propaganda film, but the various ways...
Graphic cinematic violence is a magnet for controversy. From passionate defenses to outraged protests, theories abound concerning this defining feature of modern film: Is it art or exploitation, dangerous or liberating? Screening Violence provides an even-handed examination of the history, merits, and effects of cinematic "ultraviolence." Movie reviewers, cinematographers, film scholars, psychologists, and sociologists all contribute essays exploring topics such as: - the origins and innovations of film violence and attempts to regulate it (from Hollywood's Production...
Graphic cinematic violence is a magnet for controversy. From passionate defenses to outraged protests, theories abound concerning this defining featur...
During the 1980s, American cinema underwent enormous transformations. Blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and The Empire Strikes Back grabbed huge revenues for the studios. At the same time, the growth of home video led to new and creative opportunities for independent film production, resulting in many of the decade's best films. Both large- and small-scale filmmakers responded to the social, political, and cultural conditions of the time. The two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan spawned a new Cold War with the Soviet Union, which Hollywood film both...
During the 1980s, American cinema underwent enormous transformations. Blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and The Empire...
Discover the successes and failures of the dramatic Royal Navy and Royal Marine raid on Zeebrugge in 1918 in this in-depth account. It reveals how, despite failure, the raid demonstrated to Germany that Britain was still capable of offensive action, even as its armies were being forced back.
Discover the successes and failures of the dramatic Royal Navy and Royal Marine raid on Zeebrugge in 1918 in this in-depth account. It reveals how, de...
Avatar. Inception. Jurassic Park. Lord of the Rings. Ratatouille. Not only are these some of the highest-grossing films of all time, they are also prime examples of how digital visual effects have transformed Hollywood filmmaking. Some critics, however, fear that this digital revolution marks a radical break with cinematic tradition, heralding the death of serious realistic movies in favor of computer-generated pure spectacle.
Digital Visual Effects in Cinema counters this alarmist reading, by showing how digital effects-driven films should be understood as a continuation...
Avatar. Inception. Jurassic Park. Lord of the Rings. Ratatouille. Not only are these some of the highest-grossing films of all time, they ar...
Updated in a new 6th edition, Movies and Meaning is a comprehensive introduction to the film industry that focuses on three topics: how movies express meanings, how viewers understand those meanings, and how cinema functions globally as both an art and a business. It examines both how filmmakers create images and sounds and the mechanisms and processes by which viewers make sense of images and stories on screen.
Updated in a new 6th edition, Movies and Meaning is a comprehensive introduction to the film industry that focuses on three topics: ...
Following the release in 1967 of Bonnie and Clyde and The Dirty Dozen, violence has been seen as a defining feature of the modern film. Is it art or exploitation? Danger or liberation? This volume provides an exmination of the history and effects of graphic violence on film.
Following the release in 1967 of Bonnie and Clyde and The Dirty Dozen, violence has been seen as a defining feature of the modern film. Is it art or e...
Celebrated as one of Japan's greatest filmmakers, Kobayashi Masaki's scorching depictions of war and militarism marked him as a uniquely defiant voice in post-war Japanese cinema. A pacifist drafted into Japan's Imperial Army, Masaki survived the war with his principles intact and created a body of work that was uncompromising in its critique of the nation's military heritage. Yet his renowned political critiques were grounded in spiritual perspectives, integrating motifs and beliefs from both Buddhism and Christianity. A Dream of Resistance is the first book in English to explore...
Celebrated as one of Japan's greatest filmmakers, Kobayashi Masaki's scorching depictions of war and militarism marked him as a uniquely defiant voice...
