Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le fou (1965), made at the height of the French New Wave, remains a milestone in French cinema. More accessible than his later films, it represents the diverse facets of Godard's concerns and themes: a bittersweet analysis of male-female relations; an interrogation of the image; personal and international politics; the existential dilemmas of consumer society. This volume brings together essays by five prominent scholars of French film. They approach Pierrot le fou from the perspectives of image-and-word-play, aesthetics and politics, history, and high- and popular...

Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch is perhaps one of the most influential films in American cinema. The intensity of its violence was unprecedented, while the director's use of multiple cameras, montage editing, and slow motion quickly became the normative style for rendering screen violence. Demonstrating to filmmakers the power of irony as a narrative voice and its effectiveness as a tool for exploring and portraying brutality, The Wild Bunch fundamentally changed the Western, moving it into a more brutal and psychopathic territory than it had ever occupied.

Few films in the history of American cinema caused more intense critical discussion and greater emotional debate than Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde. This volume includes freshly-commissioned essays by leading scholars of Arthur Penn's work, as well as contributions from Penn himself and scriptwriter David Newman. They analyze the cultural history, technical brilliance, visual strategies, and violent imagery that marked Bonnie and Clyde as a significant turning point in American film.

Long held to be among the world's greatest filmmakers, Ingmar Bergman shaped international art cinema from the 1950s to the 1980s. Among his many works, Persona is often considered to be his masterpiece and is often described as one of the central works of Modernism. The essays collected in this volume use a variety of methodologies to explore topics such as acting technique, genre, and dramaturgy. Also included are translations of Bergman's writings that have never before been available in English.

In order to comprehensively examine one of the most important films of the Hollywood canon, these essays analyze the screenplay, Elia Kazan as director, Budd Schulberg as screenplay writer, Leonard Bernstein's score, and the reception of the film in classrooms. Collectively, they demonstrate how and why this film has been an enduring favorite among cineastes and movie buffs alike. A preface by Budd Schulberg, contemporary reviews, and reproductions of stills complete the volume.

In order to comprehensively examine one of the most important films of the Hollywood canon, these essays analyze the screenplay, Elia Kazan as director, Budd Schulberg as screenplay writer, Leonard Bernstein's score, and the reception of the film in classrooms. Collectively, they demonstrate how and why this film has been an enduring favorite among cineastes and movie buffs alike. A preface by Budd Schulberg, contemporary reviews, and reproductions of stills complete the volume.

Stagecoach is one of the classics of Hollywood cinema. Made in 1939, it revitalized the Western genre, served as a milestone for John Ford's career, and made John Wayne a star. This volume offers a rich overview of the film in essays by six leading film critics. Approaching Stagecoach from a variety of critical perspectives, it considers it within the contexts of authorship, genre, American history and culture. It also examines the film's commentary on race, class, gender and democracy, while remaining attentive to the film's artistry.

The most commercially and critically successful film of Ethan and Joel Coen, Fargo was nominated for five Academy Awards and received two, an exceptional achievement for a low budget, independently produced film. This volume explores Fargo from a variety of perspectives. Providing a detailed account of the film's production, reception and place within the career of the Coen brothers, it covers issues and themes significant to current film discourse, including genre, gender and sexuality, race, history, culture and myth.

Roberto Rossellini's Rome Open City instantly and permanently changed the landscape of film history. Made at the end of World War II, the film has been credited with initiating a revolution in and reinvention of modern cinema. This volume offers an original overview of the production history of Rome Open City; some of its key images, the complexity of its political dimensions, and the legacy of the film in public consciousness. It serves as an accessible introduction to one of the major achievements of filmmaking.