Showing posts with label film criticism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film criticism. Show all posts

Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era Review

Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era
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Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era Reviewi liked how this book captured the time period and showed the images and spoke on how preception was. you feel the atmosphere and see a shift from the way things were. of course hollywood is and will always be color struck, however there was a certain manner at presenting actors and actress's during this time. very compelling book.Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era OverviewThis is the second volume of Thomas Cripps's definitive history of African-Americans in Hollywood.It covers the period from World War II through the civil rights movement of the 1960s, examining this period through the prism of popular culture.Making Movies Black shows how movies anticipated and helped form America's changing ideas about race.Cripps contends that from the liberal rhetoric of the war years--marked as it was by the propaganda catchwords brotherhood and tolerance--came movies that defined a new African-American presence both in film and in American society at large.He argues that the war years, more than any previous era, gave African-American activists access to centers of cultural influence and power in both Washington and Hollywood. Among the results were an expanded black imagery on the screen during the war--in combat movies such as Bataan, Crash Dive, and Sahara; musicals such as Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky; and government propaganda films such as The Negro Soldier and Wings for this Man (narrated by Ronald Reagan!).After the war, the ideologies of both black activism and integrationism persisted, resulting in the 'message movie' era of Pinky, Home of the Brave, and No Way Out, a form of racial politics that anticipated the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. Delving into previously inaccessible records of major Hollywood studios, among them Warner Bros., RKO, and 20th Century-Fox, as well as records of the Office of War Information in the National Archives, and records of the NAACP, and interviews with survivors of the era, Cripps reveals the struggle of both lesser known black filmmakers like Carlton Moss and major figures such as Sidney Poitier. More than a narrative history, Making Movies Black reaches beyond the screen itself with sixty photographs, many never before published, which illustrate the mood of the time.Revealing the social impact of the classical Hollywood film, Making Movies Black is the perfect book for those interested in the changing racial climate in post-World War II American life.

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The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies Review

The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies
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The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies ReviewAlthough I have browsed through this book many times in the library of the University of Canterbury, the only section I had a copy of was the one on comic plots. Being in the process of writing a study of the top-grossing comedies and the ways in which their plots enhance their psychological appeal, I was interested to see if the most popular ones confirmed to the plots as set out by Gerald Mast. This proved to be the case, although the vast majority follow his plots numbers one and seven.
My reason for obtaining my own copy of the book was to see if I could find further elucidation on some of the plots he describes. To date, I have not, although I suspect I may do as I continue reading the book.
The book is written in clear, easy-to-understand prose, unlike many books of this type, and plenty of examples are given - a few of them even from the films I am writing about!
In conclusion, this book is a welcome addition to my library, especially as I no longer have to face the parking hassles at the university whenever I wish to refer to it!The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies OverviewAlthough books on the comedies of the silent era abound, few have attempted to survey film comedy as a whole—its history and evolution, how the philosophical visions of its greatest artists and directors have shaped its traditions, and how these visions have informed both the meaning and manner of their work.Blending information with interpretation, description with analysis, Mast traces the development of screen comedy from the first crude efforts of Edison and Lumière to the subtlety and psychological complexity of Annie Hall. As he guides the reader through detailed discussions of specific films, Mast reveals the structures, the values, and the cinematic techniques which have appeared and reappeared in comic cinema.The second edition of The Comic Mind treats the comic developments of the 1970s in terms of the traditions of film comedy set forth in the first edition, including a discussion of the evolution of Jacques Tati and the emergence of Mel Brooks and Woody Allen as the two greatest American comic stylists of the seventies."The most comprehensive study of film comedy yet written in English. . . .The book's extensive index with references to companies from which 16mm prints of many of the cited films may be rented will be of great value to the film teacher and audiovisual librarian."—Choice

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Slow Fade to Black (Galaxy Books) Review

Slow Fade to Black (Galaxy Books)
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Slow Fade to Black (Galaxy Books) ReviewEverything arrived in perfect orderSlow Fade to Black (Galaxy Books) OverviewSet against the backdrop of the black struggle in society, Slow Fade to Black is the definitive history of African-American accomplishment in film--both before and behind the camera--from the earliest movies through World War II.As he records the changing attitudes toward African-Americans both in Hollywood and the nation at large, Cripps explores the growth of discrimination as filmmakers became more and more intrigued with myths of the Old South: the "lost cause" aspect of the Civil War, the stately mansions and gracious ladies of the antebellum South, the "happy" slaves singing in the fields.Cripps shows how these characterizations culminated in the blatantly racist attitudes of Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, and how this film inspired the N.A.A.C.P. to campaign vigorously--and successfully--for change.While the period of the 1920s to 1940s was one replete with Hollywood stereotypes (blacks most often appeared as domestics or "natives," or were portrayed in shiftless, cowardly "Stepin Fetchit" roles), there was also an attempt at independent black production--on the whole unsuccessful. But with the coming of World War II, increasing pressures for a wider use of blacks in films, and calls for more equitable treatment, African-Americans did begin to receive more sympathetic roles, such as that of Sam, the piano player in the 1942 classic Casablanca.A lively, thorough history of African-Americans in the movies, Slow Fade to Black is also a perceptive social commentary on evolving racial attitudes in this country during the first four decades of the twentieth century.

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A Cinema of Loneliness: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman Review

A Cinema of Loneliness: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman
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A Cinema of Loneliness: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman ReviewAlthough I missed the very first edition of this book in 1980, its second edition has been among my favorite film books for a decade. This is despite the fact that most of the film-makers discussed within (especially Scorsese & Altman) had made numerous films since the last ones featured in that edition. Now I have the joyful experience of catching up on their films with one of the finest writers on the topic of American film ever and his third edition of one of the finest books on American film ever published.
Kolker has gone back to his earlier editions and used the newer films to both confirm and refute his earlier evaluations. Many fans of film in general (and some of these directors, in particular) will not agree with many of Kolker's points. What makes this book so wonderful, though, is that you don't have to agree to enjoy it. Kolker understands that film criticism is meant to be a lively art, rather than a process of emalming great works of art. I may not agree with his assessment of each Scorsese picture but his analysis of Scorsese's significance is right on the money. At the same time, his newly added discussion of Oliver Stone is the first writing about the controversial director that gave a fair picture of his artistic strengths (there are many) and weaknesses (fewer but still significant).
Deserving of special note is the book's section on the late Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick's passing makes him the only film-maker in the book whose body of work is completely finished, a matter which Kolkee addresses in a special epitaph. It is indicative of both the quality and bold approach of the book that the author uses Kubrick's final film, "Eyes Wide Shut" as a springboard to ponder how Kubrick's work will fit into the history of cinema in the years to come. He does not make pat, easy judgements but rather admits that the still vital medium is ever shifting and even old works can take on new meanings in hindsight. It's almost enough to make me eager for the fourth edition.A Cinema of Loneliness: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman Overview

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Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies (Henry Holt Reference Book) Review

Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies (Henry Holt Reference Book)
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Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies (Henry Holt Reference Book) ReviewWhen you're both a student of history and a movie buff, as I am, it can be difficult to sit and watch a film that presumes to have an accurate historical context without fighting the urge to evaluate it and pick holes in it. And I'm not the only one. This is a collection of analytical essays, most of high quality, by experts (not all of them historians) analyzing and critiquing individual films: Stephen Jay Gould on _Jurassic Park,_ Antonia Fraser on _Anne of the Thousand Days,_ Thomas Fleming on _1776,_ Dee Brown on _Fort Apache,_ William Manchester on _Young Winston,_ and numerous others. Sticking to those films about which I have some knowledge of the historical events they claim to portray, most are right on the money. James McPherson, commenting on _Glory,_ points out that while the context and general atmosphere are very well done, and the costuming and so on are exact, there are still deliberate historical errors for the sake of drama; none of the soldiers in Col. Shaw's 54th Massachusetts were ex-slaves, for instance, all of them having been recruited from among the state's free black population. And Catherine Clinton does an excellent job taking the wind out of _Gone with the Wind_'s mythical sails. There's a great deal of good information and criticism here and it's a compliment to say that nearly any of these essays will start an argument.Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies (Henry Holt Reference Book) Overview

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Redefining Black Film Review

Redefining Black Film
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Redefining Black Film Reviewtook forever to ship to me. i wish i would've just bought it in the store bc i missed out a week of reading for class. Order in advance in order to get it on time or else just buy in the store.Redefining Black Film Overview

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Discovering Orson Welles Review

Discovering Orson Welles
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Discovering Orson Welles ReviewHaving just finished Peter Tonguette's book on the later days of Welles, I was really re-inspired to read more about my favorite film director. I knew Jonathan Rosenbaum to be a dedicated Welles scholar and I was excited to see this book. It's simply a fantastic book featuring Rosenbaum's articles over the years on Welles.
If you're a Welles fan, you need to get this book!Discovering Orson Welles OverviewOf the dozens of books written about Orson Welles, most focus on the central enigma of Welles's career: why did someone so extravagantly talented neglect to finish so many projects? Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum has long believed that to dwell on this aspect of the Welles canon is to overlook the wealth of information available by studying the unrealized works. Discovering Orson Welles collects Rosenbaum's writings to date on Welles--some thirty-five years of them--and makes an irrefutable case for the seriousness of his work, illuminating both Welles the artist and Welles the man. The book is also a chronicle of Rosenbaum's highly personal writer's journey and his efforts to arrive at the truth. The essays, interviews, and reviews are arranged chronologically and are accompanied by commentary that updates the scholarship. Highlights include Rosenbaum's 1972 interview with Welles about his first Hollywood project, Heart of Darkness; Rosenbaum's rebuttal to Pauline Kael's famous essay "Raising Kane"; detailed essays and comprehensive discussions of Welles's major unfinished work, including two unrealized projects, The Big Brass Ring and The Cradle Will Rock; and an account of Rosenbaum's work as consultant on the 1998 re-editing of Touch of Evil, based on a studio memo by Welles.

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The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood Review

The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood
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The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood ReviewThe Whole Equation is a study in one man's passion for, insight into and knowledge of Hollywood film history. Immediately upon having had the pleasure of hearing David Thomson speak (he was introducing a film that was part of a series inspired by "the Whole Equation") I raced to my nearest bookstore and invested in his latest work. It was money well spent. Thomson is a personable writer whose charm and wit sparkle throughout this book.
He has strong opinions on films and directors that readers will sometimes differ with but maintain a healthy respect for. Thomson backs his attacks with reasons, not the kind of hit and run criticism that some film critics engage in.
"The Whole Equation" is not a straight chronology of Hollywood as Thomson frequently digresses, fast forwards and expands on themes -- always with great results.
There is also a delightful mixture of gossip (how could there not be in a book on Hollywood) which comes across more as history than he-said-she-said. Here is the story of "Chinatown" of Jean Harlow, Irving Thalberg, the black list, Michael Cimino Marlene Dietrich and so much more.
Film lovers we'll be inspired. Inspired to learn even more about the movies and more importantly to want to see particular films whether for the first time or with a new appreciation.
"The Whole Equation" is a thinking person's companion to a life long love of movies.The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood Overview

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World Cinema: Critical Approaches Review

World Cinema: Critical Approaches
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World Cinema: Critical Approaches ReviewAlthough it is required for my International Cinema class at WVState U, I am enjoyably helped by these thorough, brief analyses.World Cinema: Critical Approaches OverviewRanging from pre-1930s Europe to contemporary "Bollywood" musicals, this extensive guide to international film covers areas as diverse as New German, Australian, Indian, and South American cinema. A team of international contributors explains the key arguments and debates involved in the study of world cinema and also provides an overview of the avant-garde, the documentary, and recent technological developments. Featuring illustrations throughout, further reading recommendations, and chapter summaries, World Cinema: Critical Approaches serves as an exceptional text for courses in film and media studies.

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The Film Snob*s Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Filmological Knowledge Review

The Film Snob*s Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Filmological Knowledge
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The Film Snob*s Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Filmological Knowledge ReviewOh yes, I'm one of those "insufferable" chaps this book takes great aim at. And I enjoyed every moment of it. This is a very amusing little book that manages to serve as a surprisingly decent introduction into the names, faces and works that your basic so called "film snob" holds sacred. At the same time, it's also a painfully funny jab at the admittedly elitist world the "film snob" inhabits. The book was so damn accurate that it sometimes hit too close to home.
If you've ever found yourself driving for over two hours to catch that acclaimed film everyone at Cannes was raving about. If the words "The Criterion Collection" causes your pulse to race with excitement. If you've suddenly found yourself friendless because your buddies got sick and tired of you raving about the latest and greatest Cronenberg film. Or if you find yourself in online arguments about why 'French Connection II' is the better film than the original, then this book is for you.
If you have a friend who is all of the above and who forces you to sit "in the third row" on the left when he drags you to a film, this book is the perfect tool that you can use to keep up with him. Or bring him back down to Earth! A nifty little book.
Oh, and by the way Messers Kamp and Levi, you guys are correct. 'Office Space' really does suck!!!The Film Snob*s Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Filmological Knowledge Overview
From the same brain trust that brought you The Rock Snob*s Dictionary, the hilarious, bestselling guide to insiderist rock arcana, comes The Film Snob*s Dictionary, an informative and subversively funny A-to-Z reference guide to all that is held sacred by Film Snobs, those perverse creatures of the repertory cinema. No longer must you suffer silently as some clerk in a "Tod Browning's Freaks" T-shirt bombards you with baffling allusions to "wire-fu" pictures, "Todd-AO process," and "Sam Raimi." By helping to close the knowledge gap between average moviegoers and incorrigible Snobs, the dictionary lets you in on hidden gems that film geeks have been hoarding (such as Douglas Sirk and Guy Maddin movies) while exposing the trash that Snobs inexplicably laud (e.g., most chop-socky films and Mexican wrestling pictures). Delightfully illustrated and handily organized in alphabetical order for quick reference, The Film Snob*s Dictionary is your fail-safe companion in the video store, the cineplex, or wherever insufferable Film Snobs congregate.


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Flicker: A Novel Review

Flicker: A Novel
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Flicker: A Novel ReviewFirst off, I should concede that it's been some time since I last read this book. The operative word here would be "last," since, in general, I don't re-read books of any sort. I have too many. And too many stacked up waiting to be read.
This is the sort of novel of dark designs and subterranean intrigue that Eco was aiming for (and conspicuously missed) with _Foucault's Pendulum_. In the grand, useless tradition of people who describe bands as being "like Lou Reed crossed with Enya," I'll expose this off-the-cuff critique to ridicule by saying that this book is like Pynchon's _Crying Of Lot 49_ minus the humorous names plus a good dose of David Lynch and with a little of the tone of _Dark Secret of Harvest Home_ tossed in to maximize the creepiness. Gee, I think that's officially a rebus. Or a recipe. Take your pick.
I first skimmed this book in a bookstore in 1991, on the recommendation of a friend's boss. Several years later I found a copy and bothered to read it through. This book will pull you in, no doubt about it. I've read it several times since, and there's a sort of network of friends and associates who, having all read it, refer knowingly, with a dark ironic nod and nervous laugh, to "the flicker" or "the Orphans" after seeing a movie like Kubrick's last.
I've lent out three paperback copies. All went missing. I have a hardback copy a friend found at a library's book sale, marked as remaindered from K Mart, of all places. That copy has a Must Return policy attached to it. So far four people have managed to return it. But grudgingly, in some cases.
I intend to start re-reading it this weekend.
Warning: In the first 100 pages or so, Roszak does a lot of scene-setting (in a way that reminded me of Conrad's _Nostromo_), but it's essential scene-setting. This is one (horror?) novel that doesn't bog down.
You read it, you won't look at a movie the same way again. Hackneyed-sounding, but true. I don't know of anyone who has read it who didn't then make nervous jokes about wanting to use Roszak's fictive "sallyrand" on _Dark City_ or _Eraserhead_. And as a paen to the age of actual moviehouses, no Smithsonian article can touch what Roszak's put on paper here.
Join the cult. Get a copy and read it.Flicker: A Novel Overview

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