This ground-breaking study analyzes Beckett's television plays in relation to the history and theory of television. It argues that they are in dialogue with innovative television traditions connected to Modernism in television, film, radio, theatre, literature and the visual arts.

Using original research from BBC archives and manuscript sources, the book provides new perspectives on the relationships between Beckett's television dramas and the wider television culture of Britain and Europe. It also compares and contrasts the plays for television with Beckett's Film and broadcasts of his theatre work including the recent Beckett on Film season. Chapters deal with the production process of the plays, the broadcasting contexts in which they were screened, institutions and authorship, the plays' relationships with comparable programs and films, and reaction to Beckett's screen work by audiences and critics.

It will be essential reading in literature and drama studies, television historiography and for devotees of Beckett's work.

A search for gold in the mountains of Mexico leads three American prospectors to both treasure and loss in John Huston's screenplay for his acclaimed and much-studied 1948 film. This volume provides the full text of the screenplay with extensive annotations, production and cast credits, a research inventory and frame enlargements that feature Humphrey Bogart, Walter and John Huston and Alfonso Bedoya in their movie roles. James Naremore contrasts the film with the original anticapitalist novel by B. Traven and describes director Huston's art in the historical context of 1940s Hollywood.

Following on from the success of his thriller, Ex Machina, Alex Garland returns to cerebral sci-fi with his adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's cult novel - a tale of a biologist attempting to uncover the mystery of her husband's disappearance into a restricted zone. What she and her fellow scientists discover is a world populated by mysterious life forms that might offer answers, but which exposes them to madness and death. Beside the screenplay, the book also includes 20 pages of behind-the-scenes photos.

This collection includes the complete screenplays of The Princess Bride, Misery, The Marathon Man and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid along with introductory essays to each screenplay by William Goldman.

This study provides the first detailed contrast between the experiences of reading a novel and watching a movie. Kroeber shows how fiction evokes morally inflected imagining, and how movies reveal through magnification of human movements and expression subjective effects of complex social changes.

The Best of Round the Horne stars Kenneth Horne, 'the uncrowned head of the show'; Kenneth Williams, who played Rambling Syd Rumpo, Gruntfuttock, Sandy and Dr. Chou en Ginsberg M.A. (Failed); Hugh Paddick (Charles, Brown-Horrocks, Julian and Lotus Blossom); Betty Marsden (Daphne Whitethigh and terribly, terribly affected Fiona); and Bill Pertwee (Jocelyn Pettibone and two thinly disguised 'send-ups', Seamus Android and Rife Hobertson). Vintage Beeb: classic albums first available as BBC LPs, now on CD for the first time ever. This recording was previously released on LP in 1975, and subsequently on the cassette Round the Horne Volume 1. 1 CD. 45 mins.

Regarded by many critics as Britain's best sitcom, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais' tales of life inside Slade Prison first hit the screens in 1973 and ran until 1977. But it has never faded from the nation's consciousness. Ronnie Barker as Fletch the old lag and Richard Beckinsale as Godber the naive first-time offender are comic creations as fine as any in the history of television. Now, for the first time, Richard Webber has brought together the original scripts from all three series of Porridge to make this the essential souvenir for all the many fans of this much-loved classic comedy.

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 17 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy, including the 1967 Christmas special. Round the Horne arrived on BBC radio in 1965, bringing laughter to Sunday lunchtimes throughout the land. Over the course of sixteen weekly episodes it carved a niche in the history of broadcast comedy, a sketch show which prodded the boundaries of propriety and innuendo. At its heart was the suave and upstanding Kenneth Horne, around which revolved the multiple naughty personas of Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Bill Pertwee. Among the parade of regular characters were Julian and Sandy, the camp couple of resting thespians happy to turn their hands to anything, Rambling Syd Rumbo the musical cordwangler, Fiona and Charles the passionate duo, and J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock - the world's dirtiest man. Meanwhile regular film parodies, spoof sagas and musical interludes peppered the mix. In addition to the 16 episodes of Series Four, this edition also includes the 1967 Christmas special episode Cinderfella and The Bona History of Julian and Sandy, in which Maureen Lipman takes a vada at Round the Horne's most flamboyant omipalonies. Duration: 9 hours approx

Aimed at students and educators across all levels of Higher Education, this agenda-setting book defines what screen production research is and looks like-and by doing so celebrates creative practice as an important pursuit in the contemporary academic landscape. Drawing on the work of international experts as well as case studies from a range of forms and genres-including screenwriting, fiction filmmaking, documentary production and mobile media practice-the book is an essential guide for those interested in the rich relationship between theory and practice. It provides theories, models, tools and best practice examples that students and researchers can follow and expand upon in their own screen production projects.

A rare and fascinating view into the creative process of one of the most notorious, talented and colorful figures of American cinema. When production began in 1928, writer/director Erich von Stroheim predicted the silent epic Queen Kelly would be his greatest cinematic achievement. Within a few weeks, however, the film was behind schedule, over budget, and filled with scenes of such frank eroticism and immorality that it was doubtful the film could ever pass the censors. With the film only partially completed, a frustrated and disgusted producer/star Gloria Swanson eventually shut down production. The demise of Queen Kelly marked the turning point in the career of one of silent cinema's greatest directors, who would never be given another filmmaking opportunity of this scale. The long-awaited publication of the complete screenplay (presented in cooperation with the Gloria Swanson estate) offers a richly detailed picture of von Stroheim's unrealized masterpiece that inarguably would have been one of the last great spectacles of the silent era. In addition to the extensively annotated 230-page shooting script, this volume includes 90 pages from an earlier draft. The original ending is dramatically different from the final version and had been discarded and rewritten by von Stroheim in an effort to cut costs during production. Also included are photographs, full production credits and an introduction detailing the troubled history of this most remarkable film. This book offers a thought-provoking view of the masterpiece that might have been.

From the critically-acclaimed independent filmmaker, Michael Roemer, comes Film Stories: Screenplays as Story, a highly-anticipated first collection of screenplays. Beyond film scripts, Film Stories is designed to help film students master concepts like three-act structure, conflict, surprise, rising action, and crisis, while crafting not only a story, but a story that tells. Volume One contains the screenplays for Nothing But a Man, The Plot Against Harry, Stone My Heart, and Pilgrim, Farewell. Volume One also features a comprehensive introduction entitled "Beginnings," in which Roemer discusses the creation of his screenplays and includes anecdotes on the making and distribution of his films that any screenwriter or filmmaker will find invaluable. Volume Two contains the screenplays for Losing Emily, Famous Long Ago, Mortal Longings, Act of God, and Sad but Funny.

Released in 1943, "Air Force" was immediately hailed as the definitive "patriotic heart-throb in celluloid" that America, engulfed in war and passionately bent on victory, was primed to embrace. Lawrence Suid charts the evolution of this cinematic success in his introduction to the screenplay, tracing the tangled network of artistic, military, and nationalist interests that molded this film and made it, even after the martial fervor had settled, a standard against which all future films about war would be measured.
Throughout the filming, there was tension between the aims of the War Department and those of Howard Hawks. Hawks would ultimately produce more than stilted propaganda: it is the skillfully modulated tension, the ambience of men in war, and the total immersion in action and adventure that make this a Hollywood classic still savored and studied today.

"Juarez "was Warner Brothers' cinematic attempt to answer the major international question of the 1930s: would democracy or dictatorship prevail? Eager to further the foreign policy objectives of its friend Franklin Delano Roosevelt and equally willing to add to its prestigious and profitable biography series, the stuido set a record high budget and assembled special film stock, extensive scholarly research, a loose time schedule, a renowned director, and a stellar cast that included Paul Muni, Brian Aherne, and Bette Davis. The film was meant to be an ideologically clear-cut statement against fascism. The ways in which this artistic propaganda backfired make "Juarez" a significant historical document for students of film, Latin American history, and U.S. foreign relations.

"An accident has occurred. Joe Chip and his colleagues--all but one of them--have narrowly escaped an explosion at a moon base. Or is it the other way round? Did Joe and the others die, and did the one fatality, Glen Runciter, actually survive? . . . From the stuff of space opera, Dick spins a deeply unsettling existential horror story, a nightmare you'll never be sure you've woken up from."--Lev Grossman, "Time"
In 1974, Philip K. Dick was commissioned to write a screenplay based on his novel "Ubik." The film was eventually scrapped, but the screenplay was saved and later published in 1985. Featuring scenes that are not in the book and a surreal playfulness--the style of the writing goes back in time just like the technology in the book's dreamworld--this screenplay is the only one Dick wrote and features his signature mix of paranoia, humor, and big-idea philosophy.

" Dark Victory," released in 1939, was a daring movie for its time. it depicted its heroine, Bette Davis, dying of a brain tumor. The film blended romance and realism so successfully that it is still a model for movies about death and dying today.
Bette Davis drew upon every mood she had ever expressed--insouciance, impatience, anger, passion, acquiescence. She worked hard at the role, reveling in a story that, according to her account, she had actively campaigned for. She also benefited greatly by the professional talents of director Edmund Goulding and screenwriter Casey Robinson and a supporting cast that included Humphrey Bogart.

The 1942 smash musical hit "Yankee Doodle Dandy" has long remained a favorite among audiences and film buffs. Ostensibly the story of "Mr. Broadway"--George M. Cohan-- the movie evolved in its making into one of Warners' trademark "biopics" and a showcase for the singing and dancing talents of James Cagney.

This book includes the complete screenplay.

Learn the secrets to writing a GREAT screenplay from a major Hollywood movie studio Story Analyst who will show you how to BLOW AWAY THE READER Master the structure and principles used by 95% of commercial movies by studying detailed breakdowns, or "Story Maps," of several recent hit movies in all different genres, including The Hangover, The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Juno, The Social Network, Black Swan, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Drag Me To Hell.

"STORY MAPS: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay" cites examples from hundreds of hit films, several television series and includes samples from actual produced screenplays to show you HOW TO DO IT. Detailed lessons on format, capturing voice and tone on the script page and developing great characters with powerful dialogue are SHOWN IN ACTION in classic films such as Sunset Boulevard, The Godfather, Gladiator and As Good As It Gets, to name just a few of the hundreds of great movies analyzed in the book. The book also includes EXCLUSIVE insights from major industry professionals with whom the author has interacted with at events in Los Angeles and New York City, including Robert Zemeckis... the screenwriters of Final Destination, Limitless, Armageddon, Antwone Fisher, Speed, Justified and Blade Runner... Louis C.K.... Elijah Wood... and the President of Production of Columbia Pictures. This approach is simple: you learn from the PROS by studying their work and reading their advice.

This is NOT a formula or just another structure paradigm - it is the view from behind the desk of the people evaluating your screenplay, what they want to read and what they will buy. With all the competition in the Hollywood marketplace, your script can't just be good, it must be GREAT.

"There is a lot of great advice here... Most important, as I read Calvisi s "Story Maps," I was inspired to rethink my current project. And that s what it s all about, right
-SCRIPT MAGAZINE

Daniel Calvisi s "Story Maps" is readable, insightful and exciting. It focuses on the hard work and narrative strategies the screenwriter needs to adopt to write a commercially viable screenplay, and is up to date and strategic in the clearest way. Dan s book will help you do what you must do to succeed with your screenplay.
-Ken Dancyger, best-selling author of "Broadcast Writing, Alternative Scriptwriting" and "Writing the Short Film"

"Loved it Should be required reading in every film school.
-Daniel Fazel, sold screenwriter and VFX Artist ("Alice in Wonderland, Benjamin Button, I Robot")

"Writing a great screenplay is not easy. This book provides a simple way to approach your idea or rewrite for maximum results...and helpful to evaluate your work in whatever stage it's at so you can make necessary improvements that will allow your unique story and vision to shine "
-Laurie Lamson, co-editor "Now Write Screenwriting"

"Dan has a no-nonsense approach to screenplay analysis that cuts through the bull and delivers the goods. A must read for serious screenwriters.
-J. Stephen Maunder, writer/director ("Tiger Claws I, II, III, The Veteran, Shadows in Paradise")

2011 Reprint of 1899 Edition. "The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" was first performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London. It is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satirical treatment of Victorian manners and customs. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make it Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

The "Green Pastures," a 1936 black folk-classic film, has long captured the attentions of audiences both black and white. It is a picture to be appreciated not merely for its entertainment value or cinematic techniques but also for its place in the history of American social change. We are now offered the best guide to our understanding of both, with Thomas Cripps's substantial introduction and learned annotations of the script, along with the accompanying shooting script itself, never before published.

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 16 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy. Round the Horne arrived on BBC radio in 1965, bringing laughter to Sunday lunchtimes throughout the land. Over the course of sixteen weekly episodes it carved a niche in the history of broadcast comedy, a sketch show which prodded the boundaries of propriety and innuendo. At its heart was the suave and upstanding Kenneth Horne, around which revolved the multiple naughty personas of Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Bill Pertwee. Among the parade of regular characters were Julian and Sandy, the camp couple of resting thespians happy to turn their hands to anything, Rambling Syd Rumbo the musical cordwangler, Fiona and Charles the passionate duo, and J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock the world's dirtiest man. Meanwhile regular film parodies, spoof sagas and musical interludes peppered the mix. Round the Horne earned its place in the annals of comedy history, and is fondly remembered today as a groundbreaking series that influenced many more to come. Here the entire first series can be enjoyed once again, along with a PDF booklet featuring cast biographies and a full series history. 8 CDs. 8 hrs 21 mins.

If there is one skill that separates the professional screenwriter from the amateur, it is the ability to rewrite successfully. From Jack Epps, Jr., the screenwriter of Top Gun, Dick Tracy, and The Secret of My Success, comes a comprehensive guide that explores the many layers of rewriting. In Screenwriting is Rewriting, Epps provides a practical and tested approach to organizing notes, creating a game plan, and executing a series of focused passes that address the story, character, theme, structure, and plot issues. Included are sample notes, game plans, and beat sheets from Epps' work on films such as Sister Act and Turner and Hooch. Also featured are exclusive interviews with Academy Award (R) winning screenwriters Robert Towne (Chinatown) and Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon), along with Academy Award (R) nominee Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich).