Sean Connery was one of cinema's most iconic stars. Born to a working-class family in Edinburgh, he held jobs as a milkman and an artist's model before making the move into acting. The role of James Bond earned him global fame, but threatened to eclipse his identity as an actor. This book offers a new perspective on Connery's career. It pays special attention to his star status, while arguing that he was a risk-taking actor who fashioned an impressive body of work. Beginning with Connery's early appearances on stage and television, including well-received performances in Shakespeare and Tolstoy, the book goes on to explore the Bond phenomenon and Connery's long struggle to reinvent himself. An Oscar-winning performance in The Untouchables marked the beginning of a second period of stardom, during which Connery successfully developed the character of the father-mentor. Ten years after his retirement from acting, he was still rated as the most popular British star among American audiences. Exploring how Connery's performances combine to form an all-encompassing screen legend, the book also considers how the actor embodied national identity, both on screen and through his public role as an activist campaigning for Scottish independence. -- .

Science Fiction explores the genre from 1895 to the present day, drawing on examples from over forty countries. It raises questions about the relationship between science fiction, science and technology, and examines the interrelationships between spectacle, narrative and self-reflexivity, paying particular attention to the role of special effects in creating meaning and affect. It explores science fiction s evocations of the sublime, the grotesque, and the camp, and charts the ways in which the genre reproduces and articulates discourses of colonialism, imperialism and neo-liberal globalization. At the same time, "Science Fiction" provides a thorough analysis of the genre s representation of race, class, gender and sexuality, making this text an essential guide for students, academics and film fans alike.

Key films discussed include:

• Le voyage dans la lune (1902)
• 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1916)
• L Atlantide (1921)
• King Kong (1933, 2005)
• Gojira (1954)
• La Jet e (1962)
• The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971)
• Tetsuo (1989)
• Sleep Dealer (2008)
• Avatar (2009)

This book discusses contemporary film in all the main countries of Southeast Asia, and the social practices and ideologies which films either represent or oppose. It shows how film acquires signification through cultural interpretation, and how film also serves as a site of contestations between social and political agents seeking to promote, challenge, or erase certain meanings, messages or ideas from public circulation. A unique feature of the book is that it focuses as much on films as it does on the societies from which these films emerge: it considers the reasons for film-makers taking the positions they take; the positions and counter-positions taken; the response of different communities; and the extent to which these interventions are connected to global flows of culture and capital. The wide range of subjects covered include documentaries as political interventions in Singapore; political film-makers' collectives in the Philippines, and films about prostitution in Cambodia and patriotism in Malaysia, and the Chinese in Indonesia. The book analyses films from Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, across a broad range of productions - such as mainstream and independent features across genres (for example comedy, patriotic, political, historical genres) alongside documentary, classic and diasporic films.

British comedy cinema has been a mainstay of domestic production since the beginning of the last Century and arguably the most popular and important genre in British film history. This edited volume will offer the first comprehensive account of the rich and popular history of British comedy cinema from silent slapstick and satire to contemporary romantic comedy. Using a loosely chronological approach, essays cover successive decades of the 20th and 21st Century with a combination of case studies on key personalities, production cycles and studio output along with fresh approaches to issues of class and gender representation. It will present new research on familiar comedy cycles such as the Ealing Comedies and Carry On films as well as the largely undocumented silent period along with the rise of television spin offs from the 1970s and the development of animated comedy from 1915 to the present. Films covered include: St Trinians, A Fish Called Wanda, Brassed Off, Local Hero, The Full Monty, Four Lions and In the Loop. Contributors: Melanie Bell, Alan Burton, James Chapman, Richard Dacre, Ian Hunter, James Leggott, Sharon Lockyer, Andy Medhurst, Lawrence Napper, Tim O'Sullivan, Laraine Porter, Justin Smith, Sarah Street, Peter Waymark, Paul Wells

For nearly ninety years, Hollywood's brightest stars have favoured the Chateau Marmont as a home away from home. Filled with deep secrets but hidden in plain sight, its evolution parallels the growth of Hollywood itself. Perched above the Sunset Strip like a fairy-tale castle, the Chateau seems to come from another world entirely. An apartment-house-turned-hotel, it has been the backdrop for generations of gossip and folklore: 1930s bombshell Jean Harlow took lovers during her third honeymoon there; director Nicholas Ray slept with his sixteen-year-old Rebel Without a Cause star Natalie Wood; Anthony Perkins and Tab Hunter met poolside and began a secret affair; Jim Morrison swung from the balconies, once nearly falling to his death; John Belushi suffered a fatal overdose in a private bungalow; Lindsay Lohan got the boot after racking up nearly $50,000 in charges in less than two months. Much of what's happened inside the Chateau's walls has eluded the public eye - until now. With wit and prowess, Shawn Levy recounts the wild parties and scandalous liaisons, creative breakthroughs and marital breakdowns, births and untimely deaths that the Chateau Marmont has given rise to. Vivid, salacious and richly informed, the book is a glittering tribute to Hollywood as seen from the suites and bungalows of its most hallowed hotel.

an endeavor to contribute to the burgeoning field of comparative literature, this book explores the understudied "intertextual dialogism" between American literature and Iranian cinema, providing an intertextual link between the two seemingly separate departments of literature and cinema. Foregrounding "the textuality of history, and the historicity of texts", this book contends that literary "texts" are synchronic artifacts prone to myriad intertextual and extra-textual readings and understandings, each historically conditioned. This book pinpoints how Iranian cinema appropriates and recontextualizes instances of modern American literature to construct and inculcate vestiges of national/gender identity on the silver screen. Watching Herzog, Franny and Zooey, The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Death of a Salesman in Iran adds a new intertextual level to their dialogic textuality.

"New Jews'?" is the first comprehensive study of American Jewish identity in Hollywood movies of the new millennium. Despite the argument that we live in a "post-racial" society with supposedly "new" Jewish characters emerging on the big screen, this book details how traditional racial stereotypes of American Jews persist in popular films from the first decade of this century. In clear and readable prose, the book offers an innovative and penetrating look at dozens of American Jewish "meddling matriarchs," "neurotic nebbishes," "pampered princesses," and "scheming scumbags" from 21st century film, whether Hollywood blockbusters like Meet the Fockers and Sex and the City or indie favorites like Garden State and Kissing Jessica Stein. Throughout the book, famous American Jewish characters played by the likes of Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Adam Sandler, and Ben Stiller are discussed, with the ultimate conclusion that movies today are marked less by the emergence of "new Jews" than by the continued - but dynamic and transformed -- presence of the same old stereotypes.

Throw the spookiest soiree of the season with this delightful cookbook and entertaining guide inspired by Tim Burton's iconic film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Is it Halloween? Christmas? Your birthday? No matter the occasion, this book will help you take your next dinner or event from routine to inspired-with a little help from Jack Skellington, Sally, Sandy Claws, and all their friends in Halloween Town. This book is divided into two parts. Part one includes over fifty recipes inspired by the movie-with options for sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian guests. Part two includes detailed planning instructions for several complete The Nightmare Before Christmas-themed parties, including crafts for DIY decorations, activities, favors, and more. Bursting with vibrant photography and free downloadable templates for invitations, decorations, and more, this book is a must-have for fans everywhere.

This book discusses contemporary film in all the main countries of Southeast Asia, and the social practices and ideologies which films either represent or oppose. It shows how film acquires signification through cultural interpretation, and how film also serves as a site of contestations between social and political agents seeking to promote, challenge, or erase certain meanings, messages or ideas from public circulation. A unique feature of the book is that it focuses as much on films as it does on the societies from which these films emerge: it considers the reasons for film-makers taking the positions they take; the positions and counter-positions taken; the response of different communities; and the extent to which these interventions are connected to global flows of culture and capital.

The wide range of subjects covered include documentaries as political interventions in Singapore; political film-makers? collectives in the Philippines, and films about prostitution in Cambodia and patriotism in Malaysia, and the Chinese in Indonesia. The book analyses films from Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, across a broad range of productions ? such as mainstream and independent features across genres (for example comedy, patriotic, political, historical genres) alongside documentary, classic and diasporic films.

This book explores a new character archetype that permeated Soviet film during what became known as the era of Stagnation, a stark period of loneliness, disappointment, and individual despair. This new type of character was neither negative nor positive, but nevertheless systematically undermined Soviet norms of behaviour, hairstyle, dress, lifestyle, and perspective, in stark contrast to Socialist Realism's traditional, positive hero who fought for Soviet values and who vanquished the enemies of socialism. The book discusses a wide range of films from the period, showing how the new antiheroic archetype of Stagnation resonated through a multitude of characters, mostly male, and vividly reflected the realities of Soviet life. The book thereby provides great insight into the lives, outlook, and psychology of citizens in the late Soviet period.

In the wake of the debates over high/low culture distinction spilling into the effective dismantling of the boundary that once separated them, the past decade has seen the explosion of ?bad taste? production on screen. Starting with paracinema or ?badfilm? ? a movement that has grown up around sleazy, excessive, or poorly executed B-movies and has come to encompass disreputable and unworthy films ? this trend has been evident in various formats: on television and in video-art, low-budget and straight to TV films, amateur and home movies. The proliferation of trash on screen can be seen as delivering the final blow to the vexed issue of taste.

More importantly, it prompts a reconsideration of some critical issues surrounding production, circulation, understanding and teaching of ?bad objects? in the media. This collection of essays, written by international film and television scholars, provides detailed critical analysis of the issues surrounding judgements of cultural value and taste, feeling and affect, cultural morals and politics, research methodologies and teaching strategies in the new landscape of ?after taste? media. Addressing global and local developments ? from global Hollywood to Australian indigenous film and television, through auteurs Sergei Eisenstein to Jerry Bruckheimer, on to examples such as Twilight to Sukiyaki Western Django ? the essays in this book offer a range of critical tools for understanding the recent shifts affecting cultural, aesthetic and political value of the moving image.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies.

The film Hero, directed by Zhang Yimou and released in 2002, is widely regarded as the first globally successful indigenous Chinese blockbuster. A big expensive film with multiple stars, spectacular scenery, and astonishing action sequences, it touched on key questions of Chinese culture, nation and politics, and was both a domestic sensation and an international hit. This book explores the reasons for the film's popularity with its audiences, discussing the factors which so resonated with those who watched the film. It examines questions such as Chinese national unity, the search for cultural identity and role models from China's illustrious pre-communist past, and the portrayal of political and aesthetic values, and attitudes to gender, sex, love, and violence which are relatively new to China. The book demonstrates how the film, and China's growing film industry more generally, have in fact very strong international connections, with Western as well as Chinese financing, stars recruited from the East Asian region more widely, and extensive interactions between Hollywood and Asian artists and technicians. Overall, the book provides fascinating insights into recent developments in Chinese society, popular culture and cultural production.

From the macabre world of Guillermo del Toro comes a deliciously twisted take on a traditional seventy-eight-card tarot deck. Designed and illustrated by Tomas Hijo, this deck features sumptuous original artwork inspired by the themes, imagery, and characters of some of del Toro's most popular films, including Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water. Featuring both major and minor arcana, the set also comes with a helpful guidebook explaining each card's meaning, as well as a simple introduction to creating and reading spreads. Packaged in a collectible gift box, this imaginative set is the perfect gift for del Toro collectors and tarot enthusiasts alike.

Alien Vault opens a portal into the making of the legendary film Alien, tracing its path from embryonic concept to fully fledged box office phenomenon. Previously published in 2011, the new edition includes an additional chapter tracing the path of Ridley Scott's return to the Alien saga with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. For 40 years, audiences have been simultaneously captivated and appalled as the spaceship Nostromo is invaded and its crew stalked by a terrifying parasitic creature. From the gore of the infant alien bursting from Kane's chest to the mounting claustrophobia as Ripley discovers the monster has followed her into the escape shuttle, Alien is a chilling masterpiece. Featured herein are: Director Ridley Scott's own annotated storyboards, Polaroids, and script pages The elegant but disturbing concept artwork of H.R. Giger Sketches and construction blueprints for the Nostromo Costume designs by Moebius A treasure trove of never-before-seen photographs of the cast and crew 10 meticulously reproduced artifacts-such as replications of storyboards, a detailed schematic of the Nostromo, early designs of O'Bannon's facehugger concept, and a promotional poster from Japan-enclosed in envelopes, for readers to remove and examine more closely Fully authorized and illustrated throughout, the updated Alien Vault is the ultimate tribute to a film that changed cinema forever.

This book is one of the few textbooks designed to teach advanced Chinese language and culture through film. Uses ACTFL's theoretical framework to design the book: This book includes 10 recently released films with different genres, such as drama, ethical film, romance film, science fiction film, and animation. The themes of the films cover a wide range of Chinese social and cultural issues, like family values, youth culture, love , Chinese parenting styles, challenges faced by migrant workers, etc. Accordingly, students can learn and experience contemporary Chinese society and culture through watching and discussing these films. Teacher-friendly: a wealth of discussion points, including not only pre-class preparation questions, but also in-depth questions for teachers to conduct in-class discussion. These topics provide teachers with a wealth of ideas for classroom teaching, which greatly reduces the teacher's lesson preparation work. Explores the artistic characteristics of films: For each film, the authors provided commentary on film cinematography covering topics like film type, lens type, sound, editing and light in order to allow students to explore and analyse the artistic characteristics of film more systematically.

To win a screen role, an actor must learn to contend with an on-camera audition. Understanding how to make the crucial adjustments to one 's craft that this kind of audition requires is vital to the career of any screen actor.

Auditioning On Camera sets out the key elements of a successful on-camera audition and explains how to put them into practice. Joseph Hacker draws on 35 years of acting experience to guide the reader through the screen auditioning process with an engaging and undaunting approach. Key elements examined include:

• textual analysis
• knowing where to look
• dealing with nerves
• on-camera interviews
• using the environment
• retaining the camera 's focus

The book also features point-by-point chapter summaries, as well as a glossary of acting and technical terms, and is a comprehensive and enlightening resource for screen actors of all levels.

A hero to millions who adored his portrayals of Robin Hood and Fletcher Christian, Errol Flynn (1909-59) lived a life that far surpassed any adventure he ever acted out on screen: exotic travels, criminal exploits, passionate love affairs, violent confrontations, scandals, and international fame. In this highly readable, witty and colourful autobiography, reissued by Aurum Press in B-format using the original uncensored text, Flynn reveals himself and his remarkable life as he did nowhere else.

Cinema and medicine have been inextricably linked since the earliest days of film, with doctors appearing in fictional films before criminals, the clergy or even cowboys. But why have healthcare professionals - often played by major stars - featured so prominently in film history, and what does this have to tell us now? Responding to Alexander, Lenahan and Pavlov's Cinemeducation (Radcliffe, 2005) which focused on the uses of cinema in medical teaching, this book instead examines what film has to say about medicine, its practitioners, and their cultural meaning. Drawing on a miscellany of films from the dawn of cinema to the 2000s, from horror and westerns to war films and art cinema, and informed by a film and cultural studies-based approach, this will be a valuable text for students of medical or film history, researchers in the medical humanities, and medical practitioners with an interest in the portrayal and cultural representation of their profession.

A one-of-a-kind miniature replica of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for fans and collectors of Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Kit includes:

- 4 x 3-inch molded collectible replica of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with flickering light feature

- 16-page sticker book with 8 Hogwarts-related full-color photographs from the Harry Potter films

Margaret Rutherford was without a doubt one of Britain' s best-loved comic actresses. But behind the kindly, serene front Rutherford presented to the world lay a life of trauma and repeated nervous breakdown - the legacy of the legacy of family tragedy that saw her father murder her grandfather during a bout of mental illness and her depressive mother later kill herself. Andy Merriman' s acclaimed biography intrigued and shocked readers with these revelations when it was published in hardback. Now out in paperback, it is also a portrait of one of our most individual actresses. Rutherford appeared in such thoroughly English classics as Blithe Spirit, The importance of Being Earnest, Passport to Pimlico and I' m All Right, Jack! But above all she was Miss Marple, in four films - and entirely created for the screen the role of Agatha Christie' s elderly and fearless private detective that subsequent actresses like Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan have continued. Rutherford first played Miss Marple at the age of 70, and insisted on wearing her own clothes to feel right in the part. Above all, this was a vulnerable woman whom no-one failed to like and respect, notable again and again for quiet acts of kindness, whose life story has great appeal to everyone who appreciates both classic English comedy and simple human decency.

Dave Saunders? spirited introduction to documentary covers its history, cultural context and development, and the approaches, controversies and functions pertaining to non-fiction filmmaking. Saunders examines the many methods by which documentary conveys meaning, whilst exploring its differing societal purposes.

After a historical consideration of international documentary production, the author examines the impact of recent technological developments on the production, distribution and viewing of non-fiction. In addition, he explores the increasingly hazy distinctions between factual and dramatic formats, discussing ?reality television?, the ?docu-drama?, and less orthodox approaches including animated and fantastical representations of reality.

Documentary encompasses a broad range of academic discourse around non-fiction filmmaking, introducing readers to the key filmmakers, major scholars, central debates and critical ideas relating to the form. This wide-ranging guidebook features global releases from the 1920s through to 2009, and includes films such as:

• Nanook of the North (1922)
• The Man with the Movie Camera (1929)
• Night Mail (1936)
• Night and Fog (1955)
• Primary (1960)
• Roger and Me (1989)
• Tarnation (2003)
• My Winnipeg (2006)
• Sicko (2007)
• Waltz With Bashir (2008)
• Say My Name (2009)
• Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009)

Drew Struzan has created some of the most iconic movie poster images of the last 30 years, from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to "Star Wars: Episode III". This is the first book to cover his movie work in depth. Featuring over 300 pieces of artwork, including previously unseen poster art for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Hellboy II", this is a treat for movie buffs and artists alike.

Making movies is no different than any other creative work - don't wait to be told you're good enough, just pick up a camera and start Use this book to find out the essentials that work for most people, then go ahead and add your own ideas.

Stand-Out Shorts is a distillation of the basics you need to know, packed into a small space. Road-tested by emerging filmmakers like you, this book offers real experience, real interviews and tried and tested ideas and techniques to offer the simplest, most direct way to get started making movies. Loaded with check lists, tools, handy reference charts, this book covers just what you need to know to start: nothing more, nothing less.

When it comes to producing, no one speaks with more authority than Lloyd Kaufman, founder of the longest-running independent film studio, Troma Entertainment. He reveals the best ways to seek out investors, scout locations, hire crew and cast talent, navigate legalities, and stay within your budget. Featuring tips from some of the finest producers in the business (Mark Damon, James Gunn, Mark Harris, Tery Jones, Brad Kevoy, Stepehn Paul, and more!) , this book gives filmmakers practical tools for getting a movie shoot started, keeping it afloat and seeing it through to the end. Candid interviews, tips, tricks, and tidbits scattered throughout the book illustrate the many techniques you can employ to produce your own damn movie-Lloyd Kaufman shows you how it's really done. This volume reveals the secrets of producing a low-budget independent film. Covering everything about production from the initial movie idea, all the way through pre-production and up to the first day of principal photography (including budgeting concerns to production-damaging acts of God), you'll get the inside track to producing your own damn movie. Produce Your Own Damn Movie! will be your step-by-step guide on the journey to: * Maximize production values with a minimal budget * Scout locations * Different producing models * Develop business plans * Pre-selling your movie Hysterical in tone, filmmakers and producers won't be able to put this book down. Produce Your Own Damn Movie! is the second volume in the Focal Press series Your Own Damn Film School. Check out the first volume in the series, Direct Your Own Damn Movie!

'The Documentary Handbook is mandatory reading for those who want a critical understanding of the place of factual formats in today's exploding television and media industry, as well as expert guidance in complex craft skills in order to fully participate. The practical advice and wisdom here is second to none.' - Tony Steyger, Principal Lecturer, Southampton Solent University, UK The Documentary Handbook is a critical introduction to the documentary film, its theory and changing practices. The book charts the evolution of documentary from screen art to core television genre, its metamorphosis into many different types of factual TV programme and its current emergence in forms of new media. It analyses those pathways and the transformation of means of production through economic, technical and editorial changes. The Documentary Handbook explains the documentary process, skills and job specifications for everyone from industry entrants to senior personnel, and shows how the industrial evolution of television has relocated the powers and principles of decision-making. Through the use of professional Expert Briefings it gives practical pointers about programme-making, from research, developing and pitching programme ideas to their production and delivery through a fast-evolving multi-platform universe.