This is an anthology representing the best of papers presented at the 31st Comparative Drama Conference (Los Angeles, California). A three-day event, the conference drew 161 scholars from all over the world.This volume features 16 research papers, a roundtable discussion, review essay, and six book reviews. The papers included here present research about the Chicano Theatre, America's Vietnam War and 9/11 in the French Theatre, Actresses and Modern Hamlet, the Asian Theatre and 12 others. The roundtable discussion is on the future of dramatic literature in the academy. Reviews of selected books are also included.

Hitler and the Nazis saturated their country with many types of propaganda to convince the German citizenry that the Nazi ideology was the only ideology. As Joseph Goebbels, who was in charge of propaganda for Nazi Germany, said, ""The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it."" One type of propaganda that the Nazis relied on heavily was cinematic.This work focuses primarily on Nazi propaganda feature films and feature-length documentaries made in Germany between 1933 and 1945 and released to the public. Some of them were Staatsauftragsfilme, films produced by order of and financed by the Third Reich. The films are arranged by subject and then alphabetically, and complete cast and production credits are provided for each. Short biographies of actors, directors, producers, and others who were involved in the making of Nazi propaganda films are also provided.

Popular American films are replete with story lines which involve the father-son relationship, often as the pivotal conflict or dragon which a hero must overcome to achieve success. Sometimes these conflicts are straightforward; other times they are projections of the central character's unconscious becoming conscious - in essence a modern form of myth.These American 'filmmyths' serve as a visual means to project the psyche in an entertaining and easily accessible manner. Focusing on mythic structure, this volume explores twelve popular movies that deal with various aspects of the father-son relationship including the process of becoming a father, absent fathers, the rite of passage, and the turmoil between fathers and adolescents. The films examined include ""The Wizard of Oz"", ""Back to the Future"", ""Stand By Me"", ""Red River"", ""City Slickers"", ""North by Northwest"", ""E.T. the Extraterrestrial"", ""Field of Dreams"", ""Lone Star"", ""The Lion King"", ""Jurassic Park"" and ""The Searchers"".

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the name DuMont was synonymous with the new medium of television. Many people first watched TV on DuMont-brand sets, the best receivers money could buy. More viewers enjoyed their first programs on the DuMont network, which was established in 1946. This book examines DuMont's programs and personalities.

Often forgotten among the actors, directors, producers and others associated with filmmaking, art directors are responsible for making movies visually appealing to audiences. As such they sometimes make the difference between a hit and a bomb.This biographical dictionary includes not only the world's great and almost-great artists, but the unjustly neglected film designers of the past and present. Among the more than 300 art directors and designers are pioneers from silent films, designers from Hollywood and Europe's Golden Ages, Asian figures, post - Golden Age personalities, leaders of the European and American New Waves, and many contemporary designers. Each entry consists of biographical information, an analysis of the director's career and important films, and an extensive filmography including mentions of Academy Award nominations and winners.

A Moon for the Misbegotten is one of Eugene O'Neill's most frequently revived works, and major American revivals of the play have been instrumental in securing its esteemed position in theater history. While the play's landmark production in 1973 is largely regarded as the moment when it finally achieved greatness, its 60-year production history also includes several regional productions and Broadway revivals.This work provides a complete production history of ""A Moon for the Misbegotten"", from the play's original Theatre Guild production in 1947 to its most recent Broadway revival in 2007. Throughout the study, the author provides the inside story on the play's often rocky transition from the page to the stage, including detailed looks at initial casting difficulties and several controversies over censorship.

The volume is dedicated to the work of Jenny Saville (Cambridge, 1970), one of the greatest contemporary painters and a leading voice in the international art scene. Saville transcends the limits between figurative and abstract, between informal and gestural, managing to transfigure the news into a universal image, which puts the human figure at the center of the history of art. Huge, naked bodies, with a carnal physicality and oppressed by a weight that is more existential than material, Saville is linked to the great European pictorial tradition in constant comparison with the modernism of Willem de Kooning and Cy Twombly and the portraiture of Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon. Her work also outlines a strong correlation with the masters of the Italian Renaissance, in particular with some of Michelangelo’s great masterpieces.  The volume contains a rich catalogue of paintings and drawings from the 1990s to today.

This collection of essays examines popular forms of dance in the Balkan nations, including detailed studies on the history and development of dance in Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, and Greece, among other nations. The essays address the ways in which ethnic and national identity constitutes an important aspect of the performance of Balkan dance, whether by state folk dance ensembles or immigrant groups in other countries. Several essays also examine the unique popularity that Balkan dances and music have found among American audiences, with special attention paid to the work of international folk dancer, Dick Crum in promoting Balkan dance within the United States.

Throughout nineteenth century America, religious officials often condemned the dramatic theatre as an inversion of the house of God, similar to the church in architectural structure and organization but wholly different in purpose and values. This book explores the many ways in which religious institutions have had a profound effect on the development of American theatre. The author analyzes the church's critical view toward common theatre practices, including the use of female and child performers and the inherently uncontrollable nature of the stage. Three appendices provide period correspondence concerning the church's impact on the theatre, including an excerpt from Mark Twain's February 1871 ""Memoranda,"" in which Twain criticizes an Episcopalian reverend for denying church burial to a popular stage comedian.

Where intervention programs such as D.A.R.E. and "Scared Straight" have failed to adequately address the problems of at-risk teenagers, inexpensive and easily-implemented after school theatre programs may offer promising new possibilities. This book suggests that low-cost, non-coercive theatre programs can demonstrably lower the incidence of youth violence, drug use, teen pregnancy, truancy, and gang membership. The author considers the problems facing today's teenagers, discusses the history of using theatre for social change in the United States and Britain, and takes an in-depth look at three U.S. theatre programs. An appendix provides an alphabetical directory of 106 after school theatre programs in the U.S., including contact information and a brief description of each program.

In 1954 NBC President Pat Weaver introduced "spectaculars"??????lavish entertainment shows designed to bring a new dimension to television. Though special programs had been around since 1939, Weaver's effort heralded a new age, with programs ranging from variety shows with big name hosts (Judy Garland, Cher, Perry Como, Bob Hope, for instance) through animated holiday specials and outstanding dramas to acclaimed children's programming. This is "the" guide to 3,197 entertainment specials, 1939 to 1993, that were broadcast on network, cable or syndicated television. For each show the cast, including guest stars and announcer, is provided. Also included are comprehensive production credits (director, producer, writer and music), dates aired, networks and running times, and program synopses.

As a screenwriter, novelist, and political activist, Dalton Trumbo stands among the key American literary figures of the 20th century - he wrote the classic antiwar novel ""Johnny Got His Gun"", and his credits for ""Spartacus"" and ""Exodus"" broke the anticommunist blacklist that infected the movie industry for more than a decade. By defining connections between Trumbo's most highly acclaimed films (including ""Kitty Foyle"", ""Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo"", and ""Roman Holiday"") and his important but lesser-known movies (""The Remarkable Andrew"", ""He Ran All the Way"", and ""The Boss""), the author identifies how for nearly four decades Trumbo used the archetype of the rebel hero to inject social consciousness into mainstream films. This new critical survey - the first book-length work on Trumbo's screenwriting career - examines the scores of films on which Trumbo worked and explores the techniques that made him, at the time he was blacklisted in 1947, Hollywood's highest-paid writer. Hanson reveals how Trumbo dealt with major themes including rebellion, radical politics, and individualism - while also detailing lesser-known areas of Trumbo's screenwriting, such as his troubling portrayal of women, the dichotomy between his proletarian attitude and bourgeois lifestyle, and the almost surreptitious manner in which he included antiestablishment rhetoric in seemingly innocuous scripts. An extensive filmography is included.

This work explores the many ways in which the developing film industry of the early twentieth century influenced the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald, focusing specifically on his novels This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night," and the incomplete The Last Tycoon. The Beautiful and the Damned is also discussed briefly. Early chapters examine Fitzgerald's literary adaptation of visual film techniques (pans, freeze frames, slow motion) and aural cinematic concepts (sound effects, diegetic sound) within his most popular novels. The final chapter summarizes the effect such techniques had in augmenting and defining Fitzgerald's unique literary style.

This traditional auteurist survey closely examines the films of director John Frankenheimer, assessing the thematic and stylistic elements of such films as ""The Iceman Cometh"", ""The Manchurian Candidate"", and ""The Bird Man of Alcatraz"". It begins with a complete overview of Frankenheimer's life and career. A chronology lists production history details for each of his films, and a comprehensive biography draws attention to Frankenheimer's early artistic development. Subsequent chapters categorize his films by genre and theme, examining each film through analytical critiques and plot synopses. Multiple appendices include an analysis of Frankenheimer's short films ""Maniac at Large"" and ""Ambush"", a complete filmography, and a suggested reading list.

Profitable, relatively inexpensive to produce, and with a faithful built-in audience, Hollywood horror franchise films have long dominated the market for generic feature film productions. This work examines the significant effects, good and bad, that the horror franchise genre has had on the careers of several American film directors, including Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street), Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), and Joe Berlinger (Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows). A comprehensive bibliography is included, along with an extensive alphabetical filmography of popular horror franchise films.

Operating outside the commercial boundaries of Hollywood cinema, alternative and independent filmmakers have much to offer the discriminating viewer. Yet they struggle for a place in the popular culture, and even more for recognition by the scholarly community. The specific aim of this book is to provide much-needed critical examination of titles, particularly those by British filmmakers. In-depth commentary from such acclaimed writers as Maitland McDonagh, Jasper Sharp, Johannes Schonherr and Marcus Stiglegger considers filmmakers who work at the very heart of the independent medium, giving the reader specific insight into alternate cinema and the struggles its filmmakers endure. Featured are interviews with both rising and established filmmakers, including the infamous Guy Maddin and Herschell Gordon Lewis. Finally, this collection of interviews and essays boasts a 20th anniversary retrospective on the British cult classic The Company of the Wolves, complete with an exclusive interview with director Neil Jordan.

With a ballet career spanning well over eight decades, legendary dancer Frederic Franklin remains one of the twentieth century's great ballet stars. This biography, rich with original interviews, covers his entire career from young dance student in the early 1920s to his most recent position as choreographer with Britain's Royal Ballet in November 2004. Each chapter covers a different period of Franklin's life, including the peak of his performing career as a principal dancer with the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, his legendary professional partnership with Alexandra Danilova, and his role in introducing ballet to millions of Americans during World War II.

Although Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are culturally distinct, they share a common theatre history characterized by resistance, first as a response to Nazi occupation, then as an ideological weapon countering their annexation under strict Soviet ideology. This comprehensive overview of contemporary theatre in the Baltic states includes interviews with major directors, writers, academics and critics, critiques of significant performances, and historical information to familiarize readers with the region. It not only discusses the political ramifications of the three countries' transition from occupied Soviet states to independent members of the European Union, but also addresses the aesthetic, cultural and national issues associated with the move to independence and the adaptation of a Western economic model. More than an introduction, this book is a forum for ideas as well as a detailed, first-hand account of the current scene in Baltic theatre. While useful for anyone interested in contemporary theatre, it is also essential reading for those interested in Baltic studies, post - Soviet cultural history, and recent trends in East European literature.

The march of the monster movie makers continues in Tom Weaver's ninth book of in-depth interviews with the men and women who made the horror and sci-fi favorites of the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Actors (including Mike Connors, Brett Halsey, Natalie Trundy and Richard Kiel), writers, producers and directors recall legendary genre figures Lugosi, Chaney, Jr., Tod Browning and James Whale; films ranging in quality from ""The Thing"" to ""Macumba Love"" and ""Eegah""; behind-the-scenes tales of cult TV series (""Twilight Zone"", ""Batman"", ""Lost in Space"", more) and serials; and, of course, the usual barrage of outlandish movie menaces, this time including the ""Fly"", ""Flesh Eaters"", ""Monolith Monsters"", ape men, voodoo women and spider babies! - and all in the candid, no-holds-barred style that has made Weaver ""king of the interviewers"" (""Classic Images"")!

From a hotel in Marrakech in The Man Who Knew Too Much, to small-town Alabama in To Kill a Mockingbird, to Mission Control in Space Cowboys, creating a fictional, yet wholly believable world in which to film a movie has been the passion and life's work of Henry Bumstead, one of Hollywood's most celebrated production designers. In a career that has spanned nearly seventy years, Bumstead has worked on more than one hundred movies and television films. His many honors include Academy Awards for Art Direction for To Kill a Mockingbird and The Sting, as well as nominations for Vertigo and The Unforgiven.

This popularly written and extensively illustrated book tells the intertwining stories of Henry Bumstead's career and the evolution of Hollywood art direction. Andrew Horton combines his analysis of Bumstead's design work with wide-ranging interviews in which Bumstead talks about working with top directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, George Roy Hill, Robert Mulligan, and Clint Eastwood, as well as such stars as Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Jerry Lewis, and James Cagney. Numerous production drawings, storyboards, and film stills illustrate how Bumstead's designs translated to film. This portrait of Bumstead's career underscores an art director's crucial role in shaping the look of a film and also tracks the changes in production design from the studio era through location shooting to today's use of high-tech special effects.

H.R. Pufnstuf, ""Lidsville"", ""Sigmund and The Sea Monsters"", ""Land of the Lost"": For a generation of children growing up in the late sixties and early seventies, these were some of the most memorable shows on Saturday morning television. At a time when television cartoons had lost some of their luster, two puppeteers named Sid and Marty Krofft put together a series of shows that captivated children. Using colorful sets and mysterious lands full of characters that had boundless energy, the Kroffts created a new form of children's television, rooted in the medium's earliest shows but nevertheless original in its concept. This work first provides a history of the Kroffts' pretelevision career, then offers discussions of their 11 Saturday morning shows. Complete cast and credit information is enhanced by interviews with many of the actors and actresses, behind-the-scenes information, print reviews of the series, and plot listings of the individual episodes. ""The H.R. Pufnstuf"" feature film, the brothers' other television work, and their short-lived indoor theme park are also detailed.

As the media have increasingly become the lens through which we see the world, media styles have shaped even the fine arts, and contemporary theatre is particularly indebted to mass media's dramatic influence. In order to stay culturally and financially viable, theatre producers have associated theatrical productions and their promotion with film, television, and the Internet by adopting new theatrical practices that mirror the form and content of mass communication. This work demonstrates how mediatization, or the adoption of the semantics and the contexts of mass media, has changed the way American theatre is produced, performed, and perceived. Early chapters use works like Robert Wilson's 3D digital opera ""Monsters of Grace"" and Thecla Schophorst's digitally animated ""Bodymaps"" to demonstrate the shifting nature of live performance. Critical analysis of the interaction between the live performer and digital technology demonstrates that the use of media technology has challenged and changed traditional notions of dramatic performance. Subsequent discussion sustains the argument that theatre has reconfigured itself to access the economic and cultural power of the media. Final chapters consider the extent to which mediatization undermines theatrical authorship and creativity.

Mention famous film directors and the name of Alfred Hitchcock is bound to come up. Not only were Hitchcock's films innovative and unique, they were also entertaining, captivating critics and audiences alike. He had a gift for turning the familiar into the unfamiliar, the mundane into the unexpected. With a penchant for planning the entire movie before the first day of filming began - a story board approach he shared with only one other director, Walt Disney - he was renowned for his relaxed directing style which resulted in an excellent report with his actors. Even today, decades later, Hitchcock's films stand as sterling examples of innovative technique, literally overflowing with meaning which only repeated viewing can reveal. Encompassing the scope of Alfred Hitchcock's fifty-three film career, this volume contains a comprehensive analysis of the director's greatest films, including behind-the-scene insights into the film and television industry. It examines Hitchcock's effective use of lighting and expert manipulation of the camera as a vehicle of cinematic expression. Movies such as ""The Birds"", ""Shadow of a Doubt"", ""Psycho"", and ""Rear Window"" are evaluated from a psychiatric point of view, emphasizing the ways in which Hitchcock pulled his audience into his films, often inviting them to fill in the blanks. Interviews with those who knew Hitchcock personally and quotes from the master filmmaker himself demonstrate the ways in which the director was often just as intriguing as his films.

"The power to influence our concept of style lies in the hands of designers in television. Most people today can recognize 'a look' that a character projects. Steed and Emma Peel [of The Avengers] were the first to convey 'a look, ' and their designers should be saluted. At the heart of this book lies the story of how the look came about." -- Madeline Ann Kozlowski, Professor of Drama, University of California, Irvine, and Emmy Award-winning costume designer for Pryor's Place

From the alien worlds of Star Trek to the realistic operating room of ER, the design of sets and costumes contributes not only to the look and mood of television shows, but even more importantly to the creation of memorable characters. Yet, until now, this crucial aspect of television creativity has received little critical attention, despite the ongoing interest in production design within the closely allied discipline of film studies.

In this book, Piers Britton and Simon Barker offer a first analytical study of scenic and costume design for television drama series. They focus on three enduringly popular series of the 1960s-- The Avengers, The Prisoner, and Doctor Who-- and discuss such topics as the sartorial image of Steed in The Avengers, the juxtaposition of picturesque and fascistic architecture in The Prisoner, and the evolution of the high-tech interior of Doctor Who's TARDIS. Interviews with the series' original designers and reproductions of their original drawings complement the authors' analysis, which sheds new light on a variety of issues, from the discourse of fashion to that of the heritage industry, notions of "Pop" and retro, and the cultural preoccupation with realism andvirtual reality.