"Bound to Bond: Gender, Genre, and the Hollywood Romantic Comedy" looks at gender roles in a unique way--by examining what the last thirty years of romantic comedy films have argued, reflected, and implied. Mark Rubinfeld contends that, essentially, we are what we see, and by identifying four basic plots of the genre, representing four basic love stories, he studies the implications of filmic depictions of male/female relationships. Cultural changes that have transformed our society since 1970 are seen here as we see them on the silver screen, and the author analyzes notable examples of the genre with a rigorous sociological perspective.

What he reveals may be surprising: during the seventies and, to an extent, the early eighties, the plot conventions of Hollywood romantic comedy seemed to challenge, rather than reinforce, existing gender stereotypes. Later, however--during what should have been a more enlightened time--the genre reversed course, reverting to more traditional types for men and women alike.

By looking at the interactions between cinema and psychology, Packer offers readers clear and basic insights into some of the most fundamental reasons why film is such an important influence upon our lives today. Movies and the Modern Psyche first describes the basic concepts of psychoanalysis, experimental psychology, behavioral conditioning, and hypnosis, which have all played major roles in the histories of both film and psychiatry. It then goes on to discuss the recent rise in film therapy, drug treatments, treatment for drug abuse, and the closing of asylums, to show how shifts in treatment techniques, theories, and settings are foreshadowed and fossilized by film. Psychology and cinema are kindred cousins, born at the same time and developing together, so that each influences the other. From the mind-controlling villains that occupy early horror films and Cold War thrillers (like Caligari, Mabuse, and The Ipcress File), to the asylums that house numberless political allegories and personal dramas (in Shock Corridor, Spellbound, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Girl Interrupted), to the drugs, phobias, and disorders that pervade so many of our favorite films (including, as a small sample, Vertigo, Night of the Hunter, Psycho, Rainman, Fight Club, Requiem for a Dream, and Batman Begins), there is no escaping either psychology in the movies, or the movies in psychology. By looking at the interactions between cinema and psychology, this book offers readers clear and basic insights into some of the most fundamental reasons why film is such an important influence upon our lives today. Movies and the Modern Psyche first describes the basic concepts of psychoanalysis, experimental psychology, behavioral conditioning, and hypnosis, which have all played major roles in the histories of both film and psychiatry. It then goes on to discuss the recent rise in film therapy, drug treatments, treatment for drug abuse, and the closing of asylums, to show how shifts in treatment techniques, theories, and settings are foreshadowed and fossilized by film.

This guide to Spanish film documents the film industry's interpretation of the isolating effects of the cultural traditionalism of the early twentieth century to the expanding international popularity of such films as Trueba's "Belle Epoque," Aranda's "Amantes," and Bigas Luna's "Jamon, Jamon," and such actors as Victoria Abril, Carmen Maura, and Antonio Banderas. This is the first volume in a new Greenwood series that discusses, historically and critically, films, directors, and actors in film industries throughout the world. Each volume will include a detailed historical introduction and will provide an in-depth treatment of the most important films and individuals involved in the industry. End-of-entry bibliographies provide sources for further reading and appendixes provide additional useful information. The Guides will be valuable to scholars, students, and film buffs.

Spanish cinema is in many ways a microcosm of the tensions and conflicts that have shaped the evolution of the nation over the course of this century. Spanish film as a cultural institution is rarely divorced from the political and social currents that have shaped the larger Spanish culture torn as it was between tendencies of localism and internationalism. It languished in industrial and artistic underdevelopment for many years under Franco; it is now, however, experiencing international recognition while remaining rooted in the specificity of its own popular cultural styles.

The Science of Writing Characters is a comprehensive handbook to help writers create compelling and psychologically-credible characters that come to life on the page. Drawing on the latest psychological theory and research, ranging from personality theory to evolutionary science, the book equips screenwriters and novelists with all the techniques they need to build complex, dimensional characters from the bottom up. Writers learn how to create rounded characters using the 'Big Five' dimensions of personality and then are shown how these personality traits shape action, relationships and dialogue. Throughout The Science of Writing Characters, psychological theories and research are translated into handy practical tips, which are illustrated through examples of characters in action in well-known films, television series and novels, ranging from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and Game of Thrones to The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Goldfinch. This very practical approach makes the book an engaging and accessible companion guide for all writers who want to better understand how they can make memorable characters with the potential for global appeal.

Carole Lombard was among the most commercially successfuly and admired film personalities in Hollywood in the 1930s. Carole Lombard includes a biography which brings to life this vivacious, unconventional woman, who showed fortitude in the face of personal hardships such as the automobile accident that scarred her face at age eighteen. The bibliography that follows is comprehensive in scope, the most ambitious to date; it contains citations for anonymous and attributed magazine articles, books, and films. Full text reprints of a revealing interview for "Motion Picture" magazine and her only published article provide interesting views of Lombard. The never before published Civil Aeronautics Board investigative report of the airplane crash in which she died, fifteen previously unpublished photographs, and detailed examination of many articles, biographies, and film history books that deal with some aspect of her life and/or career make this bio-bibliography an excellent resource.

One of our most formidable literary critics explores how nine women artists flourished creatively in their final acts.

In 2008, academic and scholar Susan Gubar was told by a trusted oncologist that she had only a few years left to live. Though she outlived that dire prognosis, this brush with mortality refocused her attention on the boons of a longevity she did not expect to experience. She began to think: In the last years of our lives, can we shape and change our creative capabilities?

The resulting volume, Grand Finales, answers this question with a resounding yes. Despite the losses generally associated with aging, quite a few writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, and dancers have managed to extend and repurpose their creative energies. Gubar spotlights very creative old ladies: writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, and dancers from the past and in our times.

Each of Grand Finales’ nine riveting chapters features women artists―George Eliot, Colette, Georgia O’Keeffe, Isak Dinesen, Marianne Moore, Louise Bourgeois, Mary Lou Williams, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Katherine Dunham―who transformed the last stage of existence into a rousing conclusion. Gubar draws on their late lives and works to suggest that seniority can become a time of reinvention and renewal. With pizzazz, bravado, and geezer machismo, she counters the discrediting of elderly women and clarifies the environments, relationships, activities, and attitudes that sponsor a creative old age.

During the course of 2020, artist Charlotte Verity made more than 100 watercolour monotypes in response to the plants and flowers growing in her London garden. Echoing Green: The Printed Year is the result of a year’s fierce observation of urban nature. Week by week, through a painter's eye we watch the seasons unfold through technical experimentation, colour and format. Verity’s poetic images are contemplative and spacious, surprising us with their luminosity and intensity of colour. They insist on the enjoyment to be found in simply taking the time to look.

The essays in this collection explore taboo and controversial humour in traditional scripted (sitcoms and other comedy series, animated series) and non-scripted forms (stand-up comedy, factual and reality shows, and advertising) both on cable and network television.  Whilst the focus is predominantly on the US and UK, the contributors also address more general and global issues and different contexts of reception, in an attempt to look at this kind of comedy from different perspectives. Over the last few decades, taboo comedy has become a staple of television programming, thus raising issues concerning its functions and appropriateness, and making it an extremely relevant subject for those interested in how both humour and television work. 

Just to say the name Vivien Leigh invokes two quick images to anyone familiar with motion pictures--Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche DuBois. Yet, Vivien Leigh did not want to be remembered wholly for her screen performances in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. This book is comprised of a biography describing Leigh's life, work, and travels. A chronology contains the important events and dates in her life and the people who were part of it. The stage appearances list cast and crew credits as well as the theater's in which a play was presented and the dates. The filmography, like the stage appearances, provides cast and crew credits and synopses. Molt lists the radio and television appearances, as well as the awards and nominations. Annotated discography and annotated bibliography follow. Assembled separately, posthumous tributes are the firsthand words and memories obtained by the author from those who knew Leigh or are knowledgeable about her. An index completes this excellent addition to Greenwood's Bio-Bibliography in the Performing Arts series.

Providing legal analysis and touching upon social history and art history themes, this work offers an objective review of five art trials. Spanning the last 20 years, specific areas of law are examined with each trial: First and Fifth Amendments, copyright law, contract law, valuation of art, and misrepresentation. Art, outside of the legal vacuum, has been embroiled in a battle initiated by social conservatives to promote decency. Three trials involving this struggle and the National Endowment of the Arts are analyzed. The valuation of art is examined in the context of Andy Warhol's estate and copyright law is considered because of the appropriation of contemporary images by Jeff Koons. Although each trial is reviewed distinctly, all are interwoven to present major issues relating to contemporary art.

Entertaining aspects of each trial contribute to the understanding of art and law. For art students, copyright, contract and constitutional analysis in the context of actual hearings is an invaluable resource outlining afforded protections and options. To scholars interested in contemporary art and its encounters with the law, this text bridges the gap between two seemingly disparate worlds.

For half a century, television spies have been trained professionals, reluctant heroes, housewives, businessmen, criminals, and comedians. They have by turns been glamorous, campy, reflective, sexy, and aloof. This is the first book-length treatment of one of TV's oldest and most fascinating genres. Britton's comprehensive guide provides readers, from casual viewers to die-hard fans, with behind-the-scenes stories to this notable segment of television entertainment. From the early 1960s, in which television spies were used essentially as anti-Communist propaganda, through the subsequent years that both built upon and parodied this model, and finally to today's gadget-laden world of murky motives and complex global politics, spy television has served as much more than mere escapism. From the beginning, television spies opened doors for new kinds of heroes. Women quickly took center stage alongside men, and minority leads in spy programs paved the way for other kinds of roles on the small screen. For half a century, television spies have been trained professionals, reluctant heroes, housewives, businessmen, criminals, and comedians. They have by turns been glamorous, campy, reflective, sexy, and aloof. This is the first book-length treatment of one of TV's oldest and most fascinating genres.

This professional reference provides solid advice to academic and public librarians for managing performing arts collections. The volume is divided into sections on the history of performing arts librarianship, dance collections, film studies collections, music collections, and theater collections. Each chapter is written by one or more expert contributors and presents current and reliable information on collection management. They discuss personnel management, collection development, technical services, public services, the impact of new technologies, facilities management, financial planning, and political considerations. Each chapter closes with references cited in the chapter, and the volume concludes with a valuable selected, annotated bibliography of important background sources and management tools.

This unique work covers the many stage productions of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." The book opens with details of productions of the play during the author's lifetime. The book goes on to give a brief background of Victorian Theater in general and then a discussion of Carroll's own passion as a theatergoer and friend of theatrical personalities.

Interviews with 21 prominent feature film editors highlight this long-overdue look at the role of film editors, the importance of their work, and the nature of their craft. Organized to provide historical continuity and to trace professional collaborations among the subjects, "Selected TakeS" features editors whose credits include such diverse films as "Ben Hur," "The French Connection," "The Godfather," and "E.T."

Each chapter includes a brief introduction to the artist, background information, a filmography of feature-length works, and personal recollections of specific films, producers, and directors, as well as helpful comments on editing techniques. A glossary of terms commonly used in film editing and pertinent references found in the interviews complement the work. Film students, scholars, and educators, as well as film industry professionals and moviegoers, will find "Selected TakeS" both entertaining and instructive.

This bio-bibliography is the first book to examine the life and career of one of Hollywood's most durable leading men, Richard Widmark. Though never considered in the same star category as Burt Lancaster or Gregory Peck, his era, Widmark nonetheless established himself as a dependable and popular leading man in westerns, dramas, adventures, gangster and war films, and by 1984, he had appeared in 62 full-length films. From his earliest days in radio and on stage, to more recent appearances in films and on television, the entire performing arts career of Richard Widmark is chronicled in this volume, and documented with complete bibliographic entries. Respecting Widmark's reputation for privacy, Holston has focused on the public aspect of the actor's career, tracing the abundance of interesting on-screen events that have made up his life. The book begins with a chronology of significant dates and events in Widmark's career and is followed by a biographical sketch. Separate sections cite credits for radio, Broadway stage, film, and television appearances, as well as a complete listing of Widmark works that are available on home video. The book concludes with a lengthy annotated bibliography of works about Widmark, as well as a complete index. A number of illustrations are also included. As the only book devoted exclusively to Richard Widmark, this work will be a valuable resource to film fans and scholars, an important reference for courses on motion picture history and the development of the film industry, and a significant addition to university and public libraries.