The story of an immortal Scottish warrior battling evil down through the centuries, Highlander fused a high-concept idea with the kinetic energy of a pop promo pioneer and Queen's explosive soundtrack to become a cult classic. When two American producers took a chance on a college student's script, they set in motion a chain of events involving an imploding British film studio, an experimental music video director still finding his filmmaking feet, a former James Bond with a spiralling salary, and the unexpected arrival of low-budget production company, Cannon Films. Author Jonathan Melville looks back at the creation of Highlander with the help of more than 60 cast and crew, as they talk candidly about the gruelling shoot that took them from the back alleys of London, to the far reaches of the Scottish Highlands, and onto the mean streets of 1980s New York City. With insights from Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor on the film's iconic music, exclusive screenwriter commentary on unmade scripts, never-before-seen photos from private collections, and a glimpse into the promotional campaign that never was. If there can be only one book on Highlander then this is it!

An officially licensed collectible replica of the unforgettable mandrake root from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's herbology class. Complete with sound of the plant's cry, this is a perfect gift for fans of the Wizarding World. * SPECIFICATIONS: Mini replica of the mandrake potted plant; Plays audio of mandrake cry when pulled up from the pot; Measures 3 inches * AUTHENTIC AUDIO: Includes mandrake cry as heard in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets * IDENTIFICATION CARD INCLUDED: An illustrated description card provides essential information on the mandrake * PERFECT GIFT: A unique gift for fans of the wizarding world * OFFICIALLY LICENSED: Authentic collectible

Go under the hood of Batman's iconic vehicle in this user's manual for the Batmobile. Ever since its first appearance in the pages of Detective Comics back in 1939, the Batmobile has captured the imaginations of fans around the world, becoming an essential component of the Dark Knight's crime-fighting arsenal. This user's manual reveals the secrets behind the most iconic versions of the Batmobile across decades of comics and films, giving readers a never-before-seen look at the most beloved vehicle in pop culture. Featuring detailed cutaways, schematics, blueprints, and more, this book is full of original art, giving fans the most detailed exploration of the Batmobile to date. A definitive volume, Batmobile Owner's Manual examines the vehicle's many iterations throughout Batman's history, from films such as Batman (1989), The Dark Knight Trilogy, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, to graphic novels including The Dark Knight Returns and the most current run of Batman comics. An immersive, must-have collectible, Batmobile Owner's Manual will reveal the technological wonders behind the most awe-inspiring, powerful, and feared vehicle in Gotham City.

Let the spooky citizens of Halloween Town guide your tarot practice with this sumptuously illustrated tarot deck inspired by Tim Burton's classic animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Disney's iconic holiday film The Nightmare Before Christmas is now an enchanting tarot set, offering a frightful-but-friendly take on the traditional 78-card deck. This set features all your favorite characters from Jack Skellington to Mr. Oogie Boogie to Sandy Claws himself in gorgeous original illustrations based on classic tarot iconography. Featuring both major and minor arcana, the set also comes with a helpful guidebook explaining each card's meaning, as well as simple spreads for easy readings. Packaged in a sturdy, decorative gift box, this hauntingly charming tarot deck is the perfect gift for the The Nightmare Before Christmas fan or tarot enthusiast in your life.

Intended for students and children taking part in speech and drama competitions and exams, this book contains a range of audition speeches. It includes female, male and unisex speeches selected from both plays and children's books. Where relevant the author has indicated how a speech could be shortened for younger children. There is also an introductory section with contributions from Alan Ayckbourn, Carol Schroder (teacher and examiner for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), Richard Carpenter (TV writer) and Ed Wilson (Director of the National Youth Theatre) and senior casting directors for the RSC, TV and film. This edition has been freshly revised to include 10 new speeches from well known recent productions as well as children's books including Harry Potter. 'A superb compilation' Amateur Stage

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "South Pacific" has remained a mainstay of the American musical theater since it opened in 1949, and its powerful message about racial intolerance continues to resonate with twenty-first century audiences.
Drawing on extensive research in the Rodgers and the Hammerstein papers, including Hammerstein's personal notes on James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, Jim Lovensheimer offers a fascinating reading of "South Pacific" that explores the show's complex messages and demonstrates how the presentation of those messages changed throughout the creative process. Indeed, the author shows how Rodgers and especially Hammerstein continually refined and softened the theme of racial intolerance until it was more acceptable to mainstream Broadway audiences. Likewise, Lovensheimer describes the treatment of gender and colonialism in the musical, tracing how it both reflected and challenged early Cold War Era American norms. The book also offers valuable background to the writing of "South Pacific," exploring the earlier careers of both Rodgers and Hammerstein, showing how they frequently explored serious social issues in their other works, and discussing their involvement in the political movements of their day, such as Hammerstein's founding membership in the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League. Finally, the book features many wonderful appendices, including two that compare the original draft and final form of the classic songs "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair" and "I'm In Love With a Wonderful Guy."
Thoroughly researched and compellingly written, this superb book offers a rich, intriguing portrait of a Broadway masterpiece and the era in which it was created.

Since the publication of his foundational work, Visionary Film, P. Adams Sitney has been considered one of our most eloquent and insightful interlocutors on the relationship between American film and poetry. His latest study, The Cinema of Poetry, emphasizes the vibrant world of European cinema in addition to incorporating the author's long abiding concerns on American avant-garde cinema. The work is divided into two principal parts, the first dealing with poetry and a trio of films by Dimitri Kirsanoff, Ingmar Bergman, and Andrei Tarkovsky; the second part explores selected American verse with American avant-garde films by Stan Brakhage, Ken Jacobs, and others. Both parts are linked by Pier Paolo Pasolini's theoretical 1965 essay "Il cinema di poesia" where the writer/director describes the use of the literary device of "free indirect discourse," which accentuates the subjective point-of view as well as the illusion of functioning as if without a camera. In other words, the camera is absent, and the experience of the spectator is to plunge into the dreams and consciousness of the characters and images presented in film. Amplifying and applying the concepts advanced by Pasolini, Sitney offers extended readings of works by T. S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, and Charles Olson to demonstrate how modernist verse strives for the "camera-less" illusion achieved in a range of films that includes Fanny and Alexander, Stalker, Lawrence Jordan's Magic, and several short works by Joseph Cornell.

This officially licensed, finely detailed light-up collectible replica of the crystal ball from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's divination class is a perfect gift for fans of the Wizarding World. * SPECIFICATIONS: Mini crystal ball set on an intricately designed elephant base; ball and base are approximately 3 inches tall * LIGHTS UP: Ball illuminates when light switch is turned on * BOOK INCLUDED: Set includes mini book of quotes and behind-the-scenes information from the Harry Potter films, featuring full-color photography throughout * PERFECT GIFT: A unique gift for fans of the wizarding world * OFFICIALLY LICENSED: Authentic collectible

This grimoire from the baddest witch around will teach potential slayers and aspiring wiccans everything they'll ever need to know about magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Every good witch has a grimoire, and Willow Rosenberg is no exception. The Official Grimoire is the first and only truly comprehensive collection of every magical moment from all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, humorously narrated by beloved resident witch Willow Rosenberg. Completely illustrated and annotated by the rest of the gang, this book of spells is a unique keepsake for fans of the Buffy-verse and an incredible celebration of the show's 20-year legacy.

The introduction of film study or analysis into the school curriculum along with the presentation of courses on the art of cinema at several universities and universities of technology, has led to more and more students becoming cinema literate. Movies made easy is a guideline for students who want to discover or rediscover the joys of cinema, while focusing on important elements such as editing, subtext, directing and irony in a film. This is an update of Seeing sense - on film analysis, but provides greater balance between classic and contemporary films, and South African films and Hollywood blockbusters.

Tarot cards have been around since the Renaissance and have become increasingly popular in recent years, often due to their prevalence in popular culture. While Tarot means many different things to many different people, the cards somehow strike universal chords that can resonate through popular culture in the contexts of art, television, movies, even comic books. The symbolism within the cards, and the cards as symbols themselves, make Tarot an excellent device for the media of popular culture in numerous ways. They make horror movies scarier. They make paintings more provocative. They provide illustrative structure to comics and can establish the traits of television characters. The Cards: The Evolution and Power of Tarot begins with an extensive review of the history of Tarot from its roots as a game to its supposed connection to ancient Egyptian magic, through its place in secret societies, and to its current use in meditation and psychology. This section ends with an examination of the people who make up today's tarot community. Then, specific areas of popular culture-art, television, movies, and comics-are each given a chapter in which to survey the use of Tarot. In this section, author Patrick Maille analyzes such works as Deadpool, Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman, Disney's Haunted Mansion, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, The Andy Griffith Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and King of the Hill. The cards are evocative images in their own right, but the mystical fascination they inspire makes them a fantastic tool to be used in our favorite shows and stories.

How are we to understand the actor's work as a fully embodied process? 'Embodied cognition' is a branch of contemporary philosophy which attempts to frame human understanding as a fully embodied interaction with the environment. Engaging with ideas of contemporary significance from neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, and philosophy, Why Do Actors Train? challenges outmoded mind/body dualistic notions that permeate common conceptions of how actors work. Theories of embodiment are drawn up to shed important light on the ways and reasons actors do what they do. Through detailed, step-by-step analyses of specific actor-training exercises, the author examines the tools that actors use to perform roles. This book provides theatre practitioners with a new lens to re-examine their craft, offering a framework to understand the art form as one that is fundamentally grounded in embodied experience.