For more than a century, Western films have embodied America's most fundamental doctrine - expansionism - and depicted, in a uniquely American way, the archetypal battle between good and evil. Westerns also depict a country defined and re-defined by complex crises. World War II transformed the genre as well as the nation's identity. Since then, Hollywood filmmakers have been fighting America's ideological wars onscreen by translating modern-day politics into the timeless mythology of the Old West. This book surveys the most iconic and influential Westerns, examines Hollywood stars and their political stripes and reveals the familiar Westerns tropes - which became elements in popular action science fiction and horror films. This then sets the stage for the Western revival of the 1990s and a period of reinvention in the 21st century.

More than a century after his earliest works were published, T.S. Eliot remains one of the world's most celebrated--and highly enigmatic--20th century poets. He is often cited as an authority on modern art, philosophy, and religion, despite the fact that his words are cited in an overwhelming variety of conflicting contexts. An understanding of Eliot's work, then, requires knowledge of his attempts to assimilate many different ideas during his time as a Harvard University student, a struggling poet in World War I London, and an eventual spokesman for the Anglican Church.

This chronological survey of major influences on Eliot's worldview covers the poet's spiritual and intellectual evolution in stages, by trying to see the world as Eliot did. The first half of the book examines his childhood influences as well as the literary influences that inspired him to write his earliest poetry. These chapters examine Eliot's formal education, including his years as an undergraduate at Harvard University, where he focused on the Western canon and came to understand his own writing as the product of a cumulative literary tradition. The second half of the book tracks Eliot's life as an American expatriate living in London from 1915 to 1930, studying his ill-fated marriage and his intellectual engagement with the literary traditions of his new country. This section also finds the poet examining his identity as a European in the aftermath of World War I--an examination which, coupled with personal crisis, produced his masterpiece The Waste Land. The final chapters reveal the ways in which Eliot's intellectual pursuits fostered a spiritual rebirth that simultaneously reflected his past and revealed his future, demonstrating how the early Romantic revolutionary became a staunch defender of tradition.

The makers of Brainstorm (1983) spent more than a decade transferring the revolutionary concept of an "empathy machine" from page to screen, only for the famously troubled production to be met with critical and commercial indifference on release. But since 1984 the film has continued to inspire viewers to imagine possibilities for the future. As a result, Brainstorm now seems less like a fixed piece of film history than an idea in evolution. The screen story embodies the ambitions of sci-fi cinema going back to the 1950s, as well as the turbulent culture of the western world in the 1960s and 1970s. It also foreshadows technological breakthroughs around the turn of the twenty-first century, making the film startlingly relevant to our digitally-enhanced information age. To fully appreciate the film's "ultimate experience," it helps to understand exactly how the film evolved. This book aims to provide context for such an understanding, beginning with a brief history of science fiction cinema and setting up a careful consideration of multiple drafts of the Brainstorm screenplay by three different screenwriters: Bruce Joel Rubin, Philip F. Messina, and Robert Stitzel. It will also briefly examine the production history of the film (including the tragic death of star Natalie Wood), the career of the director and special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull, the particulars of the completed film, and the film's influence on future storytellers like James Cameron.

What's weighing on Americans? Look to horror movies for your answer - they're one of the best measures of the American consciousness. From an early fascination with the Gothic, to the mutant horrors of the Atomic Age and alien enemies of the Cold War, to the inner demons of the psyche and the American Dream turned nightmare, the history of American horror films is a reflection of changing American cultural attitudes and values - and the fears that accompany them. This survey of the pivotal horror films produced in America examines the history of the genre as a reflection of cultural changes in the United States. It begins with an exploration of the origins of the genre, and follows its development until the present, using various films to document the evolution of Hollywood horror flicks and illustrate their cultural significance. The second part focuses on eight pivotal directors whose personal visions helped shape the genre - from early pioneers like Tod Browning and Alfred Hitchcock, to modern masters like John Carpenter and Wes Craven. There are 35 photographs, and an appendix lists the titles, release date, and director of major productions from 1913 until 2002.

The makers of Brainstorm (1983) spent more than a decade transferring the revolutionary concept of an "empathy machine" from page to screen, only for the famously troubled production to be met with critical and commercial indifference on release. But since 1984 the film has continued to inspire viewers to imagine possibilities for the future. As a result, Brainstorm now seems less like a fixed piece of film history than an idea in evolution. The screen story embodies the ambitions of sci-fi cinema going back to the 1950s, as well as the turbulent culture of the western world in the 1960s and 1970s. It also foreshadows technological breakthroughs around the turn of the twenty-first century, making the film startlingly relevant to our digitally-enhanced information age. To fully appreciate the film's "ultimate experience," it helps to understand exactly how the film evolved. This book aims to provide context for such an understanding, beginning with a brief history of science fiction cinema and setting up a careful consideration of multiple drafts of the Brainstorm screenplay by three different screenwriters: Bruce Joel Rubin, Philip F. Messina, and Robert Stitzel. It will also briefly examine the production history of the film (including the tragic death of star Natalie Wood), the career of the director and special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull, the particulars of the completed film, and the film's influence on future storytellers like James Cameron.

Tom McLoughlin's reel life began in 1957 at the age of seven, making 8mm movies in the back lots of MGM studios. He was a magician during the 50s, a rock musician in the 60s (opening for groups like The Doors), a mime in the 70s (studying in Paris with Marcel Marceau), and a writer (Emmy nominated for his work with Dick Van Dyke & Company). In the 1980s, Tom fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker. He has directed more than 40 feature film and television projects, including Friday the 13th: Jason Lives and the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated miniseries In a Child's Name. Today he continues to pursue his eclectic passions, touring worldwide as the lead singer of the rock band The Sloths while preparing for postmortem appearances at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This is the behind-the-scenes story of the strange business of creative obsession.... and one man's strange idea of entertainment.