Arts

The Philosophy of The X-Files

by Dean A. Kowalski

In The Philosophy of The X-Files, Dean A. Kowalski has gathered a remarkable cast of contributors to shed light on the philosophical mysteries of the television show The X-Files. With sections devoted to the...

Royal Portraits in Hollywood

by Elizabeth A. Ford & Deborah C. Mitchell

Few lives provide as much history or drama as those of monarchs. Filmmakers from the silent era to onward have displayed a deep fascination with the lives of royalty and with queens in particular. Still, the...

Claude Rains

by David J. Skal & Jessica Rains

Late in Claude Rains's distinguished career, a reverent film journalist wrote that Rains "was as much a cinematic institution as the medium itself." In Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice, noted Hollywood historian...

Steven Spielberg and Philosophy

by Dean A. Kowalski

Without question, few directors have had such a powerful influence on the film industry and the moviegoing public as Steven Spielberg. Often referred to as the most successful American filmmaker of all time,...

Street with No Name

by Andrew Dickos

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Flourishing in the United States during the 1940s and 50s, the bleak, violent genre of filmmaking known as film noir reflected the attitudes of writers and auteur directors...

Silent Players

by Anthony Slide

" From his unique perspective of friendship with many of the actors and actresses about whom he writes, silent film historian Anthony Slide creates vivid portraits of the careers and often eccentric lives of...

Secrets of the Sideshows

by Joe Nickell

On small-town ballfields and county fairgrounds, the sideshow performers set up their tents and trailers in the shadow of the Ferris wheel. There they amazed us with daring feats such as fire eating and sword...

Reconstructing American Historical Cinema

by J.E. Smyth

Reconstructing American Historical Cinema explores Hollywood's pivotal interpretations of national history during the height of the studio system. In a radical departure from traditional studies of film and...

The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film

by Steven M. Sanders

The science fiction genre maintains a remarkable hold on the imagination and enthusiasm of the filmgoing public, captivating large audiences worldwide and garnering ever-larger profits. The Philosophy of Science...

The Philosophy of Neo-Noir

by Mark T. Conard

Film noir--a cycle of American films from the 1940s and '50s--is characterized not only by a constant opposition of light and shadow and a disruptive compositional balance of frames and scenes, but also by dark,...

The Philosophy of Film Noir

by Mark T. Conard

From The Maltese Falcon (1941) to Touch of Evil (1958), the classic film noir is easily recognizable for its unusual lighting, sinister plots, and feeling of paranoia. For critics and fans alike, these films...

Hollywood Under Siege

by Thomas R Lindlof

In the late 1980s, the major conservative Christian groups suffered a series of public setbacks. In Hollywood Under Siege: Martin Scorsese, the Religious Right, and the Culture Wars, Thomas R. Lindlof asserts...

Hollywood's West

by Peter C. Rollins & John E. O'Connor

Hollywood's West examines popular perceptions of the frontier as a defining feature of American identity and history. Seventeen essays by prominent film scholars illuminate the allure of life on the edge of...

Freedom to Offend

by Raymond J. , Jr. Haberski

In the postwar era, producers and consumers of cinema began to demand more freedom to make and view movies that accurately portrayed the complexities of real life. In Freedom to Offend, Raymond J. Haberski Jr....

Freedom of the Screen

by Laura Wittern-Keller

Between 1907 and 1980, many state and local governments empowered motion picture censor boards with the legal authority to keep any movie they considered obscene, indecent, or harmful from being shown. Although...

Drawing the Line

by Tom Sito

As cartoons and animated features became an increasingly important part of the entertainment business, the production of cartoons industrialized to meet growing demands for the new global media. Artists adopted...

Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood

by Robert S. Birchard

" ""Far and away the best film book published so far this year.""--National Board of Review Cecil B. DeMille was the most successful filmmaker in early Hollywood history. Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood is a detailed...

Mammoth Cave National Park

by Raymond Klass

Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the world's longest cave system, boasting over 365 miles of explored and mapped passageways. Geologists estimate that there could be as many as 600 miles of this...

It's All Your Fault: How To Make It as a Hollywood Assistant

by Bill Robinson & Ceridwen Morris

An Essential Guide to Landing -- and Keeping -- Your first Hollywood Job

A position as an assistant to a producer, agent, director, studio executive, or star can be the path to a fabulous career -- or a one-way...

The Nation's Stage: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

by Michael Dolan, David M. Rubenstein & Michael Kaiser

“There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the arts. The age of Pericles was also the age of Phidias. The age of Lorenzo de Medici...