ReFocus: The Films of Francis Veber


Book Description

Few directors have played such a prominent role as Francis Veber in shaping the cinematic identity of France over the past forty years, yet in many ways his chosen genre of comedy has relegated his work to the margins of Film Studies. Using an auterist lens to challenge the notions of taste, genre and aesthetics that are commonly used to form the cinematic canon, this book explores the twelve films Veber directed between 1976 and 2008. These include Le Jouet (1976), Les fugitifs (1986) and L'emmerdeur (2008). Considering also Veber's extensive work as a playwright, theatre director and screenwriter - as well as the numerous remakes and adaptations of his films in Hollywood - author Keith Corson focuses on issues of class, labour and politics to examine the ways in which Veber embeds serious social critiques in his mainstream films.




ReFocus: The Films of Xavier Dolan


Book Description

Ever since his first feature film I Killed My Mother premiered at Cannes, every film from the 29-year-old director Xavier Dolan has generated significant critical interest. A recipient of numerous awards, Dolan has recently taken his career to an international level with The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. As the first book-length study about Dolan, with case studies of key films like Mommy (2014), Tom at the Farm (2013) and It's Only the End of the World (2016), this volume explores the global reach of small national and subnational cinemas. In particular, it uses Dolan's cinema as a departure point to reconsider the position of Qubec film and cultural imaginary within a global cinematic culture, as well as the intersections between national, millennial and queer filmmaking.




The New Spirit of Capitalism


Book Description

A century after the publication of Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the "Spirit" of Capitalism , a major new work examines network-based organization, employee autonomy and post-Fordist horizontal work structures.




Trying to Get Over


Book Description

From 1972 to 1976, Hollywood made an unprecedented number of films targeted at black audiences. But following this era known as “blaxploitation,” the momentum suddenly reversed for black filmmakers, and a large void separates the end of blaxploitation from the black film explosion that followed the arrival of Spike Lee’s She's Gotta Have It in 1986. Illuminating an overlooked era in African American film history, Trying to Get Over is the first in-depth study of black directors working during the decade between 1977 and 1986. Keith Corson provides a fresh definition of blaxploitation, lays out a concrete reason for its end, and explains the major gap in African American representation during the years that followed. He focuses primarily on the work of eight directors—Michael Schultz, Sidney Poitier, Jamaa Fanaka, Fred Williamson, Gilbert Moses, Stan Lathan, Richard Pryor, and Prince—who were the only black directors making commercially distributed films in the decade following the blaxploitation cycle. Using the careers of each director and the twenty-four films they produced during this time to tell a larger story about Hollywood and the shifting dialogue about race, power, and access, Corson shows how these directors are a key part of the continuum of African American cinema and how they have shaped popular culture over the past quarter century.




The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films


Book Description

Winner, RUSA 2019 Outstanding References Source Winner and named a Library Journal Best Reference Book of the Year 2018 From D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation in 1915 to the recent Get Out, audiences and critics alike have responded to racism in motion pictures for more than a century. Whether subtle or blatant, racially biased images and narratives erase minorities, perpetuate stereotypes, and keep alive practices of discrimination and marginalization. Even in the 21st century, the American film industry is not “color blind,” evidenced by films such as Babel (2006), A Better Life (2011), and 12 Years a Slave (2013). The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Film documents one facet of racism in the film industry, wherein historically underrepresented peoples are misrepresented—through a lack of roles for actors of color, stereotyping, negative associations, and an absence of rich, nuanced characters. Offering insights and analysis from over seventy scholars, critics, and activists, the volume highlights issues such as: Hollywood’s diversity crisis White Savior films Magic Negro tropes The disconnect between screen images and lived realities of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians A companion to the ever-growing field of race studies, this volume opens up a critical dialogue on an always timely issue. The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Film will appeal to scholars of cinema, race and ethnicity studies, and cultural history.




The Films of John Carpenter


Book Description

The films of John Carpenter cover a tremendous range and yet all bear his clear personal stamp. From the horrifying (Halloween) to the touching (Starman) to the controversial (The Thing) to the comic (Big Trouble in Little China), his films reflect a unique approach to filmmaking and singular views of humanity and American culture. This analysis of Carpenter's films includes a historical overview of his career, and in-depth entries on each of his films, from 1975's Dark Star to 1998's Vampires. Complete cast and production information is provided for each. The book also covers those films written and produced by Carpenter, such as Halloween II and Black Moon Rising, as well as Carpenter's work for television. Appendices are included on films Carpenter was offered but turned down, the slasher films that followed in the wake of the highly-successful Halloween, the actors and characters who make repeated appearances in Carpenter's films, and ratings for Carpenter's work. Notes, bibliography, and index are included.




Corporate Finance


Book Description

Merging theory and practice into a comprehensive, highly-anticipated text Corporate Finance continues its legacy as one of the most popular financial textbooks, with well-established content from a diverse and highly respected author team. Unique in its features, this valuable text blends theory and practice with a direct, succinct style and commonsense presentation. Readers will be introduced to concepts in a situational framework, followed by a detailed discussion of techniques and tools. This latest edition includes new information on venture finance and debt structuring, and has been updated throughout with the most recent statistical tables. The companion website provides statistics, graphs, charts, articles, computer models, and classroom tools, and the free monthly newsletter keeps readers up to date on the latest happenings in the field. The authors have generously made themselves available for questions, promising an answer in seventy-two hours. Emphasizing how key concepts relate to real-world situations is what makes Corporate Finance a valuable reference with real relevance to the professional and student alike. Readers will gain insight into the methods and tools that shape the industry, allowing them to: Analyze investments with regard to hurdle rates, cash flows, side costs, and more Delve into the financing process and learn the tools and techniques of valuation Understand cash dividends and buybacks, spinoffs, and divestitures Explore the link between valuation and corporate finance As the global economy begins to recover, access to the most current information and statistics will be required. To remain relevant in the evolving financial environment, practitioners will need a deep understanding of the mechanisms at work. Corporate Finance provides the expert guidance and detailed explanations for those requiring a strong foundational knowledge, as well as more advanced corporate finance professionals.




Film Reboots


Book Description

Through a set of vibrant case studies, this collection investigates rebooting as a practice that seeks to remake an entire film series or franchise, with ambitions that are at once respectful and revisionary.




Acting Across Borders


Book Description

Studying the careers of popular actors Amedeo Nazzari and Alberto Sordi, Acting Across Borders explores the question of how Italian cinema from the 1930s to 1980s has considered human mobility. Through close readings of a selection of films, Alberto Zambenedetti examines the concept of italianità (Italian-ness) as manifested in contexts related to migration, diaspora, exile, tourism, travel and their supporting infrastructures. In this wide-ranging study, the methodologies of Film Studies and the Mobilities Framework are combined to illuminate an undertheorised yet vital tradition in the history of the national cinema. Alberto Zambenedetti is Assistant Professor in the Department of Italian Studies and the Cinema Studies Institute, University of Toronto.




The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky


Book Description

"Johnson and Petrie have produced an admirable book. Anyone who wants to make sense of Tarkovsky's films—a very difficult task in any case—must read it." —The Russian Review "This book is a model of contextual and textual analysis. . . . the Tarkovsky myth is stripped of many of its shibboleths and the thematic structure and coherence of his work is revealed in a fresh and stimulating manner." —Europe-Asia Studies "[This book,] with its wealth of new research and critical insight, has set the standard and should certainly inspire other writers to keep on trying to collectively explore the possible meanings of Tarkovsky's film world." —Canadian Journal of Film Studies "For Tarkovsky lovers as well as haters, this is an essential book. It might make even the haters reconsider." —Cineaste This definitive study, set in the context of Russian cultural history, throws new light on one of the greatest—and most misunderstood—filmmakers of the past three decades. The text is enhanced by more than 60 frame enlargements from the films.