40th anniversary edition with a new introduction by Mike Leigh.Forty years on from its first performance at the Hampstead Theatre and original screening on BBC1 soon after, Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party - telling of two marriages spectacularly unravelling at an awkward neighbourhood drinks party - remains a pinnacle of British theatre.Here is the original script, complete with a new introduction by Mike Leigh describing the play's unlikely genesis, ...

Mike Leigh may well be Britain’s greatest living film director; his worldview has permeated our national consciousness. This book gives detailed readings of the nine feature films he has made for the cinema, as well as an overview of his work for television. Written with the co-operation of Leigh himself, this is the first study of his work to challenge the critical privileging of realism in histories of the British cinema, placing the emphasis instead on the importance of comedy and humou...

War widow Dorothy lives in a London suburb with her 15-year-old daughter Victoria and her older bachelor brother Edwin. More and more isolated from her married friends with their successful children, Dorothy tries to cope with Victoria's increasingly hostile behaviour. But is she doing her best, as she thinks, or is she in fact responsible for what threatens to become an unendurable situation?'A exquisitely observed, profoundly quiet slice of 1950s suburba...

Mike Leigh’s 1970s classic play ‘Abigail’s Party’ focuses on an evening of domestic hell in the guise of a suburban drinks soirée. While teenager Abigail parties a few doors away, the pretentious Beverly and her estate agent husband, Laurence, entertain their neighbours – Abigail’s mother, Susan, ex-footballer, Tony, and his wife, Angela. But as the alcohol flows, tensions in the hosts’ barely functional marriage emerge and their obsessions, prejudices and petty competitiveness are ruthles...

Renowned for making films that are at once sly domestic satires and heartbreaking 'social realist' dramas, British writer-director Mike Leigh confronts his viewers with an un-romanticized dramatization of modern-day society in the hopes of inspiring them to strive for greater self-awareness and compassion for others. This collection features new, interdisciplinary essays that cover all phases of the BAFTA-award-winner's film career, from his early made-for-television film work to his theat...

Une fiche de référence sur Be happy, un chef-d'oeuvre de Mike Leigh.Intitulé dans la version originale Happy-go-lucky (« Insouciant/e »), le nouveau film de Mike Leigh aurait pu être sous-titré La mélancolie du bonheur, plutôt que Be Happy – une injonction qui réduit quelque peu le propos de l'auteur.Un ouvrage conçu par des spécialistes du cinéma pour tout savoir sur Be happy de Mike Leigh....

Une fiche de référence sur Secrets et mensonges, un chef-d'oeuvre de Mike Leigh.« Vous n'êtes pas forcé, mais vous pouvez sourire... » C'est la formule magique que prononce Maurice, photographe dans la périphérie de Londres, au moment de prendre ses clichés. Dans son studio, parfois à leur domicile à l'occasion d'un mariage, il voit défiler devant son objectif tous les échantillons d'humanité.Un ouvrage conçu par des spécialistes du cinéma ...

Brenda Blethyn, Lesley Manville and Phil Davis star in this special Mike Leigh collection, featuring the iconic hit Abigail’s Party and a banned play from the BBC archivesOne of Britain's most prolific and influential writers, Mike Leigh has directed some of the best British films of the last 50 years, including Life is Sweet, Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake. He has written a plethora of plays for the BBC, among them the bleakly comic drama...

Concussion – The Hidden Trauma in contact Sports and the NFL - Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) represent a spectrum of neurological injuries that have gained unprecedented attention in recent decades, particularly within the realm of sports medicine. The recognition and understanding of concussion symptoms have evolved dramatically, driven largely by high-profile cases in professional sports, especially the National Football League (NFL), and mounting scientific evidence ...

The story of the Peterloo massacre, a defining moment in the history of British democracy, told with passion and authority.'Excellent' Zadie Smith'Fast-paced and full of fascinating detail' Tim Clayton'A superb account of one of the defining moments in modern British history' Tristram Hunt'Peterloo is one of the greatest scandals of British political history... Riding tells this tragic story with mesmerising ...

Beneath the relentless sun, the desert lives.Ancient powers stir beneath shifting dunes. Serpents coil in forgotten ruins. Djinn bargain in the shadows of crumbling cities while monsters from old legends stalk the sands beneath burning skies. Travelers, treasure hunters, warriors, and wanderers discover that the desert does not forgive the weak—and some creatures were never meant to be found.From scorching wastelands and haunted tombs to storm-wracked caravans, Sand and...

Magic. It hides under our unsuspecting noses, and swirls all around us.In STREET MAGIC, fifteen urban fantasy authors invite you to walk with one foot in the mundane world, and one in... another world.And if what you see there seems a little out of the ordinary, it's probably magic.Contains stories by Meyari McFarland, Mike Jack Stoumbos, Douglas Smith, J.L. Madore, Travis Heermann, Jessica Guernsey, Jena Rey, Taylen Carver, Tina Back, C.E. Barnes, Leigh Saunders, S...