A compilation of carefully selected articles written by international film scholars, this record provides an in-depth look into the history of Swedish film. This scholarly account covers various phenomena, including the early screenings at the turn of the century, Swedish censorship, the golden age of silent films, 1930s' comedies and melodramas, documentaries, pornography, and experimental films. In addition, this volume examines the work of important contributors, such as Ingmar Bergman,...

Swedish Film: An Introduction and Reader gives a wide and yet concise presentation of the history of Swedish film through a number of articles by Swedish and international film scholars. The book draws upon a rich tradition of research on Swedish cinema, and it offers a varied and inspiring introduction to the history – from the very first film screenings to contemporary works.Combining in-depth studies with contextualizing introductions, Swedish film: An Introduction ...

This "brutal and unflinching" novel of fleeting love in Sin City inspired the film starring Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue (Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City).John O'Brien's debut novel, Leaving Las Vegas, is an emotionally wrenching story of a woman who embraces life and a man who rejects it; a powerful tale of hard luck, hard drinking, and a relationship of tenderness and destruction.An avowed alcoholic, Ben drinks away ...

First published in 1920, "The Children of Odin" is the retelling of famous North myths for children by the acclaimed Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and children’s author Padraic Colum. With illustrations by Willy Pogany this volume brings classic Norse literature and mythology to a wider audience and makes it accessible to children of all ages. Born in 1881 in Ireland, Colum first rose to fame as a playwright and poet in Dublin and became a leading figure in the Irish Literary Revival. ...

Kiss Me, Deadly to Nightmare Alley to The Honeymoon Killers to The American Friend—any fan of crime films will tell you there's a palpable excitement in living vicariously through the corrupt, seductive, and often downright evil characters that inhabit these shadowy worlds. In this collection of 35 essays drawn from his revered Cult Movies series, cult film specialist Danny Peary examines, dissects, defends, and exalts crime fil...

Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, women’s role in the Swedish economy was renegotiated and reconceptualized. Maria Agren chronicles changes in married women’s property rights, revealing the story of Swedish women’s property as not just a simple narrative of the erosion of legal rights, but a more complex tale of unintended consequences.A public sphere of influence — including the wife’s family and the local community — held sway over spousal property rights througho...

Emerging filmmakers need to know the basics of their art form: the language of the camera, and lenses, the different crew roles, the formats, the aspect ratios. They also need to know some bare-bones theory: what an auteur is, what montage is, what genres are. Most important, all filmmakers require serious grounding in film. You cannot be a great artist if you aren't versed in great art. An Introduction to Film covers all these aspects, from a director and filmmaker's perspective. Accordin...

Terrence Malick's debut film, Badlands, announced the arrival of a unique talent. In the 40 years since that debut, Malick has only made 5 films, but they are distinctive in their beauty.This book is not meant to be a biography of Terrence Malick. The purpose behind the book is to introduce readers to the extraordinary universe of his film-making and to aid them in understanding his work. And to do this through the words of his closest collaborators - cinematographers, set designer...

Thirty years ago one of the most popular British films of all time was released. The Italian Job is remembered by everyone who has seen it, if not for Michael Caine's unforgettable line "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" - which led to the trademark impression of him - then for the literal cliff-hanger of an ending. Consistently in the top 100 films of all time and voted fourth best British film of all time, The Italian Job story is covered here from start to finish: how ...

From the star YouTube reviewer, "a fantastic selection of movies, both big and small, that all film lovers can enjoy . . . a wonderful reference guide" (Alicia Malone, author Backwards and in Heels).Comic book heroes, ice princesses, apocalyptic lovestruck teens, whatever masterpiece Pixar is rolling out—not to mention countless indies and foreign films—there's been no shortage of things to watch in recent years. But which films are the best of the best? Wh...

Outside the Lettered City traces how middle-class Indians responded to the rise of the cinema as a popular form of mass entertainment in early 20th century India, focusing on their preoccupation with the mass public made visible by the cinema and with the cinema's role as a public sphere and a mass medium of modernity. It draws on archival research to uncover aspirations and anxieties about the new medium, which opened up tantalizing possibilities for nationalist mobilization on t...

Winner of the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay.Ian Buruma is fascinated, he writes, “by what makes the human species behave atrociously.” In Theater of Cruelty the acclaimed author of The Wages of Guilt and Year Zero: A History of 1945 once again turns to World War II to explore that question—to the Nazi occupation of Paris, the Allied bombing of German cities, the international controversies over Anne Frank’s diaries, Japan’s mil...