The Cinema of Democracy in the Era of Ford, Kapra, and Kazan
Exploring the transformative impact of American cinema from the late 1930s to the early 1960s, this book delves into iconic films like The Searchers, It's a Wonderful Life, and High Noon. Sam Girgus offers a fresh perspective on how these movies played a crucial role in revitalizing American culture during a pivotal era, highlighting their themes and cultural significance.
Wyler, Lumet, and Spielberg
The book explores the contributions of three prominent American Jewish directors—William Wyler, Sidney Lumet, and Steven Spielberg—who embody a tradition of ethical storytelling that seeks to uphold and renew American values. Each director's body of work is examined for its social vision, ethical conscience, and aspirations for American redemption. The narrative emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and modernization in achieving a liberal democratic culture, positioning their films as a call to action for America to live up to its ideals and strengthen its democratic foundations.
The Films of Woody Allen is the first full-length study of Woody Allen the artist as opposed to the celebrity and personality and argues that Allen is a major artistic force. On the cutting edge of contemporary critical and cultural consciousness, Allen challenges our notions of authorship, narrative, perspective, character, theme, ideology, gender and sexuality. A student and admirer of the classic Hollywood cinema, Allen combines this appreciation for American directors with a developed sensitivity to experimental European directors such as Fellini, De Sica and Bergman. Probably the most widely recognized aspect of his work involves his films that experiment with narrative, plot and psychology. In the films dating from the early seventies, Allen develops into one of America's great innovative directors as he takes his brilliant comic impulses seriously. His technical, literary, visual and linguistic innovations introduce intensity and complexity to his humour. Instead of continuing on the path of zany comedy, he carefully creates films that form an original union of the serious and comic.
Exploring the evolution of American identity, this book delves into the portrayal of 'American' in cinema from its inception through the 1950s. It analyzes how films reflect and shape societal values, cultural norms, and national identity during this transformative period, providing insight into the relationship between film and the American experience.
The book explores the evolving concept of 'American' through the lens of cinema from its inception up to the 1950s. It delves into how films reflected and shaped national identity, cultural values, and societal norms during this transformative period. By analyzing key films and their narratives, the author highlights the shifting perceptions of what it means to be American, offering insights into the interplay between cinema and the broader cultural landscape of the time.