With more than 180 films during a career spanning several decades, Jesus Franco (1930-2013) was an extraordinarily prolific and chameleon-like Spanish director, covering virtually every genre from horror to film noir, adventure and erotic, and adapting to all kinds of productions. A one-of-a-kind filmmaker, he was boldly original in the themes, style, and in his idea of cinema. This book examines his life and career between his first short film to the moment he cut his ties with his home country and became an "international" director, with a detailed production history and critical analysis of his films, placing his work within the social and political context of Spanish culture, politics, and cinema. Franco's most critically praised works are covered, namely such cult horror classics as The Awful Dr. Orlof and The Diabolical Dr. Z, as well as his working relationship with Orson Welles, whom he was to direct in a 1964 unfinished adaptation of Treasure Island. Detailed production history and critical analysis of his films are provided, placing his work within the context of Spanish culture, politics, and film industry. The book also includes plenty of never-before-seen bits of information and in-depth discussion of Franco's previously uncovered scripts, essays, and short films, as well as his unmade projects of the period.

Exploring the multiple aesthetic and cultural links between French and Japanese cinema, The Cinematic Influence is packed with vivid examples and case studies of films by Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Luc Godard, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Claire Denis, Naomi Kawase, Michel Gondry and many others. It illustrates the vast array of cinematic connections that mark a long history of mutual influence and reverence between filmmakers in France and Japan. The book provides new insights into the ways that national cinemas resist Hollywood to maintain and strengthen their own cultural practices and how these national cinemas perform the task of informing and enlightening other cultures about what it means to be French or Japanese. This book also deepens our understandings of film's role as a viable cultural and economic player in individual nations. Importantly, the reader will see that film operates as a form of cultural exchange between France and Japan, and more broadly, Europe and Asia. This is the first major book to investigate the crossover between these two diverse national cinemas by tracking their history of shared narrative and stylistic techniques.

The darkly handsome man gazes deeply into her eyes. She finds him irresistible, wants to experience the passion of the moment. He grins--the movie audience can see his lengthened lateral incisors--and bends to her neck. The eroticism is horrible, and compelling. Audiences are drawn to horror cinema much as the surrendering victim. Afraid to watch, but more afraid something will be missed. Since the horror film is the most primal of all movie genres, seldom censored, these films tell us what we are about. From the silent era to the present day, Dark Romance explores horror cinema's preoccupation with sexuality: vampires, beauty and the beast, victimization of women, "slasher" films, and more. Separate chapters focus upon individuals, like Alfred Hitchcock and Barbara Steele. Entertaining, and thought-provoking on the sexual fears and phobias of our society.

This volume offers a detailed chronological account of the history of Spanish cinema.

Taking Mary Shelley's novel as its point of departure, this collection of essays considers how her creation has not only survived but thrived over 200 years of media history, in music, film, literature, visual art and other cultural forms. In studying monstrous figures torn from the deepest and darkest imaginings of the human psyche, the essays in this book deploy the latest analytical approaches, drawn from such fields as musicology, critical race studies, feminist studies, queer theory and psychoanalysis. The book interweaves the manifold sounds, sights and stories of monstrosity into a conversation that sheds light on important social issues, aesthetic trends and cultural concerns that are as alive today as they were when Shelley's landmark novel was published 200 years ago.

The first extensive survey of individual film genres, this one-of-a-kind reference spans the entire motion picture era and presents detailed information on directors and the films they have produced.The first volume is dedicated to one of the richest and most popular of all genres -- comedy -- and encompasses some 19,000 films and 3,300 directors. Volume 2 examines 3,700 directors of 18,000 crime films.Listed alphabetically, main entries offer a sketch of the individual's family background and education, a description of technique and/or performance characteristics, a summary of achievements, and a chronological filmography that includes year and country of production. All biographies have been subject to years of intensive research and provide important personal and professional dates.Multiple indexes yield a variety of access points to the director profiles, making each handbook an indispensable and convenient research tool for film critics, historians, and enthusiasts.

From the editor of the Complete Index to World Film comes an equally comprehensive, if specialized, sourcebook on the output of the British film industry in the sound era. A vast range of theatrical styles and talents are covered in II fast-access indexes, including: -- 12,900 film entries with information on title, year, director(s), actor(s), type of film, length, alternative title, production/releasing company, and coproducing countries -- 3,900 directors -- 24,600 actors -- 1,100 cinematographers -- 1,200 composers -- 2,400 authors whose literary works were adapted to the screen

The Films of Jess Franco seeks to address the scholarly neglect of this legendary cult director and to broaden the conversation around the director's work in ways that will be of interest to fans and academics alike.

It uses new interviews with Godard's main collaborators on the film to reveal new aspects and explores its multiple influences, on 'Blade Runner', for example, or 'Code 46'. This is the first ever full appraisal of Godard's highly influential classic of sci-fi noir. Chris Darke writes about how, working without sets, special effects, or even a script, Godard made a dystopian vision of a technocratic future city. He explores the film's unique combination of genres and styles, its remarkable creation the secret agent Lemmy Caution, and uses his new interviews with the director's collaborators to chronicle the film's production. He also relates Alphaville to Godard's later work, setting it in the context of his wider career and of its influence on other filmmakers and artists. .