Tag: Film Studies

Remembering the Hollywood blacklist and those artists who were silenced more than sixty years ago.

March 6, 2013

Cited for contempt of Congress, nine Hollywood men give themselves up to U.S. Marshal on December 10, 1947, after refusing to answer questions about their alleged involvement with the Communist Party. From left: Adrian Scott, producer and screenwriter; Edward Dmytryk, director; Samuel Ornitz, screenwriter; Lester Cole, screenwriter; Herbert Biberman, screenwriter and director; Albert Maltz, screenwriter; … More Remembering the Hollywood blacklist and those artists who were silenced more than sixty years ago.

Will 2012 be remembered in cinematic history as the year Peter Jackson introduced us to new technology with The Hobbit?

February 13, 2013

As movie awards season is upon us, we thought we’d take the opportunity to discuss a significant development in film in 2012. BY ALICE MAURICEAssociate professor of English at the University of Toronto <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 … More Will 2012 be remembered in cinematic history as the year Peter Jackson introduced us to new technology with The Hobbit?

Integrity, survival, excellence: On the double life of George Cukor, one of the Golden Age’s great Hollywood directors.

February 6, 2013

Portrait of George Cukor in 1973 at home in Los Angeles. Q&A WITH BIOGRAPHER PATRICK MCGILLIGAN What is the first thing we need to know about George Cukor? Starting out, I myself knew very little about him really, even though I had met him when he was doing publicity for one of his last films. … More Integrity, survival, excellence: On the double life of George Cukor, one of the Golden Age’s great Hollywood directors.

Calling Hollywood’s bluff: Summing up the wild "Love in Vain" saga (Part 3 of 3)

November 28, 2012

After more than thirty years, the intriguing story behind the battle to bring Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson to the big screen still marches on. What follows is a final summation of the decades-long struggle to create a film out of “Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson,” a screenplay by … More Calling Hollywood’s bluff: Summing up the wild "Love in Vain" saga (Part 3 of 3)

Patience & chaos: The battle to bring "Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson" to the big screen. (Part 2 of 3)

October 25, 2012

Born in 1911 and deceased in 1938 at age 27, much about American blues singer Robert Johnson’s birth, life, and death remain a mystery. Here, Alan Greenberg discusses his decades-long journey to bring a screenplay about Johnson’s life and the culture of the Mississippi Delta and blues music during the 1930s to the big screen. … More Patience & chaos: The battle to bring "Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson" to the big screen. (Part 2 of 3)

Rethinking Michelangelo Antonioni’s modernism: A conversation between Karl Schoonover and John David Rhodes

October 17, 2012

Michelangelo Antonioni, 1995. The iconic Italian arthouse auteur Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007) would have turned 100 this fall, and here UMP authors John David Rhodes and Karl Schoonover discuss how his complex films have transformed their understanding of the politics of the moving image. ——- Karl Schoonover: I’m interested in the fact that both of us … More Rethinking Michelangelo Antonioni’s modernism: A conversation between Karl Schoonover and John David Rhodes

With a little help: How crucial encounters with Werner Herzog and Mick Jagger led to the development of a screenplay about Robert Johnson’s extraordinary life and legacy.

October 3, 2012

One of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Robert Johnson’sshort life remains steeped in mystery and wrapped in some of the most enduringlegends of modern music. BY ALAN GREENBERGWriter, film producer, film director, and photographer It was 1974, and it all began when I was building a bed. Living alone … More With a little help: How crucial encounters with Werner Herzog and Mick Jagger led to the development of a screenplay about Robert Johnson’s extraordinary life and legacy.

Advice for new authors

March 27, 2012

At last week’s annual Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference, our editorial assistant Danielle Kasprzak, along with representatives from other presses, agreed to dole out sound advice to grad students and other prospective authors looking to get published:

Before we had the Kardashians, even before we had The Real World, we had PBS’s An American Family — the original "reality" series.

January 11, 2012

The real Loud family (right) meets HBO’s Loud family. HBO’s triple-Golden-Globe-nominated Cinema Verite takes a look behind the scenes of the filming of America’s first reality TV family. Photo from http://blog.zap2it.com. Before 1973, the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California, lived in the privacy of their own home. With the airing of the documentary An … More Before we had the Kardashians, even before we had The Real World, we had PBS’s An American Family — the original "reality" series.

Understanding iconoclastic filmmaker Nicholas Ray: A Q&A with Susan Ray on the Centenary Project and much more

August 8, 2011

Legendary American filmmaker Nicholas Ray (perhaps best known for Rebel Without a Cause) was born August 7th, 1911. In honor of Ray’s 100th birthday this month, several exciting projects are in the works, including the Centenary Project and an upcoming film premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Here to tell us a little bit about … More Understanding iconoclastic filmmaker Nicholas Ray: A Q&A with Susan Ray on the Centenary Project and much more