Film Directors

Edited by Ian Christie, Birkbeck, University of London, UK & Julia Vassilieva, Monash University, Australia In this ground-breaking collection, 16 international scholars explore not only the still-expanding universe of Eisenstein’s pioneering researches in aesthetics, anthropology and psychology, and his roots in different philosophical traditions, but also his continuing place in the contemporary world of fi lm and audiovisual media.

UK May 2021 • US May 2021 • 336 pages • 27 bw illus HB 9781350142107 • £85.00 / $115.00 ePub 9781350142114 • £76.50 / $94.85 ePdf 9781350142091 • £76.50 / $94.85 Bloomsbury Academic Pioneer of Documentary Filmmaking

Ilana Leah Sharp, Independent Scholar, Australia Esfi r Shub was the only prominent female director of nonfi ction fi lm present at the dawning of the Soviet fi lm industry. She was, in fact, the fi rst woman both to write critical texts on cinema and then practically apply these theorisations in her own fi lms. Her syncretism of cinema theory and praxis inspired her to ask questions regarding both the nature of nonfi ction fi lm, such as the problem of authenticity and reality, and the function of the artist in society. This book demonstrates Shub’s position not only as a signifi cant fi lmmaker and recognised member of the early Soviet avant-garde but also as a key fi gure in global cinema history and as a pioneer of the theory and practice of documentary fi lmmaking.

UK October 2021 • US October 2021 • 320 pages HB 9781501376511 • £95.00 / $130.00 ePub 9781501376504 • £95.81 / $117.00 ePdf 9781501376498 • £95.81 / $117.00 Bloomsbury Academic

India Retold

Dialogues with Independent Documentary Filmmakers in India

Edited by Rajesh James, Sacred Heart College, India & Sathyaraj Venkatesan, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India A collection of in-depth interviews with 25 of the most potent and best-known independent Indian documentary fi lmmakers, such as Rakesh Sharma and Anand Patwardhan, revealing the process, motivation and inspiration behind their work. Illustrated with carefully selected shots from their own fi lms, these interviews - while they provide insights into the aesthetics of production and reception - also bring to light the troubling political and socio-culturalscape of modern and contemporary India.

UK July 2021 • US July 2021 • 288 pages • 58 bw illus HB 9781501352676 • £90.00 / $120.00 ePub 9781501352683 • £88.50 / $108.00 ePdf 9781501352690 • £88.50 / $108.00 Bloomsbury Academic

Beyond a Joke

Parody in English Film and Television Comedy

Neil Archer, Keele University, UK Beyond a Joke explores how British fi lm culture has used forms of parody, from the 1960s to the present day. In it, author Neil Archer provides a contextual and textual analysis of works which, while popular, have only rarely been the subject of serious academic attention – from Morecambe and Wise to Shaun of the Dead (2004) to the London 2012 Olympics’ opening ceremony. Combining methodologies of fi lm history and fi lm theory, Beyond a Joke locates parody within specifi c industrial and cultural moments and shows how ‘Britishness’, shaped in self-mocking and ironic terms, becomes the selling point for the global market.

UK March 2021 • US March 2021 • 256 pages • 20 bw illus PB 9781350242449 • £28.99 / $39.95 Previously published in HB 9781784536633 ePub 9781786720900 • £81.00 / $101.01 ePdf 9781786730909 • £81.00 / $101.01 Series: Cinema and Society • Bloomsbury Academic

Acting for the Silent Screen

Film Actors and Aspiration between the Wars

Chris O'Rourke, University of Lincoln, UK In Acting for the Silent Screen, author Chris O'Rourke investigates the myths and material practices that grew up around fi lm actors during the silent era. He sheds light on issues such as the social and cultural reception of cinema, the participatory fi lm culture expressed through fan magazines, and the working conditions encountered by actors behind-the-scenes of silent fi lms. In doing so, he reveals a missing - and much sought after - piece of cinematic history and brings to life the personal narratives and experiences of the fi rst generation to imagine making a living on screen.

UK July 2021 • US July 2021 • 224 pages • 18 bw illus PB 9781350242852 • £28.99 / $39.95 Previously published in HB 9781784532796 ePub 9781786720597 • £81.00 / $101.01 ePdf 9781786730596 • £81.00 / $101.01 Series: Cinema and Society • Bloomsbury Academic

British Children's Cinema

From the Thief of Bagdad to Wallace and Gromit

Noel Brown, Liverpool Hope University, UK In this book, Noel Brown relates the history of children's cinema in Britain from the early years of commercial cinema to the present day. Brown provides in-depth analyses of several iconic fi lms, including The Railway Children, Bugsy Malone, the Harry Potter fi lms, Mary Poppins, and Aardman's Wallace and Gromit series. In doing so, he challenges common prejudices that children's fi lms are inherently shallow or simplistic, revealing the often complex strategies that underpin their enduring and wide-ranging appeal. He asserts the genre’s importance, not only for students and scholars of fi lm studies, but also as a window into the nation's socio-cultural history.

UK July 2021 • US July 2021 • 320 pages • 25 bw illus PB 9781350242876 • £28.99 / $39.95 Previously published in HB 9781784534004 ePub 9781786721013 • £85.50 / $105.94 ePdf 9781786731012 • £85.50 / $105.94 Series: Cinema and Society • Bloomsbury Academic