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The Devil's Candy: The Anatomy Of A Hollywood Fiasco
by Julie Salamon"A definitive portrait of the madness of big-time moviemaking" (Newsweek), now the basis for the new season of TCM's hit podcast, "The Plot Thickens" and featuring a new afterword by the authorWhen Brian De Palma agreed to allow Julie Salamon unlimited access to the film production of Tom Wolfe's best-selling book The Bonfire of the Vanities, both director and journalist must have felt like they were on to something big. How could it lose? But instead Salamon got a front-row seat at the Hollywood disaster of the decade. She shadowed the film from its early stages through the last of the eviscerating reviews, and met everyone from the actors to the technicians to the studio executives. They'd all signed on for a blockbuster, but there was a sense of impending doom from the start--heart-of-gold characters replaced Wolfe's satiric creations; affable Tom Hanks was cast as the patrician heel; Melanie Griffith appeared mid-shoot with new, bigger breasts. With a keen eye and ear, Salamon shows us how the best of intentions turned into a legendary Hollywood debacle.The Devil's Candy joins John Gregory Dunne's The Studio, Steven Bach's Final Cut, and William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade as a classic for anyone interested in the workings of Hollywood. With a new afterword profiling De Palma ten years after the movie's devastating flop (and this book's best-selling publication), Julie Salamon has created a riveting insider's portrait of an industry where art, talent, ego, and money combine and clash on a monumental scale.
The Devil's Charter: A Tragedie, Conteining The Life And Death Of Pope Alexander The Sixt (classic Reprint) (Globe Quartos)
by Barnabe BarnesFirst Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
The Devil's Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter as God!
by Joe EszterhasIn The Devil's Guide to Hollywood, bestselling author and legendary bad-boy screenwriter Joe Eszterhas tells everything he knows about the industry, its players and screenwriting itself—from the first blank sheet of paper in the Olivetti to the size of the credit on the one-sheet. "There's just one hunk of funny anecdote after another, quotes from everyone who ever mattered in the movie biz, and the thing is jam-packed with screenwriterly advice. Plus it's hilariously funny, ribald, sexy and brilliant."—Liz SmithOften practical and always entertaining, The Devil's Guide to Hollywood distills everything one of Hollywood's most accomplished screenwriters knows about the business, from writing advice to negotiation tricks, from the wisdom of past players to the feuds of current ones. Eszterhas has selected his personal pantheon of the most loved and loathed players in the business and treats the reader to a treasure trove of stories, quotes and wisdom from those luminaries, who include William Goldman (loathes) and Zsa Zsa Gabor (loves). The Devil's Guide to Hollywood could only have been written by someone who loves the business as much as Eszterhas does—but who also has its number."Eszterhas delivers a dishy, catty mix of reminiscences and Hollywood trivia…his forte is skewering sycophants and phonies in this opinionated showcase of the underside of Hollywood life."—Publishers Weekly
The Devil's in the Diva
by Paul RuditisBryan Stark describes himself as the "Greek Chorus," constantly watching the action and drama unfold around him in the arena with the most high school divas possible--the theater! At Orion Academy, his posh private school in Malibu, the teens are entitled, the boys are cute, and the theater productions extremely elaborate. Bryan sees it all as he directs his best friend Samantha, the most talented of the Orion divas, through the throng. This bind-up is filled with friends, theater, and romance--and throughout it all, Drama! is a heartfelt comedic series.
The Devils (Devil's Advocates)
by Darren ArnoldUndoubtedly the most notorious title in director Ken Russell’s controversial filmography, The Devils (1973) caused a real furor on its initial theatrical release, only to largely disappear for many years. This Devil’s Advocate considers the film’s historical context, as the timing of the first appearance of The Devils is of particular importance, its authorship and adaptation (Russell’s auteur reputation aside, the screenplay is based on John Whiting’s 1961 play of the same name, which was in turn based on Aldous Huxley’s 1952 book The Devils of Loudun), and its generic hybridity. Darren Arnold goes on to examine the themes prevalent in the film—this is the only film of Russell’s which the director considered to be political—and considers the representation of gender and sexuality, gender fluidity, and how sex and religion clash to interesting and controversial effect. He concludes by revisiting the film’s censorship travails and the various versions of The Devils that have appeared on both big and small screens, and the film’s legacy and influence.
The Dharma of The Princess Bride: What the Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us About Buddhism and Relationships
by Ethan NichternAn engagingly contemporary approach to Buddhism—through the lens of an iconic film and its memorable charactersHumorous yet spiritually rigorous in the tradition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Tao of Pooh, drawing from pop culture and from personal experience, The Dharma of “The Princess Bride” teaches us how to understand and navigate our most important personal relationships from a twenty-first-century Buddhist perspective.Friendship. Romance. Family. These are the three areas Ethan Nichtern delves into, taking as departure points the indelible characters from Rob Reiner’s perennially popular film—Westley, Fezzik, Vizzini, Count Rugen, Princess Buttercup, and others—as he also draws lessons from his own life and his work as a meditation teacher. Nichtern devotes the first section of the book to exploring the dynamics of friendship. Why do people become friends? What can we learn from the sufferings of Inigo Montoya and Fezzik? Next, he leads us through all the phases of illusion and disillusion we encounter in our romantic pursuits, providing a healthy dose of lightheartedness along the way by sharing his own Princess Buttercup List and the vicissitudes of his dating life as he ponders how we idealize and objectify romantic love. Finally, Nichtern draws upon the demands of his own family history and the film’s character the Grandson to explore the dynamics of “the last frontier of awakening,” a reference to his teacher Chogyam Trungpa’s claim that it’s possible to be enlightened everywhere except around your family. With The Dharma of “The Princess Bride” in hand, we can set out on the path to contemporary Buddhist enlightenment with the most important relationships in our lives.
The Diary of Anne Frank and Other Plays About Courage
by Katherine RobinsonThe five plays are The Karate Kid by Robert Mark Kemen; Where the Lilies Bloom by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on the book by Vera and Bill Cleaver; Thunder on Sycamore Street by Reginald Rose; The Pride of Jesse Hallam by Suzanne P. Clauser; and The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.
The Diary of Jinky: Dog of a Hollywood Wife
by Carole Raphaelle DavisThe diary of a dog, Jinky, is a narrative as if told to Hollywood actress and singer, Carole Raphaelle Davis. Jinky's life began in a cage in San Pedro, California. Some creepy guy bought the dog for his stupid wife who didn't want him. One night, the guy took the dog to the pound and threw him into a cold, wet crate and slammed the gate. Luckily, Jinky was rescued and he now lives in a beautiful house in the Hollywood Hills.
The Dick Van Dyke Show: Anatomy of a Classic
by Ginny Weissman Coyne Steven SandersIn the history of television, there are very few shows that can truly be called "classics." The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of those few--and for the first time, authors Weissman and Sanders have succeed in capturing the unique flavor of this very appealing, warm comedy that went straight to the heart of the American public. An affectionate and nostalgic portrait of a show more than twenty years old that is still in reruns, The Dick Van Dyke Show tells the inside story of the situational comedy whose phenomenal success was a surprise even to its creators.Tracing its evolution from the pilot, Head of the Family starring Carl Reiner, through the ordeal of finding the right actor to play the clumsy but talented TV writer Rob Petrie, gathering the supporting cast that included Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam, whose presence added a sharp-edged humor to the series, to the discovery of the largely unknown Mary Tyler Moore to play the Capri pants-clad Laura Petrie, The Dick Van Dyke Show plots the day-to-day course of getting and keeping the show on the air. Written with the complete cooperation of every member of the cast, this book takes us through the weekly process of consistently fine writing, rehearsing, improvising, and polishing the show in which the entire company participated. From start to finish, the cast was a tight group whose personal warmth, vitality, and camaraderie created a unique chemistry that shone through every episode.Containing over 100 photos, synopses of all 158 episodes and the complete script of one of them, lists of all the awards garnered by the show and its cast during its five-year run, and an update on where everyone is today, The Dick Van Dyke Show is a loving and carefully researched tribute to one of the most beloved comedy series of all time.
The Diddle That Dummed
by Kes GrayA laugh-out-loud musical story full of hilarious word play and silliness from the author of Oi Frog!, brilliantly illustrated by Fred Blunt.Flinty Bo Diddle is writing a tune for his fiddle. All his diddles have lined up nicely - except for one who keeps going DUM, right in the middle! No matter what he tries he just can't get this diddle to diddle like it's supposed to! A story about standing out from the crowd that will have you in fits of giggles!Kes Gray is the author of the top ten bestselling series Oi Frog and Friends, which has sold 1.4 million copies to date.
The Different Faces of Politics in the Visual and Performative Arts
by Mario Thomas Vassallo André P. DeBattistaThis book highlights the linkages between politics and governance and the arts. The essays in the volume show how visual and performative arts have challenged those in power — or conversely patronised by them — been used for propaganda, stir up national fervour and found themselves at the receiving end of political censure. They focus on the tension and symbiosis between the politician and the artist foregrounding how they have always tried to influence, challenge, and, in some cases, undermine one another. This volume will serve as an indispensable source for researchers and academics in political science, the humanities and performing arts.
The Difficulty of Difference: Psychoanalysis, Sexual Difference and Film Theory (Routledge Library Editions: Cinema)
by D. N. RodowickThis book argues that serious misreadings of Freud and Lacan on sexual difference have characterized prevailing models of psychoanalytic film criticism. In critiquing theories of identification and female spectatorship, the author maintains that early film theorists and feminist critics are equally guilty of imposing a binary conception of sexual difference on Freud’s thought. By embracing such a rigid definition of male/female difference, they fail to understand the fundamentally complex and fluid process of sexual identification as it is articulated in Freud’s writing, constructed in film texts, and negotiated by spectators. The book turns to Freud’s work on fantasy to develop an alternative model for interpreting sexuality in the visual and narrative arts, one that emphasizes a ‘politics of critical reading’ over accepted theories of ideological identification. Originally published in 1991, its strategic focus on psychoanalysis itself as an object of historical and critical inquiry, and not simply as a reading method is the unique quality of this book.
The Digital Banal: New Media and American Literature and Culture (Literature Now)
by Zara DinnenContemporary culture is haunted by its media. Yet in their ubiquity, digital media have become increasingly banal, making it harder for us to register their novelty or the scope of the social changes they have wrought. What do we learn about our media environment when we look closely at the ways novelists and filmmakers narrate and depict banal use of everyday technologies? How do we encounter our own media use in scenes of waiting for e-mail, watching eBay bids, programming as work, and worrying about numbers of social media likes, friends, and followers?Zara Dinnen analyzes a range of prominent contemporary novels, films, and artworks to contend that we live in the condition of the “digital banal,” not noticing the affective and political novelty of our relationship to digital media. Authors like Jennifer Egan, Dave Eggers, Sheila Heti, Jonathan Lethem, Gary Shteyngart, Colson Whitehead, Mark Amerika, Ellen Ullman, and Danica Novgorodoff and films such as The Social Network and Catfish critique and reveal the ways in which digital labor isolates the individual; how the work of programming has become an operation of power; and the continuation of the “Californian ideology,” which has folded the radical into the rote and the imaginary into the mundane. The works of these writers and artists, Dinnen argues, also offer ways of resisting the more troubling aspects of the effects of new technologies, as well as timely methods for seeing the digital banal as a politics of suppression. Bridging the gap between literary studies and media studies, The Digital Banal recovers the shrouded disturbances that can help us recognize and antagonize our media environment.
The Digital Film Event
by Trinh T. Minh-haEndless travel in cyberspace, virtual reality, and the dream of limitless speed: technology changes our sense of self. In her new book, Trinh Minh-ha explores the way technology transforms our perception of reality. "We are all engaged in social rituals in our daily activities, she writes, "and by remaining unaware of their artistic ritual propensity, we remain 'in conformity'." Her goal, as a thinker and an artist, is to transform our understanding of technology and speed so that we are able to "turn an instrument into a creative tool and to step out of the one-dimensional, technologically servile mind." The paradox that "stillness contains speed within it" is central to Trinh's concept of the digital apparatus. With her signature amalgam of feminism, Eastern philosophy, and practical understanding of filmmaking, Trinh Minh-ha presents a much-needed advance in our concept of the real in a technological age.
The Digital NBA: How the World's Savviest League Brings the Court to Our Couch (Studies in Sports Media)
by Steven SecularThe National Basketball Association reaches a global audience via a multiplatform strategy that leverages its uncanny ability to connect fans to all things NBA. Steven Secular brings readers inside the league’s global operations and traces the history of the NBA’s approach to sports media from its 1980s embrace of cable through the streaming revolution of the twenty-first century. As fans around the world stream games and other league content, NBA teams incorporate foreign languages and cultures into broadcasts to boost their product’s appeal to audiences in Brazil, China, and beyond. Secular’s analysis reveals how the NBA continues to transform itself into a wildly successful media producer and distributor more akin to a streaming studio than the sports leagues of old even as its media partners and sponsors erase any notion of sports as a civic good. A timely look at a dynamic media landscape, The Digital NBA shows how the games we love became content first and sport a distant second.
The Director Within: Storytellers of Stage and Screen
by Rose EichenbaumIn Rose Eichenbaum's latest book on the confluence of art making and human expression, she sits down with thirty-five modern day storytellers—the directors of theater, film, and television. Eichenbaum's subjects speak with revealing clarity about the entertainment industry, the role and life of the director, and how theatrical and cinematic storytelling impacts our culture and our lives. The Director Within includes interviews with Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show), Julie Taymor (The Lion King), Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles), Tim Van Patten (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire), Hal Prince (The Phantom of the Opera), Barry Levinson (Rain Man), and many others. The interviews are skillfully crafted, sensitively executed, and brimming with honesty and insight. The accompanying portraits demonstrate Eichenbaum's mastery of photography and convey the truth, depth, and intimacy of their subjects. The Director Within is an inspirational, informative, and entertaining resource for anyone interested in creativity, art making, and artistic collaboration. The book includes a listing of works from each of the directors.Publication of this book is funded by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The Director and Directing: Craft, Process And Aesthetic In Contemporary Theatre
by Adam J. LedgerThis book critically assesses the artistry of contemporary directors. Its discussion includes the work of Declan Donnellan, Thomas Ostermeier, Deborah Warner, Simon Stone and Krzysztof Warlikowski. Alongside the work of wider theorists (Patrice Pavis and Erika Fischer-Lichte), it uses neuroaesthetic theory (Semir Zeki) and cognitive and creative process models to offer an original means to discuss the performance event, emotion, brain structures and concepts, and the actor’s body in performance. It offers first-hand observation of rehearsals led by Katie Mitchell, Ivo van Hove, Carrie Cracknell and the Steppenwolf Theatre. It also explores devising in relation to the work of Simon McBurney and contemporary groups, and scenography in relation to the work of Dmitry Krymov, Robert Wilson and Robert Lepage. The Director and Directing argues that the director creates a type of knowledge, ‘reward’ and ‘resonant experience’ (G. Gabrielle Starr) through instinctive and expert choices.
The Director's Craft: A Handbook for the Theatre
by Katie MitchellThe Director's Craft is a unique and completely indispensable step-by-step guide to directing for the stage. Written by one of the most adventurous and respected directors working today, this book will be an essential item in every student and practitioner's kitbag. It provides detailed assistance with each aspect of the varied challenges facing all theatre directors, and does so with startling clarity. It will inspire everyone, from the beginner just starting out to the experienced practitioner looking to reinvigorate their practice. Katie Mitchell shares and explains the key practical tools she uses to approach her work with both actors, production teams, and the text itself. She addresses topics such as: the ideas that underpin a play's text preparing improvizations Twelve Golden Rules for working with actors managing the transition from rehearsal room to theatre analyzing your work after a run has ended. Each chapter concludes with a summary of its critical points, making this an ideal reference work for both directors and actors at any stage of their development.
The Director's Toolkit (The Focal Press Toolkit Series)
by Robin SchraftThe Director’s Toolkit is a comprehensive guide to the role of the theatrical director. Following the chronology of the directing process, the book discusses each stage in precise detail, considering the selection and analysis of the script, the audition process, casting, character development, rehearsals, how to self-evaluate a production and everything in between. Drawing on the author’s own experience in multiple production roles, the book highlights the relationship between the director, stage manager and designer, exploring how the director should be involved in all elements of the production process. Featuring a unique exploration of directing in special circumstances, the book includes chapters on directing nonrealistic plays, musicals, alternative theatre configurations, and directing in an educational environment. The book includes detailed illustrations, step-by-step checklists, and opportunities for further exploration, offering a well-rounded foundation for aspiring directors.
The Director's Voice
by Arthur BartowForemost stage directors describe their working process: JoAnne Akalaitis, Arvin Brown, René Buch, Martha Clarke, Gordon Davidson, Robert Falls, Zelda Fichandler, Richard Foreman, Adrian Hall, John Hirsch, Mark Lamos, Marshall W. Mason, Des McAnuff, Gregory Mosher, Harold S. Prince, Lloyd Richards, Peter Sellars, Andrei Serban, Douglas Turner Ward, Robert Woodruff, and Garland Wright.
The Director's Voice, Vol. 2
by Jason Loewith"Directors today are equipped with a larger toolbox than their forerunners, standing on their shoulders as well as those of pioneers in non-Western theater, experimental visual art, community-based theater, and the ever-evolving commercial theater scene."-- Jason LoewithThis second volume presents a cross-section of the most diverse and dynamic stage directors defining today's American theater, in conversation with director/producer Jason Loewith. A follow-up to the immensely popular first volume, which has sold over eighteen thousand copies, much has changed in the twenty years since The Director's Voice debuted. "The nonprofit model has been turned on its head," Loewith notes. "Institution-building is out for these directors; creating a distinctive voice from a multiplicity of influences is in." Together, these directors sketch a compelling portrait of the art form in the new century.Interviews include: Anne Bogart, Mark Brokaw, Peter Brosius, Ping Chong, David Esbjornson, Oskar Eustis, Frank Galati, Michael Kahn, Moisés Kaufman, James Lapine, Elizabeth LeCompte, Emily Mann, Michael Mayer, Marion McClinton, Bill Rauch, Bartlett Sher, Julie Taymor, Theatre de la Jeune Lune (Barbra Berlovitz, Steven Epps, Vincent Gracieux, Robert Rosen, and Dominique Serrand), George C. Wolfe, and Mary Zimmerman.Jason Loewith is a producer, director, and writer. He has served since 2002 as artistic director of Chicago's Next Theatre Company, where he conceived, co-wrote, and produced Adding Machine: A Musical, which had an award-winning run off-Broadway.
The Directors: Take Three (The\directors Ser.)
by Robert J. EmeryThe Directors, Take Three offers dozens of masterful insights on the craft of directing from such renowned filmmakers as Robert Altman, Wes Craven, Alan Parker, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and Barry Levinson. Here are details of their experiences making a variety of classic films from Nashville to Nightmare on Elm Street, Rain Man to Raging Bull, and Pee Wee's Big Adventure to Schindler's List. You'll discover directors' earliest reactions to scripts for films that became classics; how legendary scenes were staged and shot; behind-the-scenes stories of the unknown actors who landed major roles and went on to become superstars; the underdog films that confounded expectations; directors' unique approaches to their art; and much, much more. This magnificent series also includes each director's filmography, complete listings of major awards, and cast credits for every film discussed. A fabulous source of insights, anecdotes, and industry secrets for film buffs everywhere!
The Director’s Idea: The Path to Great Directing
by Ken Dancyger<i>The Director’s Idea</i> is a book that comes out of Ken Dancyger's teaching experience with production students at New York University and with professional producers and editors at the Maurits Binger Institute in Amsterdam. Provides an articulation of the storytelling tools of the director. This is a book about directing for directors and talented individuals who want to become directors.
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
by Tommy Lee Nikki Sixx Vince Neil Mick MarsTen years ago, Motley Crue's bestselling The Dirt--penned with rock chronicler extraordinaire Neil Strauss--set a new bar for rock 'n' roll memoirs. A genuine cultural phenomenon, this turbocharged blockbuster, with more than half a million copies in print, has now been reissued to celebrate thirty wild years with rock's most infamous band. No band has ever lived this hard, and lived to tell the tale. You won't just find sex, drugs, violence, fast cars, and every rock & roll cliche turned on its head inside, you will find uses for burritos and telephone handsets that you couldn't have even imagined in your wildest dreams. This is the classic book that's made countless ordinary mortals want to transform into lawless rock stars, and created countless spin-off books for Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, and Mick Mars, who hold nothing back in this outrageous, legendary, no-holds-barred autobiography.
The Disappearing Christ: Secularism in the Silent Era
by Phil MaciakAt the turn of the twentieth century, American popular culture was booming with opportunities to see Jesus Christ. From the modernized eyewitness gospel of Ben-Hur to the widely circulated passion play films of Edison, Lumière, and Pathé; from D. W. Griffith’s conjuration of a spectral white savior in Birth of a Nation to W. E. B. Du Bois’s “Black Christ” story cycle, Jesus was constantly and inventively visualized across media, and especially in the new medium of film. Why, in an era traditionally defined by the triumph of secular ideologies and institutions, were so many artists rushing to film Christ’s miracles and use his story and image to contextualize their experiences of modernity?In The Disappearing Christ, Phillip Maciak examines filmic depictions of Jesus to argue that cinema developed as a model technology of secularism, training viewers for belief in a secular age. Negotiating between the magic trick and the documentary image, the conflicting impulses of faith and skepticism, the emerging aesthetic of film in this period visualized the fraught process of secularization. Cinematic depictions of an appearing and disappearing Christ became a powerful vehicle for Americans to navigate a rapidly modernizing society. Studying these films alongside a multimedia, interdisciplinary archive of novels, photographs, illustrations, and works of theology, travel writing, and historiography, The Disappearing Christ offers a new narrative of American cultural history at the intersection of cinema studies and religious studies.