Guide to American Cinema, 1965-1995 - Hardcover

Curran, Daniel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313296669 ISBN 13: 9780313296666

Publisher: Greenwood, 1998

Synopsis

This is a critical collection of key films, directors, and performers in American film, 1965-1995, a period that spans the demise of the studio system to the rise of the independents. The guide includes such notable contributions as the early work of Mike Nichols, the litany of 1970s masterpieces from Francis Ford Coppola, the overlooked works of genre directors Monte Hellman and Larry Cohen, and the exciting new independent generation of Lili Taylor, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Todd Haynes, and Spike Lee. Of interest to scholars, students, and film buffs.

Each film entry contains key cast and technical credits, a brief synopsis and analysis, and notable awards. Each entry for director and performer contains biographical data, a career overview, a complete filmography and noted television and stage appearances, a selected bibliography, and honors received.

About this title

About the Author

DANIEL CURRAN is a screenwriter living is Los Angeles with his wife and writing partner, Jennifer Howe. He has contributed to numerous film encyclopedias, including The Motion Picture Guide, and previously taught film production and film aesthetics at Columbia College Chicago.

Reviews

Though he claims to be subjective, Curran, a screenwriter and teacher, nevertheless manages to be very inclusive in this latest film encyclopedia. He identifies and analyzes almost every notable film, actor, and director during a 30-year span of American cinema that, he believes, has a flavor unlike the classical studio system of the early years or the technologically adept film industry of present and future. One might protest praise for some young performers who seem to be getting work because of family connections. On the other hand, Curran examines the careers of some worthy actors not universally recognized, e.g., Rosanna Arquette and supporting actors like Ned Beatty and Jack Warden (but not Martin Balsam or E.G. Marshall). There are also novel appendixes covering producers and screenwriters, the Library of Congress National Film Registry, and major film titles by year. More than a fact-filled, sturdy reference work, this book is well written and uncommonly entertaining. As with Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion (HarperCollins, 1995. 11th ed.), upon opening it you'll forget the original subject you meant to investigate.?Kim R. Holston, American Inst. for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Malvern, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0313296669
• ISBN 13: 9780313296666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 528