Devised and Directed by Mike Leigh

Renowned for making films that are at once sly domestic satires and heartbreaking 'social realist' dramas, British writer-director Mike Leigh confronts his viewers with an un-romanticized dramatization of modern-day society in the hopes of inspiring them to strive for greater self-awareness and compassion for others. This collection features new, interdisciplinary essays that cover all phases of the BAFTA-award-winner’s film career, from his early made-for-television film work to his theatrical releases, including Life is Sweet (1990), Naked (1993), Secrets & Lies (1996), Career Girls (1997), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) and Another Year (2010). With contributions from international scholars from a variety of fields, the essays in this collection cover individual films and the recurring themes and motifs in several films, such as representations of class and gender, and overt social commentary and political subtexts. Also covered are Leigh's visual stylizations and storytelling techniques ranging from explorations of the costume design to set design to the music and camerawork and editing; the collaborative process of ‘devising and directing’ a Mike Leigh film that involves character-building, world-construction, plotting, improvisations and script-writing; the process of funding and marketing for these seemingly 'uncommercial' projects, and a survey of Leigh’s critical reception and the existing writing on his work.

Bryan Cardinale-Powell is a Visiting Professor of Moving Image Arts at Oklahoma City University US. Prior to his teaching appointment, he worked for Panavision, a worldwide supplier of motion picture production equipment, as a freelance writer, producer, and cinematographer for documentaries and other short subject films. He is the recipient of a Southeast Region Emmy Award for Public Service Announcements, a Georgia Association of Broadcasters Award, and a scholarship from the Atlanta Better Films Council for a research project on the history of film reception in Atlanta.

Marc DiPaolo is an Assistant Professor of Humanities at Moraine Valley Community College, USA, and Secretary for the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States. He has written the autobiographical novel Fake Italian for Bordighera Press (2021), and the monographs Fire and Snow: Climate Fiction from the Inklings to Game of Thrones (2018) and War, Politics, and Superheroes (CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2011). He has edited three additional American Studies books, including Unruly Catholics from Dante to Madonna (2007), as well as director studies on Ozu and Mike Leigh. He has been interviewed on NPR, BBC4, and in the AMC docuseries Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics (s1e4, 2017).