How To Read A Film : Movies Media And Beyond

Richard Gilman referred to How to Read a Film as simply "the best single work of its kind." And Janet Maslin in The New York Times Book Review marveled at James Monaco's ability to collect "an enormous amount of useful information and assemble it in an exhilaratingly simple and systematic way." Indeed, since its original publication in 1977, this hugely popular book has become the definitive source on film and media. Now, James Monaco offers a special anniversary edition of his classic work, featuring a new preface and several new sections, including an "Essential Library: One Hundred Books About Film and Media You Should Read" and "One Hundred Films You Should See." As in previous editions, Monaco once again looks at film from many vantage points, as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and technology. After examining film's close relation to other narrative media such as the novel, painting, photography, television, and even music, the book discusses the elements necessary to understand how films convey meaning, and, more importantly, how we can best discern all that a film is attempting to communicate. In addition, Monaco stresses the still-evolving digital context of film throughout--one of the new sections looks at the untrustworthy nature of digital images and sound--and his chapter on multimedia brings media criticism into the twenty-first century with a thorough discussion of topics like virtual reality, cyberspace, and the proximity of both to film. With hundreds of illustrative black-and-white film stills and diagrams, How to Read a Film is an indispensable addition to the library of everyone who loves the cinema and wants to understand it better.

First Day First Show

For more than a hundred years now, Indians have watched movies made in the subcontinent, sung the songs and gossiped about the stars. Bollywood has been a passion, a popular tradition and a shared national conversation. In recent decades, as India has experienced economic and social change, both the film industry and the entertainment it produces have transformed themselves as well. First Day First Show is Anupama Chopra???s guide to this dazzling world of lights, cameras and stars but also to its shadowing darkness. She takes us into the lives of the stars and into the struggles of those who never make it to center stage; she lets us participate in the making of legendary hits like Sholay and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and also the hard-won successes of independent film-makers; she shows us the glamour as well as the murky links with the underworld. There is also the odd story of the royal bodyguard of Bhutan who became a scriptwriter; of the embarrassed Pakistani soldiers at Wagah border who did not allow their favorite Indian superstars to shoot. This book has all the ingredients of a Bollywood hit: there is friendship, love, despair, hope, heartbreak and triumph.

Our Films Their Films

Cinema has never been saved by writers. We may have more of them now than ever before, but at the time there are more and stronger shoulders now to shrug them off. No. Words are not enough. Words need the backing of action, or there is no revolution. And the only action that counts is that which a film maker calls into play by snapping out his words of command in his own particular field of battle. If victory, and of many others like him, restore even a little of the dignity a great art form has lost, only them can we talk of having a revolution.

The Master And I

Soumitra Chatterjee was one of the iconic Bengali actors and an ardent student of Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray was one of the most renowned film makers not only in India but across the world. This book details on the relationship of two talented artists, which gives a closer look on how they walked the journeys of both professional and personal lives. It brings out the impact they both had on each other’s lives. Soumitra has acted in 14 films that were made by the maestro. Soumitra was initially rejected for a role by Satyajit Ray. But that did not fail to mark the beginning of their relationship as artists. His experiences and memories with the master take the readers back in time along with him. The book is translated to English by Arunava Sinha. The book gives a good look into the artists’ behind the screen lives.

Screenplay : The Foundations Of Screenwriting

Screenplay: The Foundations Of Screenwriting offers a step-by-step guide about screenwriting, from the concept to a finished script, and is written by the master screenwriter himself.Screenplay: The Foundations Of Screenwriting is an upgraded version of Syd Field???s classical guide in screenwriting for aspiring and experienced writers. The book deals with the inception of a concept, crafting and development of characters, and plotting the opening scene to the completion of a script. The book is updated with trends and perspectives on the evolving film industry. The book helps writers on the basics of screenwriting including building up engaging dialogues, character creation and development, how to build the story line, finding the right agent to market your book, and much more.

Great Urdu Ghazals, Great Urdu Nazms, Great Urdu Rubais, Qatas & Couplets

Great Urdu Ghazals

This unique compilation brings us the best of three centuries of Urdu ghazals along with their English translations. Even the wind changed its course and the destination became easy to reach and a hundred candles were lit up as we held our hand each to each Mujhe sahal ho gayi manzilien woh hawa ke rukh bhi badal gayeTera haath haath mein aa gaya ki chirag raah mein jal gaye 'Majrooh' SultanpuriI From Mir to Ghalib to Kaifi Azmi and Kuldip Salil, this unique compilation brings us the best of three centuries of poets and their ghazals along with their English translations. This unparalleled collection also brings us the ghazals in Devanagari and Roman scripts in order to get us closer to the ghazals and their rhythmic nuances. Originating in the 6th century, the form and subject of ghazals is deeply intriguing, whether in the form of divine love or in the form of earthly love. The love, longing and pain of a ghazal have never failed to stir our souls. This priceless selection of Urdu ghazals was compiled and translated into Hindi by the Late Prakash Pandit. Kuldip Salil selected 54 poets from the immense treasure of Urdu poetry and translated their gems into English.

The History Of Cinema : A Very Short Introduction

Cinema was the first, and is arguably still the greatest, of the industrialized art forms that came to dominate the cultural life of the twentieth century. Today, it continues to adapt and grow as new technologies and viewing platforms become available, and remains an integral cultural and aesthetic entertainment experience for people the world over. Cinema developed against the backdrop of the two world wars, and over the years has seen smaller wars, revolutions, and profound social changes. Its history reflects this changing landscape, and, more than any other art form, developments in technology. In this Very Short Introduction, Nowell-Smith looks at the defining moments of the industry, from silent to sound, black and white to colour, and considers its genres from intellectual art house to mass market entertainment.

Film : A Very Short Introduction

Film is considered by some to be the most dominant art form of the twentieth century. It is many things, but it has become above all a means of telling stories through images and sounds. The stories are often offered to us as quite false, frankly and beautifully fantastic, and they are sometimes insistently said to be true. But they are stories in both cases, and there are very few films, even in avant-garde art, that don't imply or quietly slip into narrative. This story element is important, and is closely connected with the simplest fact about moving pictures: they do move.Even the older meanings of the word 'film' - a membrane, a covering, a veil, an emanation - now seem to have something to do with moving pictures. Many people believe films are an instrument of illusion, an emphatic way of seeing what is not there; and this capacity has been both celebrated and condemned. 'Like a movie' mostly means like some sort of fairy-tale. But what about the reverse proposition: that more than any other invention film brings us close to the world as it actually is? 'Photography is truth', a character says in a film by Jean-Luc Godard. 'And cinema is the truth twenty-four times per second'. The same claim is made every day, albeit less epigrammatically, by newsreels and surveillance cameras.In this Very Short Introduction Michael Wood provides a brief history and examination of the nature of the medium of film, considering its role and impact on society as well as its future in the digital age. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas,

Theatre : A Very Short Introduction

From before history was recorded to the present day, theatre has been a major artistic form around the world. From puppetry to mimes and street theatre, this complex art has utilized all other art forms such as dance, literature, music, painting, sculpture, and architecture. Every aspect of human activity and human culture can be, and has been, incorporated into the creation of theatre.In this Very Short Introduction Marvin Carlson takes us through Ancient Greece and Rome, to Medieval Japan and Europe, to America and beyond, and looks at how the various forms of theatre have been interpreted and enjoyed. Exploring the role that theatre artists play - from the actor and director to the designer and puppet-master, as well as the audience ??? this is an engaging exploration of what theatre has meant, and still means, to people of all ages at all times.

Absolutely On Music

Haruki Murakami's passion for music runs deep. Before turning his hand to writing, he ran a jazz club in Tokyo, and the aesthetic and emotional power of music permeates every one of his much-loved books. Now, in Absolutely on Music, Murakami fulfills a personal dream, sitting down with his friend, acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa, to talk about their shared interest. They discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from record collecting to pop-up orchestras, and much more.

Indian Cinema : A Very Short Introduction

Deep Focus : Reflections On Cinema

Satyajit Ray is acknowledged to be one of theworld's finest film-makers. This book brings together some of his most cerebral writings on film. With the economy and precision that marked his films, Ray writes on the art and craft of cinema, pensan ode to silent cinema, discusses the problems inadapting literary works to film, pays tribute to contemporaries like Godard and Uttam Kumar and even gives us a peek into his experiences at film festivals, both as a jury member and as a contestant. Including fascinating photographs by and of the master, Deep Focus not only reveals Ray's engagement with cinema but also provides an invaluable insight into the mind of a genius.

Fiction To Film : Ruth Prawer Jhabvalaa The Householder And Heat And Dust

Examining the relationship between literature and cinema from the perspective of poststructuralist narrative theory, this book studies how different kinds of narratives change during adaptation and offers an alternative model for the study of narratives. It addresses issues of cinematic adaptation and asks: what changes take place in a narrative when a novel is adapted into film? Looking at the art forms of novel, theatre and film, and the evolution of narratology as a discipline, it also shows how narratological tools, used to study literary texts, are equally relevant and applicable to the study of cinematic narratives.

Films, understood as a blend of mimetic and diegetic arts, are different from fiction. Questioning the relevance of fidelity criticism, the author closely examines the bias against adaptations. Instead of judging adaptations only for their faithfulness to the original, he argues that film adaptations of literary works must be seen as independent creative works of art, and not as derivative, and hence inferior. The relationship between cinema and the literary source can be understood in terms of inter-textuality, inter-mediality and interpretation, and within the paradigm of translation. 

The creative collaboration of Ismail Merchant, James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is a celebrated one in film history. The book focuses on Jhabvala, the novelist and screenwriter, and analyses two of her texts in fiction and film. The two novels/films under study—The Householder and Heat and Dust—were chosen to see how Jhabvala the novelist reinvents her own stories as the screenwriter to suit the needs of the new medium.

The book contributes to the study of narrative discourse in fiction and film in India, and will be useful for students and scholars of film and literary studies.

Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly : An Autobiography

An extraordinary, riveting and no-holds-barred saga studded with fascinating behind-the-scenes revelations, anecdotes and rare nuggets of lessons Anupam Kher’s life story is nothing short of a grand masala box office hit. It has drama, comedy, romance and even action! Who knew that a small-town Shimla boy would one day become one of the most recognized actors in the world and go on to win various national and international awards for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts? A powerhouse of talent with over 530 films (and counting) in his repertoire, Anupam Kher stands out not only because of his iconic bald head, but also for his forthright views and opinions, however controversial they may be. He has always been distinct and offbeat. His autobiography is, too . . . for it is not just another chronological account of his life. It is, in fact, also peppered with incredible life lessons that are bound to resonate with every aspiring artiste and, most of all, the common man. Here is a kaleidoscopic peep into the life and times of a true genius and forever entertainer.

One Palace, A Thousand Doorways : Songlines Through Bhakti, Sufi And Baul Oral Traditions

‘Like Kabir’s “brilliant palace” (meaning the human body), this collection of poetry and reflection glows with vibrant colours… This book is a doorway to the living traditions of South Asia’s great mystical poetry. Step in to find joy, sorrow, wisdom, humour, love, challenge, and perhaps inspiration to enter the singing fields yourself!’—Linda Hess, author of Bodies of Song and The Bijak of Kabir A unique textual compilation for the modern seeker, this exceptional book brings together some of the greatest songs by Bhakti, Sufi and Baul mystic poets of northern India for the first time. Kabir, Nanak Das, Gorakhnath, Mira Bai, Khwaja Ghulam Farid, Bulleshah, Lalon Fakir, and Parvathy Baul, among others, illuminate the human condition with an enduring wisdom that resonates today as it did in centuries past. Variously acerbic or sensual, irreverent or devotional—and always incandescent and intimate—these songs explode beyond narrow religiosity and open doorways to the palace of true experience: ecstatic unity of the self with the universe. This carefully curated selection of 140 timeless songs in lucid translation and transliteration, accompanied with insightful commentary, is the result of Rikhi and Virmani’s extensive research and travel across the subcontinent over two decades. Drawing upon the shared and many-splendoured spiritual heritage of the Indic civilization, One Palace, a Thousand Doorways lights up a path to profound fulfilment and bliss amidst the frenetic demands of modern life.

Ideology Of The Hindi Film : A Hisrorical Construction

Historical Film : A Critical Introduction

Although precise definitions have not been agreed on, historical cinema tends to cut across existing genre categories and establishes an intimidatingly large group of films. In recent years, a lively body of work has developed around historical cinema, much of it proposing valuable new ways to consider the relationship between cinematic and historical representation. However, only a small proportion of this writing has paid attention to the issue of genre. In order to counter this omission, this book combines a critical analysis of the Hollywood historical film with an examination of its generic dimensions and a history of its development since the silent period. Historical Film: A Critical Introduction is concerned not simply with the formal properties of the films at hand, but also the ways in which they have been promoted, interpreted and discussed in relation to their engagement with the past.

Theatres Of India : A Concise Companion

Bollywood : The Films! The Songs! The Stars!

Prepare to be enchanted by the glamour and colour of Indian cinema in Bollywood, a lavishly illustrated celebration of the world???s biggest film industry. Known for their glittering costumes and epic song-and-dance routines, the charming movies produced in Mumbai have captured the hearts not just of Indians but of people the world over. Bollywood takes you on a tour of the many highlights of Hindi cinema, from early films to modern-day creations.