Oscar dearest

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Mary Y. Hallab

"In [book title], [author] examines the mythic figure of the vampire from its origins in early Greek and Slavic folklore, its transformation by Romantics like Byron, Le Fanu, and Stoker, and its diverse representations in present-day popular culture. The allure of the vampire, [author] argues, lies in its persistent undeadness, its refusal to accept its mortal destiny of death and decay. Vampires appeal to our fear of dying and our hope for immortality, and as a focus for our doubts and speculations, vampire literature offers answers to many of our most urgent questions about the meaning of death, the nature of the human soul, and its possible survival after bodily dissolution."--Back cover.

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Nicky Hamlyn

Alongside the commercial cinema of narrative and spectacle there has always been another practice--call it avant-garde, experimental, or artists' film. In this provocative book, Nicky Hamlyn, an acclaimed filmmaker in the alternative tradition, investigates the film art phenomenon. Taking cues from modern trends in other artforms, notably painting and sculpture, this type of filmmaking emphasizes the nature of its apparatus and medium in order to bring about a critical, inquisitive state of mind in the viewer. It deconstructs, anatomizes, and reimagines what film images are it builds new machines it recreates the setting of cinema or expands into new kinds of performance and exhibition. And it often has a political dimension--urging audiences to make a free and active response,not a passive, consumerist one. Hamlyn treats artists' film conceptually in order to explore key categories that connect different works and filmmakers: from framing to digital media, installation to interactivity, point of view, to sound. In so doing he considers the work of Stan Brakhage, Malcolm Le Grice, and Michael Snow, as well as younger artists such as Karen Mirza and Brad Butler, Jennifer Nightingale, and Colin Crockatt, among many others.

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Kevin J. Harty

"Essays discuss American, British and European productions. Analyzed in detail are such films as The Vikings (1958), The Long Ships (1964), Alfred the Great (1969), Erik the Viking (1989) and Outlander (2008), and a pair of comic-strip adaptations, the live-action Prince Valiant (1997) and the animated Astérix and the Vikings (2006). Comprehensive filmography included"--Provided by publisher.

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Roy Hemming

Lavishly illustrated with 162 photos, this book covers 16 songwriters: Arlen, Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, McHugh, Porter, Rainger, Rodgers, Warren, Whiting, Brown, Carmichael, Loesser, Schwartz, Styne, and Van Heusen. Includes complete listings of over 800 movies and 200 songs.