The cinema of Generation X

Sample

Robert Buchar

"The work contains sixteen uncensored interviews with filmmakers such as Jan Němec, Jiří Menzel, Saša Gedeon, and Jan Svěrák, who describe the struggle to realize their visions in a constantly shifting political landscape: from the mid-1960s, through the repressive "Normalization" after the Soviet occupation in 1968 (more films were banned in 1970 than during the previous twenty years of Communism), and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. "These artists reveal their search for individual and national identity, describe living and making films in the Czech Republic now and in the past, explore the influence of foreign films, and speculate on the future of film. Each interview includes a short biography, filmography, and list of awards."--Jacket.

Sample

King Vidor

Autobiography of a famous movie director. Contains anecdotes of many actors and actresses from the old silent days to the 1950s.

Sample

Ni Zhen

After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982, directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou revolutionized Chinese cinema with Red Sorghum, Farewell My Concubine, Yellow Earth, Raise the Red Lantern, and other international successes. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy tells the riveting story of this class of 1982, China's famous "Fifth Generation" of filmmakers. It is the first insider's account of this renowned cohort to appear in English. Covering these directors' formative experiences during China's tumultuous Cultural Revolution and later at the Beijing Film Academy, Ni Zhen--who was both their screenwriter and teacher--provides unique insights into the origins of the Fifth Generation's creativity. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy illuminates the Fifth Generation in light of the social and political history of contemporary China. While it addresses the collective identity of the filmmakers, most of whom were born in the late 1940s or early 1950s, it also examines how they view themselves and relate to one another. Ni Zhen has supplemented his personal knowledge of these directors with new interviews conducted for this volume. Intervening in current debates, he argues against mistaken postcolonial criticisms which allege that these filmmakers marketed an exotic image of China to Western audiences. He also demonstrates the diversity of the Fifth Generation, commenting on the breadth of styles and themes explored by its members and introducing a range of male and female directors, cinematographers, and production designers famous in China but less well-known internationally. The book contains vivid descriptions of the production processes of two pioneering films--One and Eight and Yellow Earth.

Sample

William F. McConnell

He was acclaimed by his contemporaries as an outstanding Civil War military leader, and his troops possibly saved the nation's capital from capture. Often confused with another Reno, who was part of the Little Big Horn expedition, Major General Jesse Lee Reno was, in fact, a true hero of two of America's wars. After his death, the cities of Reno, Nevada and El Reno, Oklahoma were named in his honor. He led two future presidents in battle and threatened to place one of them in irons. He was a friend of West Point classmate Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, but later fought him in two battles. Whether friend's or foe's bullet caused his death in 1862 has long been a matter of controversy among historians. He was buried with a famous Barbara Fritchie flag. These, and his many other achievements would seem to be the attributes for lasting fame, but it was not to be. Jesse Lee Reno is now nearly forgotten except for a few scholars and researchers. This biography is an attempt to illuminate the often overlooked accomplishments of this American hero. "Remember Reno" was shouted by his soldiers at the Battle of Antietam as they stormed across Burnside Bridge.