Bøker av David Meuel

This is a history and critical appreciation of an unusually fertile period for the production of great or near-great silent films: late 1927 through early 1929, in the midst of the tumult and upheaval of Hollywood's transition from silent to sound. The book offers in-depth looks at several of the best of these films and discusses the gifted artists such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Lillian Gish who helped bring them to life, even as the art they had taken to remarkable heights was about to be obliterated. It depicts some of the silent medium's most talented filmmakers and their efforts--in the face of inescapable technological change--to give their dying art a rousing last hurrah.

"Although rarely discussed in its totality, Joan Crawford's contribution to film noir during the 1940s and 1950s is one of her most impressive and far-reaching career achievements. Several of her noir and noir-tinged efforts contain what may very well be her best acting work, and in all of them her personal stamp is very much in evidence. These aren't conventional film noirs, they are Joan Crawford noirs: highly distinctive films that, because of their distinctiveness, actually extended the boundaries of noir content and brought added depth and dimension to the noir style. The way she accomplished this is also very distinctive. Unlike most actors who routinely adapted to the needs of particular film projects and directors, she approached each film, first and foremost, as a Joan Crawford vehicle, often exerting great control over multiple production functions and at times operating as a de facto producer. This book demonstrates that by examining these films as a collective and relatively cohesive body of work, we can better understand what Crawford aspired to achieve in her art, how-when the circumstances were right-she could deliver superb results, how she helped expand the possibilities for noir, and why the best of her efforts speak across the decades with such intensity and authority."--

When the movie business adopted some of the ways of other big industries in 1920s America, women--who had been essential to the industry's early development--were systematically squeezed out of key behind-the-camera roles. Yet, as female producers and directors virtually disappeared for decades, a number of female film editors remained and rose to the top of their profession, sometimes wielding great power and influence. Their example inspired a later generation of women to enter the profession at mid-century, several of whom were critical to revolutionizing filmmaking in the 1960s and 1970s with contributions to such classics as Bonnie and Clyde, Jaws and Raging Bull. Focusing on nine of these women and presenting shorter glimpses of nine others, this book tells their captivating personal stories and examines their professional achievements.

Beginning in the mid-1940s, the bleak, brooding mood of film noir began seeping into that most optimistic of film genres, the western. This book covers the stylistic shift in westerns in mid-20th century Hollywood, offering close readings of the first noir westerns, along with revealing portraits of the eccentric and talented directors who brought the films to life.

While John Ford remains one of the most influential and revered directors in film history, he is also one of the most frequently misunderstood. One widespread assumption is that he was almost exclusively a man's director, dismissive of, or at best not well attuned to, the stories, perspectives and concerns of women. Challenging this assumption, this book gives readers a richer understanding of the director's view of the world and of the women as well as the men who inhabit it.

Drawing from more than 200 interviews and 75 case studies of varied partnerships, between corporations and government, for example, this text aims to provide perspective, guidance and detailed case examples to help progressive partners achieve their goals in all phases of partnership.