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The Great Movies
by Roger EbertReprints 100 essays published in the between 1996 and 2001. Revisiting classic films that have been largely forgotten as well as more recent masterpieces, Ebert breaks down each film's plot, its directorial style, and its place in film history. Black and white stills. No index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
The Great Movies
by Roger EbertAmerica's most trusted and best-known film critic Roger Ebert presents one hundred brilliant essays on some of the best movies ever made. For the past five years Roger Ebert, the famed film writer and critic, has been writing biweekly essays for a feature called "The Great Movies," in which he offers a fresh and fervent appreciation of a great film. The Great Movies collects one hundred of these essays, each one of them a gem of critical appreciation and an amalgam of love, analysis, and history that will send readers back to that film with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm-or perhaps to an avid first-time viewing. Ebert's selections range widely across genres, periods, and nationalities, and from the highest achievements in film art to justly beloved and wildly successful popular entertainments. Roger Ebert manages in these essays to combine a truly populist appreciation for our most important form of popular art with a scholar's erudition and depth of knowledge and a sure aesthetic sense. Wonderfully enhanced by stills selected by Mary Corliss, film curator at the Museum of Modern Art, The Great Movies is a treasure trove for film lovers of all persuasions, an unrivaled guide for viewers, and a book to return to again and again. The Great Movies includes: All About Eve * Bonnie and Clyde * Casablanca * Citizen Kane * The Godfather * Jaws * La Dolce Vita * Metropolis * On the Waterfront * Psycho * The Seventh Seal * Sweet Smell of Success * Taxi Driver * The Third Man * The Wizard of Oz * and eighty-five more films.From the Hardcover edition.
The Great Movies II
by Roger EbertFrom America's most trusted and highly visible film critic, 100 more brilliant essays on the films that define cinematic greatness.Continuing the pitch-perfect critiques begun in The Great Movies, Roger Ebert's The Great Movies II collects 100 additional essays, each one of them a gem of critical appreciation and an amalgam of love, analysis, and history that will send readers back to films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm--or perhaps to an avid first-time viewing. Neither a snob nor a shill, Ebert manages in these essays to combine a truly populist appreciation for today's most important form of popular art with a scholar's erudition and depth of knowledge and a sure aesthetic sense. Once again wonderfully enhanced by stills selected by Mary Corliss, former film curator at the Museum of Modern Art, The Great Movies II is a treasure trove for film lovers of all persuasions, an unrivaled guide for viewers, and a book to return to again and again.Films featured in The Great Movies II12 Angry Men · The Adventures of Robin Hood · Alien · Amadeus · Amarcord · Annie Hall · Au Hasard, Balthazar · The Bank Dick · Beat the Devil · Being There · The Big Heat · The Birth of a Nation · The Blue Kite · Bob le Flambeur · Breathless · The Bridge on the River Kwai · Bring Me the Head of Alfredo García · Buster Keaton · Children of Paradise · A Christmas Story · The Color Purple · The Conversation · Cries and Whispers · The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie · Don't Look Now · The Earrings of Madame de . . . · The Fall of the House of Usher · The Firemen's Ball · Five Easy Pieces · Goldfinger · The Good, the Bad and the Ugly · Goodfellas · The Gospel According to Matthew · The Grapes of Wrath · Grave of the Fireflies · Great Expectations · House of Games · The Hustler · In Cold Blood · Jaws · Jules and Jim · Kieslowski's Three Colors Trilogy · Kind Hearts and Coronets · King Kong · The Last Laugh · Laura · Leaving Las Vegas · Le Boucher · The Leopard · The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp · The Manchurian Candidate · The Man Who Laughs · Mean Streets · Mon Oncle · Moonstruck · The Music Room · My Dinner with Andre · My Neighbor Totoro · Nights of Cabiria · One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest · Orpheus · Paris, Texas · Patton · Picnic at Hanging Rock · Planes, Trains and Automobiles · The Producers · Raiders of the Lost Ark · Raise the Red Lantern · Ran · Rashomon · Rear Window · Rififi · The Right Stuff · Romeo and Juliet · The Rules of the Game · Saturday Night Fever · Say Anything · Scarface · The Searchers · Shane · Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs · Solaris · Strangers on a Train · Stroszek · A Sunday in the Country · Sunrise · A Tale of Winter · The Thin Man · This Is Spinal Tap ·Tokyo Story · Touchez Pas au Grisbi · Touch of Evil · The Treasure of the Sierra Madre · Ugetsu · Umberto D · Unforgiven · Victim · Walkabout · West Side Story · Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Great Movies III
by Roger EbertRoger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for over four decades now and his biweekly essays on great movies have been appearing there since 1996. As Ebert noted in the introduction to the first collection of those pieces, “They are not the greatest films of all time, because all lists of great movies are a foolish attempt to codify works which must stand alone. But it’s fair to say: If you want to take a tour of the landmarks of the first century of cinema, start here. Enter The Great Movies III, Ebert’s third collection of essays on the crème de la crème of the silver screen, each one a model of critical appreciation and a blend of love and analysis that will send readers back to the films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm—or maybe even lead to a first-time viewing. From The Godfather: Part II to Groundhog Day, from The Last Picture Show to Last Tango in Paris, the hundred pieces gathered here display a welcome balance between the familiar and the esoteric, spanning Hollywood blockbusters and hidden gems, independent works and foreign language films alike. Each essay draws on Ebert’s vast knowledge of the cinema, its fascinating history, and its breadth of techniques, introducing newcomers to some of the most exceptional movies ever made, while revealing new insights to connoisseurs as well. Named the most powerful pundit in America by Forbes magazine, and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Roger Ebert is inarguably the most prominent and influential authority on the cinema today. The Great Movies III is sure to please his many fans and further enhance his reputation as America’s most respected—and trusted—film critic.
The Great Movies IV
by Roger Ebert Matt Zoller Seitz Chaz EbertNo film critic has ever been as influential--or as beloved-- as Roger Ebert. Over more than four decades, he built a reputation writing reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times and, later, arguing onscreen with rival Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel and later Richard Roeper about the movies they loved and loathed. But Ebert went well beyond a mere "thumbs up" or "thumbs down." Readers could always sense the man behind the words, a man with interests beyond film and a lifetime's distilled wisdom about the larger world. Although the world lost one of its most important critics far too early, Ebert lives on in the minds of moviegoers today, who continually find themselves debating what he might have thought about a current movie. The Great Movies IV is the fourth--and final--collection of Roger Ebert's essays, comprising sixty-two reviews of films ranging from the silent era to the recent past. From films like The Cabinet of Caligari and Viridiana that have been considered canonical for decades to movies only recently recognized as masterpieces to Superman, The Big Lebowski, and Pink Floyd: The Wall, the pieces gathered here demonstrate the critical acumen seen in Ebert's daily reviews and the more reflective and wide-ranging considerations that the longer format allowed him to offer. Ebert's essays are joined here by an insightful foreword by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz, the current editor-in-chief of the official Roger Ebert website, and a touching introduction by Chaz Ebert. A fitting capstone to a truly remarkable career, The Great Movies IV will introduce newcomers to some of the most exceptional movies ever made, while revealing new insights to connoisseurs as well.
The Great Nadar: The Man Behind the Camera
by Adam BegleyA dazzling, stylish biography of a fabled Parisian photographer, adventurer, and pioneer.A recent French biography begins, Who doesn't know Nadar? In France, that's a rhetorical question. Of all of the legendary figures who thrived in mid-19th-century Paris—a cohort that includes Victor Hugo, Baudelaire, Gustave Courbet, and Alexandre Dumas—Nadar was perhaps the most innovative, the most restless, the most modern.The first great portrait photographer, a pioneering balloonist, the first person to take an aerial photograph, and the prime mover behind the first airmail service, Nadar was one of the original celebrity artist-entrepreneurs. A kind of 19th-century Andy Warhol, he knew everyone worth knowing and photographed them all, conferring on posterity psychologically compelling portraits of Manet, Sarah Bernhardt, Delacroix, Daumier and countless others—a priceless panorama of Parisian celebrity. Born Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, he adopted the pseudonym Nadar as a young bohemian, when he was a budding writer and cartoonist. Later he affixed the name Nadar to the façade of his opulent photographic studio in giant script, the illuminated letters ten feet tall, the whole sign fifty feet long, a garish red beacon on the boulevard. Nadar became known to all of Europe and even across the Atlantic when he launched "The Giant," a gas balloon the size of a twelve-story building, the largest of its time. With his daring exploits aboard his humongous balloon (including a catastrophic crash that made headlines around the world), he gave his friend Jules Verne the model for one of his most dynamic heroes. The Great Nadar is a brilliant, lavishly illustrated biography of a larger-than-life figure, a visionary whose outsized talent and canny self-promotion put him way ahead of his time.
The Great Neighborhood Book
by Project for Public Spaces Jay WalljasperAbandoned lots and litter-strewn pathways, or rows of green beans and pockets of wildflowers? Graffiti-marked walls and desolate bus stops, or shady refuges and comfortable seating? What transforms a dingy, inhospitable area into a dynamic gathering place? How do individuals take back their neighborhood?Neighborhoods decline when the people who live there lose their connection and no longer feel part of their community. Recapturing that sense of belonging and pride of place can be as simple as planting a civic garden or placing some benches in a park. The Great Neighborhood Book explains how most struggling communities can be revived, not by vast infusions of cash, not by government, but by the people who live there. The author addresses such challenges as traffic control, crime, comfort and safety, and developing economic vitality. Using a technique called "placemaking"--the process of transforming public space--this exciting guide offers inspiring real-life examples that show the magic that happens when individuals take small steps and motivate others to make change.This book will motivate not only neighborhood activists and concerned citizens but also urban planners, developers, and policymakers. Jay Walljasper is a senior fellow of Project for Public Spaces (PPS), whose mission is to create and sustain enriching public places that build communities. He is a former editor of The Utne Reader and currently executive editor of Ode magazine. Inspired by European cities, The Great Neighborhood Book highlights practical solutions for the revitalization of North American cities.
The Great Nijinsky: God of Dance
by Lynn CurleeA tragic story of a cultural icon—dance prodigy, sex symbol, LGBTQ+ pioneer—this compelling work of narrative nonfiction chronicles a life of obsessive artistry and celebrity of Vaslav Nijinsky. With one grand leap off the stage at the 1909 premiere of the Ballets Russes's inaugural season, Nijinsky became an overnight sensation and the century's first superstar, in the days before moving pictures brought popular culture to the masses. Perhaps the greatest dancer of the twentieth century, Nijinsky captured audiences with his sheer animal magnetism and incredible skill. He was also half of the most famous (and openly gay) couple of the Edwardian era: his relationship with Serge Diaghilev, artistic director and architect of the Ballets Russes, pushed boundaries in a time when homosexuality and bisexuality were rarely discussed. Nijinsky's life was tumultuous--after marrying a female groupie he hardly knew, he was kicked out of the Ballets Russes and placed under house arrest during World War I. Unable to work as he once did, his mental health deteriorated, and he spent three decades in and out of institutions.Biographical narrative is interspersed with spotlights on the ballets the dancer popularized: classic masterworks such as Afternoon of a Faun, The Firebird, and of course, the shockingly original Rite of Spring, which caused the audience to riot at its premiere. Illustrated with elegant, intimate portraits as well as archival art and photographs.
Great Northern Railway Gallery: A Pictorial Journey Through Time (Railway Gallery Ser.)
by Michael A. Vanns&“A simply fascinating and impressively informative illustrated history&” of the British steam railway by the author of The Leicester Gap (Midwest Book Review). The Great Northern Railway was one of 120 companies that ran trains in Britain during the Victorian and Edwardian period. Formed in 1846, it traded independently for seventy-six years until absorbed into the London & North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923. Operating a network of nearly 700 route miles it ran trains between King&’s Cross, London and York, into the Eastern Counties and the East Midlands, the West Riding of Yorkshire, into Lancashire and even south of the Thames. It developed distinctive characteristics, both in the way it managed its affairs and in the appearance of its trains, stations, signals and signalboxes. Numerous photographs were taken, particularly from the 1890s onwards, by dedicated amateurs attracted to the lineside by the sight of speeding steam locomotives in apple green livery, hauling polished teak carriages. Goods trains and the endless procession of coal trains were not such popular photographic subjects, but by searching out these and images of staff, stations and signalboxes, this book aims to capture something of the spirit of a once-great organization in the heyday of Britain&’s steam railways. &“With the welcome increase in the pre-Grouping scene engendered by projects such as the Hatton&’s &‘Genesis&’ coaches, books such as this will find a new audience, which is no bad thing.&” —Railway Modeller &“Vanns certainly presents a splendid collection of period images displaying numerous aspects of the railway&’s operations.&” —Best of British
Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass, The (Images of Rail)
by Dale W. JonesMontana’s Marias Pass is the lowest rail crossing through the Rocky Mountains. The tracks snake through narrow canyons, traverse the swift Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and twist through numerous snowsheds and tunnels to crest the 5,213-foot Continental Divide. James Jerome Hill was the driving force behind Great Northern Railway’s mission to find the most economical route to the Pacific coast, with surveyor John F. Stevens taking a major role in locating the pass. Browning is the eastern gateway into Marias Pass as the railroad approaches the Rocky Mountain Front; continuing west from Summit, the tracks parallel Bear Creek and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River downgrade through Essex to Glacier National Park and into the Flathead Valley.
Great Ohio River Flood of 1937, The
by James E. CastoFrom the time settlers first pushed into the Ohio Valley, floods were an accepted fact of life. After each flood, people shoveled the mud from their doors and set about rebuilding their towns. In 1884, the Ohio River washed away 2,000 homes. In 1913, an even worse flood swept down the river. People labeled it the "granddaddy" of all floods. Little did they know there was worse yet to come. In 1937, raging floodwaters inundated thousands of houses, businesses, factories, and farms in a half dozen states, drove one million people from their homes, claimed nearly 400 lives, and recorded $500 million in damages. Adding to the misery was the fact that the disaster came during the depths of the Depression, when many families were already struggling. Images of America: The Great Ohio River Flood of 1937 brings together 200 vintage images that offer readers a look at one of the darkest chapters in the region's history.
Great Photography Techniques: Flash
by Lee FrostDo you want to be able to take brilliant photos but dont know where to begin? Get a kickstart with this little book which will give you just enough to get you going...
Great Photography Techniques: Flash
by Lee FrostDo you want to be able to take brilliant photos but dont know where to begin? Get a kickstart with this little book which will give you just enough to get you going...
Great Photos - Simple Cameras
by Bernd DaubWhen we look at everyday life, we realize that it is far from easy. Indeed, we are often confronted with the contrary: complicated instead of simple; demanding instead of effortless. As photographers, we face a similar situation with regard to our chosen hobby. The camera and computer are wonderful technical instruments, but their growing complexity can sometimes take away from the joy we find when we engage in creative work. In this book, author Bernd Daub shows us that simplicity works. He describes how with simple camera techniques, traditional film, and some imagination we can create ambitious artwork. This book teaches us how to focus our attention on the motivation behind our chosen image and develop a strong image impact without the need for high-tech equipment and flawless exposures. Learn about a variety of reasonably priced, low-tech cameras-such as the Holga, Diana, and Blackbird-as well as single-use cameras, the good old Agfa-Box, and the pinhole camera. For price-conscious beginners and intermediate photographers with high-quality equipment, this book provides ideas for alternative techniques without large investments. You'll discover many new possibilities as you foster your creativity.
Great Producers: Visionaries of American Theater
by Iris DorbianUp close and personal with Broadway's brightest lights of the past, present, and future. * Firsthand accounts, rare interviews, backstage anecdotes * Insider ideas from Disney, Jujamcyn, Mackintosh, Weissler, Papp, Merrick, Ziegfeld, more! Meet the movers and shakers who shape what we see on Broadway. In this insider's look at the producers behind the shows, Broadway's most esteemed visionaries tell all--how they got started in the business, how they chose projects, how they raise money, and more.
The Great Pyramid Mystery
by Amy TaoNo one knows for sure just how the ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty. How could an ancient civilization have achieved this engineering feat? Perhaps the solution to this mystery can be answered with simple machines!
The Great Radio Heroes
by Jim HarmonReminiscences of the heyday of radio programming, with insights on many of the favorite programs. Contains actor bios and more.
Great Reckonings in Little Rooms: On the Phenomenology of Theater
by Bert O. StatesThis is a book about the theater phenomenon. It is an extension of notes on the theater and theatergoing that have been accumulating for some time. It does not have an argument, or set out to prove a thesis, and it will not be one of those useful books one reads for the fruits of its research. Rather, it is a form of critical description that is phenomenological in the sense that it focuses on the activity of theater making itself out of its essential materials: speech, sound, movement, scenery, text, etc. Like most phenomenological description, it will succeed to the extent that it awakens the reader's memory of his own perceptual encounters with theater. If the book fails in this it will be about as interesting to read as an anthology of someone else's dreams. In any case, this book is less concerned with the scientific purity of my perspective and method than with retrieving something from the theater experience that seems to me worthy of our critical admiration.
The Great Rent Wars
by Robert M. FogelsonWritten by one of the country’s foremost urban historians, The Great Rent Wars tells the fascinating but little-known story of the battles between landlords and tenants in the nation’s largest city from 1917 through 1929. These conflicts were triggered by the post-war housing shortage, which prompted landlords to raise rents, drove tenants to go on rent strikes, and spurred the state legislature, a conservative body dominated by upstate Republicans, to impose rent control in New York, a radical and unprecedented step that transformed landlord-tenant relations. The Great Rent Wars traces the tumultuous history of rent control in New York from its inception to its expiration as it unfolded in New York, Albany, and Washington, D. C. At the heart of this story are such memorable figures as Al Smith, Fiorello H. La Guardia, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, as well as a host of tenants, landlords, judges, and politicians who have long been forgotten. Fogelson also explores the heated debates over landlord-tenant law, housing policy, and other issues that are as controversial today as they were a century ago.
Great Rides of Today's Wild West: A Horseman's Photographic Journey Across the American West
by Mark BedorVeteran travel writer, photographer, and horseman Mark Bedor returns with another breathtaking adventure across the American West. This gorgeous photographic collection showcases twenty-six horseback rides across the United States (with one trip abroad to the great Australian Outback). For each, Bedor offers firsthand descriptions of the people and places, whether they’re tagging along on a cattle drive, taking part in a re-creation of Custer’s Last Stand, or just soaking in the natural vistas. Take part in the Great American Horse Drive in Colorado; ride through the spectacular Sierra Nevada at Inyo National Park; and step back in time to the Old West at Tombstone Monument Ranch. Whether the locations are working dude ranches, historic national parks, or world-famous travel destinations, Great Rides of Today’s Wild West shows them in full splendor through more than three hundred spectacular photographs by the author. The beauty, romance, and history of the Wild West and magnificent natural landscapes attract people from all over the world. This book lets you saddle up and ride across the country and beyond on some of the finest trails of today’s Wild West.
Great Scenes For Young Actors From The Stage (Young Actors Ser.)
by Craig Slaight Jack SharrarGreat Scenes for Young Actors (Young Actors Series)
Great Scenes from the Bible: 230 Magnificent 17th-Century Engravings (Dover Pictorial Archive)
by Matthaeus MerianRemarkably detailed illustrations depict Adam and Eve Driven Out of the Garden of Eden, The Flood, David Slaying Goliath, Christ in the Manger, The Raising of Lazarus, The Crucifixion, and many other scenes. A wonderful pictorial dimension to age-old stories. All 230 plates from the classic 1625 edition.
Great Scenes from the Old Testament: A Pictorial Archive of 160 Illustrations (Dover Pictorial Archive)
by Julius Schnorr von CarolsfeldOne of the most inspired painters of the nineteenth century, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794 -1872) was also a brilliant engraver and draftsman. This collection, among his major accomplishments, includes scores of engravings that bring to life familiar scenes from the Old Testament - from the creation of the world and the fall of Adam and Eve to the story of Noah and his Ark and David's slaying of Goliath. Imbued with a sense of grace and spontaneity, Schnorr von Carolsfeld's monumental compositions pay minute attention to detail. Each of the 160 beautifully composed images, selected from a rare nineteenth-century publication, is accompanied by a caption citing title and biblical book and chapter.An important reference for students and scholars of scriptural studies, this handsome archive will also serve as an important sourcebook for designers and commercial artists.
Great Self-Portraits
by Carol Belanger GraftonWhat does a self-portrait tell us about the artist? Readers are invited to find out in this unique addition to Dover's popular Art Library Series. Drawings in pen, ink, and charcoal, as well as etchings and engravings, encompass 45 splendid self-portraits. Subjects range from such 15th-century artists as Gentile Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci, and Albrecht Dürer to a host of 19th-century masters: James Whistler, Auguste Rodin, Vincent van Gogh, Berthe Morisot, Aubrey Beardsley, and many more. Among the other artists depicted here is the avid self-portraitist Rembrandt van Rijn, in one of his trademark hats, along with Peter Paul Rubens, Francisco de Goya, William Blake, and Camille Pissarro. Artists, art historians and art lovers will enjoy discovering the emotions, character traits, and nuances of personality revealed in these masterly self-portraits.
Great Shakes
by Don FreemanIn simple yet all-telling black-and-white graphics, Freeman unfolds a humorous, lively, deeply human, and yet modern story of William Shakespeare being brought down from Heaven to help Hollywood out of a creative depression. Naturally, in a new environment, "Shakes" cannot produce hit material on call... and so his adventures begin – with humorous and deep consequences, all told without words! Enjoy Don Freeman's humour and his wonderful and sense of life with all of humanity' highs and lows and in-betweens.