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To the Hilt: A Sword Swallower's History of Sword Swallowing
by Dan Meyer Marc HartzmanTo the Hilt is a riveting exploration into the mysterious and dangerous world of sword swallowing, charting its history from ancient rituals to modern-day performances. Cowritten by world-renowned sword swallower Dan Meyer and celebrated sideshow historian Marc Hartzman, this volume delves into the lives of over 100 sword swallowers. Meyer, with his numerous world records and vast experience, provides an insider&’s perspective that is unmatched, while Hartzman adds depth with his historical knowledge and engaging writing style. Key Features:Definitive compendium of historical biographies: Highlights the captivating lives of historical sword swallowers from the 1700s to the present, many of whom have never been profiled in other books.Behind the scenes with modern performers: Provides an inside look at the wild stories and experiences of modern sword swallowers, who account for one out of every 300 million people alive today.Expert perspectives: Readers will learn from Dan Meyer, the world&’s leading expert on sword swallowing and viral TEDx presenter, as he shares his unique life experiences and relatable life lessons in his introductory essay.Rare imagery: Contains a treasure trove of rare photographs and ephemera that bring the history of sword swallowing to life.Medical insights: Outlines the medical risks and implications of sword swallowing through a doctor&’s essay included in the book, which serves both as a warning and an elucidation of the phenomenon.To the Hilt is a journey into a world where danger and artistry intersect. Perfect for sideshow enthusiasts, history buffs, or those interested in pushing human capability to its limits in any domain, this book will leave readers both enlightened and amazed.
To the One I Love the Best
by Ludwig BemelmansA witty and charming account of the wildly entertaining Elsie de Wolfe in 1950s Hollywood, recounted by her dear friend, the beloved creator of MadelineLudwig Bemelmans&’ charming intergenerational friendship with the late-in-life &“First Lady of Interior Decoration&” provides an enormously enjoyable nostalgia trip to the sun-soaked glamour of Los Angeles, where de Wolfe surrounded herself with classic movie stars and a luminous parade of life's oddities. With hilarity and mischief that de Wolfe would no doubt approve, To the One I Love the Best lifts the curtain on 1950s Hollywood--a bygone world of extravagance and eccentricity, where the parties are held in circus tents and populated by ravishing movie stars. Bemelmans, who was working at MGM, had originally come to the California home of de Wolfe just for cocktails but by the end of the night, he was firmly established as a member of the family: given a bedroom in their sumptuous house, invitations to the most outrageous parties in Hollywood, and the friendship of the larger-than-life woman known to her closest friends simply as 'Mother'. To the One I Love the Best (which refers to de Wolfe&’s dog) is a touching tribute to a fabulously funny woman and an American icon. Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you. - Elsie de Wolfe
To the Rescue of Art: Twenty-Six Essays
by Rudolf ArnheimThe provocative title of this new collection of essays was chosen by Rudolf Arnheim for good reason. He has spent a lifetime analyzing the basic psychological principles that make works of visual art meaningful, stirring, indispensable, and lasting. But recent fashionable attitudes and theories about art, he argues, are undermining the foundation of artistic achievement itself. He says that we must face the threat that the work crew charged with erecting the edifice of our principles is infiltrated by termites. As the leading explorer of the psychology of art, Arnheim has always sought to let works of art speak for themselves. His many books have reached innumerable students, teachers, museum visitors, and theorists. The essays collected in this volume are written in his familiar, careful, and solidly supported manner, but under present circumstances they amount to a call to arms. Included is a series of miniature monographs on a variety of great works of art. In other essays, Arnheim uncovers enlightening perspectives in the art of the blind, in architectural space, in caricature, and in the work of psychotics and autistic children. He also presents new scientific aspects of the psychology of art, and he widens our range of vision by reaching out to connect art with language, literature, and religion. Anyone who prizes vital, spirited interaction with works of art will find this new volume of Arnheim essays a personal treasure.--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!: A Memoir
by Ed Begley Jr.Beloved actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. shares hilarious and poignant stories of his improbable life, focusing on his relationship with his legendary father, adventures with Hollywood icons, the origins of his environmental activism, addiction and recovery, and his lifelong search for wisdom and common ground. Ed Begley Jr. is truly one of a kind, a performer who is known equally for his prolific film and television career and his environmental activism. From an appearance on My Three Sons to a notable role in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman to starring in St. Elsewhere—as well as films with Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, and mockumentarian Christopher Guest—Begley has worked with just about everyone in Hollywood. His "green" bona fides date back to 1970, and have been the topic of two books, a reality show, countless media appearances, and even repeated spoofs on The Simpsons (in one episode, Begley's solar‑powered car stalls out on train tracks, but is saved when the train is revealed to be an "Ed Begley Solar‑Powered Train&”). In To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!, Begley shares a fountain of hilarious and poignant stories throughout his life. The memoir is candid and endearing; in one chapter, he is summoned to Marlon Brando's house to discuss the practical uses of electric eels. In another, he tells the story of taking Annette Bening to the Oscars in &“an oddball kit-car that had gull wing doors, and was nearly impossible to get in or out of, unless you were a yoga master, which fortunately she was.&” Not to mention insightful and surprising tales about The Beatles, Monty Python, Richard Pryor, Cesar Chavez, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Waits, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carrie Fisher, and so many more luminaries. Begley&’s unmistakable voice is honest and revealing in a way that only a comic of his caliber can accomplish. Behind all the stories, Begley has wisdom to impart. This is a book about family, friends, addiction, failure, and redemption.
To Weave and Sing: Art, Symbol, and Narrative in the South American Rain Forest
by David M. GussTo Weave and Sing is the first in-depth analysis of the rich spiritual and artistic traditions of the Carib-speaking Yekuana Indians of Venezuela, who live in the dense rain forest of the upper Orinoco.
A to Zendaya: A Celebration of a Pop Culture Icon
by Satu Hameenaho-FoxChannel your inner Zendaya and learn more about her journey to superstardom with this inspiring guide packed with empowering wisdom, facts, and quotes from the global style icon.Don&’t be afraid to speak out—be unapologetically yourself and shine in everything that you do, inspired by one of the biggest pop culture icons of our time. Who else but Zendaya can move seamlessly from a glam red carpet look to chatting bare faced on an Instagram story? From singing her heart out to speaking passionately about diversity on our screens. This pocketbook gathers an A to Z of Zendaya&’s best moments, packed with wisdom, quotes, and facts from one of the most iconic artists of our time.
Toast & Marmalade: Stories From the Kitchen Dresser, A Memoir
by Emma Bridgewater'Emma Bridgewater, queen of kitchenware, proves herself to be queen of the memoir too.' Stephen Fry'What a great read - a true British inspiration story - I loved it!' Cath Kidston'Emma Bridgewater's captivating recipe for a happy family life: food, passion, work, love.' Meg RosoffPlunge into the world of pottery, family, childhood, work, motorway service stations, holidays, beaches, markets, recipes, dressing-up boxes, patchworking, country & western music, picnics, camping and the lost world of telephone calls costing 2p. Emma Bridgewater looks back on her life and work, with a wonderful patchwork of stories that show the inspirations behind the Bridgewater business and how it all started after a failed attempt to find the perfect birthday present...This is the black and white ebook edition of Toast & Marmalade and Other Stories, published in hardback in 2014 by Saltyard Books. If you would like the original colour illustrated version of Toast & Marmalade it is available in hardback and as an ebook.
Toast & Marmalade: and Other Stories
by Emma BridgewaterEmma Bridgewater's cheerfully distinctive kitchen pottery - manufactured and traditionally hand-decorated in the Staffordshire Potteries, just as it would have been 200 years ago - has found its way onto the dresser shelves and kitchen tables of homes all over Britain and beyond. Her designs are jaunty, friendly, sometimes quietly funny. They call to mind childhood picnics, summer gardens and busy kitchens, with their motifs of Sweet Peas and Figs or bold calligraphic patterns such as Toast & Marmalade. Above all the name Emma Bridgewater suggests home and welcome. This book combines beautiful photographs of Emma's life and designs with a collection of warm stories of her family, along with the inspirations for and characters involved in the success of this particularly English brand.
Toast & Marmalade: Stories From the Kitchen Dresser, A Memoir
by Emma Bridgewater'Emma Bridgewater, queen of kitchenware, proves herself to be queen of the memoir too.' Stephen Fry 'What a great read - a true British inspiration story - I loved it!' Cath Kidston 'Emma Bridgewater's captivating recipe for a happy family life: food, passion, work, love.' Meg Rosoff Plunge into the world of pottery, family, childhood, work, motorway service stations, holidays, beaches, markets, recipes, dressing-up boxes, patchworking, country & western music, picnics, camping and the lost world of telephone calls costing 2p. Emma Bridgewater looks back on her life and work, with a wonderful patchwork of stories that show the inspirations behind the Bridgewater business and how it all started after a failed attempt to find the perfect birthday present...
Toast & Marmalade: and Other Stories
by Emma BridgewaterEmma Bridgewater's cheerfully distinctive kitchen pottery - manufactured and traditionally hand-decorated in the Staffordshire Potteries, just as it would have been 200 years ago - has found its way onto the dresser shelves and kitchen tables of homes all over Britain and beyond. Her designs are jaunty, friendly, sometimes quietly funny. They call to mind childhood picnics, summer gardens and busy kitchens, with their motifs of Sweet Peas and Figs or bold calligraphic patterns such as Toast & Marmalade. Above all the name Emma Bridgewater suggests home and welcome. This book combines beautiful photographs of Emma's life and designs with a collection of warm stories of her family, along with the inspirations for and characters involved in the success of this particularly English brand.
The Toaster Project: Or A Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch
by Thomas Thwaites"Hello, my name is Thomas Thwaites, and I have made a toaster." So begins The Toaster Project, the author's nine-month-long journey from his local appliance store to remote mines in the UK to his mother's backyard, where he creates a crude foundry. Along the way, he learns that an ordinary toaster is made up of 404 separate parts, that the best way to smelt metal at home is by using a method found in a fifteenth-century treatise, and that plastic is almost impossible to make from scratch. In the end, Thwaites's homemade toaster—a haunting and strangely beautiful object—cost 250 times more than the toaster he bought at the store and involved close to two thousand miles of travel to some of Britain's remotest locations. The Toaster Project may seem foolish, even insane. Yet, Thwaites's quixotic tale, told with self-deprecating wit, helps us reflect on the costs and perils of our cheap consumer culture, and in so doing reveals much about the organization of the modern world.
Tobacco Valley
by Tobacco Valley Board of History Gary MontgomeryThe Tobacco Valley, in Montana's far northwest corner, was so named by explorer David Thompson in 1808 upon finding the resident natives using a form of wild tobacco. The Kutenai Indians were the primary inhabitants until late in the 19th century when cattlemen found the isolated valley. By 1890, several ranching families moved cattle overland to fatten on pasture that heretofore knew only the track of a Kutenai Indian pony. Eureka came into being when the Great Northern Railroad was built through in 1904. With what seemed like limitless timber, a lumber mill was operating by 1906. The railroad brought in workers and entrepreneurs, hauling lumber out. Early on it was thought that farming might supplement the timber-based economy, but hopeful homesteaders soon learned that the Tobacco Valley would never deliver on the promise of fruits and vegetables. Harvesting timber would define the Tobacco Valley for decades to come.
The Tobacconist Handbook: An Essential Guide to Cigars & Pipes
by Jorge ArmenterosLearn the ins and outs of tobacco use, from cigars, pipes, vapes, hookahs, and more! As we live in the &“golden age of cigar making,&” there is more to know and appreciate than ever before. Great cigars and pipe tobaccos take years to grow, nurture, age, blend, and construct, yet their destiny is to return to dust; it is an extraordinary transformational and artistic journey that yields priceless moments and memories for the aficionado. But where do things begin? Where to start? From Jorge Armenteros, founder of Tobacconist University®, you will learn everything you want and need to know about cigars and pipes. From seed to cigar, Armenteros will teach not only the history of tobacco, but what the future holds. The Tobacconist Handbook exists as a resource for lovers of luxury tobacco to enhance our knowledge, appreciation, and quality of life. Included in this handbook are numerous important lessons, including:Learning the different types of tobaccoWhich cigar best suitsMaking the perfect cutSetting up a humidorAnd much more Great cigars and pipes help us ruminate, decompress, gather our thoughts and emotions, revitalize ourselves, and savor our time. Furthermore, through education you will learn that luxury tobacco products are used by choice and not out of habit. They are products created by great craftsmen and women who honor thousands of years of traditions and history. Whether you&’re a seasoned smoker or someone looking to learn more about the history and becoming a cigar aficionado, The Tobacconist Handbook is the perfect place to start.
¡Tocamos!: Mexican Folk Art Music Makers in English and Spanish (First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art #8)
by Cynthia WeillYoung readers will delight in learning about a wide variety of musical instruments in English and Spanish through beautifully handcrafted sculptures from Oaxaca, Mexico. Los lectores jóvenes se deleitarán aprendiendo sobre una amplia variedad de instrumentos musicales en inglés y español a través de bellas esculturas hechas a mano en Oaxaca, México.Musical feathered friends gather to form an ensemble! A rooster brings a double bass, a crow totes a trombone, and a macaw carries an accordion. They are almost all together but wait--someone is missing! Once the final member joins the group, the music begins! Featuring vibrant wood carvings and rhythmic text that's fun to read aloud in both English and Spanish, ¡Tocamos! introduces children to many orchestral instruments played at concerts in Mexican town squares. Each bird was lovingly hand carved and painted by master woodcarver Avelino Pérez who lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. Both Cynthia and Avelino are delighted to teach children the names of instrumentos musicales in Spanish and English. ¡Amigos musicales emplumados se reúnen para formar un conjunto! Un gallo trae un contrabajo, un cuervo lleva un trombón y una guacamaya lleva un acordeón. Están casi todos juntos pero espera, falta alguien. Una vez que el último miembro se une al grupo, ¡comienza la música! Con vibrantes tallas de madera y texto rítmico que es divertido leer en voz alta tanto en inglés como en español, ¡Tocamos! presenta a los niños muchos instrumentos orquestales que se tocan en conciertos en las plazas de las ciudades mexicanas. Cada pájaro fue cuidadosamente tallado y pintado a mano por el maestro tallador de madera Avelino Pérez, que vive en Oaxaca, México. Tanto Cynthia como Avelino están encantados de enseñar a los niños los nombres de instrumentos musicales en español e inglés.
Today: A History of our World through 60 years of Conversations & Controversies
by Sarah SandsToday is the sound of history being made - live on air.In an era of fake news, echo chambers and new fault lines in global politics, millions of listeners turn to BBC Radio 4's Today programme each morning to help them make sense of the world around them. The first ever book from the iconic programme marks six decades of BBC Radio 4's Today programme with sixty world changing stories as they were broadcast. Covering war, rebellion and political transformation, to significant changes in culture, society, and the scientific world, the book explores events as they happened, and how they changed the world around us.From the fall of the Berlin Wall and the anti-apartheid movement to 9/11 and the Rise of Islamic State, from the Rushdie affair to the emergence of Brit Art and from space exploration to the tomorrow's world of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Key figures within the book include Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, Stephen Hawking, Tracey Emin and Barack Obama. Chapters include:Chapter 1: Rebellion, Revolution and ProtestChapter 2: Britain's Political LandscapeChapter 3: War, Conflict and SecurityChapter 4: Art, Culture and SportChapter 5: Social ChangeChapter 6: The Natural World, Science and TechnologyAlso available in Audio and Ebook.Edited by Edward StourtonForewords by Nick Robinson & Martha KearneyWith an introduction by Sarah Sands, editor of the Today programme.Shortlisted for the 2019 FutureBook of the Year award
Today: A History of our World through 60 years of Conversations & Controversies
by Sarah SandsToday is the sound of history being made - live on air.In an era of fake news, echo chambers and new fault lines in global politics, millions of listeners turn to BBC Radio 4's Today programme each morning to help them make sense of the world around them. The first ever book from the iconic programme marks six decades of BBC Radio 4's Today programme with sixty world changing stories as they were broadcast. Covering war, rebellion and political transformation, to significant changes in culture, society, and the scientific world, the book explores events as they happened, and how they changed the world around us.From the fall of the Berlin Wall and the anti-apartheid movement to 9/11 and the Rise of Islamic State, from the Rushdie affair to the emergence of Brit Art and from space exploration to the tomorrow's world of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Key figures within the book include Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, Stephen Hawking, Tracey Emin and Barack Obama. Chapters include:Chapter 1: Rebellion, Revolution and ProtestChapter 2: Britain's Political LandscapeChapter 3: War, Conflict and SecurityChapter 4: Art, Culture and SportChapter 5: Social ChangeChapter 6: The Natural World, Science and TechnologyAlso available in Audio and Ebook.Edited by Edward StourtonForewords by Nick Robinson & Martha KearneyWith an introduction by Sarah Sands, editor of the Today programme.Shortlisted for the 2019 FutureBook of the Year award
Today: A History of our World through 60 years of Conversations & Controversies
by Edward StourtonEdited by Edward StourtonForewords by Nick Robinson & Martha KearneyWith an introduction by Sarah Sands, editor of the Today programme.In an era of fake news, echo chambers and new fault lines in global politics, millions of listeners turn to BBC Radio 4's Today programme each morning to help them make sense of the world around them. The first ever book from the iconic programme marks six decades of BBC Radio 4's Today programme with sixty world changing stories as they were broadcast. Covering war, rebellion and political transformation, to significant changes in culture, society, and the scientific world, the book explores events as they happened, and how they changed the world around us.From the fall of the Berlin Wall and the anti-apartheid movement to 9/11 and the Rise of Islamic State, from the Rushdie affair to the emergence of Brit Art and from space exploration to the tomorrow's world of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Key figures within the book include Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, Stephen Hawking, Tracey Emin and Barack Obama. Chapters include:Chapter 1: Rebellion, Revolution and ProtestChapter 2: Britain's Political LandscapeChapter 3: War, Conflict and SecurityChapter 4: Art, Culture and SportChapter 5: Social ChangeChapter 6: The Natural World, Science and TechnologyToday is the sound of history being made - live on air.Also available in Audio and Ebook.
Today Programme Puzzle Book: The puzzle book of 2018
by BBC***The best intelligent puzzle book on the market*** Fiendish fun! - The Times Can YOU solve the Puzzle for Today?Tackle the conundrums that have been frustrating and confounding the nation, with the first official book from Radio 4's Today programme.Put your deciphering skills and mental agility to the test with over 280 cryptic, numerical and linguistic brainteasers from Britain's best-loved radio programme, set by the world's ultimate puzzle masters.So, challenge your grey matter and hone your reasoning and logic skills with the brainteasers that get the nation's (and many world leaders') synapses firing every morning at 6.50am.With a foreword by Sarah Sands, editor of the Today programme.Introductions to each chapter by Tom Feildon, the BBC Science Editor.Chapters:Never Aired Puzzles Common-sense ConundrumsFlags, Capitals & NationsMaths & LanguageFurther MathsBBC Today Presenters' PuzzlesCelebrity SettersChristmas Crackers Want to take on the hardest, most fiendish puzzles out there created by the greatest minds around the world? If The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book, The GCHQ Puzzle Book and Tim Peake's Astronaut Selection Test Book were no match for you, pit your wit against TODAY.
Today Programme Puzzle Book: The puzzle book of 2018
by Bbc***The puzzle book of 2018***The Today Programme Puzzle Book is perfect for fans of Bletchley Park Brainteasers and The GCHQ Puzzle Book. Which is the only letter of the alphabet not to appear in the name of any US state? Can YOU solve the Puzzle for Today?Tackle the conundrums that have been frustrating and confounding the nation on Radio 4's Today programme.The Today Programme Puzzle Book challenges you with over 280 cryptic, linguistic & numerical brainteasers designed by the greatest puzzles masters around the world from Mensa, UK Mathematics Trust, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Japanese puzzle masters & many more.Chapters include:Common-sense ConundrumsFlags, Capitals & NationsMaths & LanguageFurther MathsNew PuzzlesBBC Today Presenters' PuzzlesCelebrity SettersChristmas CrackersSo, challenge your grey matter and hone your reasoning and logic skills with the brainteasers that manage to get the nation's synapses firing every morning. With a foreword by Sarah Sands, editor of the Today programme.Introductions to each chapter by Tom Feildon, the BBC Science Editor.[Answer: The letter Q]
Today's Sounds for Yesterday's Films: Making Music for Silent Cinema (Palgrave Studies in Audio-Visual Culture)
by K. J. Donnelly Ann-Kristin WallengrenIn recent years, there has been something of an explosion in the performance of live music to silent films. There is a wide range of films with live and new scores that run from the historically accurate orchestral scores to contemporary sounds by groups such as Pet Shop Boys or by experimental composers and gothic heavy metal bands. It is no exaggeration to claim that music constitutes a bridge between the old silent film and the modern audience; music is also a channel for non-scholarly audiences to gain an appreciation of silent films. Music has become a means both for musicians and audiences to understand this bygone film art anew. This book is the first of its kind in that it aims to bring together writings and interviews to delineate the culture of providing music for silent films. It not only has the character of a scholarly work but is also something of a manual in that it discusses how to make music for silent films.
Today's Sounds for Yesterday's Films: Making Music for Silent Cinema (Palgrave Studies in Audio-Visual Culture)
by K. J. Donnelly Ann-Kristin WallengrenIn recent years, there has been something of an explosion in the performance of live music to silent films. There is a wide range of films with live and new scores that run from the historically accurate orchestral scores to contemporary sounds by groups such as Pet Shop Boys or by experimental composers and gothic heavy metal bands. It is no exaggeration to claim that music constitutes a bridge between the old silent film and the modern audience; music is also a channel for non-scholarly audiences to gain an appreciation of silent films. Music has become a means both for musicians and audiences to understand this bygone film art anew. This book is the first of its kind in that it aims to bring together writings and interviews to delineate the culture of providing music for silent films. It not only has the character of a scholarly work but is also something of a manual in that it discusses how to make music for silent films.
Todd Bolender, Janet Reed, and the Making of American Ballet
by Martha WestMartha Ullman West illustrates how American ballet developed over the course of the twentieth century from an aesthetic originating in the courts of Europe into a stylistically diverse expression of a democratic culture. West places at center stage two artists who were instrumental to this story: Todd Bolender and Janet Reed. Lifelong friends, Bolender (1914–2006) and Reed (1916–2000) were part of a generation of dancers who navigated the Great Depression, World War II, and the vibrant cultural scene of postwar New York City. They danced in the works of choreographers Lew and Willam Christensen, Eugene Loring, Agnes de Mille, Catherine Littlefield, Ruthanna Boris, and others who West argues were just as responsible for the direction of American ballet as the legendary George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. The stories of Bolender, Reed, and their contemporaries also demonstrate that the flowering of American ballet was not simply a New York phenomenon. West includes little-known details about how Bolender and Reed laid the foundations for Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet in the 1970s and how Bolender transformed the Kansas City Ballet into a highly respected professional company soon after. Passionate in their desire to dance and create dances, Bolender and Reed committed their lives to passing along their hard-won knowledge, training, and work. This book celebrates two unsung trailblazers who were pivotal to the establishment of ballet in America from one coast to the other.
Todd Haynes: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series)
by Julia LeydaA pioneer of the New Queer Cinema, Todd Haynes (b. 1961) is a leading American independent filmmaker. Whether working with talking dolls in a homemade short (Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story) or with Oscar-winning performers in an HBO miniseries (Mildred Pierce), Haynes has garnered numerous awards and nominations and an expanding fan base for his provocative and engaging work. In all his films, Haynes works to portray the struggles of characters in conflict with the norms of society. Many of his movies focus on female characters, drawing inspiration from genres such as the woman's film and the disease movie (Far from Heaven and Safe); others explore male characters who transgress sexual and other social conventions (Poison and Velvet Goldmine). The writer-director has drawn on figures such as Karen Carpenter, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Bob Dylan in his meditations on American and British music, celebrity, and the meaning of identity. His 2007 movie I'm Not There won a number of awards and was notable for Haynes's decision to cast six different actors (one of whom was a woman) to portray Dylan. Gathering interviews from 1989 through 2012, this collection presents a range of themes, films, and moments in the burgeoning career of Todd Haynes.
Todd Haynes (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Rob WhiteTodd Haynes's films are intricate and purposeful, combining the intellectual impact of art cinema with the emotional accessibility of popular genres. They are also underpinned by a serious commitment to feminism and queer theory. From his 1985 student film about Arthur Rimbaud to his shapeshifting portrait of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There (2007) and the riveting HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011), Haynes has made films whose complex weave of stories and characters reveals dark, painful intensities. His taste for narrative experimentation and pastiche is haunted by anguish. Rob White's highly readable book, which includes a major new interview with Haynes, is the first comprehensive study of the director's work. Special attention is paid to the fascination with music culture (from the Carpenters to glam rock) and to the rich pattern of allusions to, or affinity with, predecessor filmmakers (Fassbinder, Ophuls, Sirk, and many more). But White's chief concern is the persistence of a queer impulse to explore social coercion and the possibility that there may be some way of escaping its cruelty.
Todd Solondz (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Julian MurphetFilms like Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness established Todd Solondz as independent cinema's premier satirist. Blending a trademark black humor into atmospheres of grueling bleakness, Solondz repeatedly takes moviegoers into a bland suburban junk space peopled by the damaged, the neglected, and the depraved.Julian Murphet appraises the career of the controversial, if increasingly ignored, indie film auteur. Through close readings and a discussion with the director, Murphet dissects how Solondz's themes and techniques serve stories laden with hot-button topics like pedophilia, rape, and family and systemic cruelty. Solondz's uncompromising return to the same motifs, stylistic choices, and characters reject any idea of aesthetic progression. Instead, he embraces an art of diminishing returns that satirizes the laws of valuation sustaining what we call cinema. It also reflects both Solondz's declining box office fortunes and the changing economics of independent film in an era of financial contraction.