July 2023 MBR The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Hammer Complete: The Films, The Personnel, The Company
Howard Maxford
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476670072, $95.00, PB, Volumes 1 & 2, 992pp

McFarland & Company is a premier publisher of books in the field of cinematic history. Now they have published film historian Howard Maxford's "Hammer Complete: The Films, The Personnel, The Company" a two volume history of the British movie company Hammer Film: "Hammer Complete: Volume One, A-L" and Hammer Complete: Volume Two, M-Z.

Think you know everything there is to know about Hammer Films, the fabled "Studio that Dripped Blood?" The lowdown on all the imperishable classics of horror, like The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula and The Devil Rides Out? But what about the company's less blood-curdling back catalog? What about the musicals, comedies and travelogues, the fantasies and historical epics -- not to mention the pirate adventures?

This lavishly illustrated two volume encyclopedia definitively covers every Hammer film and television production in thorough detail, including budgets, shooting schedules, publicity and more, along with all the actors, supporting players, writers, directors, producers, composers and technicians. Both volumes are simply packed from cover to cover with quotes, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, credit lists and production specifics.

Critique: This large format edition of Volumes 1 & 2 of "Hammer Complete: The Films, The Personnel, The Company" is a comprehensive, detailed, and fully informed reference work of a cherished, British cinematic institution whose impact on 20th Century popular culture was worldwide. Exceptionally well organized and presented, and also available in a paperback edition (9781476693446, $49.95) and in a digital book format (9781476629148, $49.99), "Hammer Complete: The Films, The Personnel, The Company: Volume 1 & 2" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library 20th Century Cinematic History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Currently residing in London, England, Howard Maxford is a freelance entertainment journalist who has contributed reviews, interviews, features and retrospectives to a variety of UK magazines, including Film Review, Starburst, Shivers, Replay, Tower Records' Top, London After Dark, Video Now and HMV Choice.

Cliffhanger!: Cinematic Superheroes of the Serials: 1941-1952
Christopher Irving, author
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
www.twomorrows.com
9781605491196, $39.95, HC, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cliffhanger-Cinematic-Superheroes-Serials-1941-1952/dp/1605491195

Synopsis: With the publication of "Cliffhanger!: Cinematic Superheroes of the Serials: 1941-1952" popular culture historian Christopher Irving deftly explores the origins of the first on-screen superheroes and the comic creators and film-makers who brought them to life.

"Cliffhanger!" touches on the early days of the film serial, to its explosion as a juvenile medium of the 1930s and '40s. Readers will see how the creation of characters like Superman, Captain America, Spy Smasher, and Captain Marvel dovetailed with the early film adaptations.

Along the way, the reader will be introduced to the stuntmen, directors (Spencer Bennett, William Witney, producer Sam Katzman), comic book creators (Siegel & Shuster, Simon & Kirby, Bob Kane, C.C. Beck, Frank Frazetta, Will Eisner), and actors (Buster Crabbe, George Reeves, Lorna Gray, Kane Richmond, Kirk Alyn, Dave O'Brien) who brought them to the silver screen - and how that resonates with today's cinematic superhero universe.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "Cliffhanger!: Cinematic Superheroes of the Serials: 1941-1952" by Christopher Irving is essential reading for dedicated fans of the now legendary superhero characters that influenced popular culture for a mid-20th century decade through comics and movies. Exceptionally informative and impressively organized/presented, "Cliffhanger!" must be considered as a core and mandatory addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Popular Culture and Cinematic History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: There is an online and comprehensive listing of a 'Curriculum Vitae' of Christopher Irving works at (http://www.christopherirving.com/p/curriculum-vitae.html)

Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film
Steve Matteo
Backbeat Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
www.halleonard.com
9781493059010, $24.95, PB, 350pp

https://www.amazon.com/Act-Naturally-Beatles-Steve-Matteo/dp/1493059017

Synopsis: The Beatles produced five films during their time together: A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. Some were cinematic successes, and some were not, but (along with subsequent reissues, bonus material, and Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back, a documentary companion to Let It Be) they comprise an endlessly fascinating document of key phases in the group's career.

With the publication of "Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film", their fans are offered a comprehensive deep-dive into the band's movies, by author and longtime music journalist Steve Matteo who follows the origins, filming, and often frenzied fan reception of projects from the 1964 premiere of A Hard Day's Night through 1970's Let It Be to the release of Get Back in 2022.

Matteo also explores the production process, original theatrical film releases, subsequent VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray releases, and bonus materials, along with the US and UK soundtracks. In addition to copious anecdotes and behind-the-scenes details, he also places these films in their larger context, a period of unprecedented artistic and commercial innovation in British and world cinema.

Filled with stories and insights that will satisfy collectors, buffs, and casual fans alike, this is the definitive account of an underappreciated part of the Beatles' creative output.

Critique: Featuring occasional black/white illustrations, a ten page Selected Bibliography, and a nineteen page Index, "Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film" is an impressively informative, meticulously researched, exceptionally well organized and presented study that will be of special appeal and interest to the continuing legions of Beatles fans. While a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library 20th Century Cinematic Studies and Pop-Music History collections, it should be noted for students, fans, and academia that "Act Naturally" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).

Editorial Note: Steve Matteo is the author of the books Let It Be and Dylan and contributed to the collection The Beatles in Context. He has written for such publications as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, New York, Time Out New York, Rolling Stone, Spin, Elle, and Salon. He often appears on radio in his capacity as a music journalist and author. A complete listing of his books is available at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/173990.Steve_Matteo

Enchanted Disney
Spencer Wright
BearManor Media
PO Box 71426, Albany, GA 31708
BearManorMedia.com
9798887711751, $42.00, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Disney-Stories-Hollywood-Live-Action/dp/B0C5PTLV65

Synopsis: In its centennial year, "Enchanted Disney: Stories of Walt, Hollywood, and Live-Action Film" by Spencer Wright take the reader on a journey through the history of the Walt Disney Company as viewed through the lens of the studio's live-action films, and the life of its co-creator Walt Disney. By discussing the life and work of fifteen people who contributed to live-action features, Walt Disney fans will learn about what influenced the studios' films, and how they related to Hollywood as a whole.

How did Walt's experience in 1920's Los Angeles compare to others, such as silent queen Pola Negri? How did major celebrities see Walt and his studio, as it fit into the landscape of the industry? Which star was inspired to help preserve Hollywood memorabilia as a result of spending time with Walt in Disneyland at the Park's opening? These questions and a great many more are answered in fifteen informative chapters, each of which takes the reader on a fascinating journey from the early 1900's and into the 21st Century.

Critique: A simply fascinating and extraordinarily informative combination of biographic and cinematic history, "Enchanted Disney: Stories of Walt, Hollywood, and Live-Action Film" is an extraordinary read from cover to cover. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of black/white illustrations, an informative four page Introduction, a three page bibliography of Further Reading, five pages of Notes & Resources, and a four page Index, "Enchanted Disney: Stories of Walt, Hollywood, and Live-Action Film" is a strongly recommended and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, college, and university library Movie History/Criticism and American Biography/Walt Disney collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and the legions of Walt Disney fans that "Enchanted Disney: Stories of Walt, Hollywood, and Live-Action Film" is also available in a paperback edition (9798887711744, $32.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).

Editorial Note: Spencer Wright is passionate about Disney History and Old Hollywood. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spencer-wright-ba769869_enchanted-disney-stories-of-walt-hollywood-activity-707232775 7552082944-3s0K

Back to the Body
Jean-Louis Rodrigue and Scott Weintraub
Alexander Techworks
9798218058951, $22.00 Paper/$12.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Back-Body-Infusing-Physical-Characters/dp/B0C39MCM44

Back to the Body: Infusing Physical Life Into Characters in Theatre and Film explores the Alexander Technique as it relates to performing arts bodywork, drawing spirited, exciting connections between the Alexander approach and the fine art of producing a play that uses movement transitions and transformations to transcend the usual performance effort.

The story of how one play evolved to represent the success of applied Alexander requires no prior familiarity from the reader in order to prove inviting and enlightening. From the start, the authors reveal a draw to learning it that is supported by a vivid representation of its strengths: "It was never about success, for we had no idea that would happen. It was the exquisite experience of creating, working through the play, as each character changed, sometimes in mid-sentence, into someone else. This was accomplished as Pam's weight shifted, as did her arms, torso, head, and posture, along with her voice and accents. This was a class in and of itself, exploring each of the 23 human beings' personal behavior. This experience was the perfect example of the wonder of the Alexander Technique, for without it this play would not have been possible."

Drama students, followers of the Alexander Technique, and newcomers to both will find these instructions and directions compelling as the connections between movement and creative results are fostered. From breath work explorations and exercises that encourage mind/body connections and personal observation of changes to mental, physical, and philosophical reflections on how these techniques can not only lend to creativity, but change lives, Back to the Body comes infused with hope and opportunity for thinking readers who would move both into and beyond the stage of performance and life: "A relationship between two human beings is experienced in space, in time, and in their bodies, through movement. Relationships depend on the exchange of energy between two people, demanding a give-and-take of ideas, thoughts, and, ultimately, emotions. Intimacy can be reached only through personal connection. The chemical synergy between two human beings is what thrills and engages us as an audience because this is what fuels our own lives. We need each other to successfully exist in our world."

These kinds of reflections are rarely seen in either drama or psychology books which don't use Alexander Technique principles, and therefore tend to produce disconnections between mind, body, and interpersonal spatial and mental awareness. Chapters cover working with props, sets, and costumes or stepping into alternative roles and choices in the course of depicting scenes and characters. Each movement description also translates to life encounters and choices in a manner that constantly invites the reader to absorb both the Alexander Technique and its possibilities for new life and art interactions. Exercises motivate readers to hone their own awareness of movement and form.

Jean-Louis Rodrigue and Scott Weintraub have created a winner in Back to the Body that ideally will become a mainstay in performing arts libraries, as well as a book club discussion choice for those interested in acting, movement, or the psychology and physiology of action-based movement choices.

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