Video Books

Gorgeous color reproductions of great movie posters remind you how captivating the appeal of movies has been. Bruce Hershenson's books are a tremendous value, and his efforts to record movie history through poster art represent a real service to movie lovers.

For lovers of film, film history, and specifically, poster art, Bruce Hershenson's series of full-color books is the cream of the crop! And, the quality of printing and photography is superb, with razor sharp images and vibrant colors.

Bruce Herhsensons' series of poster books have become the bible of the poster world. The images captured are of extremely high quality and are a must have for any collector of movie materials. I highly recommend these series of books to anyone who is interested in the subject matter.

This book, along with its companion volume, "Best Pictures Movie Posters" is part of movie poster maven Bruce Hershenson's exhaustive multi-volume series of books highlighting the history and beauty of what much of mainstream America has only in the last ten years begun to recognize. And that is movie posters are a "popular art" form that can stand proudly next to all other styles of art from gothic to modern, from expressionist to impressionist. Great film art borrows from all of these styles and this volume, which focuses only on posters associated with Academy Award winning movies, illustrates innumerable examples. A fine book for any collector (get the hardcover edition if you can, it's harder to find; if Amazon doesn't have it, it's available from Mr. Hershenson directly at mail@brucehershenson.com.

This review can easily apply to any of the books in the Bruce Hershenson edited series of film poster history. Hershenson rightly treats film graphics not just as pop culture artifacts but true works of art. His books are filled with a curator's eye for superior choice and reproduction, each poster in striking color and with a clarity of printing that rivals most any coffee table art book. Somewhere between advertising and illustration, film posters, like book jackets and record covers, inhabit that imaginative and atmospheric zone where one art reflects another. It's not just the history of film or the history of film design, it's a history of twentieth century Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. How often we would go into the dark theatre armed only with the ideas and ideals of the posters outside, and then return to them afterward, perhaps with nodding affirmation or smirking disillusionment, but still a vision of what could be. This series of books should be subtitiled: THE FINE ART OF ANTICIPATION, for no matter if expectation was filled or emptied by the films behind them, their posters kept on shining.

Cathy Haase's ACTING FOR FILM provides a survey of technique, craft, and artistic requirements for actors. Chapters cover the specifics of converting drama lessons to film; from maintaining proper eye focus on front of the camera to preparing for auditions and sets. There's a big difference between acting on stage and acting for the camera: Haase covers all the finer points of the latter.

This is one of the most comprehensive and thorough guides to Acting out there. It covers all the bases from inner voice, to auditions, to the making of a film and the performers role. By following the essentials in this guidebook, any aspiring craftsman in the performing arts will excel in their field. They will thoroughly understand how their body is the instrument of the performance and develop the skills to step into each characters skin. Highly recommended.

"Acting for Film" is a very good book for actors who want to know how to act in front of the camera. It covers alot of practical knowledge such as the audition process, reading a script and creating your character. Also covered is what is expected during the film shoot both for big-budget and low-budget films. This book will teach you what acting in front of a camera is all about. A "must have" book for all aspiring film actors.

Acting is hard work, one of the most emotionally and mentally demanding professions in the world. This book clearly and honestly delves into all the nitty-gritty details of the actors process when acting in front of a camera (and the crew behind it).

From the private moments of preparation, through collaborative efforts of production, and even the difficulties and pleasures of viewing the results, Cathy Hasse misses nothing in this informative and helpful guide. She clearly explains all of the hard "work" that goes into making acting look so easy and natural.

As a filmmaker, I was really amazed at her presentation of the entire filmmaking process from the Actor's perspective. It was unique, accurate and illuminating.

I loved this book. There are certainly a lot of books out there that claim they can teach you what you want to know about everything under the sun, but try and find the good ones. Well, you've found one with Acting for Film. Not only does it supply you with the solution to pretty much any situation you'll come across, you get to travel along with the author on her journey of how she gathered this information, and the two of you will come out the other side of the journey longtime friends.

Having myself been trained only in stage technique, I found this book incredibly helpful, as Ms. Haase's own experience embraces her own stage training into how it can work with film (or not). Developing new instincts for a new venue is rough. Many times, an author will tell you their own story, without allowing for the fact that each person's journey is subjective. Ms. Haase gracefully shares her knowledge with the reader without any condescension. Instead, you are gently held by the hand and walked around the minefields of the film profession to a safe conclusion of the trip.

A great book. Everyone should have one!

The intercut of the church & prison was strange yet wonderful. The abolitionists gave Yomba an illustrated Bible and he gave his heart to Jesus[alternate version]. Cinque was the man who subsequently gave his life for his clan...Yomba was the informer who died beside Cinque in remorse. Cinque did what he did because he had to.

Put yourself in the shoes of the victims of slavery. Allow yourself to really, really feel what it would be like to have every aspect of your culture, values, language stripped from you. Imagine having to sit by while someone rapes your wife, mother, 11 year old daughter. Imagine having to eat an animal which you have been taught is poison. Imagine not having freedom to marry and having to watch your baby being driven away in a wagon, never being seen again, because one man has taken it upon himself the right to sell another. Sit there, close your eyes and then you will be brought into a deeper understanding of the people of the Amistad.

MAYA ANGELOU opens this moviebook with truth. The answer to why our story must be retold over and over again. The shocking truth that a black man's skin could be cut into a postage stamp size flap and sold as souvenirs by his racist white murderers. The generational truth that Cinque's remarkable, chilling story lives on beyond the relic flap of that lynching. America today is the reason AMISTAD must live another generation in hopes that we try to do better.

In the palpable words of Debbie Allen, the inhumanity of slavery in America was put on trial. When Joseph Cinque courageously and unselfishly challenged America's Declaration of Independence, its Constitution, its President of the United States, its abolitionists, its Supreme Court, and the Queen of Spain, the entire world watched. The truth about America's slave system was revealed. That truth must continue to be discussed and explored and remembered from one generation to the next. AMISTAD, therefore, should never die on a bookshelf or in history. AMISTAD forces Joseph Cinque's story into eternity. The pictures and quotes in this fine moviebook should continue to shame and inspire all of us today to paint a better existence for all mankind.

Ask a man of extraordinary intellectual power who is equally creative such as Steven Spielberg to define "truth" and he will show you it in living color page after page, clip after clip. You will beg to discover it over and over again because AMISTAD commands that type of loyalty to tell our story repeatedly to our children, black and white. Readers will gain a different perspective on "Give Us Free" each time. You will cry your own script to the young and help keep Cinque's purpose alive to make life better. The truth not only sets us all free, it keeps us free. AMISTAD is indeed truth.

The post list of additional reading resources about Amistad for both the young and the old are an integral part of this masterpiece.

Reviewed by Swaggie Coleman
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Just like his film on it, Steven Spielberg's work on this book, "Amistad: 'Give Us Free'", was well-executed. It reminds one of Alex Haley's "Roots". Both stir emotions. Every bit of the story shows how cruel a man can be to his fellow man. And, I disagree with all those who term this true story "a story of illegally enslaved Africans", (Mr Spielberg didn't). We are shying away from the truth, which is that no African, (not even one), was a legal slave. There is nothing that made one slave legal, and the other illegal. There is no legality in slavery. Absolutely! That treacherous and heartless people overpowered, kidnapped, and transported, (in the most inhumane manner), their fellow human beings to America and other places does not, in any way, make those victims of inhumanity "legal slaves". Regardless of all the face-saving tales that those who defiled our lands with the innocent blood, tears, and sweat of millions of Africans will like us to believe, the truth is that not even a single African volunteered to become a slave in any circumstance. They were all forced into it: with no option but death. Those who ripped and enjoyed the bloodied fruits of slavery merely sought cheap excuses in order to justify what they did. But we know that there is nothing legal in kidnapping and subjecting human beings to such a horrible condition.
'La Amistad' tells a soul-eroding story. Cinque and his cohorts are true heroes. They are heroes of freedom, heroes of justice, and heroes of human rights. Songs have been composed about them. Books have been written about them. Films have been made about them. And, history will forever appreciate their gallantry.

"THE BEST!", Its inspiring on one's will to keep himself and other Africans from the early slave trade which destroyed many families in America. Exciting effort to fight in a foreign country without knowing its language or laws. Very forth right in telling truth of American's untold "ugly" slave trade and what slave traders were willing to do just to keep it alive. Amistad's truth about slavery was very emotional, determined to express the will of any free man who's fighting williness to remain a free soul. A Heartfelt story about a lone struggle for Africans coming to America for the first time and having to face the ugliness of slavery, this was not right and should not have happened. All wasn't lost in the end and my true thanks to the many allies: former President - John Q. Adams, Mr(s) Baldwin, Gibbs, and former slave Joadson for their unyeilding efforts to abolish this ugly sore(slavery) which infested deep within America. I truely loved this story, because it was simply "THE BEST!" Also, thanks to Alex Pate and Steven Spielberg and the many others for bring out this ugly hidden part of America's history, I never knew this happened. This could have been me and I cried when I saw the movie. "THE BEST...."

Just got this book in the mail , maybe 3 days ago, and already i have increased my knowledge on animation!Being new to classic animation, or golden age , as it is sometimes called, i needed a reference, and this book qualifies! So easy to index , with just the information you need to know before buying the dvd.Very pleased with this purchase.

Reviews (on several sites) indicate that this is a book for someone who wants to be recommended certain titles. It is NOT that type of book: It is an encyclopedia, with a foreward and a 3-page explanation of the entry format. The rest contains only listings of DVDs with short synopses and factual information. It is a very thorough book for its express intention, but it's not a guide for someone who wants listings divided into genres (although adult-themed DVDs have a separate section). It will not "recommend" films to you. I have no found such book, nor website. (If you can recommend animated/sci-fi films, I'd be grateful. I was inspired to buy this book because I revisited The Fantastic Planet...eeesh! INCREDIBLE film!! I like trippy, classic, exemplary and subversive films, though I find anime sort of incomprehensible.)

Animation On DVD: The Ultimate Guide is a comprehensive listing of over 1,600 animation and anime films currently available on DVD. While the majority of the DVDs listed are Japanese animation, non-Japanese DVDs from Superman cartoons to Disney movies are also included. A black-and-white photograph of each DVD prefaces every listing; the capsule entries include a summary of the animation contents, a listing of special features and notes whether it is subtitled, fullscreen, has any inserts, and the like. Animation On DVD is divided into two sections, a general animation section with the majority of entries, and a mature/adult section expressly for DVDs rated R or X (note that the DVD photographs of entries in the mature section do include suggestive images inappropriate for young children). The mature/adult section descriptions does contain "laundry lists" of sexual acts within explicit DVDs, in order to inform the reader beforehand what he or she would encounter viewing the DVD in question. An index makes individual titles easy to find, and an easter eggs segment includes hidden tricks one can find in one's DVD collection! Packed cover to cover with useful and practical information for anyone who enjoys animation, whether the casual viewer or serious collector, Animation On DVD is a superb quick and easy browsing reference.

Fans of animation don't need to look much further than this book by Andy Mangles. He has managed to include reviews for almost every existing type of animation that is currently on DVD.
For parents looking for a good guidebook on animated content, this is a must. Japanese Animation fans looking for reviews of shows and series they've heard about (and even second opinions on ones they've seen) will be pleased.
Andy's reviews are concise and well written. He uses a conversational approach to the reviews that doesn't become dry or bland. He also avoids over-using jargon that animation fans tend to throw around.
Andy gives a quick synopsis of the show, his opinion of the work and than lays down any concerns parents might have (violence or nudity). He has also separated out most of the adult themed shows into their own section. With the great quantity of shows to review Andy does get some help. The authors he picked have very similar writing styles and tastes, and makes for an easy transition.
Last but not least, a section of Easter Eggs (hidden special features on DVD's) is located in the back to aid those of us who like to see everything on the disc.
Being an anime fan myself, I found this book to be very helpful. Andy's writing style is entertaining and direct. The only low marks I could give it are for the cover. It's a bit too goofy looking for my tastes. I would also have enjoyed a section in the review that linked one show with another similar show, or with another work by the same creative team. But aside from those minor points this is a very handy book. I'll definitely use it when considering what my next anime purchase might be.

A straightforward listing of animation available on DVD in the US, Andy Mangels' guide is the ideal shoppers' resource. It tells you what's on the disc, hints whether it's worth your time, and also points you at the right Easter Eggs. For someone based in the UK who often has to guess what Region One DVDs she might like, it's very useful. I was a little disappointed not to see the same critical bite that features in Stone Bridge's Anime Encyclopaedia applied to animation from around the world, as there are many cartoons that deserve it -- the Rankin-Bass Hobbit, anyone? But still a good book detailing what you can buy from Amazon.com right now, to add to your collection.

Dr Sanchez-H does a splendid job of documenting the influences inside and outside of Bolivia that shaped Bolivian film and culture. His work not only uses an analytical process but is highly creative as well. A "must read" for anyone interested in Latin American history, film, and politics. Two thumbs up!

Wonderfull book. Both Jorge Ruiz, 'the Bolivian Bob Flaherty' and Jorge Sanjines, 'the Pearl of the Andes', have produced works that stand the test of time. They are real filmmakers, in heart and soul. And trough their works speaks deep passion for the lives lived in this remote area of the world. Did you know that documentarist Jorge Ruiz was the first one to come up with the idea for the story that eventually resulted in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'?
And that the Jorge Sanjines picture that stars GERALDINE CHAPLIN, 'PARA RECIBIR EL CANTO DE LOS PÁJAROS' was photographed by the great Bolivian cinematographer Guillermo Ruiz? The son of Jorge!

A book descrbing in depth the present and past reality ofbolivina filmmakers, actors an d the strong political backgorundbehind it, showing the harsh reality of this 3rd world drug republic. a must for dope users and film freaks as well

Three unusual areas of film history at last receive their due. The Art and Politics of Bolivian Cinema, by Jose Sanchez-H. (Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland) places this Latin American nation's films in a historical and sociological context, and features interviews with some of the leading directors, above all Sanjines.

"...a valuable contribution to the still slim bibliography on Bolivian Cinema...a vivid and total mosaic of the history of Bolivian Cinema."-From the introduction by Jorge Ruiz, Bolivian Filmmaker

Other Reviews:

"Detailed information, not available elsewhere in English, fills the book, making it a major resource..."-FILM QUARTELY

"...a very comprehensive history based not only on sound research, but also on interviews with Bolivia's most significant filmmakers..a very valuable tool for students and scholars of film and Latin American culture."-BRITISH BULLETIN OF PUBLICATIONS ON LATIN AMERICA

This is an excellent book. It covers the movie perfectly. It's small compared to Art 1, but then again it's only covering a movie and not an entire series. I now realize the value of the art books, and when the next movie "Shadow Rising" comes out I'll gladly by the art book for it as well.

This book is a good companion to the animation, adding lots more detail and also hinting at things to come. The art isn't as good as some other anime, so the art book isn't either, but for details on the Robotech timeline and mecha designs, this book is very nice. As always, I wanted more detail than was given, but there is a nice appendix at the back with the vital stats on all the vehicles. If your a fan, this is a must have book. If your just looking for great art, pass it by.

Totally worth it. Full color, very heavy glossy paper throughout. It has a history of Robotech, both story-internal that covers the major events in all the previous series (or failed series, counting the Sentinels) and real-world that covers all of the original series, failed starts like the Sentinels (which would have been cool) and Robotech 3000 (thank heavens it tanked), and the origin and development of the new movie. All of this is fully illustrated; there are some great screen captures from the original series and the parts of the Sentinels that were produced. All that's nice, but it's not the main course.

The main course is what you've come to expect from Robotech Art books: cool pictures of the characters, mecha, and ships. The book soars in this regard. For new ships and characters there are sketches showing how the design evolved, one or more final "key art" images, and a screencap or two. For stuff carried over from the original series, there is also some original concept art and images of the stuff as is appeared on screen back when, so you can see if and how things were updated (not much, fortunately) for the new movie.

To sum up, this is a sumptuously illustrated and produced volume in its own right, and second only to Robotech Art 1 as both an art book and a sourcebook for the history, characters, and vehicles of Robotech.

brillent movie and a great start to the next part of the robotech saga.cant wait till the rest of the new seies starts showing.this movie will be enjoyed by fans new and old.highly reccommeded.

This book about the Shadow Chronicles, the latest Robotech Saga, has a lot more than just pretty pictures. The book is divided in to 6 major sections and one minor section. Section I summarizes the Robotech story and timeline. It starts in 1999 when the SDF-1 crashes on Earth, to the battle between the Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) and the Invid at Reflex Point in 2044. It also mentions the ill-fated Robotech 3000 series. (If you never saw Robotech 3000, don't waste your time.) Section II talks about the world in 2044. It focuses on Earth, the Invid, and the REF. It includes descriptions and drawings of major installations such as the Invid hive complex at Reflex Point, Space Station Liberty, and Moon Base ALUCE. Section III has drawings, biographical information, and motivations of all of the characters mentioned in the Shadow Chronicles. This list includes Scott Bernard, Marcus Rush, Marlene Rush, Ariel, The Regess, Maia Sterling, Vince Grant, Jean Grant, Max Romero, Doug Taylor, Gunther Reinhardt, Rick Hunter, Lisa Hunter, Louis Nichols, Janice M2, Sparks, the Haydonites, and "generic" REF shipboard personnel. Section IV presents drawings and descriptions of all the mecha from the series, and a few that were not shown in the movie. These mecha include REF veritechs, cyclones, and body armor, and Invid and Haydonite mecha. Some of the mecha have been seen in print before, but some have not. It is not surprising that after the mecha, Section V shows drawings and descriptions of the ships. This was my favorite section. There are excellent color and black and white drawings of the SDF-3, SDF-4 and all of the REF capital ships including the Ikazuchi, Shimakaze, Horizon, Tokugawa, and Ark Angel classes. This section also has the Invid and Haydonite capital ships. Some of the more familiar REF ships such as the Garfish, Ikazuchi, and Horizon have been nicely redraw with better explanations of their roles and capabilities. Section VI focuses on the production aspects of the movie. It tells the who, what, and how the Shadow chronicles came to be. The last, small section (VII), has 3 pages of reference material. Page 1 is a mecha data page. It has the vital statistics of the various mecha and ships. This information can easily be adapted to roleplaying stats. Page 2 has a glossary of terms that are bounced around the Robotech universe. It quickly defines terms such as veritech, flower of life, etc. The last page is an index. I am a huge Robotech fan that has all of the episodes and movies and play the roleplaying game. This book has a wealth of information and a little bit for everyone - nice pictures, nice descriptions, good background info, and production information. If you like Robotech, I think that you'll like this book.

Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of my favorite Disney classics. This book is a must-have for Disney fans and those who loved the film. The pages have rarely seen actual artwork and production stills(pictures of scenes form the movie) and stunning artwork of medeavile Paris. From page to page there are artwork of the characters from the film and details on who animated them and you'll see concept art of the characters, backgrounds and actual storyboards. Some pages fold-out to reveal storyboards from certain scenes.

If you loved the Hunchback of Notre Dame or is a Disney fan, then I would recommend this book to you. You would definitly read this book again and again. The artwork is so stunningly gorgeous that you just can't look at it without your jaw dropping.

This book can be compared to others such as "The Art of The Lion King" or "Prince of Egypt: New Vision in Animation," which are both great to own. Even if you're not a fan of the movie, this book still overflows with beautiful artwork: concept sketches, background paintings (which are my personal favorite), production stills, and many other treats. It also talks a bit about the making of the film, including the animation department's trip to Paris.
Of course, this book is a must-have for Disney fans, but for those interested in animation in general, this is definetely worth getting.

im actually 14 but still lol x
This film is yes for kids but has a whole different story under the main one , its about what makes a monster and what makes a man. That yes one may look like a man but inside hes the monster where as quasi is a true man inside.

The focus of this book was certainly ART, as it provides stunning pictures of Mideval Paris from historical archive that Disney artists meticulously researched before finalizing the background scenery. We also get a glimpse of the profiling of the psychology of each character, and their interaction that drives the story. However, at this price, I wish that they had CD-ROM version that catered to the sophisticated fans of animation art who are very interested in all of the gory technical details.

Like Rebello's previous "Art of" books (Lion King and Pocahontas), this one is a joy to look at, but it's missing one thing. I wish it had more about the characters' voices. Often the actor or actress who voices a character influences the visual development of that character. The animator may model the character after the actor, or he or she may take one particular gesture from the actor and incorporate it into the character (like Belle - she kept brushing that lock of hair away from her face because her voice, Paige O'Hara, did the same thing). So including some information about the voices behind the characters would provide even more insight for those of us clamoring to know about how an animated film is made. But even with this one flaw, the book is gorgeous, especially the production stills of the interior of Notre Dame. And the concept art is great - sometimes it's wildly different from what actually shows up on screen, so you get a look at the evolution process. Oh - don't skip the index. The illustrations of how animators let off steam are hysterical! My favorite - "Quasi and Harriet". So, if you're a fan of Disney animation, get this!

THE BOOK DESIGN AND CLASSY JACKET ALONE ARE WORTH THE MONEY. LOVED THE MOVIE. THE ONLY PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS THAT THEY DON'T PUT ENOUGH COHERENT STORYBOARDS INTO THE CONTENT. ALSO, THE NIGHTCRAWLER'S MOCK-UP CIRCUS POSTER DON'T REALLY GIVE ANY ADDITIONAL VALUE OVER THE BOOK'S GENERAL CONTENT.

My first impression was WOW! This book captures the essence of the movie. It's great to see the story boards it just makes you remember every scene of this excellent movie. It's obvious all the crew involved in X2 cared a lot about details and art and this book crowns it. The addition of the movie script is great, i think we fans love to read the original script to see what scenes didnt make it to the final and wonder what they looked like (if they add them in the DVD it would be fantastic). The quality of this book is absolutely great. Beautiful pictures in every page you turn. A must to every X2 fan.

Being new to the world of the X-men, this book has everything to offer for the die hard fan. The Beautiful black hardcover (not to mention its wonderful slipcover with the entire cast on front) is amazing! The book is filled with illistrations, costume drawings, stroyboards, idea drawings of the proposed danger room, characther bios, and the best part...the complete movie script of X2! Well worth buying. I would suggest any fan to buy to add to his/her collection.

An astounding companion to the film, this book should be on every X-fan's wish list, and probably on that of anyone interested in how a real two-hour block of entertainment is made. There is real heart in this film--it stands out from most summer blockbusters as a simple, non-preachy statement on tolerance, gorgeously wrapped up in the craftsmanship of thousands of film artists, performers, computer graphic artists, and editors. It's a work of art, a rollicking ride, and this book is a terrific tide-me-over for anyone yearning to own the film on DVD in the future.

If you are looking for concept art, production stills and behind the scenes photography, this is the book.

The book goes in chronological order, for the most part, and shows the concept drawings and paintings, the storyboard sketches (and text), and places them next to finished photography of the sets and characters, which gives you a great idea of how the concepts are turned into reality.

It takes you into character development for all of the major characters, with concept art to final film stills. The characters covered are: Nightcrawler (with a great full page poster of "the amazing nightcrawler"), Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue, Storm, Pyro, Magneto, Mystique, Mutant 143, and Lady Deathstrike. Most characters have only 2 pages each, but Nightcrawler, Mystique, Wolverine, Mutant 143, and Lady Deathstrike have multiple pages which show sketches and final photography.

The locations/sets covered in the book are: the White House, X-Mansion, Cerebro, Plastic Prison, X-Jet, Alkali Lake, and Stryker's Base.

This book is 100% filled with great content: drawings, photos, and storyboards, along with a section on the special effects. I wish it were twice as big, but everything in the book is awesome.

Just when you thought, they couldnt come up with anything new about Audrey Hepburn, they do! A wonderful book chock full of stills, lobby cards, and posters from around the world documenting Audrey's Paramount years (1953-1962). For some reason War and Peace is not covered (perhaps because she wore period costumes?). But most of Audrey's most loved movies from this period are here. Roman Holiday: Sabrina; Funny Face and of course, Breakfast at Tiffanys! A must book to have for any diehard fan and even casual admirers of Audrey. Audrey still lives on thanks to those who remember her and photographed her. How lucky for us!

This book is awesome!!! I received it almost immediately, and it was packaged just beautifully! Thank you Amazon!!

An affordable and well made book about Audrey.

Pictures are fabulous.

One of the best of this kind I have seen.

Like the previous reviewer, I wasn't sure when I first saw this book that there would be much new material in it, but there is! Know that the book doesn't cover Audrey's entire career, but focuses strictly, as the title indicates, on her films for Paramount. Within that parameter, no Audrey fan should be without this book in his or her library! Lots of behind-the-scene photos as well as international promo material not often seen in the US.

Because I own almost every book published on this iconic actress, I assumed that this one would offer little new material. I was wrong. This excellent collection includes international versions of posters, previously unpublished photographs, and unknown (at least to me) pieces of information. Hepburn's Paramount films are what launched her career and this volume is a beautiful sampling of her contribution to cinema.

Wow! The Avant-Garde Finds Andy Hardy is the best book on film that has ever been published. Ray's use of Andy Hardy is a perfect vehicle for understanding film in general. This book's scholarship is deep without being obscure or boring in any way. Ray's clear writing allows even the most novice reader to understand his most profound ideas. Yet, serious cinema afficadadios still have a great deal to learn from this master. Ladies and Gentlemen, Harvard publishes this book for a reason. The Avant-Garde Finds Andy Hardy is film study at its best.

I HAVE taken Mr. Ray's courses, and this book is an excellent introduction to his methods and viewpoints. Mr. Ray's ideas are the sort that should change film thought for the better.

Though this text is certainly an excellent attempt at rethinking the problems in which film studies has become trapped, it is also a useful model for new approaches within the wider disciplines of English and cultural studies. Top notch and very readable!!

I am a film student from Australia and Ray's book 'A Certain Tendency of the Hollywood Film' was one of the best texts I have read on American cinema. I haven't read this, his more recent book yet but want to deperately. I live in Japan and would like to know its availablity.

i attend the institution where ray teaches, while i have not taken any of his classes, i have read this book and i must say it is by far the most enjoyable "theory" book i have ever read. ray uses andy hardy movies as a base for discourse on both the "meaning" and value of film studies, as well as links current theorists (derrida,barthes, etc.) within the avant-garde of surrealism. a great intro to film theory, narrative analysis, or for anyone interested in ways of teaching courses outside of tradtitonal cirriculum. abc....method included arp...........arp...........arp!!!!!!!!