September 2012| Sight&Sound | 93
ADVERTISING FEATURE
M
By Samm Deighan, Auteur/Devil’s
Advocates, 120pp, paperback,
£9.99, ISBN 9781911325772
Fritz Lang’s first sound feature, M
(1931), is one of the earliest serial
killer films. Peter Lorre’s child
killer is presented as monstrous
yet sympathetic. Building on
themes presented in earlier German
expressionist films, Lang eerily
foreshadowed the rising fascist horrors
in German society. Samm Deighan
explores the way Lang uses horror
and thriller tropes and examines how
he made use of developments within
forensics and the criminal justice
system to portray a somewhat realistic
serial killer on screen for the first
time, at once capturing how society
viewed such individuals and their
crimes, and shaping how they would
be portrayed in genre films to come.
http://www.facebook.com/
DevilsAdvocatesbooks
VIRTUOSO
Film Performance and the Actor’s Magic
By Murray Pomerance, Bloomsbury,
368pp, 44 b&w images, paperback,
£24.99, ISBN 9781501350672
Elizabeth Taylor’s electrifying
performance in Who’s Afraid of
Virginia Woolf? The milkshake scene
in There Will Be Blood. Leonardo
DiCaprio’s turn as Arnie in What’s
Eating Gilbert Grape? What makes
these performances so special?
Murray Pomerance explores
virtuosic performance in film,
considering structural problems of
dramatisation and production, actorial
methods and tricks, and contingencies
that befall performers. Virtuoso moves
through such themes as showing
off, effacement, self-consciousness,
performative collapse, spontaneity,
acting as dream, acting and femininity,
virtuosity and torture, and others;
giving special attention to Fred Astaire,
Johnny Depp, Marlene Dietrich, Basil
Rathbone, Christopher Plummer, Alice
Brady, Ethel Waters, James Mason and
dozens more. Scenes are examined
in depth, from films as far-ranging
as Singin’ in the Rain, The Bridge on the
River Kwai and My Man Godfrey.
http://www.bloomsbury.com
QUENTIN TARANTINO
The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work
By Ian Nathan, White Lion Publishing, 176pp,
hardback, £25, ISBN 9781781317754
Loaded with stunning pictures from
the Kobal archives, and published
to coincide with his new film, Once
upon a Time in Hollywood, this
biography explores the genesis
of Tarantino’s unique directorial
style and provides insight into
his inspirations and his frequent
collaborations with favoured actors.
Film expert Ian Nathan examines
the entirety of Tarantino’s work as
writer and director, from Natural
Born Killers (1994) through to his
latest epic. As you make your way
through Tarantino’s incredible
career, discover what inspired
him, his working methods and
the breadth of his talent.
“A gloriously presented book bursting
at the seams” – Starburst
http://www.quartoknows.com
CULT FILMMAKERS
50 Movie Mavericks You Need to Know
By Ian Haydn Smith, White Lion
Publishing, 144pp, hardback,
£12.99, ISBN 9780711240261
Cult Filmmakers hand-picks 50 notable
figures in the world of cinema and
explores the creative genius that
earned them the ‘cult’ label, while
celebrating the movies that made
their names. The book ranges from
industry heavyweights like Tim
Burton and David Lynch to the strange
and surreal imaginings of Alejandro
Jodorowsky and Ana Lily Amirpour.
Discover the minds behind such
beloved features as Melancholia, Easy
Rider, Lost in Translation and more.
From little-knowns with small, devout
followings to superstars walking the
red carpet, each of them is special in
their individuality and their ability
to inspire, antagonise and delight.
http://www.quartoknows.com
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