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"Hitler Youth Quex: A Guide for the English-Speaking Reader" is a book by William Gillespie that explores the infamous propaganda film made during the early years of the Nazi regime. The book provides new insights into the film and its historical context, drawing from the author's extensive collection of German film materials. While the book primarily focuses on the German perspective, it offers valuable primary sources and encourages critical examination of the topic. It is recommended for scholars and students studying film history, propaganda, or German Third Reich cinema. [Extracted from the article]

"Breaks in the Air: The Birth of Rap Radio in New York City" by John Klaess is a significant contribution to the history of New York hip-hop culture. The book explores the early days of rap radio in New York, when stations like WBLS played a crucial role in shaping the sound and culture of hip-hop. Klaess uses interviews and cassette recordings to provide insights into the inseparable relationship between rap, radio, and diverse listening communities. The book also examines the impact of deregulation on the commercial radio industry and the role of radio in advancing Black social progress. Overall, "Breaks in the Air" offers a valuable perspective on the history of rap radio in New York City. [Extracted from the article]

"All the President's Men" is a film analyzed by Christian Keathley and Robert B. Ray in their book. The authors argue that the film focuses on the experience of disorientation and uncertainty rather than the outcome of the investigation. The film, which follows the reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they investigate the Watergate scandal, recreates the feeling of being lost in a maze of clues and information. The book provides a close reading of the film's narrative structure, mise-en-scène, and cinematography, and argues for its status as an American classic. The authors also discuss the blend of art movie, classical studio-era, and New Hollywood elements in the film, as well as the deliberate choice to obscure and omit relevant story information. The book offers valuable insights for students of close reading methods and scholars of Hollywood history and style. [Extracted from the article]

Barry Keith Grant's book, "100 American Horror Films," explores the enduring presence of the horror genre throughout film history. The book features a selection of one hundred American horror films spanning from the 1910s to 2019, including notable examples such as "Colour out of Space," "Midsommar," and "The Wind." Grant's introduction defines the genre as addressing universal fears while also responding to historically and culturally specific anxieties. Each film entry in the book provides a concise summary of the plot, credits, an image from the film, and insights into its significance within the horror genre and its historical-cultural context. While some readers may disagree with certain omissions, the book offers a comprehensive overview of American horror films. Additionally, Anne Billson's book, "The Thing," provides an authoritative analysis of the film's subversive and uncompromising approach to horror. Both books serve as valuable resources for those interested in exploring the genre further. [Extracted from the article]

Adam Lowenstein's book, "Horror Film and Otherness," explores the social relevance and transformative power of horror cinema. Lowenstein argues that horror films can teach us about otherness and illuminate the ongoing evolution of social norms and identities. He challenges Robin Wood's analysis of American horror cinema, offering a more nuanced understanding of the genre's exploration of trauma, alienation, and displacement. Lowenstein engages with theorists and historians to examine the themes of aging, the body, gender, and sexuality in horror films from the 1970s to the present. While the book is comprehensive, it lacks coverage of trans people, which would further contribute to the exploration of otherness. Overall, "Horror Film and Otherness" is a landmark text that highlights the importance of horror in understanding society and the self. [Extracted from the article]

"Before the Paris Fire: Projecting the Cinematograph in London from 1889-4th May 1997" is the fourth volume in the London County Council and the Cinematograph series, although it is chronologically earlier than the other three volumes. The book provides a comprehensive guide to cinematic venues in London during this time period, with images of venues, artifacts, and important figures. The author, Tony Fletcher, presents the information without critique or analysis, allowing readers to use it for their own research. The book is organized into two parts, with appendices that include a filmography and a bibliography. It covers not only the UK but also developments in France, Germany, and the United States. The second part focuses on specific venues and their cinematograph exhibitions, while also discussing the developments in cinematography at the time. The book offers a case study of entrepreneurship in a capitalist society. While a venue index might be helpful, the raw nature of the contents allows readers to explore various topics in depth. [Extracted from the article]

What Solomon has adeptly done instead is to take the films - and more so the man - of George Méliès as a place to tether a history of French cultural change in the face of the Second Industrial Revolution. Méliès Boots: Footwear and Film Manufacturing in Second Industrial Revolution Paris: MATTHEW SOLOMON, 2022, Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan Press, pp. xvi + 213, illus., index, $29.95 (paper), open access (e-book) Matthew Solomon, in his new book on the works and careers of early French filmmaker and master of the trick film, George Méliès, chose as the book's cover image a pair of industrially produced but hand-embroidered women's boots manufactured by Société Méliès, the family shoe company started and run by his father. [Extracted from the article]

Approaching the writing of a scene in this way, the authors argue, makes character motivations clear, creates tension and leaves room for either additional obstacles or resolution. Which points to another fundamental premise that Perry and Sanders believe in, namely that every scene needs to have both a goal and an obstacle. I SceneWriting: The Missing Manual for Screenwriters i by Chris Perry and Eric Henry Sanders is an essential primer on the important foundational structure and elements that make a scene - and by extrapolation, a story - work. [Extracted from the article]

"Black Women and the Changing Television Landscape" by Lisa M. Anderson is a book that examines the portrayal of Black women on television throughout history. Anderson, an associate professor of women and gender studies, builds on her previous work to explore the complex and evolving representations of Black women in media. Using a semiotic approach and drawing on the work of Black feminist scholars, Anderson analyzes specific television shows and personalities from the 1950s to the present. The book goes beyond simplistic judgments and aims to understand the historical and cultural contexts in which these representations exist, as well as the agency of Black women in shaping them. It is a valuable resource for scholars in cultural, media, and television studies. [Extracted from the article]

Michael Berry reminds us it is essential to position Jia within the dual environments of the local Chinese film industry and international art house cinema to understand his political orientation and aesthetic personas (p. 14). I Jia Zhangke on Jia Zhangke i , containing a series conversations between these two heavyweight cultural icons in contemporary Chinese cinema, provides a comprehensive and profound view of Jia's film style. Jia Zhangke, one of the most important Chinese film directors and screenwriters, is a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema. [Extracted from the article]

It is particularly notable that Francis considers their relative lack of engagement with film scholars as a longstanding problem: The academics who use our films in film studies courses - we should have a very close relationship with them. The stated purpose of this collection is to indicate how film archives could employ a model of curatorship common to art galleries and museums, in order to aid the preservation and presentation of film. The publication of this book might go some way towards making the issues faced by film curators more understandable to film scholars and other interested professionals. [Extracted from the article]

Despite the cruelty and suffering that is integral to so many fairy tales and their visual media adaptations, Greenhill sees them as generally positive - not in the sense of promising a heteronormative, middle-class happy ending for everyone, but as a way of re-enchanting the real world to better prepare us to face the monsters that exist within it. Fairy-Tale Film Truths: PAULINE GREENHILL, 2020 Detroit, MI, Wayne State University Press pp. 265, illus., bibliography, and index, $84.99 (bound), $32.99 (paper) In her introduction, Greenhill explicitly addresses the question of how fairy tales, in their various mediated forms, engage with real life, "sometimes in resisting hegemony, sometimes in maintaining it" (p. 14). [Extracted from the article]

Yehuda Moraly's book, "Dream Projects in Theatre, Novels and Films: the Works of Paul Claudel, Jean Genet, and Federico Fellini," explores the concept of "dream projects" - artistic endeavors that were never completed. The book focuses on three unrealized projects by Paul Claudel, Jean Genet, and Federico Fellini, examining their significance in relation to the artists' overall body of work. Moraly reconstructs the creative stages of these projects using archival materials and demonstrates how the unrealized works influenced the artists' subsequent creations. The book offers valuable insights into the process of artistic creation and serves as a starting point for further research in this area. [Extracted from the article]

"Race and Radio: Pioneering Black Broadcasters in New Orleans" by Bala James Baptist is a book that explores the emergence and evolution of Black radio culture in the American South, specifically in New Orleans. The author examines the interactions between white business owners, pioneering Black disc jockeys, and the African American community, highlighting their contributions to the promotion of Black radio in postwar American society. The book also discusses the role of Black radio personalities in the Civil Rights Movement and the growth of Black-owned radio stations. Based on primary sources, the book provides valuable insights into the transformation of radio culture in New Orleans and its impact on racial equality. [Extracted from the article]

"The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells" by Sarah Churchwell explores the controversial legacy of the novel and film "Gone with the Wind." Churchwell argues that the story's portrayal of the Confederacy and its treatment of slavery perpetuated a myth of the "Lost Cause" and contributed to the acceptance of white nationalism in America. She connects the themes of the book and film to current political and social issues, including the rise of Trump and the attack on the Capitol. Churchwell's analysis sheds light on the dark truths of American history and the impact of cultural myths on contemporary politics. [Extracted from the article]

Kill the Documentary: A Letter to Filmmakers, Students, and Scholars: JILL GODMILOW, 2022, New York, Columbia University Press, pp. xi + 191, notes, bibliography, index, £94.00 (hardcover) £25.00 (paper) Godmilow offers her definition of postrealist cinema and explores the purpose of a useful postrealist documentary as an "antispectacular form" and examines the works of other filmmakers such as Luis Buñuel and Alain Resnais. In her book I Kill the Documentary i filmmaker Jill Godmilow speaks from the heart and proposes to challenge the conventional documentary and calls for different ways to make documentaries. [Extracted from the article]

Thus each chapter addresses a different aspect of cinema going memories. The intention of this project was to extend knowledge of cinema history with an emphasis on how films were received and the social experience of cinema going. The six chapters clearly set out different aspects of the 1960s cinema going experience- social experiences, sex and cinema going, the experience of watching American films and British films, European films, and postcolonial audiences. [Extracted from the article]

It is here that Doane invokes the panorama, the spectacle whose "virtuality" was taken up and intensified by cinema, leading to a complete disorientation and un-locating of the spectator. Though Doane does not equate the many separate traditions she examines, her analysis does convincingly demonstrate the historical potential for the close-up to both suture and exacerbate crises of the image. For Walter Benjamin, the spectacle of the panorama rested in its manipulation of both time and scale. [Extracted from the article]

Throughout the book it is addressed that the field of digital filmmaking and especially mobile and smartphone filmmaking as a unique form of creative practice is fast-developing, with new emerging techniques, forms and methods. The author establishes mobile and smartphone filmmaking as a unique film form and introduces his filmmaking modes as a theoretical approach for analysis. The positioning of smartphone filmmaking in a wider framework is challenging in its own right. [Extracted from the article]

Sara Austin's book, "Monstrous Youth: Transgressing the Boundaries of Childhood in the United States," explores the portrayal of monsters in mass media and their connection to cultural fears and the changing social boundaries of identity and citizenship. Austin discusses how monsters in popular culture are used by adults to educate or control young people, while young people themselves can embrace and identify with these monstrous figures. The book examines different time periods, including the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s, and analyzes various forms of media such as comic books, picture books, television shows, and movies. Austin's work provides a cultural lens through which to understand and analyze monstrous works of horror and their impact on children. [Extracted from the article]

Fashioning James Bond: Costume, Gender and Identity in the World of 007: LLEWELLA CHAPMAN, 2022 London, NY, Bloomsbury Academic pp. xii + 320, illus., £65.00 (cloth), £19.99 (paper) Bond, James Bond, is synonymous with many iconographic elements, from gadgets and guns to megalomaniac foes with dastardly schemes, but the sharp-suited hero and the bikini-clad Bond girl are undoubtedly some of the franchise's most recognizable icons and absolutely central to its ongoing appeal. But despite being organized by Bond, the focus does not rest exclusively on the hero himself and there is plenty of space dedicated to discussing the costuming of those aforementioned Bond girls, later re-labelled Bond women, his bosses and colleagues, as well as the villains and their inevitable henchmen. [Extracted from the article]

Much has been written on Video, or more precisely magnetic recording and playback, since its encroachment into mainstream consumer pathways in the late 1970s (although its technological basis can be traced back to 1893 with Valdemar Poulsen and the Telegraphon device): Roy Armes with his I On Video i (1988), Sean Cubitt with I Videography: Video Media as Art and Culture i (1993) and then later forays such as James Moran, I There's No Place Like Home Video i (2002) all offer fascinating select accounts of the technology. Rewind, Replay: Britain and the Video Boom, 1978-92: JOHNNY WALKER, 2022, Edinburgh, UK, Edinburgh University Press, pp. xi + 253, illus., £19.99 (paper) Chapter two then moves into further developmental aspects of the British Video "boom" exploring the beginnings of the video shop and its positioning within a larger British economic framework. [Extracted from the article]

"Schools and Screens: A Watchful History" by Victoria Cain explores the use of screens and their content in American classrooms from the New Deal Era to Y2K. The book examines the historical and cultural significance of screens in education, focusing on four core issues: citizenship, race, private money, and teachers. Cain discusses the challenges and successes of incorporating film, television, and computers into the education system, highlighting the impact of private funding and the commercialization of educational technology. The book emphasizes the complex and nuanced role of screens in shaping and being shaped by the American education system. [Extracted from the article]

Bridget Griffen-Foley's book, "Australian Radio Listeners and Television Viewers: Historical Perspectives," explores the experiences of Australian radio and television audiences throughout the twentieth century. Through six historical case studies, Griffen-Foley examines how radio and television stations engaged their audiences through promotions and initiatives, and how listeners and viewers responded. The book draws on primary sources such as fan letters and regulatory records to provide detailed insights into the lives of Australian media consumers. While the book raises many questions, it serves as a valuable resource for future researchers interested in exploring the relationship between Australian society, media consumption, and cultural identities. [Extracted from the article]

"The Art of the Observer: A Personal View of Documentary" by David MacDougall is a book that offers insights into the role of an anthropological director in documentary filmmaking. MacDougall emphasizes the importance of selective observation and the connection between shots in a film. The book also provides a personal account of MacDougall's fifty-year journey as a filmmaker and world traveler. However, some critics argue that MacDougall's perspective may have a colonialist aspect and that his own story restricts his recognition of the significance of his documentary subjects. Overall, the book offers valuable insights into the filmmaking process but may leave readers with feelings of confusion and awkwardness due to unconscious bias in the author's wording. [Extracted from the article]

"Hollis Frampton: Navigating the Infinite Cinema" is a book that focuses on the work of experimental filmmaker Hollis Frampton. The author, Michael Zryd, draws from his own previous scholarship, existing literature on Frampton, Frampton's own writings, and archival materials to explore Frampton's Magellan series. The book examines Frampton's notion of "infinite cinema" and pays attention to the treatment of colonialism in his work. It also discusses themes such as linearity, encyclopedic impulse, and metahistory in Frampton's films. Overall, the book is a valuable resource for understanding Frampton's theories and cinematic goals in the digital age. [Extracted from the article]

Lynn Spigel's book, "TV Snapshots – An Archive of Everyday Life," offers a fresh perspective on the impact of television on our culture. Instead of focusing solely on what people watched or how they watched, Spigel examines a collection of photographs from the 1950s to the 1970s, featuring people posing in front of their television sets. By analyzing these images, Spigel uncovers insights into the diverse uses of television in the home and the relationships within families. The book also explores the performative aspects of television, with people imagining themselves as TV characters or capturing live events on their screens. Spigel's work provides a new methodology for understanding mid-century TV culture and encourages readers to reflect on their own past experiences with television. [Extracted from the article]

In 1953, Bellingham's KVOS-TV aired its first broadcast--Queen Elizabeth II's coronation--to audiences in northwest Washington State and southwest British Columbia. KVOS was the second television station in Washington and the first in British Columbia. As the station--and the popularity of television--grew, KVOS turned a persistent focus to attracting television audiences in the Vancouver metropolitan region and Vancouver Island. The station established a subsidiary in Vancouver in 1960 to produce commercials for local Canadian advertisers. This subsidiary grew into a full-fledged film production studio, Canawest Film Productions, which produced commercials, industrial films and animation for clients on both sides of the border. For a brief period, KVOS and Canawest fostered a unique relationship among an American broadcaster, Canadian and American advertisers, and cross-border audiences. Canawest was shuttered in 1977 after the Canadian legislature passed Bill C-58, ending tax deductions for Canadian companies advertising on American TV stations. This paper gives insight into the cross-border design of KVOS as well as Canawest's role in producing audiovisual material in the 1960s and 1970s. In doing so, this paper reflects on the tensions between culture and economics in the face of financial incentive and policy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for papers on media history is presented.