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9780819568014 : action-speaks-louder-lichtenfeld
Paperback / softback
400 Pages
$29.95 USD
Add to Cart
Paperback / softback
April 27, 2007
9780819568014
English
400
9.00 Inches (US)
6.00 Inches (US)
1.25 Pounds (US)
$29.95 USD, £21.95 GBP
v2.1 Reference

Action Speaks Louder

Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie

By Eric Lichtenfeld
Wesleyan University Press
An authoritative and entertaining history of the action film

For more than 30 years, the action movie has been the film genre that most represents Hollywood to the world, as action films find blockbuster success at box offices internationally. Still, the genre seldom receives the critical attention it deserves. Studying its trends, key components, and visual excesses, this new and expanded edition of Action Speaks Louder traces the genre's evolution to reveal how it has come to assume its place of prominence in American culture. With scores of in-depth case studies—including films such as Dirty Harry, RoboCop, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Armageddon, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds, and The Incredibles—author Eric Lichtenfeld draws on film analysis, production histories, critical responses, studio marketing materials, and original filmmaker interviews. Up-to-date and comprehensive, Action Speaks Louder is the definitive study of the movies' most kinetic form of fun.

About the Author

ERIC LICHTENFELD has worked in many areas of the film industry, and his articles have appeared in film publications including The Scenographer, Film Score Monthly, and Trace, the journal of the Art Directors Guild. He has contributed features and commentaries to special edition DVD releases of such films as Predator, Die Hard, and Speed, and has taught film studies at Loyola Marymount University.

Reviews

"[A]n intelligent, coherent and frequently illuminating study of a genre that has become firmly entrenched in pop culture."—Geoffrey Berkshire, Variety

"[A]n intelligent, coherent and frequently illuminating study of a genre that has become firmly entrenched in pop culture."—Geoffrey Berkshire, Variety

"[A]n intelligent, coherent and frequently illuminating study of a genre that has become firmly entrenched in pop cultureThe book encourages the idea that, although some action films may be 'mindless,' our reaction to them doesn't have to be."—Geoffrey Berkshire, Variety

Endorsements

"Eric Lichtenfeld accomplishes the impossible, putting action films under the microscope without robbing them of their ability to startle and amuse us. His marriage of popcorn and the provocative produces what can only be called a roller-coaster read."—Steven E. de Souza, screenwriter, Die Hard

"I wish I had read this book before I started making my films.""—Richard Donner, director, Superman: The Movie, the Lethal Weapon films, 16 Blocks
Wesleyan University Press
Wesleyan Film
  • PERFORMING ARTS / Film / General (75 Titles)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social (291 Titles)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture (124 Titles)

Paperback / softback
April 27, 2007
9780819568014
English
400
9.00 Inches (US)
6.00 Inches (US)
1.25 Pounds (US)
$29.95 USD, £21.95 GBP
v2.1 Reference
9780819568014 : action-speaks-louder-lichtenfeld
Paperback / softback
400 Pages
$29.95 USD
Add to Cart

Other Titles from Wesleyan Film

9780819576590 : escape-velocity-schauer

Escape Velocity

American Science Fiction Film, 1950–1982
Bradley Schauer
Jan 2017 - Wesleyan University Press
$26.95 USD - Paperback / softback
$17.99 USD - Electronic book text
9780819576101 : the-films-of-samuel-fuller-dombrowski

The Films of Samuel Fuller

If You Die, I'll Kill You
Lisa Dombrowski
May 2015 - Wesleyan University Press
$27.95 USD - Hardback
$21.99 USD - Electronic book text
9780819573728 : the-lives-of-robert-ryan-jones

The Lives of Robert Ryan

J.R. Jones
May 2015 - Wesleyan University Press
$30.00 USD - Hardback
$23.99 USD - Electronic book text
See All 17 Titles from Wesleyan Film

Other Titles in PERFORMING ARTS / Film / General

9780813196060 : aline-macmahon-stangeland

Aline MacMahon

Hollywood, the Blacklist, and the Birth of Method Acting
John Stangeland
Nov 2022 - University Press of Kentucky
$40.00 USD - Hardback
$40.00 USD - Electronic book text
$40.00 USD - Electronic book text
9780813195445 : marlene-dietrich

Marlene

Marlene Dietrich
Jul 2022 - University Press of Kentucky
$19.95 USD - Paperback / softback
$19.95 USD - Electronic book text
9780813195452 : marlene-dietrich-dietrich

Marlene Dietrich

Photographs and Memories
Marlene Dietrich
Jul 2022 - University Press of Kentucky
$45.00 USD - Paperback / softback
$45.00 USD - Electronic book text
See All 75 Titles in PERFORMING ARTS / Film / General


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