Product Description
The Historical Dictionary of Film Noir is a comprehensive guide that ranges from 1940 to present day neo-noir. It consists of a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, a filmography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on every aspect of film noir and neo-noir, including key films, personnel (actors, cinematographers, composers, directors, producers, set designers, and writers), themes, issues, influences, visual style, cycles of films (e.g. amnesiac noirs), the representation of the city and gender, other forms (comics/graphic novels, television, and videogames), and noir's presence in world cinema. It is an essential reference work for all those interested in this important cultural phenomenon. ... Read more

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Animation was once a relatively simple matter, using fairly primitive means to produce rather short films of subjects that were generally comedic and often quite childish. However, things have changed, and they continue changing at a maddening pace. One new technique after another has made it easier, faster, and above all cheaper to produce the material, which has taken on an increasing variety of forms.The Historical Dictionary of Animation and Cartoons is an introduction to all aspects of animation history and its development as a technology and industry beyond the familiar cartoons from the Disney and Warner Bros. Studios. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, photos, a bibliography, and over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries on animators, directors, studios, techniques, films, and some of the best-known characters. ... Read more

Product Description
The dictionary section, made up of more than 500 cross-referenced entries, provides brief vignettes of the more popular and also less well-known _soaps,_ among them Back Stage Wife, Our Gal Sunday, Pepper Young's Family and The Guiding Light. Other entries evoke those who brought these programs to life: the actors, announcers, scriptwriters, networks, and even the sponsors. Nor are the basic themes, the stock characters and the gimmick, forgotten. The book's introduction defines the soap opera, examines the span of the radio serial, reviews its origins and its demise, and focuses on the character types that made up its denizens. The chronology outlines the period and the bibliography offers further reading. Together, these elements make a comprehensive reference work that researchers will find invaluable long into the future. ... Read more

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The Definitive Book on Radio Soap Operas

In 1999 the book The Great Radio Soap Operas by Jim Cox was published.This book focused on 31 of the hundreds of soap operas that aired during the Golden Age of Radio and whetted the appetites of Old-Time Radio fans for a more comprehensive volume on Radio Soap Operas.

In late 2005 that more inclusive book arrived, Scarecrow Press published Jim Cox's HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN RADIO SOAP OPERAS as a volume in their Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts series.

OTR fans have come to expect informative and entertaining books from Jim Cox.They will not be disappointed with his HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN RADIO SOAP OPERAS.Jim has packed an amazing amount of information into his 320 page volume.

It begins with an enlightening Chronology that spans the time period 1925 to 1960, halcyon days of the Radio Soap Opera.The most of the Introduction deals with the origins, basic plot and characterization schemas, and business aspects of Radio Soap Operas.An Overview Of The Dictionary which discusses its content and organization is the concluding section of the Introduction..

The Dictionary constitutes the major part of the book and is arranged in alphabetical order with over 450 entries which fall into one of following four categories.

Series:
There are in excess of 300 entries on the individual series, famous and obscure.These entriescontain information on primary titles with cross references to alternate titles, plot and character overview, network affiliations, beginning and ending air dates, and cast, crew, and sponsor information. It is, in all probability, the most comprehensive compilation of American Radio Soap Operas.

Individuals:
Over 60 biographical entries of actors, writers, directors, producers, and announcers who prominently figured in the success of the genre. Several more entries deal with authors who have written about the American Radio Soap Opera.

Topics:
Additionally there are more than 50 entries that supply the reader with enlightening information on broadcasting terms, plotline concepts and devices, and Soap Opera sub-genres.

Organizations:
Finally, there are over 20 entries that discuss major advertising and talent agencies, awards, networks, production companies, ratings services, sponsors, and unions.

The Bibliography contains much more content than just standard citations of reference works and periodicals dealing with radio and soap operas.Additional sources of information on prominent soap opera figures are listed. Information is provided on several useful Internet websites. There also is a listing of research archives with prominent collections of soap opera related materials.

As this book is a dictionary, there is no index.However, throughout the book, references to persons, series, topics, and organizations that have their own separate entries are shown in bold text.

With the publication of his HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN RADIO SOAP OPERAS, Jim Cox has contributed yet another highly informative and enjoyable tome to the literature on American Old-Time Radio.There is little doubt that this book will become the standard general reference on the American daytime radio adult serial drama. If you are a fan of Radio soap operas or just interested in Old-Time Radio history in general, this book deserves a place in your library.

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A Well-Researc hed Work
Ever since her co-written book CITY ON FIRE, Lisa Odham Stokes has become one of America's foremost authorities on Hong Kong Cinema. It is not surprising that the new series of dictionaries by Scarecrow Press has brought out this comprehensive work which every University Library should obtain. Based on a detailed knowledge of Hong Kong Cinema and familiarity with reference material published by the Hong Kong Film Archive and Hong Kong Film Festivals, this dictionary presents a wealth of information thatshould prove indispensable for anybody undertaking detailed research in this area.

Previous books have covered Hong Kong's martial arts cinema and its various genres. But the merit of this dictionary is its meticulous attention to influences from pre-war Shanghai cinema, Mandarin and Cantonese melodramatic and operatic traditions, as well as the past and present cultural interplay between Mainland China and the former British colony. Those seeking references to transient action heroines such as Cynthia Khan and Moon Lee will be disappointed but they have already been covered extensively in popuular surveys. What makes this dictionary really distinctive is both its sense of a particular historical tradition that has influenced the development of one of the world's most exciting national cinemas as well as references to the current state of the industry. The friendship between Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai and the former's positive influence on the latter in his personal life is just one of the many nuggets of information that the author has supplied. She also mentions the Chinese as well as the English titles of various films as well as the full Chinese names of several actors and stars.

This series is designed for university libraries as a reference work. It really fulfills that function but it should also attract any individual eager to learn more about Hong Long cinema despite its high cost. I've already learned much from this work and have cited it in a monograph I'm writing so believe it will be true for many other people. The author has every reason to be proud of her work in this field, both in her previous indispensable book on Hong Kong cinema as well as her continuing contributions to the journal ASIAN CINEMA and her various interviews with many leading Hong Kong actors and directors. This is definitely an outstanding work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

cultural ghetto; limited audience
Many of the films, directors and actors mentioned in the book will be unfamiliar to American readers. The Polish cinema industry has always suffered from the fact that Polish is simply not spoken by many outside the country. Hence its people and products have achieved limited reknown.

Perusing the book also makes clear other constraints. There is a total absence of films made during World War 2, since Poland was under a brutal Nazi occupation for almost the entire duration. Then, in the postwar years, the decades of Soviet imposed censorship meant that output was rather sparse and uninteresting. But if you use the chronology provided at the book's start, you can see the highlights of what was achieved under these conditions. ... Read more

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This book is an introduction and guide to the film of Australia and New Zealand.It contains entries on many exceptional producers, directors, writers and actors, as well as films. But it also presents the early pioneers, the cinemas themselves, the film companies and government bodies, and much more in its hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries. Through a chronology that shows how far these cinemas have come in a short time and an introduction that presents them more broadly, a clear portrait of the two countries' motion pictures emerge.The bibliography is an excellent source for further reading. ... Read more

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This Historical Dictionary of Horror Films traces the development of horror cinema from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries. Entries cover all the major movie villains, including Frankenstein and his monster, the vampire, the werewolf, the mummy, the zombie, the ghost, and the serial killer; the film directors, producers, writers, actors, cinematographers, make-up artists, special effects technicians, and composers who have helped to shape horror history; significant production companies and the major films that have come to stand as milestones in the development of the horror genre; and the different national traditions in horror cinema as well as horror's most popular themes, formats, conventions, and cycles. ... Read more

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Traces the development of the genre from the early 20th century to modern times
College-level performing arts libraries strong in the horror genre must have Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema! Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema traces the development of the genre from the early 20th century to modern times using a chronology, essay, bibliography, and hundreds of dictionary entries. All major movie villains are covered, along with a general horror history in this in-depth survey discussing content, form and presentation.
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From Amos 'n' Andy to The Jeffersons to Family Matters, this work covers it all. There are entries on all different genres and performers. Additionally, information can be found on general issues, ranging from African American audiences and stereotypes through the related networks and organizations. This book has hundreds of entries, from A to Z, in the dictionary and a list of acronyms with their corresponding definitions. ... Read more

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It can be argued that cinema was created in France by Louis Lumi_re in 1895 with the invention of the cinZmatographe, the first true motion-picture camera and projector. While there were other cameras and devices invented earlier that were capable of projecting intermittent motion of images, the cinZmatographe was the first device capable of recording and externally projecting images in such a way as to convey motion. Early films such as Lumi_re's La Sortie de l'usine, a minute-long film of workers leaving the Lumi_re factory, captured the imagination of the nation and quickly inspired the likes of Georges MZli_s, Alice Guy, and Charles PathZ. Through the years, French cinema has been responsible for producing some of the world's best directors_Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Fran_ois Truffaut, and Louis Malle_and actors_Charles Boyer, Catherine Deneuve, GZrard Depardieu, and Audrey Tautou.The Historical Dictionary of French Cinema covers the history of French film from the silent era to the present in a concise and up to date volume detailing the development of French cinema and major theoretical and cultural issues related to it. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, photographs, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on many of the major actors, directors, films, movements, producers, and studios associated with French cinema. Going beyond mere biographical information, entries also discuss the impact and significance of each individual, film, movement, or studio included. This detailed, scholarly analysis of the development of film in France is useful to both the novice and the expert alike. ... Read more

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Outlining the richness of German film, the Historical Dictionary of German Cinema covers mainstream, alternative, and experimental film from 1895 to the present through a chronology, introductory essay, appendix of the 100 most significant German films, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on directors, actors, films, cinematographers, composers, producers, and major historical events that greatly affected the direction and development of German cinema. The book's broad canvas will lead students and scholars of cinema to appreciate the complex nature of German film. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A most useful reference work by Robert C. Reimer
This volume should be in every research library and on the shelf of everyone seriously interested in German cinema.The entries on major directors, producers, actors, as well as major films and some movements are solidly researched.In addition, the book contains a short chronology and history of German cinema.The bibliography is extensive and useful for further study.WARNING:the hardback Historical Dictionary of German Cinema (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts) and paperback The A to Z of German Cinema (A to Z Guide Series) are the same identical book, even though the books' descriptions list the former as having 520 pages and the latter as having 524 pages.Why did Scarecrow Press release the same book under two different titles?Apparently a marketing strategy to confuse buyers and to get them to purchase two different copies of the same book. ... Read more

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The story of the western is told in the Historical Dictionary of Westerns in Cinema through a chronology, a bibliography, and an introductory essay. However, it is the hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on cinematographers; composers; producers; films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Dances With Wolves, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, High Noon, The Magnificent Seven, The Searchers, Tombstone, and Unforgiven; such actors as Gene Autry, Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, and John Wayne; and directors like John Ford and Sergio Leone that will have you reaching for this book again and again. ... Read more

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This dictionary is a comprehensive lexicon of the language used in the television, film and radio industries and is the only available reference of its kind. If you need to know what a "day-for-night" show is ...or where the "lamphouse" is on a professional projector ...or what a "dead synch" does for a film, this is the place to look. "The Dictionary of Film and Broadcast Terms" incorporates and defines these and more than 2,500 other such terms in a handy A-Z format from ambient lights[t] to zeppelin windscreen. ... Read more

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The Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema provides a better understanding of the role Spanish cinema has played in film history through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on producers, directors, film companies, actors, and films. ... Read more

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The Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema is the first reference work of its kind in the English language devoted entirely to the cinema of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the post-Soviet period, including both the cinematic highlights and the mainstream. The cinemas of the former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Latvia, are also represented with their most influential artists. Through a chronology, an introduction essay, a bibliography, and over 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries on filmmakers, performers, cinematographers, composers, producers, studios, genres, and outstanding films, this reference work covers the history of Russian and Soviet filmmaking from 1896 to 2007. ... Read more

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The history of science fiction film now spans more than 100 years, during which time more than 1,000 science fiction films of various kinds have been made. Beginning with the work of pioneering French filmmaker Georges MZli_s at the dawn of the 20th century and moving through such silent films as Fritz Lang's classic Metropolis, science fiction film has had a long and eventful history that has taken it in many directions but that has moved the genre inexorably forward into a prominent place at the center of the film industry in the works of big-budget hitmakers like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Michael Bay.The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Cinema provides broad coverage of the people, films, companies, techniques, themes, and subgenres that have made science fiction cinema such a vital part of world cinema. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 300 cross-referenced dictionary entries. This volume is designed to be accessible and enlightening to fans of the genre who simply want to know more about the films they so enjoy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

not that many movies
The dictionary lists movies with predominantly Negro themes, and also Negro actors. As you might expect, famous movies like "In the Heat of the Night" and stars like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte are described. The text also gives listings for topics like the late,unlamented "blackface" custom of early vaudeville and movies.

Note that as far as Negro-related movies go, there are very few before the late 1960s. Plus, if you look at the actors, few of them rose to prominence before then, in any type of movies. All this of course reflects the pervasive discrimination of earlier times. While the book seems impressively comprehensive, there really aren't that many movies in it, compared to all the films made in the US since the 1910s. ... Read more

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In 1898, documentary footage of a yacht race was shot by Robert A. Mitchell, making him the first Irishman to shoot a film within Ireland. Despite early exposure to the filmmaking process, Ireland did not develop a regular film industry until the late 1910s when James Mark Sullivan established the Film Company of Ireland. Since that time, Ireland has played host to many famous films about the country_Man of Aran, The Quiet Man, The Crying Game, My Left Foot, and Bloody Sunday_as well as others not about the country_Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan. It has also produced great directors such as Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan, as well as throngs of exceptional actors and actresses: Colin Farrel, Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Maureen O'Hara, and Peter O'Toole.The Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema provides essential facts on the history of Irish cinema through a list of acronyms and abbreviation; a chronology; an introduction; a bibliography; and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on the pioneers and current leaders in the industry, the actors, directors, distributors, exhibitors, schools, arts centers, the government bodies and some of the legislation they passed, and the films. ... Read more