Showing titles in History & Criticism

It's one of the most revered movies of Hollywood's golden era. Starring screen legend Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in her first significant film role, High Noon was shot on a lean budget over just 32 days but achieved instant box-office and critical success. It won four Academy Awards in 1953, including a best actor win for Cooper. And it became a cultural touchstone, often cited by politicians as a favourite film, celebrating moral fortitude.

Negli ultimi anni abbiamo assistito all'ascesa irresistibile delle serie TV, un genere tradizionalmente considerato di serie B che oggi raggiunge spesso il prestigio e la considerazione che tradizionalmente venivano riservati al cinema. E non c'è sa stupirsi se le trame e le riprese sono sempre più curate, e gli attori migliori fanno a gara per partecipare a questi format televisivi.

È il 9 gennaio 1956 quando Oriana Fallaci, inviata de "L'Europeo", giunge per la prima volta a Hollywood per comprenderne i meccanismi nascosti e raccontare senza filtri il mondo del cinema e i suoi segreti. Negli anni seguenti Oriana torna nuovamente negli Stati Uniti, va a visitare le dimore degli attori, entra negli studios e partecipa a feste esclusive, illuminando ipocrisie, ambizioni e rimpianti delle star in interviste appassionate e franche. Seguendo il filo dei sette peccati capitali, la Fallaci conduce la sua inchiesta con ironia e profonda comprensione umana.

Una serie TV può cambiare la percezione di intere nazioni su tematiche sociali, scientifiche, politiche, relazionali, dando voce a persone che nella nostra società sono ancora invisibili, a cui non viene mai data la parola. Il merito di Marina Pierri è la capacità di mettere insieme mondi che fanno fatica a parlarsi: quello del femminismo intersezionale e quello della psicologia del profondo. In "Eroine", Marina Pierri prende il testimone da una vasta letteratura filosofica, cinematografica e psicologica, e compie un'operazione ancora inedita.

Défier les lois de la physique avec "Ant-Man", et celles de l'anatomie avec "Godzilla". S'aventurer aux abords d'un trou noir... et y plonger avec "Interstellar". Communiquer avec les aliens comme dans "Premier Contact". Se retrouver seul sur Mars et tenter d'y survivre. Étudier Prometheus et s'interroger sur l'origine et l'évolution des espèces extraterrestres.

Robert Altman and the Elaboration of Hollywood Storytelling reveals an Altman barely glimpsed in previous critical accounts of the filmmaker. This re-examination of his seminal work during the "Hollywood Renaissance" or "New Hollywood" period of the early 1970s (including M*A*S*H and Nashville) sheds new light on both the films and the filmmaker, reframing Altman as a complex, pragmatic innovator whose work exceeds, but is also grounded in, the norms of classical Hollywood storytelling rather than someone who rejected those norms in favor of modernist art cinema.

 The Camera Lies unpacks Hitchcock's legacy both as a director who continuously taught audiences to distrust appearance and as a man with an uncanny insight into the human capacity for deceit and misinterpretation. 

Salka Viertel's autobiography tells of a brilliant, creative, and well-connected woman's pilgrimage through the darkest years of the 20th century, a journey that would take her from a remote province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Hollywood. The Kindness of Strangers is, to quote the New Yorker writer S. N. Behrman, "a very rich book. It provides a panorama of the dissolving civilizations of the 20th century. In all of them the author lived at the apex of their culture and artistic aristocracies."

George R. R. Martin's New York Times best-selling epic fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the HBO television show adapted from it, have earned critical acclaim and inspired fanatic devotion. This book delves into the many philosophical questions that arise in this complex, character-driven series, including: Is it right for a "good" king to usurp the throne of a "bad" one and murder his family? How far should you go to protect your family and its secrets?

Avengers assemble! Tackling intriguing dilemmas and issues that no single great philosopher can withstand, this powerful book enlists the brainpower of an A-list team of history's most prominent thinkers to explore the themes behind the action of Marvel Comics' all-star superhero team. 

Is the Dude a bowling-loving stoner or a philosophical genius living the good life? Naturally, it's the latter, and The Big Lebowski and Philosophy explains why. Enlisting the help of great thinkers like Plato and Nietzsche, the book explores the movie's hidden philosophical layers, cultural reflection, and political commentary.

Since Stan Lee and Marvel introduced Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy 15 in 1962, everyone's favorite webslinger has had a long career in comics, graphic novels, cartoons, movies, and even on Broadway. In this book some of history's most powerful philosophers help us explore the enduring questions and issues surrounding this beloved superhero: Is Peter Parker to blame for the death of his uncle? Does great power really bring great responsibility? Can Spidey champion justice and be with Mary Jane at the same time? 

Arrested Development earned six Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, critical acclaim, and a loyal cult following. Fortunately, this book explores the fascinating philosophical issues at the heart of the quirky Bluths and their comic exploits. Whether it's reflecting on Gob's self-deception or digging into Tobias's double entendres, you'll watch your favorite scenes and episodes of the show in a whole new way.

An entertaining and insightful examination of the Emmy-award winning American satirical news show, broadcast on Comedy Central in the US, and (in an edited edition) on More4 in the UK and CNN International around the world.

Sometimes it feels like you need a PhD to follow the show. But you don't. You just need this book in which 21 philosophers explore the deep questions we all face as survivors on this planet: Does "everything happen for a reason"? Is torture ever justified? Who are the Others? How do we know we're not patients in Hurley's psych ward? What if the Dharma Intitiative is experimenting on us? Desmond may not be able to save Charlie, but this book could save you.

Bella and Edward, and their family and friends, have faced countless dangers and philosophical dilemmas in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels. This book is the first to explore them, drawing on the wisdom of philosophical heavyweights to answer essential questions such as: What do the struggles of "vegetarian" vampires who control their biological urge for human blood say about free will? Are vampires morally absolved if they kill only animals and not people? From a feminist perspective, is Edward a romantic hero or is he just a stalker? Is Jacob "better" for Bella than Edward?

24 and Philosophy is a book you just can't do without. It's all here, folks: the reason presidents trust him; how Jack cuts through the lies and ambiguities; why he puts his life on the line for others; and how he knows which knee cap to blow out to get that all-important next lead. With the help of 20 "24 crazed" philosophers, you'll figure out what makes this guy tick, and much much more. 

Just when you thought paper couldn't be more exciting, this book comes your way! This book unites philosophy with one of the best shows ever: The Office. Addressing both the current American incarnation and the original British version, The Office and Philosophy brings these two wonders of civilization together for a frolic through the mundane yet curiously edifying worlds of Scranton's Dunder-Mifflin and Slough's Wernham-Hogg.

On the surface, Iron Man appears to be a straightforward superhero, another rich guy fighting crime with fancy gadgets. But beneath the shiny armor and flashy technology lies Tony Stark, brilliant inventor and eccentric playboy, struggling to balance his desires, addictions, and relationships with his duties as the Armored Avenger. Iron Man and Philosophy explores the many philosophical issues that emerge from the essential conflicts found in the decades of Iron Man stories in comics and movies.

Utilizing a series of essays examining the broad philosophical concepts embedded in Rod Serling's series, The Twilight Zone, Philosophy in The Twilight Zone provides a platform for further philosophical discussion.