Editorial Reviews John Ford,Brian Spittles,Longman,0582424046,1894-1973,Biography & Autobiography,Biography/Autobiography,Criticism and interpretation,Entertainment & Performing Arts - General,Film & Video - Direction & Production,Film & Video - General,Film & Video - History & Criticism,Ford, John,,Pop Arts / Pop Culture,Ford, John,Performing Arts / General
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Book Description
The themes and techniques Ford uses reveal how much he was concerned with the issues that are central to us today: gender, race, ethnicity, social outcasts, the nature of history and the relationship between myth and reality. This book is designed around a collection of ideas which provides a cohesive view of the great director's thinking and creative output. John Ford is one of the greatest and most influential of Hollywood's film-makers. He worked in the industry for over half a century, directing nearly 150 movies. The time span and output alone make him a monumental figure. And, more than just Westerns, Ford's influential lists of films includes The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941) and The Quiet Man (1952). But he was also crucial in developing, and extending Hollywood's traditions. Stylistically Ford was instrumental in experimenting with new camera techniques, atmospheric lighting and diverse narrative devices. Thematically, long before it became conventional wisdom, Ford was exploring issues that concern us so deeply today, such as gender, race, the treatment of ethnic minorities and social outcasts, the nature of history and the relationship of myth and reality. For all these reasons, John Ford the man, and his films, provide interesting and fascinating reading. Ford's pictures express the world in which they were made, and have contributed to making what Hollywood is today. Popular film would be different had John Ford not been a director. This book illustrates the excitement, importance, influence, creativity, deviousness and complexity of the man and his films. Brian Spittles was formerly head of Humanities and Director of Film Studies at Ruskin College, Oxford and is currently the Director of Studies in Film Studies, University of Cambridge.
From the Back Cover
John Ford is a monumental figure in Hollywood and world cinema. Throughout his long and varied career spanning the silent and sound era, he produced nearly 150 films of which Iron Horse (1924), Stagecoach (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) are classics of cinema. Ford was also an influential figure in developing, and extending Hollywood's traditions. Stylistically Ford was instrumental in developing new camera techniques, atmospheric lighting and diverse narrative devices. Thematically, long before it became conventional wisdom, Ford was exploring issues that concern us today, such as gender, race, the treatment of ethnic minorities and social outcasts, the nature of history and the relationship of myth and reality. For all these reasons, John Ford the man and his films reward thought and study, both for the general reader and the academic student. Ford's pictures express the world in which they were made, and have contributed to making what Hollywood is today. This book illustrates the excitement, importance, influence, creativity, deviousness and complexity of the man and his films. Brian Spittles is currently a Tutor in Film Studies for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; and the Oxford Centre of the University of Stanford, California. Find out more about John Ford and other titles in the series at www.booksites.net/mclean
John Ford
