David Butler
Short Cuts Volume 44
October 2009
144 pages
978-1-906660-16-1 (pbk) £12.99
Often dismissed as simple escapist tales of sword and sorcery or fairy stories from childhood, fantasy is one of the fundamental impulses in filmmaking, a source of some of the most vivid and memorable films ever made that reaches far beyond the confines of a single genre. As well as some of the major genres, stylistic approaches and exponents of cinematic fantasy - from Georges Méliès, Walt Disney and Andrei Tarkovsky to contemporary fantasists such as Terry Gilliam and Peter Jackson - this volume focuses on fantasy's social function with case studies including The Thief of Bagdad (1924), Excalibur (1981), the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) and Bruce Almighty (2003). Taking in the popular and experimental, subversive desires and reactionary dreams, this book is an accessible introduction to one of the vital energies in cinema.
about the author
David Butler is Lecturer in Screen Studies at the University of Manchester.
reviews
'With keen insight and theoretical sophistication, this study examines the social functions and significance of a film genre too often dismissed as merely escapist. Addressing the stylistic, cultural and political dimensions of fantasy film, this introduction's multifaceted approach provides a model for future scholars and students of this important film genre.'
– Joshua David Bellin, La Roche College
Alison Tedman
December 2009
224 pages
978-1-905674-97-8 (pbk) £16.99
978-1-905674-98-5 (hbk) £45.00
Fairy tale is an increasingly important part of modern cinema, but has been given little consideration with film studies. This important book brings together critical approaches from fairy tale studies, film studies and feminist studies, including philosophical and psychoanalytic methodologies. It offers ways of analysing fairy tale strategies and enunciation, explores the role of fantasy in the spectatorship of fairy tale cinema, and considers its potential for offering a feminine voice. Key areas include unconscious and cultural fantasy in films of childhood or adolescence, the active heroine, glittering female masquerade, and the complex possibilities for desire offered by fairy tale film. Films include A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Night of the Hunter (1955), The Company of Wolves (1984), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Stardust (2007) and Enchanted (2007).
about the author
Alison Tedman is Senior Lecturer in Film at Buckinghamshire New University.
I've been trying to track down details on Alison Tedman's Realms of Fantasy: Spectacle, Gender and Fairy Tale Film but can not find any information now about either the book or the author.
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