In this much needed examination of Mike Leigh; Sean OSullivan reclaims the British director as a practicing theorist--a filmmaker deeply invested in cinemas formal; conceptual; and narrative dimensions. In contrast with Leighs prevailing reputation as a straightforward crafter of social realist movies; OSullivan illuminates the visual tropes and storytelling investigations that position Leigh as an experimental filmmaker who uses the art and artifice of cinema to frame tales of the everyday and the extraordinary alike.OSullivan challenges the prevailing characterizations of Leighrsquo;s cinema by detailing the complicated constructions of his realism; positing his films not as transparent records of life but as aesthetic transformations of it. Concentrating on the most recent two decades of Leighrsquo;s career; the study examines how Naked; Secrets and Lies; Topsy-Turvy; Vera Drake; and other films engage narrative convergence and narrative diffusion; the tension between character and plot; the interplay of coincidence and design; cinemarsquo;s relationship to other systems of representation; and the filmic rendering of the human figure. The book also spotlights such earlier; less-discussed works as Four Days in July and The Short and Curlies; illustrating the recurring visual and storytelling concerns of Leighrsquo;s cinema. With a detailed filmography; this volume also includes key selections from OSullivans several interviews with Leigh.
#1349306 in eBooks 2011-02-21 2011-02-21File Name: B0093SSVW4
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Butte photographsBy Howard W. MorrisA quirky mix of old and new photos of Butte. Montana. Gives and idea of what things looked like in Buttes hey day. However. it would still be hard to use the book as a guide to see how mining has changed and forever altered Buttes landscape.
