The Italian Director Series

This edition of the Italian Director Series focuses on the filmography of Federico Fellini, one of the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of all time. Fellini's rich, bold, surreal and daring style of cinema produced such classics as 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita and Juliet of the Spirits. This book explores his whole oeuvre, from his early neorealist classics to his final undervalued masterpieces. Other films reviewed include Amarcord, Roma, City of Women and La Strada.

Ettore Scola was one of Italian cinema's most prolific writer-directors, known for his ironic wit and interest in microcosms of humanity within historical contexts. Though many of his films are classics in his native Italy, his work is less known overseas than that of his contemporaries. This book modestly hopes to spread some awareness of his movies by charting his rich and varied filmography; from his early directorial works starring the likes of Vittorio Gassman, through his early collaborations with Marcello Mastroianni, the landmark masterpiece A Special Day and his later works, such as What Time Is It? Splendor, and his tribute to Fellini, How Strange It Is to Be Named Federico.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was a groundbreaking guide that provided African American travelers with crucial information on safe places to stay, eat, and visit during the era of segregation in the United States. This essential resource, originally published from 1936 to 1966, offered a lifeline to black motorists navigating a deeply divided nation, helping them avoid the dangers and indignities of racism on the road. More than just a travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression, offering a poignant glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the African American experience in the 20th century.

There is no cinema with such effect as that of the hallucinatory Italian horror film. From Riccardo Freda’s I Vampiri in 1956 to Il Cartaio in 2004, this work recounts the origins of the genre, celebrates at length ten of its auteurs, and discusses the noteworthy films of many others associated with the genre. The directors discussed in detail are Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Antonio Margheriti, Aristide Massaccesi, Bruno Mattei, and Michele Soavi. Each chapter includes a biography, a detailed career account, discussion of influences both literary and cinematic, commentary on the films, with plots and production details, and an exhaustive filmography. A second section contains short discussions and selected filmographies of other important horror directors. The work concludes with a chapter on the future of Italian horror and an appendix of important horror films by directors other than the 50 profiled. Stills, posters, and behind-the-scenes shots illustrate the book.

Now a limited Netflix series starring Zoe Saldana! This Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller is “a captivating story of love lost and found” (Kirkus Reviews) set in the lush Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hours. It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on. They built a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships, and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth. Eventually, they reconciled with Saro’s family just as he faced a formidable cancer that would consume all their dreams. From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother-in-law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s romance—an incredible love story that leaps off the pages. In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. “Locke’s raw and heartfelt memoir will uplift readers suffering from the loss of their own loved ones” (Publishers Weekly), but her story is also about love, finding a home, and chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and those who needed a powerful reminder that life is...delicious.

The Italian cinema is regarded as one of the great pillars of world cinema. Films like Ladri di biciclette (1948), La dolce vita (1960), and Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988) attracted unprecedented international acclaim and a reputation, which only continue to grow. Italian cinema has produced such acting legends as Sophia Loren and Roberto Benigni, as well as world-renowned filmmakers like Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Lina WertmYller, the first woman to ever be nominated for the Best Director award. The A to Z of Italian Cinema provides a better understanding of the role Italian cinema has played in film history through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, appendixes, black-&-white photos, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on actors, actresses, movies, producers, organizations, awards, film credits, and terminology.

Five Directors collects the fascinating memories of some of radio's most vivid personalities: Himan Brown, Axel Gruenberg, Fletcher Markle, Arch Oboloer, and Robert Lewis Shayon. They explain in their own words their journey through radio broadcasting, how it affected their lives, and how they saw it affecting the consciousness of a country. Their histories are not just stories of success in early twentieth century America, but individual portraits of the roller coaster changes in lifestyle that swept the United States. Radio delivered not only entertainment, but up-to-date news, from Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic triumph, to Roosevelt's comforting Fireside Chats during the depths of the Depression. Five Directors is witness to the triumphs of radio, and brings its enormous impact home with clear, personable narratives and prose. It includes a selected list of credits for each director and a handy index, making the book a breezy, useful tool for anyone fascinated by or nostalgic about America's first nationwide entertainment industry.