Jim Leach – författare

Offering a current and comprehensive analysis of Canadian cinema in its political and cultural contexts, this new edition of Film in Canada introduces students to a cinema that is as diverse as the country itself. Major developments in Canadian filmmaking are explored in depth, from direct cinema and the national-realist films of the 1960s to later avant-garde projects and beyond. With detailed discussions on recent and well-established works by prominent Canadian filmmakers, along with new film commentaries and movie stills, this text is an invaluable resource for film students and film lovers alike.

This book explores British cinema in relation to its social political and cultural contexts. Each chapter deals with a specific topic and includes close readings of key films from different historical periods. Topics include realism, expressionism, popular cinema, film and theater, sexuality and gender, comedy, class and ideology, heritage film, and diasporic cinema. Demonstrating the richness and variety of a national cinema that has traditionally struggled to define itself between the paradigms of Hollywood popular film and European art cinema, British Film also addresses the problematic concept of 'national character' as it has been applied in studies of national cinemas and cultures, and the increasing pressure on all of these ideas in the age of globalization. Designed for the general reader, this volume is suitable for use as a textbook, providing comprehensive coverage of British cinema and detailed discussion of specific films that can be used in tandem with screenings.

This book explores British cinema in relation to its social political and cultural contexts. Each chapter deals with a specific topic and includes close readings of key films from different historical periods. Topics include realism, expressionism, popular cinema, film and theater, sexuality and gender, comedy, class and ideology, heritage film, and diasporic cinema. Demonstrating the richness and variety of a national cinema that has traditionally struggled to define itself between the paradigms of Hollywood popular film and European art cinema, British Film also addresses the problematic concept of 'national character' as it has been applied in studies of national cinemas and cultures, and the increasing pressure on all of these ideas in the age of globalization. Designed for the general reader, this volume is suitable for use as a textbook, providing comprehensive coverage of British cinema and detailed discussion of specific films that can be used in tandem with screenings.

Beginning in 1922, when Robert Flaherty filmed 'Nanook of the North' in Canada's Arctic, and encouraged by John Grierson and the federal government in 1939 when they created the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), documentaries have dominated Canada's film production and, more than any other form, have been crucial to the formation of Canada's cinematic identity.Surprisingly, there has been very little critical writing on this distinguished body of work. Candid Eyes: Essays on Canadian Documentaries not only addresses this oversight in the scholarly literature, but in doing so, it presents an exceptional collection of essays by some of Canada's best known film scholars. Focusing on works produced in French and English under the NFB umbrella, the fourteen essays discuss and critique such landmark documentaries as 'Lonely Boy' (1962), 'Pour la suite du monde' (1963), and 'Kanehsatake' (1993). Long awaited and much needed, this volume will be an indispensable companion for anyone seriously interested in Canadian film studies.

Beginning in 1922, when Robert Flaherty filmed 'Nanook of the North' in Canada's Arctic, and encouraged by John Grierson and the federal government in 1939 when they created the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), documentaries have dominated Canada's film production and, more than any other form, have been crucial to the formation of Canada's cinematic identity.Surprisingly, there has been very little critical writing on this distinguished body of work. Candid Eyes: Essays on Canadian Documentaries not only addresses this oversight in the scholarly literature, but in doing so, it presents an exceptional collection of essays by some of Canada's best known film scholars. Focusing on works produced in French and English under the NFB umbrella, the fourteen essays discuss and critique such landmark documentaries as 'Lonely Boy' (1962), 'Pour la suite du monde' (1963), and 'Kanehsatake' (1993). Long awaited and much needed, this volume will be an indispensable companion for anyone seriously interested in Canadian film studies.

Denys Arcand is best known outside Canada for three films that were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film: The Decline of the American Empire (1986), Jesus of Montreal (1989), and The Barbarian Invasions (2003), the last of which won the Award. Yet Arcand has been making films since the early 1960s. When he started making films, Quebec was rapidly transforming from a relatively homogeneous community, united by its Catholic faith and French language and culture, into a more fragmented modern society. The Films of Denys Arcand sheds light on how Arcand addressed the impact of these changes from the 1960s, when the long-drawn-out debate on Quebec's possible separation from the rest of Canada began, to the present, in which the traditional cultural heritage has been further fragmented by the increasing presence of diasporic communities. His career and films offer an ideal case study for exploring the contradictions and tensions that have shaped Quebec cinema and culture in a period of increasing globalization and technological change.

Denys Arcand is best known outside Canada for three films that were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film: The Decline of the American Empire (1986), Jesus of Montreal (1989), and The Barbarian Invasions (2003), the last of which won the Award. Yet Arcand has been making films since the early 1960s. When he started making films, Quebec was rapidly transforming from a relatively homogeneous community, united by its Catholic faith and French language and culture, into a more fragmented modern society. The Films of Denys Arcand sheds light on how Arcand addressed the impact of these changes from the 1960s, when the long-drawn-out debate on Quebec's possible separation from the rest of Canada began, to the present, in which the traditional cultural heritage has been further fragmented by the increasing presence of diasporic communities. His career and films offer an ideal case study for exploring the contradictions and tensions that have shaped Quebec cinema and culture in a period of increasing globalization and technological change.

This is a comprehensive account of ""Doctor Who"" as a television series and product of popular culture. ""Doctor Who"", the iconic British science-fiction series following a time-traveling alien scientist, was first broadcast November 23, 1963, on BBC Television. Though modestly conceived and produced, its depiction of the alien but strangely human 'Doctor' proved to be such a commercial success that the program was shown in more than forty countries over twenty-six seasons - from 1963 to 1989 - and returned successfully to television in 2005. In ""Doctor Who"", Jim Leach explores the reasons behind the original series' popularity and the ways it evolved during its long run. Leach analyzes in detail seven representative episodes from the original run of the series to trace the development of the seven 'regenerations' of the main character by different actors. In addition to detailing each actor's contribution to the role, he also tackles such issues as the show's self-reflexivity, its attitude toward science and technology, and its generic mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Leach considers ""Doctor Who"" as a 'fantastic' text, with its concept of regeneration and the complex experience of time that evolved during its run. He also looks at the series' manipulation of the medium of television and its broader cultural influences and implications. Leach concludes with a section that looks at the continuities and differences found in the new series. ""Doctor Who"" is an accessible and intriguing guide to one of the most popular series in television history. Film and television studies scholars, fans of the show, and general readers interested in popular cultural studies will enjoy this enlightening volume.