The Cinema of John Boorman

Brian Hoyle

John Boorman has written and directed more than 25 television and feature films, including such classics as Deliverance, Point Blank, Hope and Glory, and Excalibur. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including twice for best Director (Deliverance and Hope and Glory). In the first full-length critical study of the director in more than two decades, author Brian Hoyle presents a comprehensive examination of Boorman’s career to date.

The Cinema of John Boorman offers a film-by-film appraisal of the director’s career, including his feature films and little-known works for television. Drawing on unpublished archive material, Hoyle provides a close reading of each of Boorman's films. Organized chronologically, each chapter examines two or three films and links them thematically. This study also describes Boorman’s interest in myths and quest narratives, as well as his relationship with writers and literature. Making the case that Boorman is both an auteur and a visionary, The Cinema of John Boorman will be of interest not only to fans of the director’s work but to film scholars in general.

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 286 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-8108-8395-6 • Hardback • September 2012 • $93.00 • (£72.00)

978-0-8108-8396-3 • eBook • September 2012 • $88.00 • (£68.00)

Subjects: Performing Arts / Individual Director, Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts, Performing Arts / Film / General

The Cinema of John Boorman

Hardback

eBook

Summary

John Boorman has written and directed more than 25 television and feature films, including such classics as Deliverance, Point Blank, Hope and Glory, and Excalibur. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including twice for best Director (Deliverance and Hope and Glory). In the first full-length critical study of the director in more than two decades, author Brian Hoyle presents a comprehensive examination of Boorman’s career to date.

The Cinema of John Boorman offers a film-by-film appraisal of the director’s career, including his feature films and little-known works for television. Drawing on unpublished archive material, Hoyle provides a close reading of each of Boorman's films. Organized chronologically, each chapter examines two or three films and links them thematically. This study also describes Boorman’s interest in myths and quest narratives, as well as his relationship with writers and literature. Making the case that Boorman is both an auteur and a visionary, The Cinema of John Boorman will be of interest not only to fans of the director’s work but to film scholars in general.

Details

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 286 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-8108-8395-6 • Hardback • September 2012 • $93.00 • (£72.00)

978-0-8108-8396-3 • eBook • September 2012 • $88.00 • (£68.00)

Subjects: Performing Arts / Individual Director, Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts, Performing Arts / Film / General

Author

Brian Hoyle lectures on film studies and English literature at the University of Dundee. He is the author of numerous articles covering British and American cinema, including articles on Orson Welles, Joseph H. Lewis, Ken Russell, and Derek Jarman.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One: The Newcomer
Chapter Two: Two Films about Lee Marvin
Chapter Three: Man vs…
Chapter Four: Hubris and Folly
Chapter Five: The Burden of Dreams
Chapter Six: Boorman on Boorman
Chapter Seven: Back in the Game
Chapter Eight: Tricksters, Shadows, and Doubles
Filmography
About the Author

Reviews

This work is the first comprehensive examination of John Boorman's film and television work in more than 20 years. Best known for his feature films, most notably Point Blank and Hope and Glory for which he received Academy Award nominations, Boorman has directed more than 25 television shows and films, some of which will be new to fans of his work. Arranged into eight chronological chapters, this volume offers a film-by-film appraisal of each work. The chapters examine several of his works and provide links between common themes, topics, and character types. They also explore his works' connections to mythology and classic literature. The author has made every attempt to cite undiscovered sources that bring to light Boorman's creativity and unique offering to the world of film and television. This work will be most useful in academic libraries holding comprehensive film studies collections.
— American Reference Books Annual

The Cinema of John Boorman

Brian Hoyle

The Cinema of John Boorman

ALSO AVAILABLE