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 (Click for larger image) 
Andrew, Geoff.
STRANGER THAN PARADISE: MAVERICK FILM-MAKERS IN RECENT AMERICAN CINEMA.
New York City, NY:
Limelight Editions,
1999.
Hardcover.
First Edition/First Printing.
374 pages.
As New/As New.
Critical monograph/history on subject. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. The title comes from a film by Jim Jarmusch, one of the cult figures of the American independent film movement. The first book-length and in-depth examination of the so-called "indie film", small-budgeted, quirky, and "auteur"-type films which have become a major force in the American film industry and changed moviegoers' tastes and choices, for better or for worse. The jury is out on the "indie film". Theoretically, anything that offers an alternative to Hollywood is a welcome idea. The only problem is that the "indie film" faces exactly the same financial pressures that an art form like cinema inherently does. Coming up with a budget for a good film, however small in the scheme of things, is just as hard, if not harder, than coming up with one for a summer blockbuster. Having a much smaller audience means making sure it remains a "viable" one, made up of dedicated "cinephiles" who are critically engaged in film and able to distinguish between the faddish and pretentious and the real thing. The other challenge is that almost all successful "indie film" directors, all of whom are presented and assessed in this study, simply see the film as a stepping stone and end up being swallowed up by the system once the doors of Hollywood are opened. One classic example: Quentin Tarantino, who made two relatively interesting films, "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". Today, he is completely mainstream, predictable, and repetitive, a shadow of his old self. An engaging, fair-minded, and thorough study on a movement whose time has come yet needs the American moviegoer's support more than ever. This title is no longer in print as a hardcover. This copy has no flaws, a pristine beauty. A scarce copy thus. Some of the most fascinating film directors of our time. A flawless copy. . ISBN 0879102772. $30.00 |
