The Ironic Filmmaking of Stephen Frears

Rezensionen / Stimmen

Brill deftly navigates through a layered weave of characters and social settings which are far more than what they seem. ... Brill's analysis is always relevant and interesting, his writing style is clear and accessible and yet articulate and nuanced, and there's more than enough here to hold the attention of both the casual and the academic viewer of Frears' work. * We Are Cult * This is a valuable and stimulating study of a major director who until now has eluded sustained critical attention. Frears once said that he always made films in order to learn things; this book is the place to start if you want to learn about Frears. * Neil Sinyard, Emeritus Professor of Film Studies, University of Hull, UK * Can a case be made for the "consistently inconsistent" Stephen Frears, who's staunchly maintained, "I'm just the bloke who gets hired," as a cinematic auteur? Armed with a formidable appreciation of Frears's direction of performers, an exquisite sensitivity to his visual design, and a deep sympathy with his representations of love in its many varieties, Lesley Brill presents compelling evidence why audiences who have enjoyed films as different as My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen, and Philomena can profit from closer attention to the endlessly resourceful ironist behind them all. * Thomas Leitch, Professor, Department of English, University of Delaware, USA * Lesley Brill demonstrates once again why he ranks among the most incisive and articulate of auteur critics. This study of Stephen Frears provides a thorough, well-argued, and persuasive account of one of world cinema's most important practicing directors. * R. Barton Palmer, Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature, Director of Film Studies, Department of English, Clemson University, USA, and author of Joel and Ethan Cohen *