The Cinema of Hal Hartley

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Finally, a book about quintessential, and maverick, American independent auteur Hal Hartley! Sebastian Manley cogently analyzes Hartley's anomalous, low budget, 'smart' films, covering both his Long Island suburban films-The Unbelievable Truth, Trust, Simple Men-and more urban, more global works-Flirt, Henry Fool, Fay Grim, and others. That Manley also studies Hartley's independent shorts constitutes a refreshing, much needed, addition to discussions of how 'indie' careers evolve, and why independent film survives. Hartley's distinctive approach to the business of film production, coupled with his iconoclastic stylistic and narrative choices, distinguish his work, as Manley carefully demonstrates, from that of other independent filmmakers, chief among them David Mamet, Jim Jarmusch, Kevin Smith, and Richard Linklater, as does his creative presence not just as writer/director, but also often as composer, producer, and editor. Eminently readable, with two revelatory interviews with Hartley collaborators appended as a bonus, The Cinema of Hal Hartley is a welcome, and long overdue, appraisal of one of the most important contributors to contemporary independent film. An excellent and authoritative study of the films of Hal Hartley, offering substantial new insights into the distinctive qualities of his work and key aspects of the wider independent context in which it is situated. Sebastian Manley's study of Hal Hartley is an exemplary analysis of a quintessential American independent filmmaker, weaving together production and reception background with trenchant readings of the films. It is especially insightful in considering Hartley's investment in place and its development across his career. A most welcome contribution to the scholarly work on Hal Hartley, a filmmaker who has been, until recently, somewhat neglected in academic writing on independent cinema. This book examines Hartley's auteur status and places his work within the broader context of American independent cinema, offering important observations on the key points of departure which distinguish Hartley's films from the more frequently studied examples of commercial indie. An interesting, accessible and engaging account, The Cinema of Hal Hartley will be a valuable addition to reading lists for students of American independent cinema.