Top Hat
1st Edition
Published on 10. September 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
144 pages
978-1-4051-8830-2 (ISBN)
Description
Top Hat is the first volume to spotlight this classic Hollywood film, probing the musical genre, notions of romance and subjectivity, as well as the contested relations between the sexes.
Offers a detailed analysis of one of Hollywood's greatest musicals, including a comprehensive survey of the film's production, promotion and reception, all measured against the background of 1930s socio-political contexts in the USA
Explores the musical genre and questions of (gendered) national identity, romance, subjectivity and the notion of the couple
Written in a clear, accessible style, Top Hat probes text and context carefully to appeal to the student and teacher of the musical and of Hollywood film history, as well as the film-loving general reader
Offers a detailed analysis of one of Hollywood's greatest musicals, including a comprehensive survey of the film's production, promotion and reception, all measured against the background of 1930s socio-political contexts in the USA
Explores the musical genre and questions of (gendered) national identity, romance, subjectivity and the notion of the couple
Written in a clear, accessible style, Top Hat probes text and context carefully to appeal to the student and teacher of the musical and of Hollywood film history, as well as the film-loving general reader
Reviews / Votes
"Its considerable claims to Art and its resonant magic are the dual focus of this insightful and highly readable study by Peter William Evans . . . Evans approaches this most celebratory of musical comedies in celebratory mode but also with a deserved seriousness devoid of solemnity." (Times Literary Supplement , 24 June 2011)More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Hoboken
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
191 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4051-8830-2 (9781405188302)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Peter William Evans is a Professor of Film Studies, in the Department of Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London. His publications range from classical Hollywood (books on the musical, romantic comedy and the Biblical epic, and articles on film noir, the western and Hitchcock), British cinema (a book on Carol Reed) and Spanish cinema (books on Bunuel, Almodovar and Bigas Luna).
Content
List of Figures vi
Synopsis vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. The Making of Top Hat 6
2. Fred Astaire: "Outlaw" Stylist of the Dance 19
3. Ginger Rogers: Confirming and Defying Convention 26
4. Introduction to Narrative and Number: The Bumpy Road to Love 35
5. The Numbers 43
6. Querying National and Sexual Identity 85
Conclusion: A Perfectly Swell Romance 101
Notes 104
Bibliography 106
Index 114
Synopsis vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. The Making of Top Hat 6
2. Fred Astaire: "Outlaw" Stylist of the Dance 19
3. Ginger Rogers: Confirming and Defying Convention 26
4. Introduction to Narrative and Number: The Bumpy Road to Love 35
5. The Numbers 43
6. Querying National and Sexual Identity 85
Conclusion: A Perfectly Swell Romance 101
Notes 104
Bibliography 106
Index 114