Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie - Tapa dura

"Despite their importance to Hollywood's financial bottom line both domestically and abroad, action movies always seem to get short shrift from the film elite. Author Eric Lichtenfeld attempts to correct that oversight with his compelling genre study Action Speaks Louder. It's the perfect accompaniment to the high-octane summer movie season....Utilizing reviews, interviews, promotional materials and the films themselves, Lichtenfeld gives each trend its due in thoughtful, analytical terms. What emerges is an intelligent, coherent and frequently illuminating study of a genre that has become firmly entrenched in pop culture Action Speaks Louder flies in the face of those who hope to marginalize action films and look down on them as "popcorn entertainment" somehow unworthy of serious consideration. The book encourages the idea that, although some action films may be "mindless," our reaction to them doesn't have to be."-Variety "In "Dirty Harry," Clint Eastwood says, "You have to ask yourself. 'Do I feel lucky?'" You'll feel lucky reading this gem, which traces the history of action films....Lichtenfeld excels at defining the connections between action films and our social constructs about masculinity.""-Playboy Magazine "Since Bonnie and Clyde came to the screen in 1967, action film has been more emblematic of America's issues than any other film genre. Lichtenfeld mines interviews, publicity materials, and production records for surprises that will fascinate....Recommended. All collections; all levels."-Choice ?Since Bonnie and Clyde came to the screen in 1967, action film has been more emblematic of America's issues than any other film genre. Lichtenfeld mines interviews, publicity materials, and production records for surprises that will fascinate....Recommended. All collections; all levels.?-Choice ?In "Dirty Harry," Clint Eastwood says, "You have to ask yourself. 'Do I feel lucky?'" You'll feel lucky reading this gem, which traces the history of action films....Lichtenfeld excels at defining the connections between action films and our social constructs about masculinity."?-Playboy Magazine ?Despite their importance to Hollywood's financial bottom line both domestically and abroad, action movies always seem to get short shrift from the film elite. Author Eric Lichtenfeld attempts to correct that oversight with his compelling genre study Action Speaks Louder. It's the perfect accompaniment to the high-octane summer movie season....Utilizing reviews, interviews, promotional materials and the films themselves, Lichtenfeld gives each trend its due in thoughtful, analytical terms. What emerges is an intelligent, coherent and frequently illuminating study of a genre that has become firmly entrenched in pop culture Action Speaks Louder flies in the face of those who hope to marginalize action films and look down on them as "popcorn entertainment" somehow unworthy of serious consideration. The book encourages the idea that, although some action films may be "mindless," our reaction to them doesn't have to be.?-Variety "A lucid and informative survey of the modern American action film. Both fans and scholars will find much to enjoy here."-Jon Davison, Producer, Robocop and Starship Troopers "Meticulously researched and fluently written, Eric Lichtenfeld's Action Speaks Louder must stand as the definitive analysis to date of the genre that, for better or worse, has dominated and significantly defined the American cinema for the past three decades. In a probing, even-handed way, the author explicates the artistic and ideological aspects of blockbuster movies from Dirty Harry to The Matrix and everything in between."-Todd McCarthy, Chief Film Critic Variety "Eric Lichtenfeld accomplishes the impossible, putting action films under the microscope without robbing them of their ability to startle and amuse us. His marriage of popcorn and the provocative produces what can only be called a roller-coaster read."-Steven E. de Souza, Screenwriter, Die Hard and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

For more than 30 years, the action movie has been the film genre that most represents Hollywood to the world, and represents the world to American audiences. Still, the action film has never received the critical attention it deserves. Studying its various trends and visual excesses, Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie traces the genre's evolution and sources to reveal how it has come to assume its place of prominence in American identity and American life. With scores of in-depth case studies-including films such as Dirty Harry, Death Wish, RoboCop, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Armageddon, and Spider-Man-author Eric Lichtenfeld draws on film analysis, production histories, critical responses, studio marketing, original filmmaker interviews, and considerations of the genre's weaponry itself. No previous book has taken on this subject with such rigor, and few genre studies of any kind synthesize critical reaction, studio marketing and advertising, and filmmaker interviews. Moreover, the action genre has never been studied with the dedication that critics have devoted to other genres, such as the Western, film noir, and screwball and romantic comedies. Action Speaks Louder provides a fresh perspective on the history and craft of a category of films that are among cinema's most popular, ones that certainly represent the movies' most primal form of fun.