Chris Darke assesses whether the last decade of the 20th century was one in which cinema, as a medium and collective experience, became part of the converging field of multi-media and whether we need to consider new possibilities for the moving image.
Chris Marker's La Jetée is 28 minutes long and almost entirely made up of black-and-white still images. Since its release in 1964, this legendary French film – which Marker described as a 'photo-novel' – has haunted generations of viewers and inspired writers, artists and film-makers. Its spiralling time-travel narrative has also influenced many other films, including the Terminator series and Terry Gilliam's Hollywood 'remake' Twelve Monkeys (1995). But as Marker rarely gave interviews, little is really known about the origins of La Jetée or the ideas behind it. In this groundbreaking study, Chris Darke draws on rare archival material, including previously unpublished correspondence and production documents, to examine the making of the film. He explores how Marker's only fiction film was influenced both by his early work as a writer and by Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), and considers how La Jetée's images can be seen to 'echo' throughout Marker's extraordinarily diverse oeuvre.
A striking black-and-white hybrid of film noir and science fiction, "Alphaville" (1965) is now one of the most enduringly popular of Jean-Luc Godard 's films of the 1960s. Working without sets, special effects, or even a script, Godard created a dystopian vision of a technocratic city of the future, which resonates with filmmakers today. "Alphaville" pits secret agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) against Alpha 60, the super-computer that presides over a city where weeping is outlawed, poetry goes unrecognised and the words 'conscience' and 'love' have ceased to exist. Lemmy's mission is to capture the renegade scientist Professor von Braun (Howard Vernon) but is complicated when he falls in love with the Professor's ravishing daughter, Natasha (Anna Karina). In this first ever exploration of Godard's masterpiece, published on the fortieth anniversary of its release, Chris Darke uncovers the film's unique combination of genres and styles and draws on new interviews with the director's collaborators to chronicle the film's production. Analysing "Alphaville" in its historical context, he also examines how the film in fluenced Godard's later work, as well as exploring Alphaville's 'afterlife' in the work of other filmmakers and artists.
It uses new interviews with Godard's main collaborators on the film to reveal new aspects and explores its multiple influences, on 'Blade Runner', for example, or 'Code 46'. This is the first ever full appraisal of Godard's highly influential classic of sci-fi noir. Chris Darke writes about how, working without sets, special effects, or even a script, Godard made a dystopian vision of a technocratic future city. He explores the film's unique combination of genres and styles, its remarkable creation the secret agent Lemmy Caution, and uses his new interviews with the director's collaborators to chronicle the film's production. He also relates Alphaville to Godard's later work, setting it in the context of his wider career and of its influence on other filmmakers and artists. .
Chris Marker's La Jetée is 28 minutes long and almost entirely made up of black-and-white still images. Since its release in 1964, the film - which Marker described as a 'photo-novel' - has haunted generations of viewers and inspired writers, artists and film-makers. Its spiralling narrative of post-nuclear war time-travel narrative has influenced many other films, including the Terminator series and Terry Gilliam's Hollywood 'remake' Twelve Monkeys (1995). But as Marker rarely gave interviews, little is really known about the origins of La Jetée or the ideas behind it. In this groundbreaking study, Chris Darke draws on rare archival material, including previously unpublished correspondence and production documents, to examine the making of the film. He explores how Marker's only fiction film was influenced both by his early work as a writer and by Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), and considers how La Jetée's imagery can be seen to 'echo' throughout Marker's extraordinarily diverse oeuvre."--Bloomsbury Publishing.
Zak Darke is sent on what seems like a straightforward surveillance op in South Africa but it soon turns into the toughest, most dangerous mission he has ever faced. An old enemy has teamed up with a terrifying gang of child soldiers and Zak is caught in the middle. Having travelled to the heart of the African jungle, will he make it out alive . . . ?
Britain's pre-eminent black filmmaker and Cannes prize-winner is the subject of this Minigraph that concentrates on the major themes that inform his work. These include issues surrounding race and sexuality.
Ein neuer Auftrag führt Zak nach Südafrika. Er soll ein paar Leute aus Cruz Martinez’ Drogenkartell observieren. Ein ziemlich harmloser Job, denkt Zak. Doch dann führt die Spur mitten in den afrikanischen Dschungel – und direkt zu seinem Erzfeind und dessen grausamer Armee aus Kindersoldaten. Zu spät merkt Zak, dass Martinez ihn in eine tödliche Falle gelockt hat. Jetzt zählt nur noch eines: Der Kampf ums nackte Überleben! "Agent 21" ist eine actiongeladene, packende Agenten-Thriller-Reihe mit exotischen Settings und hochbrisanten Einsätzen. Chris Ryan fesselt seine Leser mit technischer Detailgenauigkeit und irrwitziger Action. Alle Bände der »Agent 21«-Reihe: Agent 21 - Im Zeichen des Todes (Band 1) Agent 21 - Reloaded (Band 2) Agent 21 - Codebreaker (Band 3) Agent 21 - Survival (Band 4) Agent 21 - Dead End (Band 5)
Secret agent Zak Darke is back for his third mission - and the stakes have never been higher. An unknown bomber is conducting a terror campaign in London. After an explosion on the tube leaves someone dead, Zak and his team are brought in to try and work out how this terror cell operates - but clues are scarce and they have no idea where, or when, the bomber will strike next. A teenage boy, currently detained in a young offender's institute, claims he has the answer - but before Zak can question him, the boy is shot and falls into a coma. Will Zak be able to break the cipher before the bomber strikes again?
Wettlauf gegen die Zeit Zaks dritter Auftrag stellt ihn vor ungeahnte Herausforderungen. Ein unbekannter Bombenleger hat es auf London abgesehen. Nach einer Explosion in der Londoner U-Bahn ist es an Zak und seinem Team herauszufinden, wie die Terrorzelle operiert und wer dahintersteckt. Aber es gibt nur wenige Hinweise und sie haben keine Ahnung, wo oder wann der Attentäter das nächste Mal zuschlagen wird. Als dann auch noch der einzige Zeuge angeschossen wird und ins Koma fällt, bevor Zak ihn befragen kann, steht Zak wieder am Anfang. Und ihm bleibt nicht mehr viel Zeit ... "Agent 21" ist eine actiongeladene, packende Agenten-Thriller-Reihe mit exotischen Settings und hochbrisanten Einsätzen. Chris Ryan fesselt seine Leser mit technischer Detailgenauigkeit und irrwitziger Action. Alle Bände der »Agent 21«-Reihe: Agent 21 - Im Zeichen des Todes (Band 1) Agent 21 - Reloaded (Band 2) Agent 21 - Codebreaker (Band 3) Agent 21 - Survival (Band 4) Agent 21 - Dead End (Band 5)
Ein sympathischer Held und eine hochbrisante Mission Ein Jahr ist vergangen, seitdem Zak zum Agenten wurde, und es gibt kein Zurück in sein altes Leben. Schon führt sein nächster Auftrag ihn nach Westafrika. Dort soll er das Schiff der Black Wolfs ausspionieren und außer Gefecht setzen – einer Gruppe von Terroristen, die sich an den Diamantenvorkommen des kriegsgebeutelten Landes bereichern. Als jugendlicher Entwicklungshelfer getarnt, erreicht Zak sein Ziel. Doch was ihn dort erwartet ist grauenvoller, als er sich hätte träumen können ... Und was Zak nicht ahnt: Seine alten Feinde sind ihm auf der Spur! "Agent 21" ist eine actiongeladene, packende Agenten-Thriller-Reihe mit exotischen Settings und hochbrisanten Einsätzen. Chris Ryan fesselt seine Leser mit technischer Detailgenauigkeit und irrwitziger Action. Alle Bände der »Agent 21«-Reihe: Agent 21 - Im Zeichen des Todes (Band 1) Agent 21 - Reloaded (Band 2) Agent 21 - Codebreaker (Band 3) Agent 21 - Survival (Band 4) Agent 21 - Dead End (Band 5)
*THE THEAKSTON'S OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2021* *WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR* *WINNER OF THE NED KELLY INTERNATIONAL AWARD* A GUARDIAN BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR An EXPRESS BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR An i BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR A MIRROR BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH READ THE BOOK EVERYONE IS CALLING A MASTERPIECE. 'A beautifully written mystery, packed with unforgettable characters' JANE HARPER 'An accomplished and moving story of crime, punishment, love and redemption' GUARDIAN For fans of Jane Harper's The Dry comes a powerful novel about the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between. Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer. Now, he's been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed. Duchess Radley, Star's thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin - and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town. Murder, revenge, retribution. How far can we run from the past, when the past seems doomed to repeat itself? WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT WE BEGIN AT THE END: 'Magnificent . . . an instant classic, a West Coast Where the Crawdads Sing . . . a special, vital novel. I'm grateful to have read it' A J FINN 'Surely destined to conquer the world' RUTH JONES 'A magnificent crime novel. It deserves to win a hatful of awards. A BIG hat. Consider me a major fan' MARK BILLINGHAM 'So beautifully written' LYNDA LA PLANTE 'Incredible writing, characters so brilliantly drawn they jump off the page. Outstanding' BA PARIS 'I LOVED this book . . . This is a book to be read and re-read and an author to be celebrated' LOUISE PENNY 'A stunning and heartbreaking book - will keep you gripped until the last moving page' CLAIRE MCGOWAN 'An exceptionally beautiful and accomplished crime novel' ALI LAND 'One of the best books I've ever read' FIONA CUMMINS 'An absolute masterclass in crime writing and story-telling' JO SPAIN 'One of the year's best crime reads' VASEEM KHAN 'One of my favourite books of all time' M. W. CRAVEN, winner of the CWA's Gold Dagger Award 'A masterpiece of storytelling with clever twists and an ending to knock you sideways' CANDIS MAGAZINE 'This heart-rending story . . . is among the most powerful and moving I have read in years' DAILY MAIL 'Cements Whitaker's status as one of the most talented authors writing today' HEAT MAGAZINE 'Masterly novel' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A dark yet painfully human tale that is impossible to forget' CRIME MONTHLY 'Beautifully written and deeply moving' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB 'A gorgeous, crystalline novel' JEANINE CUMMINS, author of AMERICAN DIRT 'Heartbreaking and profound, this is my thriller of the year' MIRROR
Some authors just write about it. Chris Ryan has been there, done it, and lived to tell the tale. Agent 21 is the first in the action-packed adventure series by the real-life SAS hero. When Zak Darke's parents die in an unexplained mass murder he's left alone in the world. That is until he's sought out by a mysterious man: 'I work for a government agency,' the man tells him. 'You don't need to know which one. Not yet. All you need to know is that we've had our eye on you. There's a possibility you could help us in certain . . . operational situations.' Zak becomes Agent 21. What happened to the 20 agents before him he'll never know. What he does know is that his life is about to change for ever . . .
Long before the spectacular collapse of Bre-X in 1997, the Canadian capital markets had their share of swindlers and crooks. In the boom times after Second World War, hard-sell speculative mining ventures, pushing what often amounted to a few acres of moose pasture, riddled over-the-counter markets and the TSE. It was in this context that the Ontario Securities Commission developed into Canada's leading securities regulator. Following the war, the OSC concerned itself primarily with fraudsters and attempts to reign in Toronto's boiler rooms, but by the mid-sixties increasingly sophisticated markets and a series of scandals culminating in the Windfall affair resulted in a rewriting of the Securities Act and a widening of the OSC's investor protection mandate. The seventies tested the Commission's new powers as increased corporate merger activity brought the phrase "insider-trading" into the popular lexicon. Surprisingly, considering that capital markets have such a profound impact on Canada's well-being, this is the first thorough study of the their post-war evolution and regulation. Moose Pastures and Mergers takes off where the author's acclaimed previous work, Blue Skies and Boiler Rooms: Buying and Selling Securities in Canada, 1870–1940, left off. With an ear for a good story – seedy personalities, bunglers and guileless victims abound – and a scholar's rigour, Armstrong has met the protean beast of share markets head on and revealed its shape for the timid or the merely baffled. Essential reading for business journalists, securities lawyers, academics, and interested investors. Winner of the J.J. Talman Award presented by the Ontario Historical Society
Zak Darke is sent on what seems like a straightforward surveillance op in South Africa but it soon turns into the toughest, most dangerous mission he has ever faced. An old enemy has teamed up with a terrifying gang of child soldiers and Zak is caught in the middle. Having travelled to the heart of the African jungle, will he make it out alive . . . ?
An unforgettable history of the 'fifth' member of Led Zeppelin and the toughest rock manager of them all. Chris Welch separates fact from myth and uncovers his complete story from childhood in war torn London, to becoming a bouncer, doorman and wrestler and helping turn Zep into rock's biggest attraction of the 70s.
Secret agent Zak Darke is back for his third mission - and the stakes have never been higher. An unknown bomber is conducting a terror campaign in London. After an explosion on the tube leaves someone dead, Zak and his team are brought in to try and work out how this terror cell operates - but clues are scarce and they have no idea where, or when, the bomber will strike next. A teenage boy, currently detained in a young offender's institute, claims he has the answer - but before Zak can question him, the boy is shot and falls into a coma. Will Zak be able to break the cipher before the bomber strikes again?
Formative writings by French avant-garde filmmaker Chris Marker It is hard to imagine French cinema without La Jetée (1962), the time-travel short feature by the reclusive French filmmaker Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve, better known as Chris Marker. He not only influenced artists ranging from David Bowie to J. G. Ballard but also inspired the cult film 12 Monkeys. Marker’s influence expanded beyond his own films through his writings for the French monthly Esprit as well as anthologies and newly founded film publications. This first English translation of Marker’s early writings on film brings together reviews and essays, published between 1948 and 1955, that span the topics of film style, adaptation, and ideology, as well as animation and the debates surrounding 3-D and wide-screen technologies, ranging from late silent-era films to postwar Hollywood’s efforts to contend with the rise of television. Readers will find commentary on Laurence Olivier’s 1944 screen adaptation of Henry V, a scathing review of Robert Montgomery’s Lady in the Lake (1947), critiques of Walt Disney productions, a discussion of the pitfalls of prioritizing commercial success over aesthetic values, and more. An indispensable resource for cinephiles and scholars alike, these texts document the emergence of Marker’s critical voice and situate him alongside such contemporaries as André Bazin and Eric Rohmer, as well as the future French New Wave figures Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. They show how his remarks on individual films open onto his engagement with films as social and cultural phenomena.
An celebration of sea swimming – looking at the architecture, history and social significance of sea pools around the world. The sea can be challenging and changeable. Protected from the dangers of currents, crashing waves and extreme cold, sea pools (also known as tidal or ocean pools) are manmade pools that provide a safe space for swimmers to enjoy the benefits of the sea at all states of the tide and weather. Sea Pools begins with an introduction to sea pools within the history of outdoor swimming, their unique designs and architectural significance and commentary on the resurgent appreciation for sea swimming in the 21st century. Chris Romer-Lee selects 66 of the most beautiful and culturally significant sea pools from around the world, including the 25-metre cliffside Avalon Rock Pool in new South Wales, Australia, the sublime Pozo de las Calcosas in Spain that is shrouded in volcanic rock, and Ireland's historic Vico Baths to name but a few. Sea Pools also includes four insightful essays: Nicola Larkin looks to the next generation of ocean pools in her exploration of how we can conserve, protect and regenerate the coastline; Therese Spruhan testifies to the healing and transformative benefits of ocean swimming; Freya Bromley discusses her odyssey to swim in every sea pool in Britain; and Kevin Fellingham reflects on the importance of sea pools in South Africa. The book is illustrated throughout with beautiful colour photography, as well as fascinating archive material to give an insight into the provenance of these vital sanctuaries.
Housing provision is a major dilemma for local authorities. There is currently a huge demand for more housing, while increasing environmental, economic and political pressures must be considered when local authorities develop their policies. This remarkable volume investigates how local authorities formulate their housing strategies. It questions whether the local authority can be seen as a single entity in terms of housing or whether it is fragmented into separate departments. Incorporating in-depth empirical research from England and Wales, the book discusses whether the process of developing housing policy and allocating land needs to be more integrated, and whether key players such as speculative house-builders should be involved in the development of policy. Analyzing which information sources influence the local authority’s land allocations and housing strategies, the volume debates whether they provide the most useful data and suggests alternative information sources that may assist in better land allocation policies.
Working for a shadowy government agency, teenage special agent Zak Darke goes undercover to infiltrate a dangerous gang of fifteen-year-old gun dealers. But while the gang members may be young, they aren’t so easily fooled. Has Agent 21 made his last mistake?
This study explores maternity in the 'disciplines' of early modern England. Placing the reproductive female body centre-stage in Shakespeare's theatre, Laoutaris ranges beyond the domestic sphere in order to recuperate the wider intellectual, epistemological, and archaeological significance of maternity to the Renaissance imagination. Focusing on 'anatomy' in Hamlet, 'natural history' in The Tempest, 'demonology' in Macbeth, and 'heraldry' in Antony and Cleopatra, this book reveals the ways in which the maternal body was figured in, and in turn contributed towards the re-conceptualisation of, bodies of knowledge. Laoutaris argues that Shakespeare resists a monolithic concept of motherhood, presenting instead a range of contested 'maternities' which challenge the distinctive 'ways of knowing' these early disciplines worked to impose on the order of created nature.
An in-depth biography of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page by the acclaimed biographer of Bob Marley and Joe Strummer, based upon the author's extensive research and interviews The original enigmatic rock star, Jimmy Page is a mass of contradictions. A towering presence in the guitar world and one of the most revered rock guitarists of all time, in private he is reclusive and mysterious, retiring and given to esoteric interests. Over the decades he has exchanged few words to the press given the level of his fame, and an abiding interest in the demonic and supernatural has only made the myth more potent. But in the midst of this maelstrom, who was Jimmy Page? Rock journalist Chris Salewicz has conducted numerous interviews with Page over the years and has created the first portrait of the guitarist that can be called definitive, penetrating the shadows that surround him to reveal the fascinating man who dwells within the rock legend.
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