Bombay's prolific Hindi-language film industry is more than just a giant entertainment juggernaut for 1 billion-plus Indians worldwide. It's a part of Indian culture, language, fashion and lifestyles. It's also a great bundle of contradictions and contrasts, like India itself. Thrillers, horror, murder mysteries, courtroom dramas, Hong Kong-style action gunfests, romantic comedies, soap operas, mythological costume dramas...they're all blended with surprising skill into the musical boy-meets-girl formula of Bollywood. The results are a bizarre, overblown mixture of high concept, ethnic colour, traditional values, high-pitched emotional drama, sizzling sensuality and music, always music. What's in this book? As well as an introductory essay, a selection of 25 major seminal films are examined in entertaining, intimate detail. There's also a section on the current state of the industry, the star system, film music and a list of additional books and films that will help you enjoy and make sense of the new Hindi movie showing at your nearest multiplex.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“[These] miniature…guides are packed to the margins with important facts and enlightening commentary.” -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
From the Publisher
Pocket Essentials is a dynamic series of books that are short, snappy, and easy to read. Packed with facts as well as opinions, each book has all the key information you need to know about such popular topics as film, television, cult fiction, politics, and more. In addition to an introduction to the subject, each topic is individually analyzed and reviewed, examining its impact on popular culture or history. There’s also a reference section that lists related web sites and weightier (and more expensive) books on the subject. For media buffs and students, these are great entry–level books that build into an essential library.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
small paperback comments on several Bollywood films,
By "purplo" (Santa Cruz, California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bollywood (Pocket Essentials) (Paperback)
This is a small, ninety-page paperback from the British series Pocket Essentials. There is a slight three-page introduction to Bollywood that focuses on economic aspects of Bollwood film production. Then it's on to the films. The fifty films are broken into eleven chapters that group them chronologically and by genre. Each film receives a page or two of attention which includes the title, production date, producer, director, major cast, "ishtory" which is a description of the story, comment, highlights, "more like this," and a "Kiss-Kitsch Rating." I wish they would explain what this Kiss-Kitsch Rating means, but they don't. The ratings are usually 3/5, 4/5, or 5/5, so I think that is just a rating with a possible high of 5, though "Sholay" receives a 6/5. The rating does not seem to relate to a level of Kitsch for the film, which is disappointing since the Kitsch factor will appeal to many readers and would be nice to know. I wish the book had done more to explain why Bollywood films are the way that they are, and had sections on the major directors and performers rather than just on the films. But if you do read through all of the film descriptions you will learn about major aspects of the Bollywood oeuvre. Among the films described are: "Pyassa," "Sangam," "Awara," "Mother India," "Kanoon," "Jewel Thief," "Upkaar", "Padosan," "Johnny Mera Naam," "Mera Naam Joker," "Zanjeer," "Bobby," "Deewar," "Amar Akbar Anthony," "Trishul," "Arth," "Betaab," "Ankush," "Ghayal," "Roja," "Bandit Queen," "Rangeela," "Sarfarosh," "Mohabbatein," and "Lagaan." Yes, those are mostly the shorter titles. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the great "Gunmaan," made famous by the movie "Ghost World" and definitely the Kitschiest Bollywood movie I have seen (though "Amar Akbar Anthony" is pretty good). I suppose this book offers decent value for the price, but would be of more use to help you choose which Bollywood film to watch next than to actually inform you about Bollywood.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
