David Mamet and Film: Illusion/Disillusion in a Wounded Land [Hardcover]

Gaylord Brewer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0899508340 | ISBN-13: 978-0899508344 | Publication Date: March 1993

Since winning the Pulitzer for his Glengarry Glen Ross, playwright David Mamet has written only one original, full-length play, Speed-the-Plow-yet he has written nearly ten original screenplays. His movement in this direction is both surprising and, ironically, inevitable. Studied here are Mamet's screenplays (such as The Postman Always Rings Twice and We're No Angels), the influence of film on his recent plays (The Shawl and Speed-the-Plow), his theory of directing refined from his "writerly" principles of montage storytelling, and the reciprocal impact of his films and plays are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the author-director relationship in House of Games and Things Change. A complete filmography includes his 1992 work on the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross and Hoffa.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Playwright David Mamet brought his bleak vision to film as a screenwriter for several films, including The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) and The Untouchables (1987). His first directorial effort was House of Games (1987). Although the title is a minor misnomer because Brewer closely examines some of Mamet's plays as well, this book serves to show the obvious continuity in his dominant themes. Most of the book is devoted to the three films thus far directed by Mamet, but there is a look at his screenplays and his most recent screen work, including Hoffa and the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross. This is a cogent and worthwhile analysis of a possibly major director and a useful adjunct to Mamet's own book, On Directing Film ( LJ 1/91).
- Roy Liebman, California State Univ., Los Angeles
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"admirably focused [and] lucidly written" -- Choice

"shows the obvious continuity in [Mamet's] dominant themes. This is a cogent and worthwhile analysis" -- Library Journal

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899508340
• ISBN-13: 978-0899508344
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,271,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gaylord Brewer is a professor at Middle Tennessee State University, where he founded and edits the literary journal Poems & Plays. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. His most recent books are the comic novella Octavius the 1st (Red Hen, 2008) and an eighth collection of poetry, Give Over, Graymalkin (Red Hen, 2011). He has published over 800 poems in journals and anthologies, such as Best American Poetry and The Bedford Introduction to Literature, and is also a widely published literary critic and produced playwright. He has taught in England, Russia, Kenya, and the Czech Republic.