If there is one film in the canon of Carl Theodor Dreyer that can be said to be, as Jacques Lacan might put it, his most “painfully enjoyable,” it is Gertrud. The film's Paris premier in 1964 was covered by the Danish press as a national scandal; it was lambasted on its release for its lugubrious pace, wooden acting, and old-fashioned, stuffy milieu. Only later, when a younger generation of critics came to its defense, did the method in what appeared to be Dreyer's madness begin to become apparent.To make vivid just what was at stake for Dreyer, and still for us, in his final work, James Schamus focuses on a single moment in the film. He follows a trail of references and allusions back through a number of thinkers and artists (Boccaccio, Lessing, Philostratus, Charcot, and others) to reveal the richness and depth of Dreyer's work--and the excitement that can accompany cinema studies when it opens itself up to other disciplines and media. Throughout, Schamus pays particular attention to Dreyer's lifelong obsession with the “real,” developed through his practice of “textual realism,” a realism grounded not in standard codes of verisimilitude but on the force of its rhetorical appeal to its written, documentary sources.As do so many of the heroines of Dreyer's other films, such as La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928), Gertrud serves as a locus for Dreyer's twin fixations; written texts, and the heroines who both embody and free themselves from them. Dreyer based Gertrud not only on Hjalmar Soderberg's play of 1906, but also on his own extensive research into the life of the “real” Gertrud, Maria van Platen, whose own words Dreyer interpolated into the film. By using his film as a kind of return to the real woman beneath the text, Dreyer rehearsed another lifelong journey, back to the poor Swedish girl who gave birth to him out of wedlock and who gave him up for adoption to a Danish family, a mother whose existence Dreyer only discovered later in life, long after she had died.

Carl Theodor Dreyer's Gertrud: The Moving Word (McLellan Books)

Biographies & Memoirs

Schamus, James

Arts & Literature

University of Washington Press

To me, no writer has ever used the Chinese language as cruelly as Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang), and no story of hers is as beautiful or as cruel as "Lust, Caution." Eileen Chang's thrilling short story "Lust, Caution"--a devastating tale of love, betrayal, and manipulation set in Shanghai during World War II--marks with a forceful clarity her mastery of the form. Newly adapted into a major motion picture by Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, Lust, Caution has become an equally remarkable addition to the work of one of the most internationally renowned directors. Included in this unique volume are the original story by Eileen Chang, as well as the screenplay by Wang Hui Ling and James Schamus. Key members of the production have written notes about Chang and about the process of adapting "Lust, Caution." With a biographical essay on Chang by translator Julia Lovell and eight pages of color stills from the film, this volume will become the definitive edition for film students and aficionados alike.

Lust, Caution: The Story, the Screenplay, and the Making of the Film

Humor & Entertainment

Chang, Eileen

Hui Ling, Wang

Movies

Pantheon

A riveting civil war epic, from the award-winning screenwriter of The Ice Storm. Ride with the Devil continues writer-producer James Schamus's collaboration with Ang Lee, who also directed Sense and Sensibility. Following up on the success of Lee's The Ice Storm, for which Schamus was awarded Best Screenplay at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Ride with the Devil-adapted from Daniel Woodrell's novel-tells the epic story of a group of young Bushwhackers, the Missouri guerrilla fighters who waged a desperate and bloody battle against Union occupiers during the Civil War. As the war progresses, two of the fighters-a former slave (portrayed by Tony Award winner Jeffrey Wright) and the son of an immigrant worker (Pleasantville's Tobey Maguire)-find they have more in common with each other than with their comrades, who begin to suspect them of treason. The film also stars Skeet Ulrich, who appeared in As Good As It Gets and Scream, and the acclaimed young singer Jewel in her film debut. In addition, the book will include a Foreword by Lee on the making of the movie; an Introduction by Schamus that discusses the challenge of bringing novels to life on the screen; and copious notes detailing why the finished film-which is to be released by Universal Studios in the fall of 1999-differs from the production script, giving the behind-the-scenes reasons why. 20 Black-and-White Photographs

Ride With the Devil

Woodrell, Daniel

Faber&Faber

Acclaimed film-maker Ang Lee's concept for his film adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics series, The Hulk, combines all the elements of a blockbuster visual effects-intensive superhero movie with the brooding romance and tragedy of Universal's classic horror films. In depicting The Hulk as both a superhero and a monster, a wish fulfillment and a nightmare, Lee and his team have stayed true to the early subversive spirit of the character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, while completely updating The Hulk and projecting it into the dangers and aspirations of contemporary times.Eric Bana stars as scientist Bruce Banner, whose inner demons transform him in the aftermath of a catastrophic experiment. Academy Award-winner Jennifer Connelly portrays Betty Ross, whose scientific genius unwittingly helps unleash The Hulk; Nick Nolte plays Banner's brilliant father, who passes on a tragic legacy to his son, and Sam Elliott portrays the commander of a top-secret military research centre.With more than 210 colour images, the companion book includes the complete script by Academy Award nominee James Schamus, John Turman and Michael France, behind-the-scenes photos in bringing the big green superhero to life through visual effects, creature design concept art, and many insightful sidebars from the cast and the film-makers.

The Hulk: The Illustrated Screenplay

Winner of Best Screenplay Award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. In another family drama, after his internationally acclaimed Sense and Sensibility success, director Ang Lee takes his moving and comic sensibility to the American suburbs of the 1970s. 20 b/w photos. The Newmarket Shooting Script(tm) Series features an attractive 7 x 9 1/4 inch format that includes a facsimile of the film's shooting script, as chosen by the writer and/or director, exclusive notes on the film's production and history, stills, and credits.

The Ice Storm: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script)

Harper Paperbacks

The winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign-Language Film, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Original Music.
To coincide with the Sony Pictures Classics release—this elegantly illustrated moviebook captures the beauty, spirit, and extraordinary talents behind what TimeAsia heralded as an "instant classic...a rule-bending master-piece that weds martial arts with sense and sensibility." The latest film from Sense and Sensibility director is an epic love story and a thrilling action drama set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, filmed entirely on location. Based on a five-volume Chinese novel by Wang Du Lu, the project was scripted by Wang Hui Ling (Eat Drink Man Woman), James Schamus (The Ice Storm), and Tsai Kuo Jung. Marking Ang Lee's first Chinese-language feature since 1994, the film is punctuated by beautifully choreographed fight scenes and dazzling stunts masterminded by Yuen Wo-Ping, who worked on The Matrix. The actors include the two most popular Asian actors in the world, Chow Yun Fat (Anna and the King, The Replacement Killers) and Michelle Yeoh (Supercop, Tomorrow Never Dies). 
The Newmarket book includes the screenplay, stunning full-color photographs before and behind the cameras, interviews and notes with filmmakers, features on the history and tradition of martial arts storytelling and filmmaking, and articles by Time's Richard Corliss and world renowned film scholar David Bordwell.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of the Ang Lee Film (Pictorial Moviebook)

Arts & Photography

Bordwell,David

Corliss, Richard

Lee, Ang

Graphic Design

NEWMARKET PRESS

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of the Ang Lee Film (Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks)

The only official book on the making of the new film from the director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragona full-color, behind-the-scenes companion to the eagerly awaited blockbuster from Universal Pictures, featuring an all-star cast: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. Acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee's concept for his film adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics series The Hulk combines all the elements of a blockbuster visual effects-intensive superhero movie with the brooding romance and tragedy of Universal's classic horror films. In depicting The Hulk as both a superhero and a monster, a wish fulfillment and a nightmare, Lee and his team have stayed true to the early subversive spirit of the character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, while completely updating The Hulk and projecting it into the dangers and aspirations of contemporary times. Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down) stars as scientist Bruce Banner, whose inner demons transform him in the aftermath of a catastrophic experiment. Academy Award-winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) portrays Betty Ross, whose scientific genius unwittingly helps unleash The Hulk; Nick Nolte (The Thin Red Line) plays Banner's brilliant father, who passes on a tragic legacy to his son; and Sam Elliott (The Contender) portrays the commander of a top-secret military research center. With more than 120 color images, the Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook includes the motion picture screenplay written by James Schamus, behind-the-scenes photos in bringing the big green superhero to life through visual effects, creature design concept art, and many fascinating articles about the cast and filmmakers.

The Hulk: The Illustrated Screenplay (Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook)

LEE, STAN

Turman, John

France, Michael

The only official book on the making of the new film from the director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragona full-color, behind-the-scenes companion to the eagerly awaited blockbuster from Universal Pictures, featuring an all-star cast: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. Acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee's concept for his film adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics series The Hulk combines all the elements of a blockbuster visual effects-intensive superhero movie with the brooding romance and tragedy of Universal's classic horror films. In depicting The Hulk as both a superhero and a monster, a wish fulfillment and a nightmare, Lee and his team have stayed true to the early subversive spirit of the character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, while completely updating The Hulk and projecting it into the dangers and aspirations of contemporary times. Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down) stars as scientist Bruce Banner, whose inner demons transform him in the aftermath of a catastrophic experiment. Academy Award-winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) portrays Betty Ross, whose scientific genius unwittingly helps unleash The Hulk; Nick Nolte (The Thin Red Line) plays Banner's brilliant father, who passes on a tragic legacy to his son; and Sam Elliott (The Contender) portrays the commander of a top-secret military research center. With more than 120 color images, the Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook includes the motion picture screenplay written by James Schamus, behind-the-scenes photos in bringing the big green superhero to life through visual effects, creature design concept art, and many fascinating articles about the cast and filmmakers.

The Hulk: The Illustrated Screenplay (Pictorial Moviebook)

A generation began in his backyard. . . . TakingWoodstock is a new comedy inspired by thetrue story of Elliot Tiber and his family, whoinadvertently played a pivotal role in making thefamed Woodstock Music and Arts Festival intothe happening that it was.
It's 1969, and Elliot Tiber, a down-on-his-luckinterior designer in Greenwich Village, New York, hasto move back upstate to help his parents run theirdilapidated Catskills motel, the El Monaco. WhenElliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled thepermit on a hippie music festival, he calls the producers,thinking he could drum up some much-neededbusiness for the motel. Three weeks later, half a millionpeople are on their way to his neighbor's farm inBethel, New York, and Elliot finds himself sweptup in a generation-defining experience that wouldchange his life—and American culture—forever.
Taking Woodstock is directed by Ang Lee with ascreenplay by James Schamus, based on the book byElliot Tiber with Tom Monte, and stars DemetriMartin, Dan Fogler, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff,Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and ImeldaStaunton, with Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber.
This Newmarket Shooting Script® Book includes:
<ul>
<li>Exclusive Foreword by Ang Lee</li>
<li>Exclusive Introduction by James Schamus</li>
<li>Complete Shooting Script</li>
<li>32-page color portfolio, including production notes, movie stills, and historical photos</li>
<li>Timeline and glossary</li>
<li>Complete cast and crew credits</li>
</ul>

Taking Woodstock: The Shooting Script

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