{"product_id":"a-viewing-guide-to-the-pandemic-9781915316394","title":"A Viewing Guide to the Pandemic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I have had a headache all day. I am afraid of what will happen next.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Viewing Guide to the Pandemic\u003c\/em\u003e is a film book like no other. It opens with the author's first-hand account of the Covid-19 pandemic and life in lockdown. His sense of dread, and anxiety about his state of health, were experiences shared with millions of others across the world. Already committed to writing a book about plagues and pandemics in popular culture, Covid-19 felt like a perverse twist of fate for Richard Scheib. Media depictions of deadly contagions had, to this point, been speculative and often off the mark; his book takes an in-depth look at what filmmakers imagined would happen and contrasts it with the reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInternational in scope, the book examines films in a wide variety of genres, from the silent era to the present day. Black Death, Ebola, Mad Cow Disease, Bird Flu - it explores fictionalized accounts of plague and pestilence such as box-office hit \u003cem\u003eOutbreak\u003c\/em\u003e (1995), as well as 'mockumentary' treatments. Whether the threats depicted have a basis in reality - the biowarfare of the Cold War era, for instance - or are more fantastical, Scheib demonstrates how the fear of contagion has provided a wealth of inspiration for the big and small screen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eScheib, Richard:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eRichard Scheib\u003c\/b\u003e has worked extensively as a print journalist and editor. Since 1999, he has maintained \u003ci\u003eMoria: Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review\u003c\/i\u003e (moriareviews.com), the largest single author film review on the web.","brand":"Headpress","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51475169935634,"sku":"9781915316394","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9df7150c-9c03-4d19-b6d1-c1e188b569c9.jpg?v=1752589237","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-viewing-guide-to-the-pandemic-9781915316394","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}