{"product_id":"cockfight-a-fable-of-failure-9781913051402","title":"Cockfight: A Fable of Failure","description":"There is no shortage of loaded -- and often gendered -- symbolism in the sport of cockfighting. And this becomes a starting point for author Kier-La Janisse (who broke new ground in film criticism with her 2012 book \u003ci\u003eHouse of Psychotic Women\u003c\/i\u003e) to investigate the themes of obsession, competition, mobility and nobility that dominate the hyper-masculine world of Monte Hellman's existential and controversial film, \u003ci\u003eCockfighter\u003c\/i\u003e (1974), based on the 1962 novel by crime writer Charles Willeford (Miami Blues). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInfamously touted as the only movie that producer Roger Corman ever lost money on, \u003ci\u003eCockfighter\u003c\/i\u003e stars character actor Warren Oates as Frank Mansfield, a career cocker who has taken a vow of silence until he can win the Cockfighter of the Year Award. Surrounded by fellow cockfighters played by Harry Dean Stanton, Ed Begley, Jr, Steve Railsback, Richard B. Shull and even author\/screenwriter Charles Willeford himself, the film traverses the underground cockfighting world of the Deep South, with a highly detailed documentation of this unique subculture brought vividly to life by esteemed cinematographer Nestor Almendros. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDensely illustrated and featuring interviews with director Monte Hellman, producer Roger Corman and several surviving cast and crew members, Janisse's study explores the many mythologies that intersect in \u003ci\u003eCockfighter\u003c\/i\u003e, approaching the story and its backdrop through a variety of lenses, using a combination of cultural criticism, production history and even personal anecdotes, as the author delves into the contradictory world of cockfighting in the American South. At its core it is a story about work, honour, conviction and finding religion and beauty in strange places.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJanisse, Kier-La:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eKier-La Janisse\u003c\/b\u003e is a film writer and producer, and works for Severin Films. She authored House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films (2012) and A Violent Professional: The Films of Luciano Rossi (2007), and has edited numerous books including Warped \u0026amp; Faded (2021) and Satanic Panic (2015). She wrote, directed and produced the award-winning documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021), and produced the blu-ray box sets All the Haunts Be Ours (2021) and The Sensual World of Black Emanuelle","brand":"FAB Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51500758827282,"sku":"9781913051402","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_865fe452-0d14-40db-82b1-5a90675b2acc.jpg?v=1753199580","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/cockfight-a-fable-of-failure-9781913051402","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}