{"product_id":"the-art-of-pure-cinema-hitchcock-and-his-imitators","title":"The Art of Pure Cinema: Hitchcock and His Imitators","description":"In a now-famous interview with Fran�ois Truffaut in 1962, Alfred Hitchcock described his masterpiece \u003cem\u003eRear Window\u003c\/em\u003e (1954) as \"the purest expression of a cinematic idea.\" But what, precisely, did Hitchcock mean by pure cinema? Was pure cinema a function of \u003cem\u003emise en sc�ne\u003c\/em\u003e, or composition within the frame? Was it a function of montage, \"of pieces of film assembled\"? This notion of pure cinema has intrigued and perplexed critics, theorists, and filmmakers alike in the decades following this discussion. And even across his 40-year career, Hitchcock's own ideas about pure cinema remained mired in a lack of detail, clarity, and analytical precision. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Art of Pure Cinema\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book-length study to examine the historical foundations and stylistic mechanics of pure cinema. Author Bruce Isaacs explores the potential of a philosophical and artistic approach most explicitly demonstrated by Hitchcock in his later films, beginning with Hitchcock's contact with the European avant-garde film movement in the mid-1920s. Tracing the evolution of a philosophy of pure cinema across Hitchcock's most experimental works - \u003cem\u003eRear Window\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eVertigo\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNorth by Northwest\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePsycho\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Birds\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMarnie\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eFrenzy\u003c\/em\u003e - Isaacs rereads these works in a new and vital context. In addition to this historical account, the book presents the first examination of pure cinema as an integrated stylistics of \u003cem\u003emise en sc�ne\u003c\/em\u003e, montage, and sound design. The films of so-called Hitchcockian imitators like Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Brian De Palma are also examined in light of a provocative claim: that the art of pure cinema is only fully realized after Hitchcock.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBruce Isaacs\u003c\/strong\u003e is Associate Professor of Film Studies and Director of the Film Studies Program at the University of Sydney. He is the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Orientation of Future Cinema\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eToward a New Film Aesthetic\u003c\/em\u003e, and has published in leading journals on topics relating to the evolution of cinema as an art form.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50369141702930,"sku":"9780190889968","price":56.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ef5b94d8-c97c-46e4-aae7-3e73dd8e6968.jpg?v=1728521850","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-art-of-pure-cinema-hitchcock-and-his-imitators","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}