Average customer rating:
- Even The Little People Are Free
- The enunciatory present
- I'd rather stick my hand in a blender than read this again
- Mimicry, Mockery, Menace
- Even though this is one of the most highly regarded ...
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The Location of Culture (Routledge Classics)
Homi K. Bhabha
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415336392 |
Book Description
Terry Eagleton once wrote in the Guardian, 'Few post-colonial writers can rival Homi Bhabha in his exhilarated sense of alternative possibilities'. In rethinking questions of identity, social agency and national affiliation, Bhabha provides a working, if controversial, theory of cultural hybridity, one that goes far beyond previous attempts by others. A scholar who writes and teaches about South Asian literature and contemporary art with incredible virtuosity, he discusses writers as diverse as Morrison, Gordimer, and Conrad. In The Location of Culture, Bhabha uses concepts such as mimicry, interstice, hybridity, and liminality to argue that cultural production is always most productive where it is most ambivalent. Speaking in a voice that combines intellectual ease with the belief that theory itself can contribute to practical political change, Bhabha has become one of the leading post-colonial theorists of this era.
Customer Reviews:
Even The Little People Are Free .......2007-06-04
Bhabha writes dense, pretentious prose, which is commonplace now among the humanists who feel inferior to scientists, but he does have something to say. This little book does two things: it is in the end a celebration of literature (and not of theory for its own sake) and it defends the little brown people, such as Indians, against the claim of others, such as Edward Said, that whites oppressed them by denying them a voice. Bhabha argues in effect that the oppression created a new voice that subverted the oppressors. Bhabha has little patience for the sob-sister school of academic discourse which seeks out victims of racism. This is a sustained critique of liberal academic bad faith.
The enunciatory present.......2006-02-16
In The Location of Culture, Bhabha argues for a fundamental realignment of the methodology of cultural analysis away from ontology toward the "performative" and "enunciatory present" (p.178). Such a shift, he claims, provides a basis for the negotiation of cultural difference rather than its automatic repression or negation in the face of irreconcilable oppositions. Bhabha's emphasis on the enunciative production of meaning places the emphasis of critical inquiry on issues of representation or signification, thereby producing "a temporality that makes it possible to conceive of the articulation of antagonistic or contradictory elements" (p.25).
This argument represents a critical attack on the Western production of binary oppositions, traditionally defined in terms of centre and margin, civilised and savage, enlightened and ignorant. Bhabha questions the easy recourse to consolidated dualisms by repudiating fixed and authentic centres of truth, suggesting that cultures interact, transgress and transform each other in a much more complex manner than typical binary oppositions allow.
According to him, hybridity and linguistic multivocality have the potential to intervene and dislocate the process of domination through the re-interpretation and re-deployment of received discourse, thus re-focusing critical attention towards the "agonistic space" (181) which exists on the borders of difference, along the edges of alterity, where cultures meet. Bhabha celebrates cultural heterogeneity and the subversive effects of hybridisation.
I'd rather stick my hand in a blender than read this again.......2004-05-26
The fact that this book is influential is generally beyond argument. What astonishes me, however, is that so many people had the endurance to sit through the horrific writing; the author's style is obnoxious in the extreme. The first paragraph, for example, notes that the question of culture is the "trope of our times," characterized by "a tenebrous sense of survival." These concepts are not mind-bending. An everday, or as Homi would say, "colloquial" vocabularly would sufficiently articulate his thesis, yet he seems hellbent on packing his work with obscure language like he needs show off or prove something. Again, his ideas are influential, but he makes reading them as painful as possible.
Mimicry, Mockery, Menace.......2003-01-21
Ambivalence is a key term in Bhabha's Location of Culture. Accordingly, Bhabha's prose might be considered poetry or gibberish, but certainly not scholarship. There is no thesis, no argument, no evidence. That is not to say that Bhabha wouldn't be capable of such writing. Every once in a while, the reader can catch a glimpse of Bhabha's Other: the lucid thinker of post-colonialism. In order to compensate for the lack of clarity, structure and, yes, basic congruity between subjects, verbs and objects, Bhabha enacts the thoughts he fails to express. Indeed, his text is a performance of itself. Take, for instance, his chapter on mimicry. Whatever intelligent thoughts other scholars have derived from this concept, you will not find them in Bhabha's book. But he indeed shows you what he means, as he goes through the motions of scholarship. First, he makes a number of general statements that sound like a thesis. Then he puts a in a few convoluted sentence structures that make no sense-grammatically or otherwise. And finally he slams in a quote or two to prove a point-what point doesn't matter, for he did not make one in the first place. As a reader you will have to decide whether his work is a mimicry (in his definition "almost but not quite") of scholarship or its menace (according to Bhabha, 'not at all but still a little'). About one thing, though, he leaves no ambivalence: he "quite simply mocks its power to be a model." Harvard volunteered to be the evidence.
Even though this is one of the most highly regarded ..........2003-01-11
...theory books of the 1990s, its fame and reputation seem overblown. None of the other reviews posted here have really stated what Bhabha tries to accomplish in "The Location of Culture," so I'll give it a crack, even though I'm no expert on postcolonial theory.
To save you all some time, many of Bhabha's key points are made in the first two pages of his book. For instance: "In-between spaces provide the terrain for elaborating strategies of selfhood--singular or communal--that initiate new signs of identity, and innovative sites of collaboration, and contestation, in the act of defining the idea of society" (p. 1-2). Elsewhere, in-betweenness is easily the key concept in the book, as well as the notion of HYBRIDITY. The reason the modernist model of Colonialism is doomed to fail is not only because it needs the Other (the colonized) to validate its own supremacy (and to fulfill its desires), but also because it engages in what Bhabha refers to as "contra-modernity": modernity in "colonial conditions where its imposition is itself the denial of historical freedom, civic autonomy and the 'ethical' choice of refashioning" (p. 241). Bhabha finds that by examining the borderlines between Colonial power and Colonial oppression, a truer history of global populations can be obtained. In one of the finer passages in the book, Bhabha examines a scene from Salman Rushdie's controversial 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" and descibes how the postcolonial body--shaped by an outside nationalist culture--is representative of the colonizer, yet the colonizers "can never let the national history look at itself narcissistically in the eye" (p. 168).
Now let me preface my explanation by saying this is what I THINK Bhabha is getting at. It's not that his prose is "confusing," as other reviewers have stated here--although it is exceedingly "academic" (and there is nothing wrong with that, in and of itself)--but it is mired in the theoryspeak of the West that Bhabha seems so insistent upon de-centralizing. Bhabha uses the theories of the European male elite with so much blind faith that it easily undermines much of what he is trying to accomplish. Jacques Lacan, Michel Foucault, Sigmund Freud and Jacques Derrida are all over this book. These "founders of discourse" (as Foucault called Marx and Freud--and could posthumously call himself given his exhaltation in the academy after his death in 1984) represent an alternate (i.e. "left") critical practice, yet completely dominate Western discussions of theory in literary circles. Is not Bhabha, an Indian scholar, colonized by these minds?
Also, Bhabha's insistence upon in-betweenness at times really seems to undermine his (apparent) intentions. He seems, on the one hand, to claim that it is precisely through in-betweenness that the oppressors dominate the oppressed. Yet, it also seems that this in-betweenness gives the oppressed the opportunity to resist the oppressors. We seem to be back at step zero. Is anything really being said here?
He should have followed better the example of Frantz Fanon, who appears early and often as a primary source in "The Location of Culture." Fanon was surely no stranger to the Western tradition, but was able to write in a critical-poetical-personal style that was accessible to non-academics, a style that had real fire. Bhabha, with all his emphasis on the work of postcolonial theory--which, in his words, seeks to "revise those nationalist or 'nativist' pedagogies that set up the relation of Third World and First World in a binary structure of opposition" (p. 173)--continually relies on the concept of "doubling" (likely a Lacanian theory) as well as his notion of in-betweenness (or liminality, as he calls it) in such a manner that no distinct point of view really emerges. The theoryspeak seems to subsume any important observations he might be willing to make.
While this book has some wonderful moments in it, I would estimate that about 25 of the books 250 pages really says something. I'm worried that this book has been canonized because the mainly white scholars that run the Academy need their theories stated in a dense manner by an Indian man to give them validity. I know that kind of thinking is very conspiratorial, but it is only a concern. I've not read any other Bhabha, or other postcolonial theorists like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak or Arjun Appadurai, but I cannot recommend this an easy gateway into this material. I would recommend the writings of Fanon, though his writing precedes the moment of postcolonial theory by some three or four decades, as a better introduction.
Book Description
From the cinema verité of the sixties to softer fare like Splash, New York has provided some of the most iconic moments on film. Beginning with a survey of such classics as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Scenes from the City captures how the changing face of New York, as well as the founding of the MOFTB, have contributed to a particular school of film characterized most emphatically in the street-style work of directors as diverse as Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee. With over 200 stills and contributions from noted New York film personalities such as Sidney Lumet and Nora Ephron, the book also includes rare, unpublished, behind-the-scenes shots and stories from the quintessential New York filmmaker himself—Woody Allen. With a special section on the landmark TV series, commercials and music videos filmed in New York, Scenes from the City is an affectionate and vivacious ovation for this captivating "character" that rarely receives billing but always steals the show.
Customer Reviews:
Scenes from Many Memorable Movies.......2007-01-28
Almost an infomercial on filmmaking in New York City, this book suceeds because it is filed not with the details of movie making, but with scenes from the movies made in New York.
The book was published as part of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. This organization, set up by Mayor John Lindsay to streamline movie production in the city. Here for the first time was an organization with the authority and power to handle the interface between the city and the movie maker. Before this separate permits had to be obtained from dozens of different departments, i.e. each police precinct where the movie would be shot, and 'about ninety different kinds of inspectors' would show up at shoots and threaten to shut down production unless they were compensated, i.e. bribed.
As can be seen in this book the number of movies made in the city since has skyrocketed as the city made filming easier. And here we see the results in more than 250 stills from many, many memorable movies who had an uncredited additional actor - the city itself.
Great Book!.......2007-01-16
I am very pleased with this purchase. It is a great coffee table book, and also a great gift!
I love NY.......2007-01-11
Wonderful book for a stroll down New York memory movie lane. This book takes you through the generations of movies filmed in NY and conjures up some great memories. A great gift or just fun to own yourself!
Four decades of New York filmmaking.......2007-01-10
This handsomely produced volume traces forty years of film-making in New York City with a rich variety of photographs and anecdotes. There are lots of behind-the-scenes photos, plus essays and epigrams from directors, actors, producers, and other film professionals. Though the organization is chronological, the materials are organized by theme: "Chases," "Central Park," "Backlit Streets," etc. It's eminently browsable and consistently entertaining.
At the same time, serious film buffs will find the book light on analysis and somewhat haphazard in organization. The filmography, for instance, does not include casts. Its publication marks the 40th anniversary of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting -- the City agency renowned for its ability to cut through red tape and otherwise ease filmmakers' lives -- and, not incidentally, the launch of a wildly successful new program of tax and promotional incentives. So the book is, in a sense, a print infomercial. But the presentation is so engaging and the "product" so fascinating that it's an infomercial you'll gladly stay up late to see.
Great gift book.......2007-01-10
Really nice coffee table book. Gave this as a gift to a New Yorker living out-of-state and she loves looking back through the memories and familiar places.
Average customer rating:
- Too Little for Too Much
- Poor followup to his grip book
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Uva's Rigging Guide for Studio and Location
Michael Uva , and
Sabrina Uva
Manufacturer: Focal Press
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ASIN: 0240803922 |
Book Description
Readers of Mike Uva's GRIP BOOK who are interested in more detailed information on the work of the grip department will welcome his new rigging manual, clearly detailing all the ways to mount cameras and lights both on a set as well as on location.
The book covers the latest truss systems, rigging equipment and portable stages, as well as lifts, boom arms and camera mounts for every type of moving vehicle. The book is not limited to equipment specifications, however; Uva offers tips and tricks throughout in order to make the process of setting up and shooting safer and more efficient. Grips often need to invent makeshift solutions in a short time, and Uva shares many such devices developed over his years in the film and TV industry. This book will help grips and key grips move on to the bigger feature projects and commercials that require this equipment. It will also be useful for directors of photography and producers in pre-planning the required equipment for specific shots.
Offers detailed information on the use and operation of the latest rigging equipment
Includes some hard-to-find information on camera mounts for difficult situations such as aircraft, boats, cars, trains, and even people
Time-tested tips and tricks for smooth and safe set-up and operation
Customer Reviews:
Too Little for Too Much.......2006-06-09
I totaly concur with the other review. Not enough real GRIP info. I've been a grip for over 10 years and actually thought I'd get something usefull, but actually this book is just the last few chapters of the Grip Book, drawn out, for 50 bucks. I mean, yea there's an illustration of mounting on a DC3 Plane, but its crappy and nonspecific. I mean there's almost more AC and Electric info than Grip. Underwater Exposure Housings? Ummm not Grip Dept. I'm just getting more into rigging and wanted to see more real world stuff, not even a mention of speedrail/nurail in the Index or Glossary, and barely a page in between brings it up and we know how important it is in rigging and on the spot ingenuity.
The most important part of this book is "The Big Break", how to act on set for noobs, pretty much.
Poor followup to his grip book.......2004-03-20
I bought his grip book first and was very impressed by its catalogue of grip equipment. It not only explained the purpose of each piece but gave an insiders view on its application as well as a host of other tips. This book is allmost the complete opposite. For the price, I received what amounts to a reprint of some general information from the grip book, plus some reproduced catalog information from the various manufacturers of camera mounts, cranes, trusses, etc. What I expected to find: how to rig a camera to a vehicle, how to rig equipment to structures, scaffolding, etc., how to build rigs or to adapt commercially available equipment. A skinny little book, hardly worth the money.
Book Description
Packed with historical information, this travel guide explores the sites where pop culture history was made. With hundreds of photographs, this encyclopedic resource covers approximately 600 sites of the most famous and infamous pop culture events. The greatest landmarks from Americana, movies, music, tragedy, crime, television, and sports are included, such as where George Washington crossed the Delaware River; the diner in the film Diner; the site of the Planet of the Apes finale; the Hindenburg crash site; the Brady Bunch house; and the location of the 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice” hockey team victory. This offbeat travelogue provides the armchair traveler or road warrior tourist with all the information needed to visit America's pop culture sites of significance.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome.... but.......2006-08-28
This book is awesome, I'm excited to take a road trip with some friends and try to explore as much of these landmarks as I can. The author was able to keep his personal preferences aside to cater to everyone with different points of interest, and he does a good job. But I think it would have been even more better if he put a little bit more history about the places and the people. But I enjoyed it nonettheless and will be getting the rest of them.
Interesting to flip through at the library.......2006-05-09
This book has enough real "material" for about a third of its length, and then the rest in my opinion is "filler" - info regarding obscure happenings that no one is likely to be much interested in. I also felt that the entries were way too short (a mere paragraph for each). It would be nice to have a bit more background material on what happened there, what led up to it, etc.
There are good entries (such as the "garage" where Apple computers was born, the street where Mariyln Monroe did her "skirt blowing" scene, the location of the original Woodstock, or Buddy Holly's crash site and last gig), but I just wish there was more of the good and less of the ho-hum.
Definitely worth checking out from the library. (For another interesting book in this vein, I highly recommend "THE TOMBSTONE TOURIST" by Scott Stanton.)
I Wonder What It Is In Us That Draws Us To This Sort Of Thing?.......2005-12-21
If you have a morbid fascination with the sites of events of glamour, trivial notoriety, media-frenzied infamy, or places where the famous and noteworthy drew their last gasping breath, then this book should just about become your best friend. Chris Epting does too pristine a job of gathering information about such locations as, well, the spot where James Dean died, to merit criticism. Yup, pictures, maps, reviews, write-ups, this book takes the cake. So if you'd like to deck out your next trans-continental road trip with various locations connected with the innocent from pop culture (the real Brady Bunch house), the gory (the now non-existent Chicago garage where the St. Valentine's Day Massacre came down), where celebrated concerts were played (too many to list), or where, say, various celebs went belly-up on Sunset Boulevard, then you won't go wrong here.
James Dean Died Here.......2005-07-20
As a local historian, I found this book a welcomed addition to my personal library. Chris Epting does a fabulous job at locating the places that we have all seen or heard about in the movies and in the news. With an address, summary, and photo, you can now see in print and even go there yourself to see where, when, why, and how it happened. What a catchy title ! If it caught your attention, it is only a slight look into what is a must have book for all of you trivia and pop iconists.
A blast, but with one major flaw.......2005-01-31
This book is great from start to finish -- provides locations and history for all kinds of disparate pop culture stuff. The one major problem with the book is that the writer desperately needs a copy editor. He mixes up some details and spells names, places and titles wrong all over the place. There are points where he spells the same person's name two or three different ways on one page. Considering all the research he seems to have done, this is kind of bonehead stuff. Still, if you can look past that, this book is a lot of fun.
Book Description
Anyone who has ever wondered where Dorothy's ruby slippers, the limo that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated, or Michael Jackson’s sequined glove are housed will have their curiosity satisfied in this journey to locate hundreds of items from America's pop culture past. From such major institutions as the Smithsonian and the Basketball Hall of Fame to offbeat collections in the Sing Sing Prison Museum and the Museum of Pez Memorabilia, these pop culture treasures include the most famous—and quirkiest—items from American movies, crime, TV, sports, and history. Among the included artifacts are George Washington's wooden teeth, the Merry Prankster bus, the piano from Casablanca, Bonnie and Clyde's death car, Jack Ruby's .38 Colt Cobra, and John Wilkes Booth's thorax.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful.......2007-06-29
This is an amazing reference guide for artifacts. I plan on using it in my around the US trip to find these amazing facts. I'd absolutly recommend this book.
interesting reading.......2007-01-07
Overall good book. Lots of pictures. Good for an afternoon read. Once its been read ==its been read. Don't find myself going back for a second look
I Love These Crazy Places.......2006-12-23
I really enjoyed this book. I collect "superlatives" and other weird roadside oddities - by "collect" I mean I really enjoy visiting as many as I can. This book lists a great collection of strange things and pop culture landmarks throughout the United States. I enjoyed the places and items included a great deal and it was a lot of fun seeing some of those crazy places that I have actually been to before! The only thing I would have liked better would be if the organization of them was a little different. PERSONALLY, I prefer these types of books to be organized geographically, although the index did include a geographical listing by state which was helpful. I also would have liked to get more information on the locations of the items - where they are and how to get there.
Other than those two criticisms, I love this book and was SO glad to have received it as a gift after putting it on my wishlist. I see that this author has other titles available and I plan to look into those now!
A Great Guide for a Great Day.......2006-04-03
Chris Epting first took us all over the US in his trilogy of American landmarks. He allowed us to stand where the famous, and at times infamous, moments in history occurred. Now, Epting put us in touch with the artifacts of many of these events. Epting cannot put us on the "yellow brick road;" yet, within the covers of "The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Artifacts" exists a goldmine of pop-culture "whereabouts." Some relics and there exact locations is information that folks like the Wicked Witch would die to know. Grab your cameras, get a copy of this book, take small children by the hand, and hit the road. It is a great alternative to wiring kids to their entertainment.
Fun does not do this book justice........2006-03-22
I have every single one of the author's book and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of this book. I was not disappointed. In previous books the author researched the locations of pop culture landmarks. For this new installment he searched out the actually artifacts involved in pop culture. Once you get this book it is page after page of information and I am one to tell you that some of the artifacts are not in the places you would expect. I recommend anyone to pick this book up and all of the author's other books. This is a time I can honestly say that there is something in these books for everyone. The author has researched everything and includes along with the artifact a brief description of its importance. This book and all of the author's book are an absolute joy to read and so much fun. There may even be a pop culture landmark down the street from you!!!
Average customer rating:
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Diasporic Mediations: Between Home and Location
R. Radhakrishnan
Manufacturer: University of Minnesota Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0816626413 |
Book Description
How could ecological thinking animate an epistemology capable of addressing feminist, multicultural, and other post-colonial concerns? Starting from an epistemological approach implicit in Rachel Carson's scientific practice, Lorraine Code elaborates the creative, restructuring resources of ecology for a theory of knowledge. She critiques the instrumental rationality, abstract individualism, and exploitation of people and places that western epistemologies of mastery have legitimated, to propose a politics of epistemic location, sensitive to the interplay of particularity and diversity, and focused on responsible epistemic practice. Drawing on ecological theory and practice, on naturalized epistemology, and on feminist and post-colonial theories, Code analyzes extended examples from developmental psychology, and from two "natural" institutions of knowledge production--medicine and law. These institutions lend themselves well to a reconfigured naturalism. They are, in practice, empirically-scientifically informed, specifically situated, and locally interpretive. With human subjects as their "objects" of knowledge, they invoke the responsibility requirements central to Code's larger project. This book discusses a wide range of literature in philosophy, social science, and ethico-political thought. Highly innovative, it will generate productive conversations in feminist theory, and in the ethics and politics of knowledge more broadly conceived.
Book Description
John Bengtson has created a unique visual history of early Hollywood (as well as other parts of Los Angeles, and locations in the Northwest, Southwest, and New York City) as depicted in Buster Keatons classic movies. Combining images from Keatons films with archival photographs, historic maps, and scores of dramatic then and now photos, Silent Echoes reveals dozens of movie locations that lay undiscovered for nearly 80 years. Part time machine, part detective story, Silent Echoes presents a fresh look at the matchless Keaton at work, as well as a captivating glimpse of Hollywoods most romantic era. More than a book for film, comedy or history buffs, Silent Echoes appeals to anyone fascinated with solving puzzles or witnessing the awesome passage of time.
Customer Reviews:
Brings Hollywood's Past Just a Little Closer.......2006-10-29
Years ago I purchased Civil War historian William A. Frassanito's excellent books "Gettysburg: A Journey in Time" and "Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day," which examine and compare historic and modern photographs of these famous battle sites. John Bengtson has done essentially the same thing for Hollywood using Keaton's films, and the result is nothing short of miraculous. Here are scenes of what used to be but are no more, resurrected with the benefit of Bengtson's keen eye, detective-like mind, and obsessive attention to detail. This is one heck of a fun book, and you'll spend many hours going over the photographs.
Amazingly, many of the scenic backdrops that Keaton used in his films still exist, and they serve today as nostalgic reminders of a relatively primitive and innocent time that has all but disappeared.
Wow..........2006-08-04
This is a truly different kind of book. We get to see the locations that Buster made his films, and how they have changed through time. We also get to see how the author went about finding these places, a kind of historical research that takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.
This book is one that I automatically pick up when I'm not sure what I want to read, but want something interesting.
If there was a complaint, it would be that many of the pictures and some of the text is really too small. I have great eyesight, some of this is too hard for even me to see, and I know many people have a harder time with small text and pictures. Lay off of our eyesight, eh?
Still, a totally fascinating book. I can't get enough.
An Excellent Book.......2006-03-21
This book is a necessity for any Buster Keaton fan or any fan of Hollywood history. It is well researched and absolutely fascinating.
A " Must Have" for any Keaton fan.......2006-02-23
This is a great book. I love to watch Keaton's movies with this to hand, it gives a whole new insight to the films. It is easy to read and it is interesting to see the sights of LA from the 20's. Sometimes it is sad to see that some of these locations are gone, where the building of freeways have necessitated the removal of whole city blocks. If I ever get to visit LA I know that this book will be going with me.
Wow, what a great film history book.......2002-06-28
John Bengtson has done something so simple yet so essential to film history. If you live in LA the book will have a greater meaning. If not you can marvel at the almost film-archeological work Bengston has done in finding the exact places the great Buster Keaton filmed some of his best films.
Book Description
This encyclopedic look at America's most famous and infamous pop culture events includes historical information on more than 600 landmarks and their exact locations. Sites include the Hollywood Boulevard beauty salon where Marilyn Monroe first dyed her hair blonde, the prison used in the Shawshank Redemption, and the birthplace of the hot fudge sundae. Special sidebar sections are dedicated to Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Ernest Hemingway, Bonnie and Clyde, Alfred Hitchcock, and more. An amazing portrait of the bizarre, shocking, weird, and wonderful moments that have come to define American culture, this follow-up to the acclaimed James Dean Died Here continues to uncover the unseemly and beautiful in the American landscape.
Customer Reviews:
Need More? More Locations Of America's Pop Icons...........2006-08-17
Need a book giving you more places to look for on your journeys across the USA? Well, this is a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed this addition and it just adds more onto the original. If you liked the 1st one, then you'll love this one.
Enjoy!
Interesting Locales, Volume Two.......2006-03-26
This follow-up volume to Epting's earlier "James Dean Died Here" is every bit as interesting, although the sites he singles out seem a little less (in)famous than those in the first book. Read this (and James Dean Died Here) if you'd ever like to spice up your road trips by physically connecting to the scenes of some noteworthy pop culture events. Even if you don't visit these places, this is still a fun read.
Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here.......2005-07-19
With a title like that, who wouldn't open the cover of this book to see what is inside ? Another great, (James Dean Died Here), by Chris Epting. Who would have thought that another book would be just as great as the first ? If you are interested in pop culture, then this is a must have. See where, when, why, and how it happened. With a brief summary, address, and photograph of most, you'll have no problem locating that favorite spot of yours, whether it happened in the movies, real life, in sports, or in crime. A nice addition to the historian's library.
Fun look for history off the beaten path.......2004-07-05
Epting showed us where to find those places read about or seen in the movies, or on TV with his first boo "James Dean Died Here." In "Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here" he's back for another round of our cultural history, the book is not as rich as his first one. Sometimes it feels as if he's being forced to scrape the barrel a bit more for his landmarks. There are still a lot of fascinating places to be found and visited, but his first book used most of his 1st string material, so here he is often forced to revisit movies and events, and find the *other* places that might not be so important or known. As others have said, one would like to have more pictures, but a number of the places visited this time can't have pictures - the site is gone, or are a bit more generic. Would the listing for the hospital where the first test tube twins were born be a better listing if there was a picture of the building? I think not.
That said, the book is still a great trip along memory lane. Finding places where the famous and infamous met their end (there's a great section on the end of many of the gangsters we have heard about) or the building we saw in the movies, or every week on TV. Epting also is very good at noting what places are private, helping to try and prevent the curious trespassing. For those with a literary leaning, many of our famous authors are put in the locations where they produced their masterpieces. It's the kind of book you toss into the car for a road trip, or leave out on the coffee table for a conversation starter. The two volumes make an indispensable set for any fan of popular culture and the offbeat.
Great Conversation.......2004-06-05
"Marylin Monroe Dyed Here" is one of those books that spawn great conversations. For those of you that own or have read Epting's first book, "James Dean Died Here" you know exactly what I'm talking about. It is FILLED with all kinds of killer facts and locations where historical Pop-Culture events took place. For instance, did you know the community park where "Bad News Bears" was shot, was actually built for the movie? Or do you know the location where the Rolling Stones recorded "Satisfaction" or "Paint it Black"? Or the fact that the opening for the show "Three's Company" was shot on the Santa Monica boardwalk? There are tons of facts from movies and music, to celebrations and murders!
You'll be amazed with all the information you'll find in this book (not to mention the cool cover design). And no matter where you live, there is probably an event that took place in your town which makes it relevant to practically everybody living in the United States. This book has facts which go back hundreds of years all the way up to stuff that happened last year. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Pop-Culture. It is a MUST HAVE!
Book Description
This book offers 18 of the best walking tours you'd ever want to take of the greatest venues of movie scenes in New York City. In one volume, Katz updates the two best-selling Limelight Editions guidebooks, Manhattan on Film and Manhattan on Film 2 to include films released over the past six years as well as changes to New York City neighborhoods, especially lower Manhattan. Each tour is illustrated with photos from each film shot along its route and includes maps and travel tips. No tour takes more than two hours. A list of the films, with page references, provides an easy guide for those who want to quickly look up their favorite movies.
Customer Reviews:
Great for out of town friends and family.......2004-06-10
Whenever acquaintances from outside the New York City area come in for a visit, they usually tell me: "Show me New York, but not the tourist traps." I tell them, "With pleasure." This book provides my people with an interesting activity which they heartily enjoy. "Manhattan on Film: Walking Tours of Hollywood's Fabled Front Lot" by Chuck Katz is a great concept and, for the most part, represents a wide range of films. I understand there will be omissions, and many of the sets have long since been demolished, but there is still plenty to choose from. And for us New Yorkers, takes a little bit of the tourism off our shoulders.
Hollywood in Your Backyard.......2004-03-24
Manhattan on Film is a collection of thirteen walking tours that take you to New York City locations and sites used in some of Hollywood's most popular films. Each tour is set up by neighborhood and designed to take no more than two hours. Each section starts with a brief neighborhood description, has an easy-to-follow map, has clear transportation instructions to get you to your starting point, and includes concise directions that take you to each location. You can also take a quick peek at the movie index to find out where your favorite film has been shot.
Katz's book hits on all levels. General walking tour enthusiasts will find this guide a refreshing and excellent alternative to the standard, traditional guides. Tourists and visitors (Katz says that Israeli cabinet members are big fans of his book) to the city will get the feeling that they've tapped into a secret side of the city, somehow escaping the same old tourist itineraries. At the same time, ardent film fans will appreciate the trivia factoids and the concise capsules describing famous scenes that easily evoke an, "Oh yeah, I remember that!"
A wonderful find for any film fan, resident New Yorker, or visitor to the city.
Manhattan on Film.......2001-03-02
Chuck Katz's Walking Tours is an enchanting way to see New York. It's fun, light and humorous. I was charmed and delighted with my tour. A past resident and current occasional visitor to New York, I relived some of my favorite movie scenes and felt a part of them at the same time. If you're a New Yorker, you'll never see the places you visit on the tour without feeling a little nostalgia. If you're a visitor, each time you see a New York movie scene, you'll relive your New York visit. It's really great fun! I highly recommend this clever, witty, well written, and entertaining book.
A unique look at the city as movie set.......2000-04-25
The author has put together a wonderful collection of places in New York where famous movie scenes were filmed. The photos and other graphics are terrific, the writing is witty and to the point, and there are enough reminders about the scenes to jog your memory. This reviewer also appreciated the travel guide size of the book; easy to carry with you as you work your way from one movie memory to another.
A unique look at the city as movie set.......2000-04-25
The author has put together a wonderful collection of places in New York where famous movie scenes were filmed. The photos and other graphics are terrific, the writing is witty and to the point, and there are enough reminders about the scenes to jog your memory. This reviewer also appreciated the travel guide size of the book; easy to carry with you as you work your way from one movie memory to another.
Books:
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Gift Set
- The Metamorphosis (Norton Critical Editions)
- The Old Man and The Sea
- The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Barnes & Noble Classics)
- The Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English (Pure Gold Classic) (Pure Gold Classics)
- The Plague
- The Power and the Glory (Penguin Classics)
- The Quiet American (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
- The Razor's Edge
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