Refocus: The Films of Lawrence Kasdan - Hardcover by Books by splitShops

Fulfilled by our friends at Books by splitShops

by Brett Davies (Author)

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I: "I'm making this up as I go" Lawrence Kasdan and Raiders of the Lost Ark

Chapter 1. Smith and Jones: Discourse Analysis of the Raiders of the Lost Ark Story Conference

Chapter 2. Visual Language in the Raiders of the Lost Ark Screenplay

Part II: Kasdan the Director: Developing Style(s)

Chapter 3. Body Heat: Heightened Style in the Neo-Noir

Chapter 4. Classical Structure in the "Perfect Ensemble" of The Big Chill

Part III: Voice of the Largest Generation

Chapter 5. Altruism and Otherness in The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist, and Grand Canyon

Chapter 6. Cowboys, Aliens, and Sixtysomethings: Age and Nostalgia in Kasdan's Later Films

Part IV: Influences, Without and Within

Chapter 7. From Noir to Kurosawa: Allusion and Homage in Lawrence Kasdan's Films

Chapter 8. Kasdan's Collaborations: Creation and Performance

Part V: A Long Time in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Chapter 9. From Star Wars to Saga: Lawrence Kasdan and The Empire Strikes Back

Chapter 10. Revenge of the Monomyth: Reclaiming the Hero's Journey in Return of the Jedi

Chapter 11. A New Hope in The Force Awakens

Chapter 12. A Changed Man: Solo and Beyond

Chapter 13. An Interview with Lawrence Kasdan

Lawrence Kasdan: Writing and Directing Credits

Filmography

Bibliography

Back Jacket

Lawrence Kasdan has created some of the most influential films in Hollywood history. He is the screenwriter of beloved blockbusters such as The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Bodyguard (1992) and The Force Awakens (2015). Simultaneously, he has gained critical acclaim as the director of pictures that dissect contemporary American society: Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), The Accidental Tourist (1988) and Grand Canyon (1991). Frequently experimenting in different genres, Kasdan's filmography defies easy classification. Taking an inclusive, interdisciplinary approach to examine all aspects of his eclectic canon, ReFocus: The Films of Lawrence Kasdan reveals a filmmaker who has helped shape modern American cinema, both through his screenplays for popular classics, and as the writer-director of films synonymous with the largest demographic in US history. Brett Davies is Associate Professor of English at Meiji University, Tokyo.

Author Biography

Brett Davies is Associate Professor of English at Meiji University, Tokyo