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Twenty years after Universal horror movies, the Hammer studio brought back to life the great mythical figures inspired from British literature as well as French and European folklore (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Werewolf, the Phantom of the Opera, etc.). It invented new incarnations rooted in a precise historical context and revisited according to the evolution of British society. This independent studio constitutes a notable stage in the history of the genre between the Gothic horror of the 1930s and the more radical productions of the 1970s, which eventually contributed to its demise. Focusing on the peculiar balance between Hammer’s inventiveness and classicism, this volume mainly explores the lesser-known productions, examining as well its contradictions, paradoxes and limitations.

The book raises the question of the paradoxical modernity of films that are innovative in various respects (themes, modes of representation challenging censorship, aesthetics), but are also trying to resurrect a dying tradition, mostly offering a rather surprisingly conservative discourse despite their efforts to comply with the expectations of new audiences. The films born from the recent Hammer renaissance are still referring to this bygone Golden Age of the horror film. One may wonder whether the Hammer studio was a mere factory churning out mostly conventional horror films now buried in the dust of a gothic dungeon, or a true laboratory of modern cinematic horror whose past glory still inspires contemporary filmmakers. This volume will provide some answers and raise quite a few questions.

As the most important ancient cultural relics in prehistory, rock paintings have become a direct basis for the reproduction of human history and ideological process. Since the late 1970s, Yinshan rock paintings have been found in large quantities. In this study, 2842 Yinshan rock paintings are collected, sorted and classified systematically. The distribution characteristics of rock paintings in each area and the distribution and change rules of main rock painting types are summarized, and the staged study and age exploration are attempted. This book also places Yinshan rock paintings into the overall framework of Chinese rock paintings for analysis in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the overall characteristics and status of Yinshan rock paintings, and on this basis, preliminarily establishes the basic framework of Yinshan rock painting type distribution and chronological sequence.

Cinematic Thoughts: Essays on Film and the Philosophy of Film is an anthology of essays Gary Jason published (mainly) between 2012 and 2018. The book has seven parts. Part One consists of essays on propaganda films. The topics include how the Nazi Regime used film as a tool of propaganda, and its use of radio for propaganda. Part Two contains articles on genocide and film. These include two broad surveys of Holocaust documentaries, ranging from those that were done at the end of WWII to Claude Lanzmann’s work. Also included are pieces reviewing the five major propaganda films the Nazi Regime produced aimed at arousing anti-Semitism in the populace leading up to the Holocaust. Part Three of the anthology concerns ethical theory as explored in film. Included here are three essays surveying how egoism is portrayed in classic movies, as well as one showing how Rossian ethical theory can be used to analyze conflicts of loyalty in classic war movies, and pieces illustrating virtue ethics. Part Four includes various articles on the history of cinema. One of the topics raised was whether the American film industry produced better films under the old, allegedly "monopolistic" studio system. Part Five of the anthology contains articles on the aesthetics of film. The topics here include how creativity can be portrayed in film, and why some great actors never win Oscars. Part Six contains pieces on classical liberalism in film, and Part Seven has miscellaneous articles on topics ranging from artists to criminals.

Spanning timeframes from 1967 to 2002, Frank Gillette’s essays included in this volume are concerned with the re-enchantment of the natural order. Employing several literary styles, from spon-taneous improvisation to a version of Gregory Bateson’s metalogue, Gillette’s writings are ruminations on symbolic and metaphorical reasoning. Containing pertinent images inserted after original essays, this compilation underscores Gillette’s thinking translated into words and visual media.

Jossi Wieler ist einer der prägendsten Schauspiel- und Opernregisseure im deutschsprachigen Raum. Kreation im Dialog und tiefgründige Erkundungen eines Stoffs auf seine gesellschaftspolitische Relevanz für die Gegenwart zeichnen sein Schaffen aus. Mehrstimmig gibt der vorliegende Band Einblick in seine Arbeitsweisen, die wechselseitige Inspiration im Probenprozess und die Ethik seiner Ästhetik.

Jossi Wieler est l’un des metteurs en scène de théâtre et d’opéra les plus influents de l’espace germanophone. Son art repose sur la création en dialogue et sur une exploration des pièces et partitions à la recherche de leur pertinence pour le monde d’aujourd’hui. A plusieurs voix, cet ouvrage met en lumière sa démarche, l’inspiration mutuelle dans le processus de répétition, et l’éthique de son esthétique.

Jossi Wieler è uno dei registi teatrali e d’opera più apprezzati nel mondo germanofono. La creazione in dialogo e lo scavo nelle pièce e partiture al fine di estrapolarne la rilevanza per il presente caratterizzano il suo lavoro. A più voci, questo volume mette in luce il suo approccio, l’importanza dell’ispirazione reciproca nel processo creativo, e l’etica della sua estetica.

As one of the defining theatre and opera directors in the German-speaking world, Jossi Wieler has developed his signature style by creating ideas through dialogue and dissecting works for their socio-political relevance for present-day audiences. In this volume, a range of voices shed light on his working methods, the significance of reciprocal inspiration in the creative process and the ethics of his aesthetic.

Although Mozart’s Don Giovanni (1787) is the most analysed of all operas, Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto has rarely been studied as a work of poetry in its own right. The author argues that the libretto, rather than perpetuating the conservative religious morality implicit in the story of Don Juan, subjects our culture’s myth of human sexuality to a critical rewriting. Combining poetic close reading with approaches drawn from linguistics, psychoanalysis, anthropology, political theory, legal history, intellectual history, literary history, art history and theatrical performance analysis, she studies the Don Giovanni libretto as a radical political text of the Late Enlightenment, which has lost none of its ability to provoke. The questions it raises concerning the nature of compassion, seduction and violence, and the autonomy and responsibility of the individual, are still highly relevant for us today.

What is Transmedia?

The Transmedia Cultures companion demonstrates that transmedia, and indeed transmedia storytelling, are fundamental to the human experience of being in the world and creating the stories of who we are, both as individuals and communities. Transmedia is not just limited to the Star Wars or Harry Potter franchises nor narratives exclusive to new media platforms and devices, though both these areas will necessarily be discussed. Indeed, transmedia embraces a multiplicity of media platforms (old and new, online and offline), content expansion, and evolving forms of audience engagement.

This collection of concise, readable essays takes a holistic approach, expanding the areas of everyday life implicated in transmedia worldbuilding and the levels of immersion that they, purposely or otherwise, create. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction and historical overview, the volume explores contemporary transmedia worlds like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Walking Dead, Life is Strange and BTS Universe as well as urgent topics such as COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and human rights on the internet. User-created worlds (Magic: A Gathering) and ones that express individual identities (Queerskins) are also of particular interest.

This volume offers a fresh approach to transmedia cultures, revealing the ever-increasing levels of entanglement they have within our real lives and with those we experience in other more imaginative or creative ones, bringing into focus exactly what is at stake in the «worlds» we choose to call our own.

Seit den 1960er Jahren steigt in Europa die Zahl der jüdischen Kulturerbeprojekte. Im Gedenken an die Schoa suchen Nichtjuden die Relikte der Vergangenheit zu bewahren und lassen dabei nicht selten die gegenwärtigen jüdischen Gemeinden außer Acht. Die Autorinnen unterziehen diese Praxis des „authorized heritage" einer kritischen Betrachtung. Mit Blick auf das jüdische Kulturerbe Musik enthüllen sie vor dem Hintergrund aktueller Debatten um kulturelle Nachhaltigkeit die Gefahren von Konstruktion, kultureller Aneignung und Instrumentalisierung des Erbes. Mit der Diskussion innerjüdischer Nachhaltigkeitskonzepte, flankiert von philosophischen Thesen zum Erbe und zur Verantwortung für den Anderen, werden Denkanstöße für einen neuen, zukunftsorientierten Umgang mit jüdischem Kulturerbe gegeben.