Books by Douglas Brode

FROM HELL TO HOLLYWOOD: An Encyclopedia of Warld War II Films offers the most comprehensive illustrated guide ever assembled for theatrical motion-pictures, English-language and international, dealing with the conflict that consumed America and the globe during the mid-20th century. Though United States official involvement did not begin until December, 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan’s imperial air force, early battles and other precipitous moments, which led to legendary conflicts in Europe and the Pacific, can be traced back through the better part of a decade, many deriving from the unsatisfactory treaties that ended the initial Great War. This book also addresses WWII’s aftermath in America, Asia, and Europe, as varied filmmakers have portrayed that difficult period.In a unique approach to this complex, broad subject, specific films are grouped according to unifying themes that involve varied aspects of ‘The Big Picture.’ These range from training of civilians for a new, updated state-of-the-art armed forces to the impact of warfare on the development of commercial flight, also the unique roles played by spies, People’s Armies, and other misunderstood aspects of the war as writers and directors perceived them then, as well as more recent Revisionist portrayals.Included are hundreds of vivid photos, many never before printed in book form. This work is so immense that it had to be presented in two inter-dependent volumes—a first for Bear Manor Media!  This is volume 2 of 2.DOUGLAS BRODE is a screenwriter, novelist, graphic novelist, produced playwright, multi-award winning journalist, and multi-award winning educator. He created and taught the Film Classics program for The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University until his retirement. Now Brode concentrates on turning out further books, both fiction and non-fiction. These include Deadlier Than the Male: Femme Fatales in 1960s and 1970s Cinema for Bear Manor Media. 

FROM HELL TO HOLLYWOOD: An Encyclopedia of Warld War II Films offers the most comprehensive illustrated guide ever assembled for theatrical motion-pictures, English-language and international, dealing with the conflict that consumed America and the globe during the mid-20th century. Though United States official involvement did not begin until December, 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan’s imperial air force, early battles and other precipitous moments, which led to legendary conflicts in Europe and the Pacific, can be traced back through the better part of a decade, many deriving from the unsatisfactory treaties that ended the initial Great War. This book also addresses WWII’s aftermath in America, Asia, and Europe, as varied filmmakers have portrayed that difficult period.In a unique approach to this complex, broad subject, specific films are grouped according to unifying themes that involve varied aspects of ‘The Big Picture.’ These range from training of civilians for a new, updated state-of-the-art armed forces to the impact of warfare on the development of commercial flight, also the unique roles played by spies, People’s Armies, and other misunderstood aspects of the war as writers and directors perceived them then, as well as more recent Revisionist portrayals.Included are hundreds of vivid photos, many never before printed in book form. This work is so immense that it had to be presented in two inter-dependent volumes—a first for Bear Manor Media!  This is volume 2 of 2.DOUGLAS BRODE is a screenwriter, novelist, graphic novelist, produced playwright, multi-award winning journalist, and multi-award winning educator. He created and taught the Film Classics program for The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University until his retirement. Now Brode concentrates on turning out further books, both fiction and non-fiction. These include Deadlier Than the Male: Femme Fatales in 1960s and 1970s Cinema for Bear Manor Media. 

This is the HARDBACK version. THEY'LL LOVE YOU TO DEATH! James Bond's bad girls. Wicked queens of ancient myth. Bisexual vampire women. Teenage temptresses. Deadly dinosaur dames in fanciful fur bikinis. Golden princesses of porn. And many, many more. They were the wicked women of the 1960s and 1970s. While there have always been femme fatales in films, no one had ever believed anything like this pop-culture revolution could be possible, as overnight the 'new freedom of the screen' came into being. Censorship was out. Nudity was in. The golden age of the wicked woman lasted for two full decades. During that time, B-movies and exploitation flicks, as well as Hollywood A-movies and international cinema, played host to a remarkable array of deliciously deadly females who had two things in common: They were all drop dead gorgeous and they promised devoted fans "the desired death." Rich with rare photos, filled with previously unknown details from the private lives of the very real women who incarnated these fantasy femmes, here is the ultimate encyclopedia of their on- and off-screen adventures. DOUGLAS BRODE is a novelist, graphic novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and multi-award-winning journalist. He created and taught the Film Classics program at Syracuse University until his retirement in 2013.

With paradigm-shifting readings of dozens of Westerns, from Gunfight at the O.K. Corral to No Country for Old Men, this book challenges us to rethink the genre as a supposed purveyor of conservative political and religious values.

Whether you judge by box office receipts, industry awards, or critical accolades, science fiction films are the most popular movies now being produced and distributed around the world. Nor is this phenomenon new. Sci-fi filmmakers and audiences have been exploring fantastic planets, forbidden zones, and lost continents ever since George Melies' 1902 film A Trip to the Moon. In this highly entertaining and knowledgeable book, film historian and pop culture expert Douglas Brode picks the one hundred greatest sci-fi films of all time. Brode's list ranges from today's blockbusters to forgotten gems, with surprises for even the most informed fans and scholars. He presents the movies in chronological order, which effectively makes this book a concise history of the sci-fi film genre. A striking (and in many cases rare) photograph accompanies each entry, for which Brode provides a numerical rating, key credits and cast members, brief plot summary, background on the film's creation, elements of the moviemaking process, analysis of the major theme(s), and trivia. He also includes fun outtakes, including his top ten lists of Fifties sci-fi movies, cult sci-fi, least necessary movie remakes, and "e;so bad they're great"e; classics-as well as the ten worst sci-fi movies ("e;those highly ambitious films that promised much and delivered nil"e;). So climb aboard spaceship Brode and journey to strange new worlds from Metropolis (1927) to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

THEY'LL LOVE YOU TO DEATH! James Bond's bad girls. Wicked queens of ancient myth. Bisexual vampire women. Teenage temptresses. Deadly dinosaur dames in fanciful fur bikinis. Golden princesses of porn. And many, many more. They were the wicked women of the 1960s and 1970s. While there have always been femme fatales in films, no one had ever believed anything like this pop-culture revolution could be possible, as overnight the 'new freedom of the screen' came into being. Censorship was out. Nudity was in. The golden age of the wicked woman lasted for two full decades. During that time, B-movies and exploitation flicks, as well as Hollywood A-movies and international cinema, played host to a remarkable array of deliciously deadly females who had two things in common: They were all drop dead gorgeous and they promised devoted fans "the desired death." Rich with rare photos, filled with previously unknown details from the private lives of the very real women who incarnated these fantasy femmes, here is the ultimate encyclopedia of their on- and off-screen adventures. DOUGLAS BRODE is a novelist, graphic novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and multi-award-winning journalist. He created and taught the Film Classics program at Syracuse University until his retirement in 2013.

Sex, Drugs, & Rock 'n' Roll analyzes the cultural, political, and social revolution that took place in the U.S. (and in time the world) after World War II, crystalizing between 1955 and 1970. During this era, the concept of the American teenager first came into being, significantly altering the relationship between young people and adults.

An enjoyable, must-have sourcebook for fans as well as scholars, this is the first encyclopedia that covers every star and many prominent character actors in TV Westerns from the late 1940s until today.

A spirited defense of Disney entertainment which argues that Disney paved the way for today's multicultural values through its positive portrayal of women, ethnic minorities, gays, and non-Christian spirituality.

Douglas Brode overturns the idea of Disney as a middlebrow filmmaker by detailing how Disney movies played a key role in transforming children of the Eisenhower era into the radical youth of the Age of Aquarius.