Books by Lester D. Friedman

Provides a systematic analysis of the various genres in which Steven Spielberg has worked, including science fiction, adventure, race films, and war films. This work concludes that Spielberg's films present a sustained artistic vision combined with a technical flair matched by few other filmmakers.

Describes the traditional formulas that have made sports movies such crowd-pleasers, including stock figures like the disgraced athlete on a quest for redemption, or the wise old coaches who help mentor the heroes to victory. Lester Friedman also explores how the genre's attitudes have changed over time.

Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) changed American cinema, reinvigorating the gangster genre with European, New Wave techniques and radically candid view of sex and violence.