Books by Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward charts the career of Simone Signoret, one of the great French actresses of the 20th century.

Explores a diverse range of films including Guitry's "Napoleon" (1955), Vernay's "Le Comte de Monte Cristo" (1953), and Le Chanois' "Les Miserables" (1958) to expose the political cultural paradox between nostalgia for a lost past and the drive for modernization.

"Les Diaboliques" was a top grossing film in 1955. The author sets "Les Diaboliques" against the political culture of its time, and demonstrates the importance of Clouzot as a master of the thriller genre. She gives an in-depth textual analysis of the film, and presents a comparison with its US remake.

Luc Besson is considered one of the hottest international properties to emerge from the new wave of French film directors in the 1980s. This is a study of Besson's film-making career to date, placing the films within their socio-historical and political context.