Books in the Refocus: The American Directors series

This collection focuses both on the films Elaine May has directed, and also emphasises her work with other high profile collaborators such as John Cassavetes, Warren Beatty and Otto Preminger.

'Academicising elusive Elaine May and her unruly improvs risks landing one in an imaginary Nichols-May routine, but this lively collection fearlessly takes the plunge. Watching the resourceful, mainly Australian contributors confirm or contradict one another as much as any of May's mutually entangled duos is only part of the fun.' Jonathan Rosenbaum, author of Cinematic Encounters Spanning from obscurity to notoriety, the films of director, screenwriter, actor and comic Elaine May have recently seen a long-overdue renaissance. Although she made only four films - A New Leaf (1971), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Mikey and Nicky (1976) and Ishtar (1987) - and never reached the level of acclaim of her frequent collaborator Mike Nichols, May's work is as enigmatic, sophisticated and unceasingly fascinating as her own complicated, reluctant star persona. This collection focuses on the films she has directed and emphasises her work with other high-profile collaborators such as John Cassavetes, Warren Beatty and Otto Preminger. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is an Australian film critic. She has written six books on cult film with a focus on gender politics, and has published in a variety of magazines, journals and edited collections. Dean Brandum gained his PhD at Deakin University and has taught at a number of universities in Melbourne. Cover image: Elaine May directing A New Leaf, 1971 (c) Photofest Cover design: Stuart Dalziel [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-4018-9 Barcode

'This collection of essays makes the case for Albert Brooks's multi-faceted significance as a pioneer of meta-comedy, a satirist of baby-boomer complicity, and a prophet of fail culture. America has spent the last half-century trailing Brooks. This book catches up with him.' Robert J. King, Columbia University This is the first sustained critical collection on Albert Brooks, one of the key but under-examined figures in American stand-up, television comedy and Hollywood film comedy. Analysing every film written and directed by Albert Brooks, including Real Life (1979), Modern Romance (1981) and Lost in America (1985), as well as a number of his acting and voice-over roles, his stand-up comedy albums, talk show appearances and writing, the book argues that Albert Brooks not only merits a wider viewership, both critical and popular, but also that his career offers a useful lens through which to understand American film and culture since the late 1960s. Christian B. Long works in the Graduate School at the University of Queensland. Cover image: Albert Brooks and Bruno Kirby in Modern Romance, 1981, directed by Albert Brooks. Columbia Pictures/Photofest (c) Columbia Pictures Cover design: Stuart Dalziel [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-3425-6 Barcode