The Films of Amy Heckerling - Paperback

by Frances Smith (Editor), Timothy Shary (Editor)

Refocus: The Films of Amy Heckerling is the first book-length study of the work of Amy Heckerling, the phenomenally popular director and screenwriter of Clueless and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. As such, the book constitutes a significant intervention in Film Studies, prompting a reconsideration of the importance of Heckerling both in the development of Teen cinema, and as a figure in Hollywood comedy. As part of the Refocus series, the volume brings together outstanding original essays examining Heckerling's work from a variety of perspectives, including film, television and cultural studies and is destined to be used widely in undergraduate teaching.

Back Jacket

ReFocus: The American Directors Series Series Editors: Robert Singer and Gary Rhodes This series produces new critical volumes from an interdisciplinary perspective, bringing influential, yet neglected, American directors to the attention of a new audience of scholars and students in both Film Studies and American Studies. ReFocus: The Films of Amy Heckerling By Frances Smith and Timothy Shary (eds) Clueless and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are affectionately regarded as key foundations of the modern Hollywood teen movie. However, the director and screenwriter for these films, Amy Heckerling, is far from a household name, despite the major influence she has had on contemporary US cinema. The first book-length study of her films, ReFocus: The Films of Amy Heckerling brings together a collection of original essays from a wide range of critical perspectives, aiming to recuperate Heckerling's place as a distinctive female voice in the contemporary Hollywood landscape. Divided into four sections, each examining an aspect of Heckerling's work, the volume draws on research from applied linguistics and audience studies, as well as from gender and film studies. Questions of gender, genre and identity, as well as the role of women in Hollywood and the implications of Heckerling's recent turn to television, are all considered in a volume that aims to refocus on the films and influence of this unique American director. Frances Smith is a Teaching Fellow at University College London' Timothy Shary is the author of Teen Movies: American Youth on Screen (2005) and Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in American Cinema Since 1980 (2014). He is currently an Adjunct Instructor at Southern New Hampshire University's College of Online and Continuing Education. Cover image: Clueless, 1995, dir. Amy Heckerling (c) PARAMOUNT / THE KOBAL COLLECTION Cover design: Stuart Dalziel [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com

Author Biography

Frances Smith is a Teaching Fellow at University College London

Timothy Shary is Adjunct Instructor at Southern New Hampshire University's College of Online and Continuing Education.