Self and Society in the Films of Robert Wise

One of the most versatile Hollywood filmmmakers, Robert Wise had a number of renowned films under his directorial belt, including The Day The Earth Stood Still, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Nonetheless, Wise remains a rarely studied Hollywood figure—while many filmgoers know and love his films, few recognize his name. This book, the first in-depth analysis of Wise’s cinematic achievement, uncovers the elements that link the director’s diverse cinematic subjects and examines the ways in which tensions between individuals and their societies are explored. His films are seen from a new perspective that will heighten an appreciation for the range and depth of his overall body of work.

Justin E.A. Busch is an internationally performed and published composer and an author. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Justin E.A. Busch
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 277
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5915-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-6011-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgment      vi
Introduction: Style and Substance      1

1. Competence and Crisis      9
2. Warnings      63
3. The Social Contract Disintegrates: Born to Kill (1947)      122
4. Manufacturing Optimism: Executive Suite (1954)      151
5. Colonizing Death: The Sand Pebbles (1966)      177
6. Triads of Hope: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)      203

Chapter Notes      249
Bibliography      267
Index      269