In Reality Transformed Irving Singer offers a new approach to the philosophy of film. Returning to the classical debate between realists and formalists, he shows how the opposing positions may be harmonized and united. He accepts the realist claim that films somehow "capture" reality, but agrees with the formalist belief that they transform it. Extending his earlier work on meaning in art and life, he suggests that the meaningfulness of movies derives...

Filmmaker and theoretician Jean Epstein profoundly influenced film practice, criticism and reception in France during the 1920s and well beyond. His work not only forms the crux of the debates of his time, but also remains key to understanding later developments in film practice and theory. Epstein's film criticism is among the most wide-ranging, provocative and poetic writing about cinema and his often breathtaking films offer insights into cinema...

Hitchcock's work through his recurring motifs.

"Transfigurations: Violence, Death and Masculinity in American Cinema suggests a fundamental rethinking of the notion of violence in Hollywood cinema, and discloses the methodological and theoretical inadequacies of a series of common approaches to screen violence. More specifically, the book challenges the traditional understanding of the concept of memesis with regard to film fiction in general and film violence in particular. Transfigurations deconstructs...

A lawyer's life and marriage take an unexpected turn when he follows a woman to a dance studio where he begins to take lessons and finds he has a passion for dance. His wife thinks he is having an affair and hires a detective to follow him.

When her mother suddenly dies, Sara must abandon her plans to become a ballerina and join her estranged father on Chicago's gritty South side. She feels out of place until she is befriended by a black classmate and her handsome brother, Derek. Sara and Derek's shared love for dance leads to romance-- and opposition from their families and friends.

The timeless struggle is portrayed between innocent pleasure and rigid morality, when city-boy Ren McCormick finds himself in an uptight Midwestern town where dancing, and therefore all youthful joy, has been banned. Ren revolts with best friend Willard and the minister's daughter.

Eleven different people from different backgrounds in Mexico City have only one thing in common, dancing. Despite living under the most difficult circumstances, this common interest gives them dignity, identity and a focal point for living.

Special features: audio commentaries; interviews; music videos; theatrical trailer; interview with Jennifer Grey and her screen test.

City-boy Ren McCormick finds he has been moved into an uptight Midwestern town where the local officials have banned dancing and rock 'n roll music. Ren revolts with his best friend Willard and the minister's daughter. A timeless struggle between innocent teenage pleasures and adults needs for rigid morality.