Refocus: The Films of Paul Schrader - Paperback

by Michelle E. Moore (Editor), Brian Brems (Editor)

Offers the first comprehensive academic text to explore Paul Schrader's film career through analysis of his directing, screenwriting, and film criticism

• Contains a chapter-length interview, in which Schrader examines the arc of his career for the first time and revises previous statements about filmmaking and film criticism
• Provides a valuable update to previous texts on Schrader
• Considers Schrader's overlooked films and provides new insight into their connections with Schrader's better known films
• Contains chapters on Schrader's work since 2008, the publication date of the last book on his filmmaking

Paul Schrader's unique relationship to the role of the author (as screenwriter, director and critic) has long informed his cinema, and raises complicated questions about the definition of the auteur. This volume of essays - one of the first collections to assess Schrader's contributions to directing, screenwriting and criticism - includes the first original appraisals of his much-lauded masterpiece First Reformed (2017), as well as a chapter-length interview with Schrader himself, conducted by the editors.

Providing a comprehensive exploration of his groundbreaking achievements in cinema, the book considers Schrader's more overlooked films and provides new insights to their connection with his celebrated work in direction and screenwriting such as Taxi Driver (1976), Cat People (1982) and The Comfort of Strangers (1990).

Back Jacket

'As a filmmaker and as an essayist, Paul Schrader has always been focused on the life of spirit, often under the most debased conditions and shocking circumstances. That focus, as a writer and as a director, has resulted in several truly remarkable pictures. We've worked together on and off throughout the better part of our lives. It hasn't always been easy, but it has always been fruitful and, quite often, revelatory. Truly, I don't know where the art of cinema would be without his work, his mind, and his presence. This collection is a just and illuminating tribute to the work of a very important artist.' Martin Scorsese 'Paul Schrader stands almost alone as an American who has made significant contributions as screenwriter, director and film critic. This book is the first to provide an in depth study that interlaces these three aspects of Schrader's lifetime of work in film. Here is fascinating reading about an important filmmaker.' Robert K. Johnston, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena 'This anthology uses the occasion of the director's renewed popularity to make connections between his early successes and his more recent projects. It will be useful both to those new to Schrader's work and those seeking to better understand how particular films fit within his overall filmography.' Kenneth R. Morefield, Professor of English, Campbell University Paul Schrader's unique relationship to the role of the author (as screenwriter, director and critic) has long informed his cinema, and raises complicated questions about the definition of the auteur. This volume of essays includes the first original appraisals of his much-lauded masterpiece First Reformed (2017), as well as a chapter-length interview with Schrader himself, conducted by the editors. Michelle E. Moore PhD is Professor of English at the College of DuPage. Brian Brems is an Associate Professor of English at the College of DuPage. Cover image: Paul Schrader, 2018 (c) Matthew Scott Granger/Redux Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-6203-7 Barcode

Author Biography

Michelle Moore PhD is Professor of English at the College of DuPage.

Brian Brems is Associate Professor of English at the College of DuPage and Director of Development at the Limelight Theatre Company