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A new serial book ~
Topic Started: Sep 25 2016, 02:54 AM (737 Views)
Sgt King
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I do not have this book yet but it certainly looks like a winner: Matinee Melodrama: Playing with Formula in the Sound Serial, published in February 2016 delves into the genre of adventure serials as a distinct art form, unwrapping its different elements and what makes adventure serials so successful. The earliest forms of this genre, including before Batman, Flash Gordon, or the Lone Ranger had their own TV shows, laid the groundwork for today’s blockbusters like, Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
As the first book about the adventure serial, Matinee Melodrama examines the nature of suspense, the aesthetics of action, and the potentials of formulaic narrative, while giving readers the opportunity to analyze everything from Zorro’s Fighting Legion to Daredevils of the Red Circle.
If anyone gets this book, please critique it here.

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The Batman
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So far, the only review of said tome on GoodReads:

Higgins offers the first scholarly study of one of classical Hollywood's lucrative products; that of the film serial, a product that has long been overlooked in film studies. Using a combination of David Bordwell's theory of poetics and game theory Higgins analyzes how these films created their own unique formula for storytelling that engaged young and older spectators alike. Written in a manner free of academic jargon and convoluted structure, Higgins' study should elicit further investigations of these films by scholars who might consider their cultural/social importance, branding, use of paratexts, and further discuss the films influence on the narrative models of television, comics, and contemporary spectacle driven Hollywood films. Higgins' intellectual curiosity and passion for these often forgotten films is present on every page and in reading his study it made me want to go back and rematch many of the serial films that I watched on TCM and AMC as a child and a young adult.

Kids...they're so cute.


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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John Doe
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Been meaning to reply on this for a while.

I got Higgins book shortly after it came out and thought it was very good, but somewhat bloated in regards to the connections to game theory. The book does have a really well written analysis of serial to feature film comparisons, and a lot on serial chapter structure. He usually cites elements of Daredevils of the Red Circle as his example to illustrate the point being made.

There are some places where the author draws comparisons to video games! Clearly he has several hobbies and is trying to draw them together at points, but those comparisons come across as and are tenuous. Despite that I'd recommend the book. You can preview a good chunk of it on google books:

https://books.google.com/books?id=0T55CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=serials+book+matinee+memories&source=bl&ots=mPBtekjPaD&sig=UiWdETDuep36wxiAUvKBirAhrYc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwtpP_-vjRAhVp0YMKHXqrBDoQ6AEIPjAH#v=onepage&q&f=false

If you aren't sure you want to buy it, I'd just get it from your local library.
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The Batman
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Anyone else tried this one yet? John, did you mention this book in the Serial Book thread? Helps remind me to add it.

Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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John Doe
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The Batman
Apr 4 2017, 05:53 AM
Anyone else tried this one yet? John, did you mention this book in the Serial Book thread? Helps remind me to add it.

Yes its been mentioned I the other thread.

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The Batman
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Thanks! I've made a few more additions today, and all will be added.



Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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John Doe
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Here is a review of this book that was published in Film Quarterly:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rhq23fquk2ypogm/Film%20Quarterly%20Vol.%2070%20%20No.%202%2C%20%20Winter%202016%20%28pp.%20106-107%29%20review%20Matinee%20Melodrama%20book.pdf?dl=0

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The Batman
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Finished the book yesterday and really enjoyed it. A nice analysis of the serial and it's place in film history. Highly recommended.


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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