Refocus: the Films of William Wyler

Examines the extensive and diverse oeuvre of American filmmaker William Wyler

Explores Wyler's work in connection with current themes and topics in film studies
Provides cultural and political contexts for Wyler's films, including representations of class, gender, and race
Assesses the relationship between classic Hollywood's studio system and the auteur theory and Wyler's hybrid influence on the history of cinema

In his forty-five-year career, William Wyler not only traversed the silent and the sound eras, but also connected classic Hollywood to new Hollywood." The range of his films also spans a wide spectrum of genres: from westerns to adaptations of classic literature, from crime thrillers to rom-coms, and from controversial topics to musicals. His three Oscars for Best Director are an achievement surpassed only by John Ford. His life experience as one of Hollywood's early immigrant artists also speaks to the foreign influence on classic Hollywood. Yet despite his awards and commercial success, artistic recognition has mostly eluded Wyler. This volume of the ReFocus series attempts to analyze this Wyler paradox and also seeks to contextualize and theorize selections from Wyler's canon and his relationship to American cinematic history and American culture. This collection has gathered contributions from international authors from extremely diverse backgrounds, and therefore differing perspectives on Wyler and his work.

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