Refocus: The Films of William Wyler

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 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. As one of Hollywood‘s early immigrant artists, Wyler‘s work also speaks to the foreign influence on classic Hollywood. Yet despite his awards and commercial success, artistic recognition has mostly eluded him. ReFocus: The Films of William Wyler analyzes this paradox and seeks to contextualize and theorize selections from Wyler‘s canon, and his relationship to American cinematic history and culture. This collection has gathered contributions from international authors of diverse backgrounds, and differing perspectives to provide a comprehensive discussion of Wyler and his work. John M. Price has a PhD in Film and Literature and previously taught English at Northern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He has over twenty years of experience as a producer, director, scriptwriter, and lighting director, working on award-winning film and television productions. He has also contributed to several journals and edited collections including: The Performativity of Villainy and Evil in Anglophone Literature and Media (2021), Critical Insights: Alfred Hitchcock (2017), Jonathan Swift and Philosophy (2017), Poli-Femo: Letteratura e Arti (2016), and Literature/Film Quarterly (2019).