This study considers the locus of the breathing body in the film experience and its implications for the study of embodiment in film and sensuous spectatorship.

A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020 Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR “A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe—and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe. Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is. Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.

A stimulating overview of the intellectual arguments and critical debates involved in the study of British and Irish cinemas British and Irish film studies have expanded in scope and depth in recent years, prompting a growing number of critical debates on how these cinemas are analysed, contextualized, and understood. A Companion to British and Irish Cinema addresses arguments surrounding film historiography, methods of textual analysis, critical judgments, and the social and economic contexts that are central to the study of these cinemas. Twenty-nine essays from many of the most prominent writers in the field examine how British and Irish cinema have been discussed, the concepts and methods used to interpret and understand British and Irish films, and the defining issues and debates at the heart of British and Irish cinema studies. Offering a broad scope of commentary, the Companion explores historical, cultural and aesthetic questions that encompass over a century of British and Irish film studies—from the early years of the silent era to the present-day. Divided into five sections, the Companion discusses the social and cultural forces shaping British and Irish cinema during different periods, the contexts in which films are produced, distributed and exhibited, the genres and styles that have been adopted by British and Irish films, issues of representation and identity, and debates on concepts of national cinema at a time when ideas of what constitutes both ‘British’ and ‘Irish’ cinema are under question. A Companion to British and Irish Cinema is a valuable and timely resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of film, media, and cultural studies, and for those seeking contemporary commentary on the cinemas of Britain and Ireland.

Slow Places in Béla Tarr’s Films explores Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr’s approach to creating geographies of indifference through slow cinema techniques. Through a close examination of Tarr’s filmography, Clara Orban observes that his interiors provide claustrophobic environments in which human relationships have difficult flourishing, while his exteriors become landscapes through which characters wander endlessly. Furthermore, Orban argues, Tarr’s sparse use of animals provides contrast to the humans who inhabit these spaces, as they, too, are indifferent to humans’ fates. Orban utilizes close readings of Tarr’s films—including his earlier short films—along with relevant poems, a thorough filmography, and an interview with Tarr about aspects of this book to aid in her analysis. Ultimately, this book offers an accessible but detailed look at the geographic locations and ecological implications of the entire compendium of Tarr’s productions.

In the modern world, digital communication presents a dual role of advantage and challenge. The surge in social media platforms and technological innovations has revolutionized interpersonal interaction, information accessibility, and communication methods. Nonetheless, this intricate landscape poses significant obstacles for scholars, researchers, and students across diverse domains. The infusion of social media into realms such as communication science, advertising, and public relations underscores the need for authoritative resources that can illuminate current trends and future projections in digital communication. Moreover, given the dynamic nature of digital technologies and social media platforms, continuous and pertinent research is imperative to fathom their societal impact and communication implications. Offering a definitive solution to the challenges presented by the digital communication revolution, Advancements in Socialized and Digital Media Communications, edited by Ebru Gülbu? Erol and Michael Kuyucu, emerges as a pivotal work. This book provides a comprehensive compilation of both empirical and theoretical insights, spanning a spectrum of digital communication facets. Encompassing disciplines like public relations, journalism, marketing, cinema, and radio television, the book equips researchers, academics, and students with comprehensive perspectives, research findings, comparative analyses, and in-depth case studies. Addressing a diverse audience, from seasoned scholars to curious professionals and the public, the book's thought-provoking chapters traverse social networks, digital radio, video-sharing platforms, advertising, and reputation management, offering a well-rounded grasp of digital communication's intricacies. By delivering up-to-date and extensive explorations of digital media and communication, this book empowers readers to navigate the complexities of this swiftly evolving realm.

First published in 1971, Drama and the Theatre with Radio, Film and Television is concerned with the nature of theatre as a subject for study and the ways of studying it. All its contributors have practical experience of staging plays for professional or student companies, or for both. Necessarily, attention is chiefly focused on the main elements of plays in performance in theatres, now and in the past. The chosen topics place more specialized studies in a wider context, because such a book as this needs, above all, to give an impression of general scope. It is intended for those aiming for a theatre career and for young students interested in theatre.

In this book, Tarja Laine provides insights into how traumatic cinema invites profound affective engagement with the pathology of memory that lies at the heart of trauma. The author reveals that traumatic cinema communicates the inability to process a traumatic event by means of its aesthetic specificity as a time-based medium.