Showstoppers: Busby Berkeley and the Tradition of Spectacle »

Martin Rubin was Film Program Director of New York Cultural Center and an Associate Director of the San Francisco Film Festival. He has taught at the State University of New York at Purchase, Wright State University, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. His articles on film have appeared in the Villiage Voice, Movie, Film Comment, Persistence of Vision, and Velvet Light Trap.

With lively prose and engaging photographs, Showstoppers explores new ways of looking at Busby Berkeley, at the musical genre, and at individual films.

Booknews

A discerning look at Berkeley's art and craft, drawing on historical research as well as formal analysis to place his work in the context of musical theater and cinema. Illustrated with numerous b&w stills. Includes a filmography. The horizontal format (10.25x7.25") has visual appeal, but makes the book a little clumsy to handle. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)