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Distributed for Intellect Ltd

Rosebud Sleds and Horses’ Heads

50 of Film’s Most Evocative Objects - An Illustrated Journey

Illustrated by Charlie Marshall, David McMillan, and Jayde Perkin

Distributed for Intellect Ltd

Rosebud Sleds and Horses’ Heads

50 of Film’s Most Evocative Objects - An Illustrated Journey

Illustrated by Charlie Marshall, David McMillan, and Jayde Perkin
Dorothy’s ruby slippers. Michael Myers’s mask. Marilyn Monroe’s billowy white dress. Indiana Jones’s trusty hat. These objects are icons of popular culture synonymous with the films they appear in, and, at long last, a book has come along that sorts and chronicles fifty of them.

Rosebud Sleds and Horses’ Heads
presents incisive discussion of fifty of the most significant objects in cinema history and explores their importance within their films and within the popular imagination. With original full color illustrations, this book surveys objects from a range of genres, from the birth of cinema to the present day.

Curated and written by a prominent film critic who routinely writes for some of the leading publications in the English language, as well as broadcasts for the BBC, Rosebud Sleds and Horses’ Heads is the only book of its kind. With a fascinating, original, and instantly understandable concept, it will find grateful audiences in film buffs around the world.

128 pages | 50 color plates | 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2013

Film Studies


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Reviews

"A wonderful book, as essential as it is entertaining."

Elizabeth Weitzman, film critic, New York Daily News

"A lovely, imaginative book… elegant, original, and lit with insights. A pleasure for everyone from film buffs to fans who want to know where to begin. Highly recommended."

Sarah Churchwell, BBC Review Show panelist

“A sparkling assessment of some of cinema’s most iconic inanimate stars.”

Robbie Collin, chief film critic, Daily Telegraph

Rosebud Sleds and Horses’ Heads weds the sophisticated visual dreaminess of some great children’s books to the prose of an unusually smooth scholar. Scott Jordan Harris isn’t speaking for the objects. The objects are speaking through him.”

Wesley Morris, Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, Boston Globe

"All fifty objects contain lovely descriptions that read more like journal entries than ’movie trivia’, moving forward page after page one can almost see Harris as a kid during those chilly New Year’s Eves, dozing off slowly, imagining all the pleasures the movies would bring to him in years to come, like little Ralphie Parker from A Christmas Story dreaming of his precious Red Ryder bb gun."

PopMatters

Table of Contents

Introduction

      Scott Jordan Harris

The Objects:

The Clock on the Skyscraper in “Safety Last!” (1923)

The Baby Carriage on the Steps in “Battleship Potemkin” (1925)

Maria the Robot in “Metropolis” (1927)

The Ruby Slippers in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

The Floating Globe in “The Great Dictator” (1940)

The Maltese Falcon in “The Maltese Falcon” (1941)

The Rosebud Sled in “Citizen Kane” (1941)

The Letters of Transit in “Casablanca” (1942)

The Portrait of Laura Hunt in “Laura” (1944)

Harold Russell’s Metal Hands in “The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

The Escalator between Heaven and Earth in “A Matter of Life and Death” (1946)

The Camera with a Telescopic Lens in “Rear Window” (1954)

Marilyn Monroe’s White Dress in “The Seven Year Itch” (1955)

The Red Balloon in “The Red Balloon” (1956)

The Bridge on the River Kwai in “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957)

The Chess Set in “The Seventh Seal” (1957)

Apu’s Manuscript in “The World of Apu” (1959)

Mrs. Robinson’s Stockings in “The Graduate” (1967)

The Cosmic Cup of Coffee in “ Two or Three Things I Know About Her” (1967)

The Alien Monolith in “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)

The Harmonica in “Once Upon A Time in the West” (1968)

Rooster Cogburn’s Eye Patch in “True Grit” (1969)

The .44 Magnum in “Dirty Harry” (1971)

Charlie’s Golden Ticket in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971)

The Horse’s Head in “The Godfather” (1972)

The Golden Gun in “The Man with the Golden Gun” (1974)

The Two-Headed Coin in “Sholay” (1975)

Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber in “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” (1977)

Michael Myers’s Mask in “Halloween” (1978)

Kermit the Frog’s Bicycle in “The Muppet Movie” (1979)

The Starship Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979)

The Discarded Coke Bottle in “The Gods Must Be Crazy” (1980)

Jake LaMotta’s Title Belt in “Raging Bull” (1980)

Indiana Jones’s Hat in the “Indiana Jones” films (1981-2008)

The Red Ryder BB Gun in “A Christmas Story” (1983)

The Wafer-Thin Mint in “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” (1983)

Marty McFly’s Hoverboard in “Back to the Future Part II” (1989)

Christy Brown’s Wheelchair in “My Left Foot” (1989)

Jack Gable’s Typewriter in “Delirious” (1991)

The Little Girl’s Red Coat in “Schindler’s List” (1993)

The Briefcase in “Pulp Fiction” (1994)

Sheriff Woody in “Toy Story” (1995)

‘The Worst Toilet in Scotland’ in “Trainspotting” (1996)

Dirk Diggler’s (Prosthetic) Penis in “Boogie Nights” (1997)

The Neuralyzer in “Men in Black” (1997)

The White Plastic Bag in “American Beauty” (1999)

The Red Pill and the Blue Pill in “The Matrix” (1999)

The One Ring in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy (2001-2003)

The Batmobile in “Batman Begins” (Christopher Nolan, 2005)

Ryan Bingham’s Backpack in “Up in the Air” (2009)

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