England in the early part of the twentieth century was rich in utopian ventures - diverse and intriguing in their scope and aims. Two world wars; an economic depression; and the emergence of fascist states in Europe were all a spur to idealists to seek new limits - to escape from the here and now; and to create sanctuaries for new and better lives.Dennis Hardy explores this fascinating history of utopian ideals; the lives of those who pursued them; and the utopian communities they created.Some communities were fired by a long tradition of land movements; others by thoughts of more humane ways of building towns. In turn there were experiments devoted to the arts; to the promotion of religious doctrine; and to a variety of political causes. And some were just places of the imagination.Utopian England is about just one episode in the perennial search for perfection; but what is revealed has lessons that extend well beyond a particular time and place. So long as there are failings in society; so long as rationality is not enough; there will continue to be a place for thinking the impossible; for going in search of utopia.
2012-12-06 2012-12-06File Name: B00AZ4RQQM
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. I am going to make this book my Bible while I make my next feature film.By Joseph Anthony HammondI have read over 150 books on film making and the best one on writing a screen play; in my humble opinion; is "Story" by Robert McKee and the best book on directing is "Directing Actors" by Judith Weston. The best book on giving you the up to date story on making your film from the trenches is "Secrets of Breaking into the Film TV Business" by Dean Silvers. Dean doesnt hit you over the head with information. He gives you advice in a nonchalant way; like a longtime friend; but you better take it like a smack to the head because if you dont and you are in the trenches yourself; you will have those big bad regrets. I have been in the trenches with one full length feature and a few shorts. Last year one of our short films was accepted at the Cannes Film Festival; so I have seen the trenches enough to know a little bit about what to expect. Everything that I have gone through; was spot on in his book; but the most important thing for me was what I learned that I didnt know before I read the book; so even though I knew something; Dean gave me much more needed ammunition to conquer all the mountains between being one of the thousands of filmmakers who are not making it to being one of the few at the top. We have a finished script for what we hope to be our breakthrough full length feature film; as we make it; Deans book will be referred to many times.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding advice and actual examples of how the advice worksBy bob-45Dean Silvers provides great advice that can be used by any aspiring film maker. While he "name drops" real celebrities; the people he names were NOT celebrities at the times that his examples take place. I have read no more valuable book for achieving success in the film industry; and my own career began to take off immediately after following some of Deans methods.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Fun Read Incorporates Modern Film and Marketing Techniques. Were Using It!By CustomerOf course; you cant really tell if a "how to" book is great until you see if the advice works for you. But Mr. Silvers lays out an approach that matches with modern film methods and marketing techniques. It made a great deal of sense to our screenwriting team. We are basing our plans going forward on the content of Secrets of Breaking into the Film TV Business. The book is allowing us to lay out strategies and guiding us in developing our narrative. The book was a "page turner" too. The anecdotes made it an entertaining read that the reader can move through quickly. I really liked having it on my mobile Kindle reader so I could highlight the points to go back to for planning purposes and find them easily. Thanks; Dean.