Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Fragments of the Home Front 1. The Madonna of the Backyard: Simone Simon and Ann Carter in The Curse of the Cat People 2. The Power of the Minor Actor: Skelton Knaggs in The Ghost Ship 3. Stillness and Recollection: Darby Jones in I Walked with a Zombie 4. This Pretty World: Glenn Vernon in Bedlam Notes Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author

Alexander Nemerov, Vincent Scully Professor of the History of Art at Yale University, is author of The Body of Raphaelle Peale: Still Life and Selfhood, 1812-1824 (California, 2001) and Frederic Remington and Turn-of-the-Century America (1995).

Reviews

"This is cultural history at its best. The author's vivid engagement with his material reveals Val Lewton in a bracing new light. Nemerov teases out relationships between film and society with supple writing, imagination, and skill. A critical tour de force." - David M. Lubin, author of Shooting Kennedy "Icons of Grief is a brilliantly conceived and successfully executed filmmaker study. Nemerov's research is dazzling, as are his highly sophisticated analyses. At every turn, he reveals his deep understanding of cinema. This is an exquisitely crafted book." - Scott Bukatman, author of Terminal Identity"