Mourning Films
A Critical Study of Loss and Grieving in Cinema
Published on 13. September 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
220 pages
978-0-7864-6699-3 (ISBN)
Description
The first in-depth study of its subject, this book seeks to account for a type of modernist film that revolves around bereavement. Identifying the roots of the genre in classical melodrama and horror cinema, and tracing perennial themes and aesthetic devices through to the European and American "intellectual melodramas" of the postwar decades, the book provides a taxonomy of characteristics.
In the course of detailed case studies, the book deploys the film theory of Gilles Deleuze and Daniel Frampton while making use of Freudian psychoanalysis and present-day grief counseling theory. In making its case for the new genre, the book reflects upon the ways in which the very notion of genre has, in the post-classical period, responded to changing exhibition patterns, the rise of domestic spectatorship and the proliferation of Web-based film literature.
In the course of detailed case studies, the book deploys the film theory of Gilles Deleuze and Daniel Frampton while making use of Freudian psychoanalysis and present-day grief counseling theory. In making its case for the new genre, the book reflects upon the ways in which the very notion of genre has, in the post-classical period, responded to changing exhibition patterns, the rise of domestic spectatorship and the proliferation of Web-based film literature.
Reviews / Votes
"This is work of very high quality indeed. It makes an important and original contribution to the discipline of film studies as well as to wider, psychological, approaches to cultural texts. Armstrong's knowledge and understanding of film history and theory, and his remarkable skills in film analysis and interpretation, too, shine out on every page of this book. It was a pleasure, albeit often a poignant one, to read it."-Catherine Grant, senior lecturer in Film Studies, School of Media, Film and Music, University of Sussex, United Kingdom; "This lyrical, elegant book takes us into the heartland of a cinema of mourning. Richard Armstrong writes with feeling and grace about the capacity of the moving image to make grief visible."-Emma Wilson, professor, Cambridge University.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
18 photos, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
368 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-6699-3 (9780786466993)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Richard Armstrong teaches film studies at Cambridge University and is an associate tutor affiliated with the British Film Institute. He lives in Warwickshire, United Kingdom.
Content
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. Manifestation
Chapter 2. Realization
Chapter 3. Acceptance
Chapter 4. Release
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. Manifestation
Chapter 2. Realization
Chapter 3. Acceptance
Chapter 4. Release
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index