Watching Human Rights
The 101 Best Films
1st Edition
Published on 30. March 2013
Book
Hardback
230 pages
978-1-61205-140-6 (ISBN)
Description
In order to be able to protect human rights, it is first necessary to see the denial of those rights. Aside from experiencing human rights violations directly, either as a victim or as an eyewitness, more than any other medium film is able to bring us closer to this aspect of the human experience. Yet, notwithstanding its importance to human rights, film has received virtually no scholarly attention and thus one of the primary goals of this book is to begin to fill this gap. From an historical perspective, human rights were not at all self-evident by reason alone, but had to gain standing through an appeal to human emotions found in novels as well as in works of moral philosophy and legal theory. Although literature continues to play an important role in the human rights project, film is able to take us that much further, by universalizing the particular experience of others different from ourselves, the viewers. Watching Human Rights analyzes more than 100 of the finest human rights films ever made-documentaries, feature films, faux documentaries, animations, and even cartoons. It will introduce the reader to a wealth of films that might otherwise remain unknown, but it also shows the human rights themes in films that all of us are familiar with.
Reviews / Votes
"Mark Gibney has not only collected 101 films that challenge us to empathize and mobilize, he has woven their plots into the larger story of the human rights movement, showing how each illustrates a part of the struggle for human dignity."-Reed Brody, Human Rights Watch
"Whether you are a film buff, a human rights scholar, or a casual observer of humanity, you will want to absorb this beautiful book. It is approachable and engaging while also frank and unblinking. Like the films in this book, Gibney succeeds in the crucial role of putting human faces on human rights."
-Niklaus Steiner, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
"Mark Gibney has compiled a wonderful list of films-both fiction and documentary-that illustrate the entire range of human rights violations, from torture to poverty to indigenous rights and beyond, with commentary that explains their relevance to international human rights law. The volume is an excellent source for teachers of human rights who want to recommend films to their students. This is a book I've wanted for years."
-Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, Wilfrid Laurier University
"Today human rights is increasingly studied and understood through images, specifically film. Yet scholars and teachers have lacked an all-in-one guide to the best films on the subject. Mark Gibney's Watching Human Rights is thus the perfect resource, as it profiles both mainstream films and lesser-known international and independent films and vividly shows how visualizing human suffering or triumph can give us deeper insight into the meaning and significance of human rights."
-Safia Swimelar, Elon University
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Inc
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
black & white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
453 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-61205-140-6 (9781612051406)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2015
Routledge
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Available for download
E-Book
11/2015
Routledge
€55.49
Available for download
Book
01/2014
1st Edition
Routledge
€63.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Mark Gibney is the Carol G. Belk Distinguished Professor in Humanities at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. He has authored numerous books and is an award-winning scholar of human rights.
Content
Introduction; Part I Feature Films; Chapter 1 Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1993); Chapter 2 The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006); Chapter 3 Missing (Costa-Gavras, 1982); Chapter 4 The Official Story (Luis Puenzo, 1985); Chapter 5 The Killing Fields (Roland JoffA (c), 1984); Chapter 6 Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 1994); Chapter 7 Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008); Chapter 8 Precious: Based on the Novel 'oePush'? by Sapphire (Lee Daniels, 2009); Chapter 9 (tie) Sometimes in April (Raoul Peck, 2005) Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, 2004); Chapter 11 Dead Man Walking (Tim Robbins, 1995); Chapter 12 The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002); Chapter 13 Journey of Hope (Xavier Koller, 1990); Chapter 14 Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969); Chapter 15 Gandhi (Richard Attenborough, 1982); Chapter 16 Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008); Chapter 17 Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008); Chapter 18 Norma Rae (Martin Ritt, 1979); Chapter 19 The Insider (Michael Mann, 1999); Chapter 20 V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005); Chapter 21 A Dry White Season (Euzhan Palcy, 1989); Chapter 22 Philadelphia (Jonathan Demme, 1993); Chapter 23 Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005); Chapter 24 To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962); Chapter 25 Days of Glory (IndigA?nes) (Rachid Bouchareb, 2006); Chapter 26 District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009); Chapter 27 Sophie's Choice (Alan J. Pakula, 1982); Chapter 28 Bloody Sunday (Paul Greengrass, 2002); Chapter 29 Omagh (Pete Travis, 2004); Chapter 30 Paradise Now (Hany Abu-Assad, 2005); Chapter 31 Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, 2007); Chapter 32 Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008); Chapter 33 Amazing Grace (Michael Apted, 2006); Chapter 34 Mississippi Burning (Alan Parker, 1988); Chapter 35 The Circle (Jafar Panahi, 2000); Chapter 36 Bamako (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006); Chapter 37 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007); Chapter 38 Vera Drake (Mike Leigh, 2004); Chapter 39 Lilya 4-Ever (Luka