
Mike Nichols
Sex, Language, and the Reinvention of Psychological Realism
Kyle Stevens(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 24. September 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-19-937581-3 (ISBN)
Description
With iconic movies like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, and Carnal Knowledge, Mike Nichols was the most prominent American director during the cultural upheavals of the 1960s. Mike Nichols: Sex, Language, and the Reinvention of Psychological Realism argues that he overhauled the style of psychological realism, and, in doing so, continues to shape the legacies of Hollywood cinema. It also reveals that misreadings of his films were central to foundational debates at the emergence of Cinema Studies as a discipline, inviting new reflections on critical dogma.
Focusing on Nichols' classic movies, as well as later films such as Silkwood, The Birdcage, and Angels in America, Kyle Stevens demonstrates that Nichols' realism lies not in the plausibility of his characters but in their inherent mystery. By attending to the puzzling words and silences, breaths and laughter, that comprise these characters, Stevens uncovers new insights into the subversive potential of a range of cinematic elements, and reveals how Nichols' satirical oeuvre, and Hollywood itself, participated in several of the nation's most urgent social, political, and philosophical advances.
Focusing on Nichols' classic movies, as well as later films such as Silkwood, The Birdcage, and Angels in America, Kyle Stevens demonstrates that Nichols' realism lies not in the plausibility of his characters but in their inherent mystery. By attending to the puzzling words and silences, breaths and laughter, that comprise these characters, Stevens uncovers new insights into the subversive potential of a range of cinematic elements, and reveals how Nichols' satirical oeuvre, and Hollywood itself, participated in several of the nation's most urgent social, political, and philosophical advances.
Reviews / Votes
This special book tells the fascinating tale of Mike Nichols, an extraordinary man who made many major contributions to the American stage and cinema as an actor and producer as well as a theater and film director ... [a] mature and thoughtful rendering of the long and complicated life of Mike Nichols. No doubt others will have a go at it as well in the years ahead, but surely this book will provide much that is useful for such future efforts. * Monroe Friedman, Journal of American Culture * this clear, elegant analysis does justice to the great director ... For all of Stevens's command of theory, his great gift is his close analyses of individual shots, phrases, and moments from Nichols's work. * M. Yacowar, CHOICE *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
20 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
451 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-937581-3 (9780199375813)
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

Book
09/2015
Oxford University Press Inc
€205.40
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
08/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€19.99
Available for download

E-Book
08/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€21.99
Available for download
Person
Kyle Stevens is Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Film Studies and the Digital Humanities at Brandeis University.
Author
Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Film Studies and the Digital HumanitiesFlorence Levy Kay Fellow in Film Studies and the Digital Humanities, Brandeis University
Content
Introduction - Mike Nichols and the Politics of Character ; Chapter 1 - Nothing Goes Unheard: Nichols and May, Improvisation, and the Skewing of Language ; Chapter 2 - Nichols' Comedy of Remarriage ; Chapter 3 - The Graduate and the Subversion of Silence ; Chapter 4 - Carnal Knowledge: The Close-Up, Duration, and Affective Impotence ; Chapter 5 - The Minds of Chameleons: Nichols and Streep ; Conclusion - Nichols' Cinema of Conversation ; Bibliography ; Index