The Philosophy of Film Introductory Text and Readings

by Wartenberg, Thomas E.; Curran, Angela

• ISBN13: 9781405114417
• ISBN10: 140511441X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-02-11
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

The Philosophy of Film draws readings from philosophy, film studies, and film criticism. Organized around a series of philosophical questions about film, it offers an accessible and engaging overview of the discipline. Readings from contrasting angles and points of view discuss the value of film theory, the nature of film narration, the debate on whether films can be socially critical, and the question of what we can learn from film. Offering clear and helpful section introductions and thought-provoking reading questions, this book is the ideal primary textbook for undergraduate courses on the philosophy of film or philosophically oriented courses in film theory. More information about this text along with further resources are available from the accompanying website at: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/omc/phil-film/index.html

Author Biography

Thomas E. Wartenberg is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College, researching the intersection between philosophy and culture. A former Fulbright Research Fellow and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, he is the author of Unlikely Couples: Movie Romance as Social Criticism (1999). His other publications include The Nature of Art (ed., 2002) and Philosophy and Film (co-ed., 1995).

Angela Curran teaches philosophy at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Her primary areas of research are ancient Greek philosophy, aesthetics, and philosophy of film. Her work in philosophy of film includes an essay on tragedy and film horror for Dark Thoughts: Philosophical Reflections on Cinematic Horror (2003).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

General Introduction

Do We Need Film Theory?

Introduction

Study Questions

Prospects for Film Theory

Can Scientific Models of Theorizing Help Film Theory

Philosophy of Film as the Creation of Concepts

What Is the Nature of Film?.Introduction.Study Questions

Defining the Photoplay

The Artistry of Silent Film

Cinematic Realism

Film, Photography, and Transparency

Non-fictional Cinematic Artworks and Knowledge

Do Films Have Authors?

Introduction

Study Questions

La Politique des Auteurs

Auteur Theory and Film Evaluation

The Idea of Film Criticism

Against Authorship

DVD's and the Director's Intentions

How Do Films Engage Our Emotions?

Introduction

Study Questions

Narrative Desire

Spectator Emotion and Ideological Film Criticismm

Engaging Characters

The Paradox of Horror

Must Films Have Narrators?

Introduction

Study Questions

Principles of Film Narration

The Cinematic Narrator

Narration as Showing

Can Films Be Socially Critical?

Introduction

Study Questions

The Politics of Representation

But Would You Want Your Daughter To Marry One? Politics and Race in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

Stella at the Movies: Critical Spectatorship and Melodrama in Stella Dallas

What Can We Learn From Films?

Introduction

Study Questions

Knowledge as Transgression: It Happened One Night

Realist Horror

Philosophy Screened: Viewing The Matrix

Virtue and Happiness in Groundhog Day

Suggestions for Further Reading

Index

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