Politics And Film

by Franklin, Daniel P.

• ISBN13: 9780742538085
• ISBN10: 0742538087
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-15
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

Politics and Film explores the meaning of film within a societal context. In examining the political role of films we become real time cultural anthropologists, sifting through the artifacts of modern society to determine what our culture really is all about. Common sense tells us that if filmmakers want to make a profit, they have to be responsive to the market. This doesn't mean that they have to produce a product that simply delights the eyes. Films must also please the mind, and not just in terms of satisfying our desire to be entertained (although that alone is sometimes enough) but also deepen our understanding of people, ideas, and problems that we may confront in everyday life. In this respect, even commercial films are political. And, if we are what we eat, we may also say, we are what we pay to see. This book contends that to a large extent American film reflects political culture in American society.

Author Biography

Daniel P. Franklin is professor of political science at Georgia State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(10)
Feature Film: Master and Commander: On the Far Side of the World	11	(4)
Film, the Media, and American Tales	15	(20)
Feature Film: The Coneheads	29	(6)
Industry and Bias: The Political Economy of Film	35	(20)
Feature Film: X2	50	(5)
Who Makes 'Em and Who Watches 'Em	55	(20)
Feature Film: The Postman	70	(5)
Film Content: Cause or Effect?	75	(20)
Feature Film: Taxi Driver	89	(6)
Film Criticism: What Is a Bad Movie?	95	(24)
Feature Film: Working Girl	113	(6)
Why They Don't Make Them Like They Used To	119	(24)
Feature Film: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington	139	(4)
Movies, Censorship, and the Law	143	(24)
Feature Films: Five Mystery Films	161	(6)
Conclusion	167	(9)
Feature Film: Kill Bill: Vol. 2	176	(5)
Filmography with Commentary by the Author	181	(26)
Index	207	(16)
About the Author	223