The Philosophy of Film: Introductory Text and Readings / Edition 1

by Thomas E. Wartenberg, Angela Curran

Overview

Organized around a series of philosophic questions about film, The Philosophy of Film: Introductory Text and Readings offers an accessible and engaging overview of the discipline.

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• Provides thorough selection of readings drawn from philosophy, film studies, and film criticism

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• Multiple points of view highlighted in discussion of film theory, narration, authorship, film and emotion, and the social values of cinema

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• Presents thought-provoking reading questions as well as clear and helpful introductions for each section

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405114424
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/11/2005
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

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 viii

General Introduction 1

Part I: Do We Need Film Theory? 5
Introduction 5
Study Questions 8

1 Prospects for Film Theory: A Personal Assessment 11
Noël Carroll

2 Can Scientific Models of Theorizing Help Film Theory? 21
Malcolm Turvey

3 Philosophy of Film as the Creation of Concepts 33
Gilles Deleuze

Part II: What Is the Nature of Film? 39
Introduction 39
Study Questions 41

4 Defining the Photoplay 43
Hugo Münsterberg

5 The Artistry of Silent Film 50
Rudolf Arnheim

6 Cinematic Realism 59
André Bazin

7 Film, Photography, and Transparency 70
Kendall L. Walton

8 Non-fictional Cinematic Artworks and Knowledge 77
Trevor Ponech

Part III: Do Films Have Authors? 91
Introduction 91
Study Questions 94

9 La Politique des Auteurs 95
François Truffaut

10 Auteur Theory and Film Evaluation 99
Andrew Sarris

11 The Idea of Film Criticism 108
Pauline Kael

12 Against Authorship 118
Stephen Heath

13 DVDs and the Director’s Intentions 123
Deborah Parker and Mark Parker

Part IV: How Do Films Engage Our Emotions? 133
Introduction 133
Study Questions 136

14 Narrative Desire 139
Gregory Currie

15 Spectator Emotion and Ideological Film Criticism 148
Carl Plantinga

16 Engaging Characters 160
Murray Smith

17 The Paradox of Horror 170
Noël Carroll

Part V: Must Films Have Narrators? 179
Introduction 179
Study Questions 181

18 Principles of Film Narration 183
David Bordwell

19 The Cinematic Narrator 190
Seymour Chatman

20 Narration as Showing 198
George M. Wilson

Part VI: Can Films Be Socially Critical? 209
Introduction 209
Study Questions 212

21 The Politics of Representation 213
Michael Ryan and Douglas Kellner

22 But Would You Want Your Daughter To Marry One? Politics and Race in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner 225
Thomas E. Wartenberg

23 Stella at the Movies: Class, Critical Spectatorship, and Melodrama in Stella Dallas 235
Angela Curran

Part VII: What Can We Learn From Films? 247
Introduction 247
Study Questions 250

24 Knowledge as Transgression: It Happened One Night 253
Stanley Cavell

25 Realist Horror 260
Cynthia A. Freeland

26 Philosophy Screened: Experiencing The Matrix 270
Thomas E. Wartenberg

27 Virtue and Happiness in Groundhog Day 284
Joseph H. Kupfer

Suggestions for Further Reading 295

Index 298

Editorial Reviews

Congratulations to Wartenberg and Curran for their terrific anthology. Uniting key works in film theory, criticism, and philosophy, this much-needed text has excellent sections on core topics.” Deborah Knight, Queen’s University at Kingston

“The Philosophy of Film presents a judicious selection of influential writings on the philosophy of film from across the spectrum of current opinion, though weighted toward the increasingly dominant cognitivist paradigm of film experience. The introductory and pedagogic material provided by the editors is uniformly helpful.”
Jerrold Levinson, University of Maryland, and Past President, American Society for Aesthetics

“Bringing together important writings by prominent philosophers and film theorists, this volume of readings with useful editorial commentary will prove a valuable resource for students of the philosophy of film.” Berys Gaut, University of St Andrews

From the Publisher