Suchergebnisse

Since the 1890s early film pioneers used their cinematographic oeuvre for educational and informative purposes. As a result not only did film production companies regard schools as a lucrative emerging market, but progressive teachers also welcomed this new resource for teaching and learning. Soon a professional infrastructure was created and included several teachers' associations, film catalogues, journals, and conferences dealing with educational films and their use in teaching and the education sector.

African Film Studies is an accessible and engaging introduction to African cinemas, showcasing the diverse cinematic expressions across the continent. Bringing African cinemas out of the margins and into mainstream film studies, the book provides a succinct overview of the history, aesthetics, and theory of sub-Saharan African cinematic productions. Updated throughout, this new edition includes new chapters on Nollywood, Ethiopian cinema, Streaming, and the rise of televisual series, which serve to complement the book's main themes: Overview of African cinema(s): Questions assumptions and defines the characteristics of African cinemas across linguistic, geographic, and filmic divides History of African cinemas: Spans the history of film in Africa from colonial import and appropriation of the gaze', the rise of Nollywood and local TV series to streaming, as well as building connections with the development of African American cinema Aesthetics: Introduces new research on previously under-explored aesthetic dimensions such as cinematography, animation, and film music Theoretical Approaches: Addresses a number of theoretical approaches and critical frameworks developed by scholars in the study of African cinemas Traditions and practices in African screen media: Features Ethiopian cinema, Nollywood, Local Televisual Series in Burkina Faso and South Africa, and the Streaming rush for Africa All chapters include case studies, suggestions for further reading, and screening lists to deepen the reader's knowledge, with no prior knowledge of African cinemas required. Students, teachers, and general film enthusiasts would all benefit from this accessible and engaging book.

"Preface and Acknowledgements" -- "Contents" -- "List of Figures" -- "Chapter 1 Introduction: Who Is Entitled to Study Film Music?" -- "References" -- "Part I Pars Destruens" -- "Chapter 2 The Not-so-fantastical Gap Between Music Studies and Film Studies" -- "Film Music in Music Studies" -- "Film Music in Film Studies" -- "References" -- "Chapter 3 Recent Attempts to Bridge the Gap and Overcome a Separatist Conception" -- "Proposals to Overcome the Separatism" -- "Communications Model Vs. Perception Model" -- "References" -- "Part II Pars Construens" -- "Chapter 4 The Neoformalist Proposal" -- "Neoformalism: An Introduction" -- "Neoformalist Film Analysis" -- "Neoformalism and Music in Films" -- "References" -- "Chapter 5 Film/Music Analysis I: Music, Gestalt, and Audiovisual Isomorphism" -- "Music as Music" -- "Music and Gestalt Qualities" -- "Analysing the Filmic System: Macro and Micro Configurations" -- "References" -- "Chapter 6 Film/Music Analysis II: Functions and Motivations of Music" -- "Music and Motivations" -- "Functions" -- "References" -- "Part III Pars Demonstrans" -- "Chapter 7 Five Illustrations of Film/Music Analysis" -- "Are All Gaps 'Fantastical' and Meaningful?" -- "Anempathetic Effect, Proper" -- "Tell It with a Song: Cognitive Function of the Lyrics" -- "Opening Credits, Prefiguration, and Title Music" -- "Music as the Connective Tissue of Emotions: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" -- "References" -- "Chapter 8 Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. The Extraterrestrial: The Bonding Power of Music" -- "Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)" -- "E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)" -- "Conclusions" -- "References" -- "Chapter 9 Recapitulation and Final Thoughts" -- "References" -- "Filmography

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: Horror -- Overwhelming fear: The Shining -- Imprisoned in madness: Repulsion -- Chapter 2: Hope -- Morbid curiosity: The Vanishing -- Clairvoyant spectatorship: Don't Look Now -- Chapter 3: Trauma -- Death as entelechy: The Sea Inside -- Psychosis as refuge: Elementary Particles -- Psychosis as entrapment: Reprise -- Compassionate participation -- Chapter 4: Anguish -- Becoming rhythm -- Synaesthetic tactics: Dancer in the Dark -- Resonating sonic space: The Silence -- Chapter 5: Shame -- Suburban rebellion: American Beauty -- Unruly sociology: Borat -- Chapter 6: Anger -- Looking down with contempt: Elephant -- Hate as positive liberty: Hunger -- Friendship as resentment in solidarity: 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days -- Chapter 7: Love -- Cinema as seduction: Dangerous Liaisons -- Ironic abjection: Romance -- Authentic love: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- Bibliography -- Index

'Perverse Interest': A Reception History of The Boys in the Band Dr. Matt Bell In an otherwise negative review of William Friedkin's The Boys in the Band (1970), a writer for Variety praised what he described as the film's inherent "perverse interest." My paper begins with an examination of the thought so suggestively encrypted in this phrase, a textbook example of projection, through which the reviewer attributed to the film what must in fact have been his own (homo)sexual curiosity. Using this review as the point of entry to a more thorough reception history, my paper discusses three key forums in which the film has been assessed: the mainstream press of 1970, which tended to review The Boys in the Band in the erotically repressed mode of Variety; the emergent gay liberationist discourse of the 1970s and 1980s, typified by the writings of Dennis Altman, Arthur Bell, and Vito Russo, which tended to reject the "negative images" inscribed in it; and popular gay history, including Charles Kaiser's 2007 book The Gay Metropolis, which has tended to view it as a period piece. Based on these simplifying appraisals of the film, and in response to its rather stunning neglect by scholars, my paper ultimately calls for bold reassessment of the film in light of developments over the past three decades in academic fields including LGBTQ studies, critical race studies, and queer theory. Perception and Reception Talk: Localisms and Working Class Heroisms in the Cultural Work of the Hui Brothers Dr. Sean Allan My presentation looks at the film work of Hong Kong celebrities Michael, Samuel and Ricky Hui. I will focus primarily on the films they made together, but I will also look at each brother separately, with attention to Michael's directing, Samuel's singing and acting, and Ricky's acting. I will situate both their popularity during their active period within the contexts of Hong Kong popular cultural and political history as well as their continuing popularity. I will consider as well the aesthetic components of their abilities to affect an audience. The project looks at reception from a variety of angles. First, it interrogates the limits of how Hong Kong cinema history is conceptualized. Second, it interrogates the way local Hong Kong audiences are conceived by outsiders. Thirdly, it considers the limits of corrective, a consideration of a proper way that an interested figure can recognize both the complexities of localisms and popular cultural rhetorics and the lacunae that result from any sort of critical inquiry. Canadian Popcorn: Representations of Culture in Popular Canadian Film Dr. Eric Weeks My presentation examines the ways in which Canadian films represent Canadian identity and culture. When looking at a snapshot of Canadian films released in more recent years, an increasing number have been made that deal with various aspects of Canadian culture, and achieve as much in popular, accessible ways. What is most appealing about these movies is how they approach their subject matter. Some specific examples of films that evoke this sense of "Canadianness" include a comedy about curling (Men with Brooms, 2002), a hockey-themed musical (Score, 2010), and a buddy-cop action movie that also explores the strained relationship between Quebec and the rest of Canada (Bon Cop/Bad Cop, 2006). Far from being a dusty documentary or staid historical drama, many Canadian films that reflect that country's history and identity could be considered "popcorn" movies, those films that appeal to a broader audience, enjoy a wider theatrical release, and may often be seen as simply entertainment and lacking a deeper message. Instead, however, I contend that films such as these are better able to express elements of Canada's national identity, particularly when positioned against an overshadowing American film industry.

Faculty contributing to the new Film studies minor will present their scholarship and pedagogical reflections on various topics in film studies. The panelists will present papers on documentary films of the Middle East, American and European vampire films and discourses of "otherness" and queerness, the influence of Japanese Noh theatre on Akira Kurosawa's film "Throne of Blood," and cross-cultural connections between Kurosawa's samurai films and American Westerns. The papers examine films as art forms shaped by and responding to particular socio-historical, national, political, and cultural contexts.