Studying Contemporary American Film: A Guide To Movie Analysis

ISBN: 0340762063

Author: Elsaesser, Thomas

Condition: New

How should the student set about analysing contemporary American cinema?This book takes an innovative approach to film analysis: each chapterexamines the assumptions behind one traditional theory of film, distils amethod of analysis from it, and then analyses a contemporary Americanmovie. It then goes beyond the traditional theory by analysing the samemovie using a more current theory and method.Traditionaltheories featured include mise en scene criticism, auteurism,structural analysis, narratology, studies of realism, psychoanalysis,and feminism. More current theories include new and post-Lacanianapproaches to subjectivity, cognitivism, computerised statistical styleanalysis, the philosophy of modal logic, new media theory, anddeconstruction. Films analysed include Chinatown, Die Hard, The Silenceof the Lambs, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Back to the Future, LostHighway, plus two European imitations of American filmmaking, TheEnglish Patient and The Fifth Element. All students of film and popularculture will find this book ideal preparation for writing clear,well-structured, detailed analysis of their favourite American movies.