Modernity of Film and Culture: Media and Culture Series

Author: (English) Branston (Branston, G.)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book explores the complex history and issues in film studies, discussing these topics vividly within the relevant social and political contexts. The book focuses on carefully selected subjects, such as the history of Hollywood, how we understand creativity, star systems, global blockbusters, and the resulting joy and disappointment. The film studies model outlined by the author emphasizes both paying attention to the "textuality" of film in a formal sense and more comfortably defending the position of film studies in the broad "representation" issues. Through the arguments and historical facts presented in the book, the author demonstrates that we can neither ignore the genuine pleasure people experience when "consuming" films nor fail to use critical political theory to critique the persistent social and cultural inequalities brought about by modernity. This book can serve as both an accessible university textbook and an important reference for related researchers.