FILM STUDIES BIBLIOGRAPHY 2

Thomas Elsaesser and Malte Hagener (2009) Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses. New York, NY and Oxon, UK: Routledge

What is the relationship between cinema and spectator? That is the central question for film theory, and renowned film scholars Thomas Elsaesser and Malte Hagener use this question to guide students through all of the major film theories – from the classical period to today – in this insightful, engaging book. Every kind of cinema (and film theory) imagines an ideal spectator, and then imagines a certain relationship between the mind and body of that spectator and the screen. Using seven distinctive configurations of spectator and screen that move progressively from ‘exterior’ to ‘interior’ relationships, the authors retrace the most important stages of film theory from 1945 to the present, from neo-realist and modernist theories to psychoanalytic, ‘apparatus’, phenomenological and cognitivist theories.

Thomas E. Wartenberg and Angela Curran (2005) The philosophy of film: introductory text and readings. Malden, MA:  Blackwell Publ.

The Philosophy of Film draws readings from philosophy, film studies, and film criticism. Organized around a series of philosophic questions about film, it offers an accessible and engaging overview of the discipline. Readings from contrasting angles and points of view discuss the value of film theory, the nature of film narration, the debate on whether films can be socially critical, and the question of what we can learn from film. Offering clear and helpful section introductions and thought-provoking reading questions, this book is the ideal primary textbook for undergraduate courses on the philosophy of film or philosophically oriented courses in film theory.

Ann Kaplan (2000) Feminism and film. Oxford, UK : Oxford University Press

This collection of essays examines the role of feminist research in the emergence of Film Studies as a discipline, and traces the developments in theory, criticism and practices of women and cinema since 1973, detailing the contexts within which feminist film theories and practices emerged.

Andrew Dudley (1984) Concepts in Film Theory. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Dudley Andrew is a master at making the world of film theory accessible to a largely mystified public. Since the publication of his "Major Film Theories, " a classic in the field, the sophistication of the debate concerning the proper approach to film has grown. It is now the province of critics and universities instead of directors and artists, and "Concepts in Film Theory" concentrates on the major areas of debate rather than on individual figures. Andrew provides lucid explanations of theories which involve perceptual psychology and structuralism; semiotics and psychoanalysis; hermeneutics and genre study. Throughout he presents his own strong views on the relationship of film theory to criticism, history, and analysis. His clear approach to often obscure theories goes a long way towards bringing an important area of cultural discussion out of its academic exile.