The Philosophy of Film: Introductory Text and Readings

The Philosophy of Film draws readings from philosophy, filmstudies, and film criticism. Organized around a series ofphilosophical questions about film, it offers an accessible andengaging overview of the discipline. Readings from contrastingangles and points of view discuss the value of film theory, thenature of film narration, the debate on whether films can besocially critical, and the question of what we can learn fromfilm.

Offering clear and helpful section introductions andthought–provoking reading questions, this book is the ideal primarytextbook for undergraduate courses on the philosophy of film orphilosophically oriented courses in film theory.

More information about this text along with further resourcesare available from the accompanying website at:http://www.mtholyoke.edu/omc/phil–film/index.html

Acknowledgments.

General Introduction..

Part I: Do We Need Film Theory?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

1. Prospects for Film Theory (Noël Carroll).

2. Can Scientific Models of Theorizing Help Film Theory (MalcolmTurvey).

3. Philosophy of Film as the Creation of Concepts (GillesDeleuze).

Part II: What Is the Nature of Film?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

4. Defining the Photoplay (Hugo Munsterberg).

5. The Artistry of Silent Film (Rudolph Arnheim).

6. Cinematic Realism (Andre Bazin).

7. Film, Photography, and Transparency (Kendall L. Walton).

8. Non–fictional Cinematic Artworks and Knowledge (TrevorPonech).

Part III: Do Films Have Authors?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

9. La Politique des Auteurs (François Truffaut).

10. Auteur Theory and Film Evaluation (AndrewSarris).

11. The Idea of Film Criticism (Pauline Kael).

12. Against Authorship (Stephen Heath).

13. DVD s and the Director s Intentions (DeborahParker and Mark Parker).

Part IV: How Do Films Engage Our Emotions?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

14. Narrative Desire (Gregory Currie).

15. Spectator Emotion and Ideological Film Criticismm (CarlPlantinga).

16. Engaging Characters (Murray Smith).

17. The Paradox of Horror (Noël Carroll).

Part V: Must Films Have Narrators?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

18. Principles of Film Narration (David Bordwell).

19. The Cinematic Narrator (Seymour Chatman).

20. Narration as Showing (George M. Wilson).

Part VI: Can Films Be Socially Critical?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

21. The Politics of Representation (Michael Ryan and DouglasKellner).

22. But Would You Want Your Daughter To Marry One? Politics andRace in Guess Who s Coming To Dinner (Thomas E.Wartenberg).

23. Stella at the Movies: Critical Spectatorship and Melodramain Stella Dallas (Angela Curren).

Part VII: What Can We Learn From Films?.

Introduction.

Study Questions.

24. Knowledge as Transgression: It Happened One Night(Stanley Cavell).

25. Realist Horror (Cynthia A. Freeland).

26. Philosophy Screened: Viewing The Matrix (Thomas E.Wartenberg).

27. Virtue and Happiness in Groundhog Day (JosephKupfer).

Suggestions for Further Reading.

Index.

Thomas E. Wartenberg is Professor of Philosophy at MountHolyoke College, researching the intersection between philosophyand culture. A former Fulbright Research Fellow and a NationalEndowment 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 MarshallCollege in Pennsylvania. Her primary areas of research are ancientGreek philosophy, aesthetics, and philosophy of film. Her work inphilosophy of film includes an essay on tragedy and film horror forDark Thoughts: Philosophical Reflections on Cinematic Horror(2003).

Congratulations to Wartenberg and Curran for their terrificanthology. Uniting key works in film theory, criticism, andphilosophy, this much–needed text has excellent sections on coretopics. Deborah Knight, Queen s University atKingston

The Philosophy of Film presents a judiciousselection of influential writings on the philosophy of film fromacross the spectrum of current opinion, though weighted toward theincreasingly dominant cognitivist paradigm of film experience. Theintroductory and pedagogic material provided by the editors isuniformly helpful.
Jerrold Levinson, University of Maryland, and Past President,American Society for Aesthetics

Bringing together important writings by prominentphilosophers and film theorists, this volume of readings withuseful editorial commentary will prove a valuable resource forstudents of the philosophy of film. Berys Gaut,University of St Andrews