Film Moments: Criticism, History, Theory

Description

Film is made of moments. In its earliest form, the cinema was a moment: mere seconds recorded and projected into the darkness. Even as film has developed into today's complex and intricate medium, it is the brief, temporary and transitory that combines to create the whole. Our memories of films are composed of the moments we deem to be crucial: touchstones for our understanding and appreciation. Moments matter. The 38 specially commissioned essays in Film Moments examine a wide selection of key scenes across a broad spectrum of national cinemas, historical periods and genres, featuring films by renowned auteurs including Alfred Hitchcock, Jean Renoir and Vincente Minnelli and important contemporary directors such as Pedro Costa, Zhang Ke Jia and Quentin Tarantino, addressing films including City Lights, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Night of the Hunter, Wild Strawberries, 8 1?2, Bonnie and Clyde, Star Wars, Conte d'été, United 93 and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Film Moments provides both an enlightening introduction for students to the diversity of approaches and concerns in the study of film, and a dynamic and vibrant account of key film sequences for anyone interested in enhancing their understanding of cinema. Cover Notes On Contributors Contents Preface Acknowledgments PART ONE: Criticism Shadow Play And Dripping Teat: Between Melodrama And Realism: Internalising The Musical: The Visitor’s Discarded Clothes In Style And Sincerity In Quentin Tarantino’s The Moves: The Properties Of Images: Two Views Over Water: Action And Making An Entrance: Bette Davis’s First A Narrative Parenthesis In The End Of Summer: Enter Lisa: Opening Up A Magnified Meeting In ‘Everything is connected, and everythingmatters’ The Ending Of PART TWO: History Haptic Vision And Consumerism: A Moment Visions Of Sound In ‘Entertainment and dystopia’ Music, Crime And The Gaze: Thunder And Lightning: Hearing, Fearing: The Sonic Design Of ‘I’ve seen him take his knife …’ Another Story: Myth And History In A Sculptural Moment: The Epilogue To Star Wars (1977) Between Freedom And Confinement: PART THREE: Theory Performance, With Strings Attached: Éloge de l’Amour Contested Endings: Interpreting Mourning, Loss And Trauma, And The Stepping Out Of Blockbuster Mode: Dorothy’s Dream: Mindscreen In Looking On And Looking The Other Way: Working Through The Body: ‘I wasn’t expecting that!’ The Inflection Of A Dream In Judy’s Plan: A Reading Of The ‘Flashback’ Index