Carceral fantasies: cinema and prison in early twentieth-century America

Description

A groundbreaking contribution to the study of non-theatrical film exhibition, 'Carceral Fantasies' shows how cinema found a home in the U.S. penitentiary system and how the prison emerged as a narrative trope in modern cinema. Focusing on films shown in prisons before 1935, the book explores the experience of viewing cinema while incarcerated and the complex cultural roots of cinematic renderings of prison life. Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part One. The Carceral Imaginary -- 1. Tableaux Mort: Execution, Cinema, and Carceral Fantasies -- 2. Prison on Screen: The Carceral Aesthetic -- Part Two. The Carceral Spectator -- 3. Screens and the Senses in Prison -- 4. "The Great Unseen Audience": Sing Sing Prison and Motion Pictures -- Part Three. The Carceral Reformer -- 5. A Different Story: Recreation and Cinema in Women's Prisons and Reformatories -- 6. Cinema and Prison Reform -- Conclusion: The Prison Museum and Media Use in the Con temporary Prison -- Notes -- Filmography -- Bibliography -- Index