Childhood and the Cinema (Reaktion Books - Locations)

From Lolita to The Sixth Sense, the figure of the child in cinematic works has been a contested site of symbolism and controversy. Childhood and Cinema examines how the child in film has ultimately been used to embody the anxieties and aspirations of modern life. Vicky Lebeau investigates how films use children to probe such themes as sexuality, death, imagination, the terrors of childhood, and hope. The book ranges over the whole history of Western cinema, from the Lumi?re brothers’ 1895 Feeding the Baby to Walt Disney’s animation classics to Truffaut’s L’enfant sauvage and recent works such as Capturing the Friedmans and Kids. The figure of the child in film, Lebeau argues, is fundamentally ambivalent—always hovering on the edge between hope and despair, vulnerability and violence, or pleasure and trauma—and it ultimately offers a unique way of thinking about the significance of cinema itself. By turns engaging, thought-provoking, and informative, Childhood and the Cinema challenges us to reconsider the child figure as a conduit for critical reflection on what it means to be human. (20080729) Lebeauņs vertrekpunt voor haar onderzoek is de oorsprong van de still fotografie, als mede de verschillende bioscoopraktijken vanaf het ontstaan van de film. De vroege filmgeschiedenis kijkt vooruit op de twintigste eeuw waarin het beeld van het kind, stilstaand of bewegend, een deel wordt van onze dagelijkse visuele ervaringen. Ze onderzoekt de vragen wat het kind betekent voor de cinematografie en welke verwachtingen de cinematografie stelt aan het kind. In hoofdstuk 1 beschrijft ze de zogeheten victoriaanse ᑼhildpicturesň als genre, dat vanaf het ontstaan van de cinema de documentatie van het Ņspontane levenņ zelf verbeeldde. In hoofdstuk 2 becommentarieert ze de term Ņínfansņ aan de hand van de films ŇLᑮnigme de Kaspar Hauserň en ŇLᑮnfant sauvageň. In hoofdstuk drie gaat ze in op de onuitroeibare drang van filmmakers om in hun visualisering, het kind te gebruiken als een manier om na te denken over seksualiteit. De cinema heeft ook een gigantisch visueel archief voortgebracht van dode kinderen en kinderen in pijn. In hoofdstuk vier onderzoekt Lebeau dit thema aan de hand van de relatie met de internationale organisatie die, na de verschrikkingen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog, opkwam voor de bescherming van het kind. In de conclusie maakt Lebeau de balans op over haar aanzet om het beeld van het kind te onderzoeken en om na te denken over de vorm en de betekenis van cinematografie From Lolita to The Sixth Sense, the figure of the child in cinematic works has been a contested site of symbolism and controversy. Childhood and Cinema examines how the child in film has ultimately been used to embody the anxieties and aspirations of modern life. Vicky Lebeau investigates how films use children to probe such themes as sexuality, death, imagination, the terrors of childhood, and hope. The book ranges over the whole history of Western cinema, from the Lumière brothers'1895 Feeding the Baby to Walt Disney's animation classics to Truffaut's L'enfant sauvage and recent works such as Capturing the Friedmans and Kids. The figure of the child in film, Lebeau argues, is fundamentally ambivalent—always hovering on the edge between hope and despair, vulnerability and violence, or pleasure and trauma—and it ultimately offers a unique way of thinking about the significance of cinema itself. By turns engaging, thought-provoking, and informative, Childhood and the Cinema challenges us to reconsider the child figure as a conduit for critical reflection on what it means to be human. A Sometimes Controversial Exploration Of The Figure Of The Child In Cinema. Through The Image Of The Child, Vicky Lebeau Examines Themes Such As Sexuality, Desire, Death, Loss, Difference, The Terrors Of Childhood, Imagination And Hope. She Argues That The Child In Cinema Represents All The Ambivalence, Hope And Fear Of Modern Life. The Child, From Life -- Cinema, Infans -- Child, Sexuality, Image -- The Child, From Death. Vicky Lebeau. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [192]-214) And Index. Since its inception the world of cinema has embraced the image of the child and both extended and challenged its representations. This title explores the complex and adventure of childhood on screen and examines how the child in film has been used to embody the aspirations and anxieties of modern life.