New Philosophies of Film : An Introduction to Cinema As a Way of Thinking

What can philosophy teach us about cinema? Can cinema transform how we understand philosophy? How should we describe the competing approaches to philosophizing on film? New Philosophies of Film answers these questions by offering a lucid introduction to the exciting developments and contentious debates within the philosophy of film. Mapping out the conceptual terrain, it examines both analytic and continental approaches to cinema and puts forward a pluralist film philosophy, grounded in practical examples from film, documentaries and television series. Now thoroughly updated to showcase the most recent developments in the field, this 2nd edition features: · New chapters on phenomenology, cinematic ethics, philosophical documentary film and television as philosophy, incorporating feminist, socio-political, ethical and ecological approaches to cinema · Contemporary case studies including Carol, Roma, Melancholia, two Derrida documentaries, and the Netflix series Black Mirror · Expanded coverage of Gilles Deleuze and Stanley Cavell, two of the most influential philosophers of film · An updated bibliography, filmography and reading lists, with links to online resources to support further study Demonstrating how the film-philosophy encounter can open up new paths for thinking, New Philosophies of Film is an essential resource for putting interdisciplinary inquiry into practice. Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents New Preface: Philosophical Film Theory Today Acknowledgments Introduction: Why Did Philosophy Go to the Movies? A User’s Guide to Film and Philosophy Why Philosophy of Film Now? Philosophy of Film and Film-Philosophy The ‘Post-Theory’ Landscape (for a Pluralist Film-Philosophy) Design of This Book Part I The Analytic-Cognitivist Turn 1 The Empire Strikes Back: Critiques of ‘Grand Theory’ The Philosophical Turn in Film Theory The Critique of ‘Grand Theory’ Criticisms of ‘Grand Theory’ Carroll’s Dialectical Cognitivism Cognitivism Goes Pluralist 2 The Rules of the Game: New Ontologies of Film Ontologies of the Image Moving Images Film as Art Redux Back to the Future: Bazin and Arnheim on Film as Art The Challenge of the Digital What Are Digital Images? Image Scepticism and Claims to Veracity 3 Adaptation: Philosophical Approaches to Narrative Plot, Story and Style Visual Sequencing and Narrative Technique Carroll’s ‘Erotetic’ Model of Narrative ‘Juste une image’: The Aesthetic Dimension Cinematic Authorship Is There a Narrator in This Film? Digital Transformations: Immersion, Interactivity and VR cinema Part II From Cognitivism and Phenomenology to Film-Philosophy 4 A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Cognitivism Goes to the Movies The Critique of Psychoanalytic ‘Identification’ Making Meaning: Bordwell’s Cognitivism The ‘Paradox’ of Fiction? Affect and Emotion Emotional Engagement Structures of Sympathy In the Mood Contemporary Cognitivism and Cinema The ‘Reductionism’ Objection 5 Body Double: Adventures in Phenomenology The Phenomenological Turn: Sobchack’s Contribution Sobchack on Cinema as ‘Viewing Views/Viewed Views’ Film Body Frampton’s ‘Filmind’ Phenomenology: Two Problems of Subjectivism Two Responses to Subjectivism: Projection and Distribution Bringing Phenomenology and Cognitivism Together 6 Bande à part: Deleuze’s Cine-Philosophy Deleuze’s Cine-Philosophy Movement-Image Crisis of the Action-Image Italian Neo-Realism and the French nouvelle vague Beyond the Movement-Image (Italian Neo-Realism) The Time-Image Thought and Cinema Deleuze’s Existential Imperative: Belief in This World ‘Two Ages’ of Cinema? Questioning Deleuze’s Cine-Philosophy 7 Now, Voyager: Cavell as Film-Philosopher Viewing Worlds: Cavell Why Does Film Matter? Audience, Actor, Star Screen ‘Types’ and Film Genres Cinematic Mythmaking and the ‘End of the Myths’ Film and Moral Perfectionism Moral Perfectionism and Remarriage Comedy Romantic Love and Moral Imperfectionism: Carol as Melodrama of the Unknown Woman Forking Paths: Cavell and Deleuze on the ‘End of Film’ 8 Scenes from a Marriage: On the Idea of Film as Philosophy The Idea of Film as Philosophy The Film as Philosophy Thesis: Bold, Moderate or Bogus? Marital Crisis: Saving the Film as Philosophy Thesis Philosophical Paraphrase: Problem or Heresy? Rodowick on a Film Philosophy of the Humanities 9 What is Cinematic Ethics? Cuáron’s Roma (2018) as Case Study Cinema and/as Ethics Cinema and Ethics: Mapping an Encounter Cinema as Medium of Ethical Experience Roma Part III Cinematic Thinking 10 Photobiographies: The ‘Derrida’ Documentaries as Film-Philosophy Performative Philosophy The ‘Derrida’ Documentaries Spectres of Derrida Cinema as ‘Ghost Dance’ The Sex Lives of Philosophers Improvisation Echo and Narcissus D’ailleurs, Derrida [Derrida’s Elsewhere]13 Performance versus Performativity Epilogue: In Praise of Amateurs 11 Planet Melancholia: Romanticism, Mood and Cinematic Ethics ‘Of an Apocalyptic Tone Recently Adopted in Cinema . . .’2 Romanticism A Cognitivist Interlude Melancholia Melancholy Moods: Melancholia ’s Cinematic Ethics Epilogue 12 Television as Philosophy: Reflections on Black Mirror What Is Black Mirror? Black Mirror Thematic Clusters Black Mirror and Film-Philosophical Thought Experiments Conclusion: Black Mirror as Televisual Philosophy Conclusion: A Dialogue on the Future of Film-Philosophy 1) The Digital Revolution and the Future of ‘Film-Philosophy’ 2) Philosophy of Film and Cultural Politics 3) Cinematic Thinking: Philosophical Cherry-Picking or Transformative Encounter? Notes Filmography References Index "What can philosophy teach us about cinema? Can cinema transform how we understand philosophy? How should we describe the competing approaches to philosophizing on film? New Philosophies of Film answers these questions by offering a lucid introduction to the exciting developments and contentious debates within the philosophy of film. Mapping out the conceptual terrain, it examines both analytic and continental approaches to cinema and puts forward a pluralist film philosophy, grounded in practical examples from film, documentaries and television series. Now thoroughly updated to showcase the most recent developments in the field, this 2nd edition features: New chapters on phenomenology, cinematic ethics, documentary film and television as philosophy, incorporating feminist, socio-political and ecological approaches to cinema; Contemporary case studies including Roma , Melancholia , Blackfish and the Netflix series Black Mirror; Expanded coverage of Gilles Deleuze and Stanley Cavell, two of the most influential philosophers of film; An updated bibliography, filmography and reading lists, with links to online resources to support further study. Demonstrating how the film-philosophy encounter can open up new paths for thinking, New Philosophies of Film is an essential resource for putting interdisciplinary inquiry into practice."-- Provided by publisher