People Like Ourselves: Portrayals of Mental Illness in the Movies (Volume 3) (Studies in Film Genres, 3)

Little has been written, however, about the ability of movies to portray mental illness sympathetically and accurately. Zimmerman fills that void with a close look at mental illness in more than seventy American movies, beginning with classics such as The Snake Pit and Now, Voyager and including such contemporary successes as A Beautiful Mind and As Good as It Gets. The stigmatization of mental illness in film has been well documented in literature. Little has been written, however, about the ability of movies to portray mental illness sympathetically and accurately. People Like Ourselves: Portrayals of Mental Illness in the Movies fills that void with a close look at mental illness in more than seventy American movies, beginning with classics such as The Snake Pit and Now, Voyager and including such contemporary successes as A Beautiful Mind and As Good as It Gets. Films by legendary directors Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and John Cassavetes are included. Through the examination of universal themes relating to one's self and society, the denial of reality, the role of women, creativity, war, and violence, Zimmerman argues that these ground-breaking films defy stereotypes, presenting sympathetic portraits of people who are mentally ill, and advance the movie-going public's understanding of mental illness, while providing insight into its causes, diagnosis, and treatment. More importantly, they portray mentally ill people as ordinary people with conflicts and desires common to everyone. Like the motion pictures it revisits, this fascinating book offers insight, entertainment, and a sense of understanding. "The stigmatization of mental illness in film is well documented. Little has been written, however, about the ability of movies to portray mental illness sympathetically and accurately. People Like Ourselves: Portrayals of Mental Illness in the Movies fills that void by closely examining mental illness in more than seventy American movies, beginning with classics such as The Snake Pit and Now, Voyager and including contemporary successes such as A Beautiful Mind and As Good as It Gets. Zimmerman argues that these ground-breaking films defy stereotypes, presenting sympathetic portraits of people who are mentally ill, while at the same time advancing the moviegoing public's understanding of mental illness and providing insight into its causes, diagnosis, and treatment. More importantly, the films portray mentally ill people as ordinary people with conflicts and desires common to everyone. Like the motion pictures it examines, this fascinating book offers both insight and entertainment."--Jacket. 1. The price of conformity: the false self 2. The denial of reality 3. Hitchcock, chaos, and the devils of unreason 4. Women who can't forget 5. Divine madness: poets, prophets, and demons 6. War: a battle for the mind and spirit 7. Violence and mental illness: a good movie is hard to find. Zimmerman moves beyond the usual criticism of the unsympathetic & cruel movie world to examine the substantial canon of works that treat mental illness in an accurate & creative manner. She studies some 70 American movies, ranging from 'Now, Voyager' to 'A Beautiful Mind'