Transformational Ethics of Film : Thinking the Cinemakeover in the Film-Philosophy Debate

What is ‘the good’ of the film experience? And how does the budding field of ‘film as philosophy’ answer this question? Charting new routes for film ethics, Martin P. Rossouw develops a critical account of the transformational ethics at work within the ‘film as philosophy’ debate. Whenever philosophers claim that films can do philosophy, they also persistently put forward edifying practical effects – potential transformations of thought and experience – as the benefit of viewing such films. Through rigorous appraisals of key arguments, and with reference to the cinema of Terrence Malick, Rossouw pieces together the idea of an inner makeover through cinema – a cinemakeover – which casts a distinct vision of film spectatorship as a practice of self-transformation. What is ‘the good'of the film experience? And how does the budding field of ‘film as philosophy'answer this question? Charting new routes for film ethics, Martin P. Rossouw develops a critical account of the transformational ethics at work within the ‘film as philosophy'debate. Whenever philosophers claim that films can do philosophy, they also persistently put forward edifying practical effects – potential transformations of thought and experience – as the benefit of viewing such films. Through rigorous appraisals of key arguments, and with reference to the cinema of Terrence Malick, Rossouw pieces together the idea of an inner makeover through cinema – a cinemakeover – which casts a distinct vision of film spectatorship as a practice of self-transformation.'Recasting much of the existing debate, Martin Rossouw's [...] emphasis on film's power for enacting ethical transformation, rather than theoretical insight or discovery, gives a much-needed shot in the arm to a topic whose development has stalled in recent years. [...] This highly original book offers a unique and provocative contribution to the scholarship. Rossouw is a persistent questioner, often demonstrating sharp philosophical instincts.'-Shawn Loht, Philosophy in Review, Vol. 43 no. 1 (February 2023).'At once a comprehensive record and a ceaseless meta-critique, Rossouw's Transformational Ethics of Film is a thorough and bittersweet investigation into the aspiration and limits of this strand of film-philosophy scholarship [...]. [...] Rossouw's detailed commitment to this critical exercise both provides a bountiful resource for film ethics scholarship, bringing organized clarity to an otherwise scattered but nonetheless commanding school of thought, and presents a potentially radical prospect for the position of meta-hermeneutics in the world of art theory.'-Daniel E. Smith, New Review of Film and Television Studies, Vol. 22 no. 2 (July 2024). Preface Introduction Pages: 1–18 Chapter 1 ‘Going Meta’ on Film as Philosophy: Opening Up the Field Pages: 19–60 Chapter 2 When Philosophers Join Fight Club: A Framework for Transformational Ethics of Film Pages: 61–109 Chapter 3 Slogans for Self-Transformation:How Films Are Thought to Do More Than ‘Think’ Pages: 110–206 Chapter 4 There’s Something about Malick: From Contemplative Style to Ethics of Transformation Pages: 207–246 Chapter 5 Concluding Thoughts: On Detective Work and Wearing Different Hats Pages: 247–262 Bibliography Index "This book examines one significant answer that emerges from the contemporary debate on 'film-philosophy'; the notion that film spectatorship can become an act of personal transformation."-- Provided by publisher