Douglas Sirk, Aesthetic Modernism and the Culture of Modernity Victoria L. Evans 9781474409391

The first truly interdisciplinary analysis to link Douglas Sirk's striking visual aesthetic to key movements in twentieth century art and architecture, this book reveals how the exaggerated artifice of Sirk's formal style emerged from his detailed understanding of the artistic debates that raged in 1920s Europe and the post-war United States. With detailed case studies of Final Chord and All That Heaven Allows, Victoria Evans demonstrates how Sirk attempted to dissolve the boundaries of cinema by assimilating elements of avant-garde art, architecture and design into the colour, composition and setting of many of his most well-known films. Treating Sirk's oeuvre as a continuum between his German and American periods, Evans argues that his mise-en-scene was the result of an interdisciplinary, transnational dialogue, and illuminates the broader cultural context in which his films appeared by establishing links between archival documents, Modernist manifestos and the philosophical writings of his peers.

The first truly interdisciplinary analysis to link Douglas Sirk's striking visual aesthetic to key movements in twentieth century art and architecture. Represents a rare attempt to treat Sirk's cinematic oeuvre as a continuum by offering detailed interpretations of films from both his German and his American periods. Includes lengthy case studies on Final Chord (1936) and All that Heaven Allows (1955).

About the Author
Victoria L. Evans is the main programmer for the Dunedin Film Society and an organiser for the New Zealand International Film Festival, She is also on the national management committee of the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies.


Book Information
ISBN 9781474409391
Author Victoria L. Evans
Format Hardback
Page Count 208
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press