Description
When we talk of 'seeing' a film, we do not refer to a purely visual experience. Rather, to understand what we see on screen, we rely as much on non-visual senses as we do on sight. This new book rethinks the body in the cinema seat, charting the emergence of embodied film theory and drawing on developments in philosophy, neuroscience, body politics and film theory. Through the prism of Alfred Hitchcock's films, we explore how our bodies and sensual memory enable us to quite literally 'flesh out' what we see on screen: the trope of nausea in "Frenzy", pollution and smell in "Shadow of a Doubt", physical sound reception in the "Psycho" shower scene and the importance of corporeality and closeness in "Rear Window". We see how the body's sensations have a vital place in cinematic reception and the study of film.
When we talk of 'seeing' a film, we do not refer to a purely visual experience. Rather, to understand what we see on screen, we rely as much on non-visual senses as we do on sight. This book rethinks the body in the cinema seat, charting the emergence of embodied film theory and the developments in philosophy, neuroscience, and film theory.
About the Author
Paul Elliott teaches in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex.
Reviews
'This book is a confident and original intervention in the field of contemporary film theory. Elliott asserts the crucial role of sensorial engagement in film viewing and details its cinematic expression. His theoretical scope is impressively broad-ranging and includes the evidential findings of neurology and biology, art and cultural studies in order to locate the relevance of its concerns beyond the subject-specific limits of film studies. It provides a seamless integration of relevant conceptual 'machines' such as those of phenomenology into a well-informed and precisely illustrated knowledge of the cinematic medium.' - Anna Powell, Senior Lecturer in Film and English, Manchester Metropolitan University; 'This is a fascinating and elegantly written account of questions of the 'scopic regime' in film theory. In foregrounding the body and its multiple sense responses in film reception, this book promises to add a new dimension to readings of Hitchcock's work and its impact on audiences. This project offers a very useful complement to the critical approaches of Jonathan Crary, Laura Marks, Barbara Kennedy, Vivian Sobchack, and others interested in expanding film interpretation beyond the realm of the visual.' - Jeffrey Geiger, Senior Lecturer in Film, University of Essex, Editor of the Norton Guide to Film Analysis
Book Information
ISBN 9781848855878
Author Paul Elliott
Format Hardback
Page Count 248
Imprint I.B. Tauris
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 435g
When we talk of 'seeing' a film, we do not refer to a purely visual experience. Rather, to understand what we see on screen, we rely as much on non-visual senses as we do on sight. This book rethinks the body in the cinema seat, charting the emergence of embodied film theory and the developments in philosophy, neuroscience, and film theory.
About the Author
Paul Elliott teaches in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex.
Reviews
'This book is a confident and original intervention in the field of contemporary film theory. Elliott asserts the crucial role of sensorial engagement in film viewing and details its cinematic expression. His theoretical scope is impressively broad-ranging and includes the evidential findings of neurology and biology, art and cultural studies in order to locate the relevance of its concerns beyond the subject-specific limits of film studies. It provides a seamless integration of relevant conceptual 'machines' such as those of phenomenology into a well-informed and precisely illustrated knowledge of the cinematic medium.' - Anna Powell, Senior Lecturer in Film and English, Manchester Metropolitan University; 'This is a fascinating and elegantly written account of questions of the 'scopic regime' in film theory. In foregrounding the body and its multiple sense responses in film reception, this book promises to add a new dimension to readings of Hitchcock's work and its impact on audiences. This project offers a very useful complement to the critical approaches of Jonathan Crary, Laura Marks, Barbara Kennedy, Vivian Sobchack, and others interested in expanding film interpretation beyond the realm of the visual.' - Jeffrey Geiger, Senior Lecturer in Film, University of Essex, Editor of the Norton Guide to Film Analysis
Book Information
ISBN 9781848855878
Author Paul Elliott
Format Hardback
Page Count 248
Imprint I.B. Tauris
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 435g
