CAMERA POLITICA

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by Michael Ryan & Douglas Kellner (1990)

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The Hollywood film consists of representations that express the thought patterns, beliefs, and ideology of our society. These representations inform and reassure us that capitalism and patriarchy are necessary for survival. The Hollywood film imparts the values and practices of domination rather than social cooperation. Think of anything and formulate a mental picture of it. Now ask yourself, where did that mental picture originate from? Also, film in itself is benign, and therefore, films can be made that challenge and contradict the dominant film narrative of submission to capitalism. McCabe & Mrs Miller tore off the mask of romanticism associated with the American wild west, showing the west to be dirty, brutal, cruel, a place of crime and greed, and ultimately without hope. Metaphor and metonym. Genre codes within films. The limits of filmmaking are transcended between 1967 and 1972. Paranoia films. Race and class. Psychological style over structural representations. Horror films. The hero returns. Fantasy films. History and politics. Excellent research and presentation, and highly useful when analysing the current crop of “woke” films. Has progress actually been made? You decide. Non-fiction. 346 pages.

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DETAILS:

Title: Camera politica. The politics and ideology of contemporary Hollywood film

Year: 1990

Author: Michael Ryan & Douglas Kellner

Pages: 346

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Book review by Keith Salter