Cinema and Modernity [Paperback]

This book discusses the complex relation between modernity and cinema drawing particularly upon the European and American cinema during the second half of the twentieth century. Orr attempts to rethink the relation of film-making to the contemporary world challenging many of the critical complacencies of post-modernism and offering a fresh perspective upon the development of the modern cinema.List of Illustrations.

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

1. Film and the Paradox of the Modern.

2. Tragicomedy and the Cool Apocalypse.

3. The Double and the Innocent.

4. The Power of the Gaze.

5. The Absent Image and the Unreal Object.

6. Commodified Demons I: The Machine and the Mask.

7. Commodified Demons II: The Automobile.

8. The Strange Passions of Film Noir.

Notes.

Select Bibliography.

Select Filmography.

Index.

'This book offers a refreshing re-appraisal of some of the more interesting trends in western cinema from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s. Cinema and Modernity is a thoughtful and stimulating contribution to film scholarship which successfully combines critical insight with an acute awareness of the cultural and political forces which shaped western industrial society in the post-war world.' Duncan Petrie, British Film Institute

<!--end-->'The most refreshing aspect about this very readable book is its perspective. The author discusses a wide range of European and American films, including a number of contemporary titles, in the light of the major cultural and political forces which have shaped Western industrial society this century. Provocative, challenging. Recommended.' Media Information Australia