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March 2001, Week 4

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Subject:
From:
David Bordwell <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 25 Mar 2001 17:35:32 -0600
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Jeremy Butler kindly pointed out the discussion of FILM ART on the Screen-L
site, and I just thought I'd add a couple of corrections.

One commentator noted that FILM ART now includes a manual for helping
students write papers and took this as a first. Actually, we've had a
section of the book devoted to writing papers since the fourth edition;
it's now been moved to the manual.

Another commentator, Daniel Humphrey, made several claims which are not
accurate. Professor Humphrey said that ideology, issues of gender and race,
and the like were ignored in FILM ART. But in the first edition and ever
since we have included an explanation of ideological aspects of cinema, and
have included an ideological analysis of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. Later
editions have included analyses of DO THE RIGHT THING and RAGING BULL from
the standpoints of black community and masculine identity respectively.
Contrary to Professor Humphrey, "ideology" is not a "dirty word" to me and
"my allies," as even a cursory glance at my books on Dreyer, Eisenstein,
Ozu, etc. will show.
Professor Humphrey also claimed that FILM ART has ignored Asian, African,
and Latin American film. But the first edition included an analysis of
Ozu's TOKYO STORY and drew many examples from Japanese cinema. Subsequent
editions have drawn examples from Latin American, Chinese, and African films.
Professor Humphrey also claimed that in my scholarly work I have ignored
these regional cinemas. Let it be noted that Kristin Thompson and I
published an article on Ozu in 1976, that I have written steadily on Asian
film since that date, and published two books on the subject (on Ozu and
Hong Kong film). Likewise, if Professor Humphrey cares to look at FILM
HISTORY: AN INTRODUCTION, he will find large sections covering all these
national cinemas.
Professor Humphrey concludes by suggesting that I have in recent years
taken steps to correct my misbehavior. But the Bill Nichols passage he
quotes so approvingly (claiming that I'm indifferent to everything but a
narrow sense of form), was inaccurate the day it was published. As film
scholars and teachers, we should care about accuracy. It all begins with
simply reading the words on the page.

----
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University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu

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