Members may be interested to hear of a major new book series being published by Palgrave/Macmillan this week. Press release below and links below that. The series is co-edited by Stevie Simkin and Julian Petley. More titles are already in preparation.
Where do the limits of cinema lie?
Murder, rape, torture, theft, blasphemy, ‘ultra-violence’, animal cruelty, prostitution, anti-Semitism – is this art or exploitation? Social commentary or sadism? How far should we censor the primal power of film to shock and appall? Controversies, a new series from Palgrave Macmillan, explores films condemned, censored and praised by viewers for their unflinching portrayal of the greatest extremes of human experience, assessing both their impact at the time of release and their subsequent legacies.
Released in 1971, Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange was later withdrawn by the director amidst fervent controversy. Now, on the 40th anniversary of its cinematic opening, Peter Krämer's study draws on new Kubrick Archive research to explore the controversies surrounding the film, particularly concerning its graphic depictions of sexual violence.
Controversial even before release, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ was equally praised and deplored for its brutal portrayal of Jesus’ torture and crucifixion. Neal King discusses how conservative Christians united in support of Gibson and in opposition to liberal, secular and Jewish critics, and explores how the film generated more controversy than any other in recent cinematic history.
Straw Dogs was censored in the UK for its depiction of rape but critics praised it as ‘uncompromising’, ‘unforgettable’ and ‘important’. With a remake about to be released, Stevie Simkin addresses director Sam Peckinpah's much debated misogyny, the film’s relation to social unrest in the period, and the enduring significance of its depiction of sexual violence.
25 years after Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer opened in the UK, Shaun Kimber offers a revealing account of the film's production and reception. The result is a fascinating case study of film censorship in action, and an exploration of what remains one of the most disturbing films ever made.
Publisher page
http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=493935
interview about the book and the series
http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature.php?id=918
Amazon links
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clockwork-Orange-Controversies-Peter-Kr%C3%A4mer/dp/0230302122/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315988858&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Straw-Dogs-Controversies-Stevie-Simkin/dp/023029670X/ref=zg_bs_270443_32
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Henry-Portrait-Serial-Killer-Controversies/dp/0230297986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315988887&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Passion-Christ-Controversies-Neal-King/dp/0230294340/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315988916&sr=1-1
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