Serial Killing on Screen

Serial Killing on Screen

Author: Sarah E. Fanning

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-11-30

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 3031178122

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores the representation of real-life serial murders as adapted for the screen and popular culture. Bringing together a selection of essays from international scholars, Serial Killing on Screen: Adaptation, True Crime and Popular Culture examines the ways in which the screen has become a crucial site through which the most troubling of real-life crimes are represented, (re)constructed and made accessible to the public. Situated at the nexus of film and screen studies, theatre studies, cultural studies, criminology and sociology, this interdisciplinary collection raises questions about, and implications for, thinking about the adaptation and representation of true crime in popular culture, and the ideologies at stake in such narratives. It discusses the ways in which the adaptation of real-life serial murder intersects with other markers of cultural identity (gender, race, class, disability), as well as aspects of criminology (offenders, victims, policing, and profiling) and psychology (psychopathy, sociopathy, and paraphilia). This collection is unique in its combined focus on the adaptation of crimes committed by real-life criminal figures who have gained international notoriety for their plural offences, including, for example, Ted Bundy, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Aileen Wuornos, Jack the Ripper, and the Zodiac, and for situating the tales of these crimes and their victims’ stories within the field of adaptation studies.


Book Synopsis Serial Killing on Screen by : Sarah E. Fanning

Download or read book Serial Killing on Screen written by Sarah E. Fanning and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-11-30 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the representation of real-life serial murders as adapted for the screen and popular culture. Bringing together a selection of essays from international scholars, Serial Killing on Screen: Adaptation, True Crime and Popular Culture examines the ways in which the screen has become a crucial site through which the most troubling of real-life crimes are represented, (re)constructed and made accessible to the public. Situated at the nexus of film and screen studies, theatre studies, cultural studies, criminology and sociology, this interdisciplinary collection raises questions about, and implications for, thinking about the adaptation and representation of true crime in popular culture, and the ideologies at stake in such narratives. It discusses the ways in which the adaptation of real-life serial murder intersects with other markers of cultural identity (gender, race, class, disability), as well as aspects of criminology (offenders, victims, policing, and profiling) and psychology (psychopathy, sociopathy, and paraphilia). This collection is unique in its combined focus on the adaptation of crimes committed by real-life criminal figures who have gained international notoriety for their plural offences, including, for example, Ted Bundy, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Aileen Wuornos, Jack the Ripper, and the Zodiac, and for situating the tales of these crimes and their victims’ stories within the field of adaptation studies.

Serial Killers at the Movies

Serial Killers at the Movies

Author: Christopher Berry-Dee

Publisher: Ad Lib Publishers Ltd

Published: 2020-11-12

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 1913543773

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The depraved crimes of both real and imagined serial killers and mass murderers have long transfixed us in newspapers and books, but perhaps nowhere more so than on the big screen. Films such as Silence of the Lambs, Psycho and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer have not only reached huge audiences but also allowed us into the minds of society’s most disturbed individuals. Bestselling author, Christopher Berry-Dee, talks to the serial killers whose wicked stories have most thrilled and fascinated us at the movies and, through far-ranging and disturbing interviews, he tells the stories of the mass murderers who provided the inspiration for some of cinema’s most shocking films. Serial Killers at the Movies takes the reader on an uncomfortable and truly dark journey into a lurid world of murder and deviancy.


Book Synopsis Serial Killers at the Movies by : Christopher Berry-Dee

Download or read book Serial Killers at the Movies written by Christopher Berry-Dee and published by Ad Lib Publishers Ltd. This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The depraved crimes of both real and imagined serial killers and mass murderers have long transfixed us in newspapers and books, but perhaps nowhere more so than on the big screen. Films such as Silence of the Lambs, Psycho and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer have not only reached huge audiences but also allowed us into the minds of society’s most disturbed individuals. Bestselling author, Christopher Berry-Dee, talks to the serial killers whose wicked stories have most thrilled and fascinated us at the movies and, through far-ranging and disturbing interviews, he tells the stories of the mass murderers who provided the inspiration for some of cinema’s most shocking films. Serial Killers at the Movies takes the reader on an uncomfortable and truly dark journey into a lurid world of murder and deviancy.

Psycho Paths

Psycho Paths

Author: Philip L. Simpson

Publisher: SIU Press

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780809323289

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Philip L. Simpson provides an original and broad overview of the evolving serial killer genre in the two media most responsible for its popularity: literature and cinema of the 1980s and 1990s. The fictional serial killer, with a motiveless, highly individualized modus operandi, is the latest manifestation of the multiple murderers and homicidal maniacs that haunt American literature and, particularly, visual media such as cinema and television. Simpson theorizes that the serial killer genre results from a combination of earlier genre depictions of multiple murderers, inherited Gothic storytelling conventions, and threatening folkloric figures reworked over the years into a contemporary mythology of violence. Updated and repackaged for mass consumption, the Gothic villains, the monsters, the vampires, and the werewolves of the past have evolved into the fictional serial killer, who clearly reflects American cultural anxieties at the start of the twenty-first century. Citing numerous sources, Simpson argues that serial killers’ recent popularity as genre monsters owes much to their pliability to any number of authorial ideological agendas from both the left and the right ends of the political spectrum. Serial killers in fiction are a kind of debased and traumatized visionary, whose murders privately and publicly re-empower them with a pseudo-divine aura in the contemporary political moment. The current fascination with serial killer narratives can thus be explained as the latest manifestation of the ongoing human fascination with tales of gruesome murders and mythic villains finding a receptive audience in a nation galvanized by the increasingly apocalyptic tension between the extremist philosophies of both the New Right and the anti-New Right. Faced with a blizzard of works of varying quality dealing with the serial killer, Simpson has ruled out the catalog approach in this study in favor of in-depth an analysis of the best American work in the genre. He has chosen novels and films that have at least some degree of public name-recognition or notoriety, including Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Manhunter directed by Michael Mann, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer directed by John McNaughton, Seven directed by David Fincher, Natural Born Killers directed by Oliver Stone, Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates, and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.


Book Synopsis Psycho Paths by : Philip L. Simpson

Download or read book Psycho Paths written by Philip L. Simpson and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philip L. Simpson provides an original and broad overview of the evolving serial killer genre in the two media most responsible for its popularity: literature and cinema of the 1980s and 1990s. The fictional serial killer, with a motiveless, highly individualized modus operandi, is the latest manifestation of the multiple murderers and homicidal maniacs that haunt American literature and, particularly, visual media such as cinema and television. Simpson theorizes that the serial killer genre results from a combination of earlier genre depictions of multiple murderers, inherited Gothic storytelling conventions, and threatening folkloric figures reworked over the years into a contemporary mythology of violence. Updated and repackaged for mass consumption, the Gothic villains, the monsters, the vampires, and the werewolves of the past have evolved into the fictional serial killer, who clearly reflects American cultural anxieties at the start of the twenty-first century. Citing numerous sources, Simpson argues that serial killers’ recent popularity as genre monsters owes much to their pliability to any number of authorial ideological agendas from both the left and the right ends of the political spectrum. Serial killers in fiction are a kind of debased and traumatized visionary, whose murders privately and publicly re-empower them with a pseudo-divine aura in the contemporary political moment. The current fascination with serial killer narratives can thus be explained as the latest manifestation of the ongoing human fascination with tales of gruesome murders and mythic villains finding a receptive audience in a nation galvanized by the increasingly apocalyptic tension between the extremist philosophies of both the New Right and the anti-New Right. Faced with a blizzard of works of varying quality dealing with the serial killer, Simpson has ruled out the catalog approach in this study in favor of in-depth an analysis of the best American work in the genre. He has chosen novels and films that have at least some degree of public name-recognition or notoriety, including Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Manhunter directed by Michael Mann, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer directed by John McNaughton, Seven directed by David Fincher, Natural Born Killers directed by Oliver Stone, Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates, and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

Lethal Repetition

Lethal Repetition

Author: Richard Dyer

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-07-25

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1838716890

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Serial killing is an extremely rare phenomenon in reality that is none-theless remarkably widespread in the cultural imagination. Moreover, despite its rarity, it is also taken to be an expression of characteristic aspects of humanity, masculinity, or our times. Richard Dyer investigates this paradox, focusing on the notion at its heart: seriality. He considers the aesthetics of the repetition of nastiness and how this relates to the perceptions and anxieties that images of serial killing highlight in the societies that produce them. Shifting the focus away from the US, which is often seen as the home of the serial killer, Lethal Repetition instead examines serial killing in European culture and cinema – ranging from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and from Britain to Romania. Spanning all brows of cinema – including avant-garde, art, mainstream and trash – Dyer provides case studies on Jack the Ripper, the equation of Nazism with serial killing, and the Italian giallo film to explore what this marginal and uncommon crime is being made to mean on European screens.


Book Synopsis Lethal Repetition by : Richard Dyer

Download or read book Lethal Repetition written by Richard Dyer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-07-25 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Serial killing is an extremely rare phenomenon in reality that is none-theless remarkably widespread in the cultural imagination. Moreover, despite its rarity, it is also taken to be an expression of characteristic aspects of humanity, masculinity, or our times. Richard Dyer investigates this paradox, focusing on the notion at its heart: seriality. He considers the aesthetics of the repetition of nastiness and how this relates to the perceptions and anxieties that images of serial killing highlight in the societies that produce them. Shifting the focus away from the US, which is often seen as the home of the serial killer, Lethal Repetition instead examines serial killing in European culture and cinema – ranging from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and from Britain to Romania. Spanning all brows of cinema – including avant-garde, art, mainstream and trash – Dyer provides case studies on Jack the Ripper, the equation of Nazism with serial killing, and the Italian giallo film to explore what this marginal and uncommon crime is being made to mean on European screens.

Serial Killers and Serial Spectators

Serial Killers and Serial Spectators

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2024-02-12

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9004692800

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Serial murder is a global entertainment industry where the serial killer emerges as one of the most significant cultural figures of our time. No longer an exclusively Anglo-American phenomenon, narratives of serial killing are widespread in India, China, Japan, and other cultures. This book asks why this is the case, and how serial violence has been aestheticized in different contexts. It raises important questions regarding the ethics of spectatorship, complicity, and resistance. Unique in its transnational reach, it covers both novels and visual media, both West and East, both perpetrators and witnesses.


Book Synopsis Serial Killers and Serial Spectators by :

Download or read book Serial Killers and Serial Spectators written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2024-02-12 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Serial murder is a global entertainment industry where the serial killer emerges as one of the most significant cultural figures of our time. No longer an exclusively Anglo-American phenomenon, narratives of serial killing are widespread in India, China, Japan, and other cultures. This book asks why this is the case, and how serial violence has been aestheticized in different contexts. It raises important questions regarding the ethics of spectatorship, complicity, and resistance. Unique in its transnational reach, it covers both novels and visual media, both West and East, both perpetrators and witnesses.

The Terministic Screen

The Terministic Screen

Author: David Blakesley

Publisher: SIU Press

Published: 2007-09-28

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0809387662

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Terministic Screen: Rhetorical Perspectives on Film examines the importance of rhetoric in the study of film and film theory. Rhetorical approaches to film studies have been widely practiced, but rarely discussed until now. Taking on such issues as Hollywood blacklisting, fascistic aesthetics, and postmodern dialogics, editor David Blakesley presents fifteen critical essays that examine rhetoric’s role in such popular films as The Fifth Element, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Usual Suspects, Deliverance, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction, The Music Man, Copycat, Hoop Dreams,and A Time to Kill. Aided by sixteen illustrations, these insightful essays consider films rhetorically, as ways of seeing and not seeing, as acts that dramatize how people use language and images to tell stories and foster identification. Contributors include David Blakesley, Alan Nadel, Ann Chisholm, Martin J. Medhurst, Byron Hawk, Ekaterina V. Haskins, James Roberts, Thomas W. Benson, Philip L. Simpson, Davis W. Houck, Caroline J.S. Picart, Friedemann Weidauer, Bruce Krajewski, Harriet Malinowitz, Granetta L. Richardson, and Kelly Ritter.


Book Synopsis The Terministic Screen by : David Blakesley

Download or read book The Terministic Screen written by David Blakesley and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2007-09-28 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Terministic Screen: Rhetorical Perspectives on Film examines the importance of rhetoric in the study of film and film theory. Rhetorical approaches to film studies have been widely practiced, but rarely discussed until now. Taking on such issues as Hollywood blacklisting, fascistic aesthetics, and postmodern dialogics, editor David Blakesley presents fifteen critical essays that examine rhetoric’s role in such popular films as The Fifth Element, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Usual Suspects, Deliverance, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction, The Music Man, Copycat, Hoop Dreams,and A Time to Kill. Aided by sixteen illustrations, these insightful essays consider films rhetorically, as ways of seeing and not seeing, as acts that dramatize how people use language and images to tell stories and foster identification. Contributors include David Blakesley, Alan Nadel, Ann Chisholm, Martin J. Medhurst, Byron Hawk, Ekaterina V. Haskins, James Roberts, Thomas W. Benson, Philip L. Simpson, Davis W. Houck, Caroline J.S. Picart, Friedemann Weidauer, Bruce Krajewski, Harriet Malinowitz, Granetta L. Richardson, and Kelly Ritter.

Unsolved Serial Killers

Unsolved Serial Killers

Author: D. R. Werner

Publisher:

Published: 2021-07-11

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Discover the chilling true stories of killers who stalked their victims undetected and remain free to this day... When you hear the word "monsters", you probably conjure visions of gruesome and otherworldly creatures -- vampires, spirits, demons, and more. Yet the most terrifying monsters in history aren't the ones you see on the big screen. No horror movie music cues when you cross paths with them or when they spot their first victim. No, these vicious killers are much subtler. These monsters are people. These are the killers who will walk away from a murder scene completely unphased by what they've done. The ones who pitilessly dump or hide bodies and then go about their day as usual. While you're likely familiar with the famous serial killers who have had their faces plastered on every television screen, that's only a part of the picture. One reason that people find these criminals so compelling is because they can rest easy at night knowing justice has been served, and the world has been made a little safer. Yes, these killers are shocking and perverse, yet there's a sense of comfort in knowing they won't be hunting for victims any time soon. But what about those who go undetected? In Unsolved Serial Killers, here is just a fraction of what you will discover: Explorations of the cities and historical contexts of the killings, so you understand the atmosphere when they were taking place In-depth profiles of the victims of each killer and what happened to them Comprehensive looks at the investigations, suspects, and actions of law enforcement while trying to identify the perpetrators The conspiracy theories and lasting legacies that surround these unknown predators The methodology of the killers and what those distinct patterns might reveal about their twisted inner psyche How gangs of serial killers like the Mad Killers of Belgium enthralled communities with fear and paranoia Public reactions to the murder sprees and the surprising ways that public opinion influenced investigations And much more. If you're a true crime junkie you may think you know the world of serial killers inside and out -- but prepare to be surprised by what you find within these pages. Many of these criminals' stories have been nearly lost to time, discarded amongst the drama and pace of the modern news cycle. Others have been eclipsed by even more horrific crimes that took place after their reign of terror. Yet their impact on the families and friends of the victims will never fade. These accounts are both thorough and compelling and will have you on the edge of your seat. If you're ready for the best true crime stories you've never heard before, then scroll up and click the "Add to Cart" button right now.


Book Synopsis Unsolved Serial Killers by : D. R. Werner

Download or read book Unsolved Serial Killers written by D. R. Werner and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-11 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the chilling true stories of killers who stalked their victims undetected and remain free to this day... When you hear the word "monsters", you probably conjure visions of gruesome and otherworldly creatures -- vampires, spirits, demons, and more. Yet the most terrifying monsters in history aren't the ones you see on the big screen. No horror movie music cues when you cross paths with them or when they spot their first victim. No, these vicious killers are much subtler. These monsters are people. These are the killers who will walk away from a murder scene completely unphased by what they've done. The ones who pitilessly dump or hide bodies and then go about their day as usual. While you're likely familiar with the famous serial killers who have had their faces plastered on every television screen, that's only a part of the picture. One reason that people find these criminals so compelling is because they can rest easy at night knowing justice has been served, and the world has been made a little safer. Yes, these killers are shocking and perverse, yet there's a sense of comfort in knowing they won't be hunting for victims any time soon. But what about those who go undetected? In Unsolved Serial Killers, here is just a fraction of what you will discover: Explorations of the cities and historical contexts of the killings, so you understand the atmosphere when they were taking place In-depth profiles of the victims of each killer and what happened to them Comprehensive looks at the investigations, suspects, and actions of law enforcement while trying to identify the perpetrators The conspiracy theories and lasting legacies that surround these unknown predators The methodology of the killers and what those distinct patterns might reveal about their twisted inner psyche How gangs of serial killers like the Mad Killers of Belgium enthralled communities with fear and paranoia Public reactions to the murder sprees and the surprising ways that public opinion influenced investigations And much more. If you're a true crime junkie you may think you know the world of serial killers inside and out -- but prepare to be surprised by what you find within these pages. Many of these criminals' stories have been nearly lost to time, discarded amongst the drama and pace of the modern news cycle. Others have been eclipsed by even more horrific crimes that took place after their reign of terror. Yet their impact on the families and friends of the victims will never fade. These accounts are both thorough and compelling and will have you on the edge of your seat. If you're ready for the best true crime stories you've never heard before, then scroll up and click the "Add to Cart" button right now.

Fight Write

Fight Write

Author: Carla Hoch

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2019-06-11

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1440300739

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Whether a side-street skirmish or an all-out war, fight scenes bring action to the pages of every kind of fiction. But a poorly done or unbelievable fight scene can ruin a great book in an instant. In Fight Write you'll learn practical tips, terminology, and the science behind crafting realistic fight scenes for your fiction. Broken up into "Rounds," trained fighter and writer Carla Hoch guides you through the many factors you'll need to consider when developing battles and brawls. • In Round 1, you will consider how the Who, When, Where, and Why questions affect what type of fight scene you want to craft. • Round 2 delves into the human factors of biology (think fight or flight and adrenaline) and psychology (aggression and response to injuring or killing another person). • Round 3 explores different fighting styles that are appropriate for different situations: How would a character fight from a prone position versus being attacked in the street? What is the vocabulary used to describe these styles? • Round 4 considers weaponry and will guide you to select the best weapon for your characters, including nontraditional weapons of opportunity, while also thinking about the nitty-gritty details of using them. • In Round 5, you'll learn how to accurately describe realistic injuries sustained from the fights and certain weapons, and what kind of injuries will kill a character or render them unable to fight further. By taking into account where your character is in the world, when in history the fight is happening, what the character's motivation for fighting is, and much more, you'll be able write fight scenes unique to your plot and characters, all while satisfying your reader's discerning eye.


Book Synopsis Fight Write by : Carla Hoch

Download or read book Fight Write written by Carla Hoch and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-06-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether a side-street skirmish or an all-out war, fight scenes bring action to the pages of every kind of fiction. But a poorly done or unbelievable fight scene can ruin a great book in an instant. In Fight Write you'll learn practical tips, terminology, and the science behind crafting realistic fight scenes for your fiction. Broken up into "Rounds," trained fighter and writer Carla Hoch guides you through the many factors you'll need to consider when developing battles and brawls. • In Round 1, you will consider how the Who, When, Where, and Why questions affect what type of fight scene you want to craft. • Round 2 delves into the human factors of biology (think fight or flight and adrenaline) and psychology (aggression and response to injuring or killing another person). • Round 3 explores different fighting styles that are appropriate for different situations: How would a character fight from a prone position versus being attacked in the street? What is the vocabulary used to describe these styles? • Round 4 considers weaponry and will guide you to select the best weapon for your characters, including nontraditional weapons of opportunity, while also thinking about the nitty-gritty details of using them. • In Round 5, you'll learn how to accurately describe realistic injuries sustained from the fights and certain weapons, and what kind of injuries will kill a character or render them unable to fight further. By taking into account where your character is in the world, when in history the fight is happening, what the character's motivation for fighting is, and much more, you'll be able write fight scenes unique to your plot and characters, all while satisfying your reader's discerning eye.

Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone

Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone

Author: S. Waller

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-01-13

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1444341405

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone investigates our profound intrigue with mass-murderers. Exploring existential, ethical and political questions through an examination of real and fictional serial killers, philosophy comes alive via an exploration of grisly death. Presents new philosophical theories about serial killing, and relates new research in cognitive science to the minds of serial killers Includes a philosophical look at real serial killers such as Ian Brady, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac killer, as well as fictional serial killers such as Dexter and Hannibal Lecter Offers a new phenomenological examination of the writings of the Zodiac Killer Contains an account of the disappearance of one of Ted Bundy's victims submitted by the organization Families and Friends of Missing Persons and Violent Crime Victims Integrates the insights of philosophers, academics, crime writers and police officers


Book Synopsis Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone by : S. Waller

Download or read book Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone written by S. Waller and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-13 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone investigates our profound intrigue with mass-murderers. Exploring existential, ethical and political questions through an examination of real and fictional serial killers, philosophy comes alive via an exploration of grisly death. Presents new philosophical theories about serial killing, and relates new research in cognitive science to the minds of serial killers Includes a philosophical look at real serial killers such as Ian Brady, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac killer, as well as fictional serial killers such as Dexter and Hannibal Lecter Offers a new phenomenological examination of the writings of the Zodiac Killer Contains an account of the disappearance of one of Ted Bundy's victims submitted by the organization Families and Friends of Missing Persons and Violent Crime Victims Integrates the insights of philosophers, academics, crime writers and police officers

Detecting Men

Detecting Men

Author: Philippa Gates

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 0791481387

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Detecting Men examines the history of the Hollywood detective genre and the ways that detective films have negotiated changing social attitudes toward masculinity, heroism, law enforcement, and justice. Genre film can be a site for the expression and resolution of problematic social issues, but while there have been many studies of such other male genres as war films, gangster films, and Westerns, relatively little attention has been paid to detective films beyond film noir. In this volume, Philippa Gates examines classical films of the thirties and forties as well as recent examples of the genre, including Die Hard, the Lethal Weapon films, The Usual Suspects, Seven, Devil in a Blue Dress, and Murder by Numbers, in order to explore social anxieties about masculinity and crime and Hollywood's conceptions of gender. Up until the early 1990s, Gates argues, the primary focus of the detective genre was the masculinity of the hero. However, from the mid-1990s onward, the genre has shifted to more technical portrayals of crime scene investigation, forensic science, and criminal profiling, offering a reassuring image of law enforcement in the face of violent crime. By investigating the evolution of the detective film, Gates suggests, perhaps we can detect the male.


Book Synopsis Detecting Men by : Philippa Gates

Download or read book Detecting Men written by Philippa Gates and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Detecting Men examines the history of the Hollywood detective genre and the ways that detective films have negotiated changing social attitudes toward masculinity, heroism, law enforcement, and justice. Genre film can be a site for the expression and resolution of problematic social issues, but while there have been many studies of such other male genres as war films, gangster films, and Westerns, relatively little attention has been paid to detective films beyond film noir. In this volume, Philippa Gates examines classical films of the thirties and forties as well as recent examples of the genre, including Die Hard, the Lethal Weapon films, The Usual Suspects, Seven, Devil in a Blue Dress, and Murder by Numbers, in order to explore social anxieties about masculinity and crime and Hollywood's conceptions of gender. Up until the early 1990s, Gates argues, the primary focus of the detective genre was the masculinity of the hero. However, from the mid-1990s onward, the genre has shifted to more technical portrayals of crime scene investigation, forensic science, and criminal profiling, offering a reassuring image of law enforcement in the face of violent crime. By investigating the evolution of the detective film, Gates suggests, perhaps we can detect the male.