Cinema and Its Discontents: The Dialectical Nature of Character

By Zachariah Rush

The ultimate aim of drama is to expose the soul of Character. Dramatists achieve this objective by employing a specific type of conflict known as dialectic, a concept woven throughout Western thinking and--from Homer to 21st century cinema--the basis of all dramatic characters. This study details the history of dialectical thought from Plato to Jung before turning its focus to the development of character in a century of filmmaking. From Chaplin's Tramp to Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle, it examines more than two dozen cinematic characters governed by dialectic--torn between life and death, opposing desires, moralities and wills, their sense of self threatened by others.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786475382
• ISBN13: 9780786475384
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 212 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher