For Entertainment Purposes Only?: An Analysis of the Struggle to Control Filmic Representations

by Reba L. Chaisson

Overview

Film has had a contentious and important relationship with the cultural signification of racial identity. Eminent thinkers such as bell hooks and Cornel West have opened up new and important avenues of debate on the subject; however, Chaisson argues that they are mostly focused on the pedagogical effect of film on our conception of racial identity. As an important adjunct to this lens of cultural criticism, Chaisson brings together the voices of minority filmmakers and executives from major studios who are engaged in the industry on a daily level. For Entertainment Purposes Only? makes a significant contribution to the literature on this subject by moving the discussion away from the ways in which cultural representations act as sources of knowledge to an examination of the role of power and mediation in the production of cultural representation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739101568
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	08/02/2000
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.26(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Reba L. Chaisson is Visiting Professor of Sociology at Chicago State University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 List of Figures Chapter 2 List of Tables Chapter 3 Preface Chapter 4 Acknowledgments Part 5 Identities and Representations Chapter 6 Methodology Part 7 Film As an Ideological Apparatus Part 8 Focusing on the Indies Part 9 Executive Privilege Chapter 10 Desire for the Familiar Chapter 11 Critical Acclaim Part 12 Aesthetic Priorities Chapter 13 Mirroring Chapter 14 Crossover Appeal Chapter 15 Compromising Aesthetic Priorities Part 16 Contradictions Chapter 17 Self-Exploitative Practices and the Pursuit of Capitalism Chapter 18 Quiet Polarization Part 19 Alternative Strategies Chapter 20 Mini-Indies Chapter 21 Ancillary Markets Chapter 22 Summary Part 23 Conclusion Part 24 Appendix: Methodology Part 25 Bibliography Part 26 Index