Overview

This comprehensive study of prolific British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom explores the thematic, stylistic, and intellectual consistencies running through his eclectic and controversial body of work. This volume undertakes a close analysis of a TV series directed by Winterbottom and sixteen of his films ranging from television dramas to transnational co-productions featuring Hollywood stars, and from documentaries to costume films. The critique is centered on Winterbottom's collaborative working practices, political and cultural contexts, and critical reception. Arguing that his work delineates a 'cinema of borders', this study examines Winterbottom's treatment of sexuality, class, ethnicity, and national and international politics, as well as his quest to adequately narrate inequality, injustice, and violence.

Full Product Details

9780231167376

Table of Contents

Reviews

In The Cinema of Michael Winterbottom, Bruce Bennett offers a tour de force examination of the regimes of visibility and invisibility in the British director's rich and heterogeneous body of work, exploring the ways in which these films traverse and question the political, institutional, and aesthetic boundaries of the nation. Seducing his readers with eloquence and methodological rigor, Bennett analyzes the complexity of Winterbottom's cinema through a careful look at the interrelated themes of borderlands, abject border zones, ideologies of race and violence, intimacy, the politics of mobility, and the War on Terror. This is a brilliant, highly readable book that offers an insightful commentary on the intricacies of the political climate we live in. -- Katarzyna Marciniak, Ohio University Bruce Bennett's book provides an excellent introduction to the work of one of Britain's most intriguing and impressive current filmmakers, fully acknowledging the breadth and variety of Winterbottom's body of work while also making a persuasive case for its underlying ideological and aesthetic coherence. Indispensable for anyone interested in contemporary British film. -- Melanie Williams, University of East Anglia Bennett's book offers both lucid commentary and penetrating thematic analysis of Winterbottom's films. An innovative and exciting director here receives the kind of thoughtful and thought-provoking attention he deserves in a thoroughly excellent contribution to the Directors' Cuts series. -- Derek Paget, University of Reading

In The Cinema of Michael Winterbottom, Bruce Bennett offers a tour de force examination of the regimes of visibility and invisibility in the British director's rich and heterogeneous body of work, exploring the ways in which these films traverse and question the political, institutional, and aesthetic boundaries of the nation. Seducing his readers with eloquence and methodological rigor, Bennett analyzes the complexity of Winterbottom's cinema through a careful look at the interrelated themes of borderlands, abject border zones, ideologies of race and violence, intimacy, the politics of mobility, and the War on Terror. This is a brilliant, highly readable book that offers an insightful commentary on the intricacies of the political climate we live in. -- Katarzyna Marciniak, Ohio University Bruce Bennett's book provides an excellent introduction to the work of one of Britain's most intriguing and impressive current filmmakers, fully acknowledging the breadth and variety of Winterbottom's body of work while also making a persuasive case for its underlying ideological and aesthetic coherence. Indispensable for anyone interested in contemporary British film. -- Melanie Williams, University of East Anglia Bennett's book offers both lucid commentary and penetrating thematic analysis of Winterbottom's films. An innovative and exciting director here receives the kind of thoughtful and thought-provoking attention he deserves in a thoroughly excellent contribution to the Directors' Cuts series. -- Derek Paget, University of Reading Essential reading because it provides an original and individual insight on an unclassificable British director... Media International Australia

Author Information

Bruce Bennett is Director of Film Studies at Lancaster University. He is coeditor of Cinema and Technology: Cultures, Theories, Practices (2008). Other publications include articles on celebrity culture, photography, Georges Bataille, the cinema of James Cameron and the Hollywood blockbuster, and the war on terror in film and television.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available