The Oxford Handbook of Film Theory

The Oxford Handbook of Film Theory narrows in on the subject of film, not with a nostalgic sensibility, but with the recognition that what constitutes a film is historically contingent and in dialogue with the vicissitudes of entertainment, art, and empire. Essays topics include (but are not limited to) audiovisuality, silent cinema, psychoanalytic film theory, affect theory, critical race theory, and the male gaze.

Despite changes in the media landscape, film remains a vital force in contemporary culture, as do our ideas of what "a movie" or "the cinematic" are. Indeed, we might say that the category of film now only exists in theory. Whereas film-theoretical discussion at the turn of the 21st century was preoccupied, understandably, by digital technology''s permeation of virtually all aspects of the film object, this volume moves the conversation away from a focus on film''s materiality towards timely questions concerning the ethics, politics, and even aesthetics of thinking about the medium of cinema. To put it another way, this collection narrows in on the subject of film, not with a nostalgic sensibility, but with the recognition that what constitutes a film is historically contingent, in dialogue with the vicissitudes of entertainment, art, and empire. The volume is divided into six sections: Meta-Theory; Film Theory''s Project of Emancipation; Apparatus and Perception; Audiovisuality; How Close is Close Reading?; and The Turn to Experience.