Movies and the mind : theories of the great psychoanalysts applied to film / William Indick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Indick, William, 1971-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures--Psychological aspects.

Motion pictures.

Physical Description:

viii, 219 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., [2004]

Summary:

The latent symbolism in film imagery can be dealt with just like the imagery in dreams. This book applies to film the psychoanalytic techniques of Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Joseph Campbell, Otto Rank and Rollo May, providing a fundamental understanding of film symbols and structure. A comprehensive and eclectic approach to film analysis is offered, using a broad variety of theories and examples from both classic and contemporary movies, from Dracula (1930) to American Beauty (1999). The final chapter applies all the previously discussed techniques to one film, Malcolm X (1992). The work includes a filmography and a bibliography and is illustrated with film stills.

Contents:

Analyzing the movie dream

Archetypes of Oz

Heroes and villains

The myth of the birth of the hero

Religious symbolism in film

The monomyth

Archetype evolution

Superheroes and underdogs

The personal myth

The modern myths

The horrors of childhood

The American family and its mechanisms of defense

Characters in crisis.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-216), filmography (pages 201-214), and index.

ISBN:

0786419539

OCLC:

56095930