I appreciate the irony of reducing some of the most
influential and important academic film theory books into a simple ‘top ten’,
but for those who are new to studying the discipline or want a solid place to
jump into the deep end then these books are some of the most respected and fascinating
books ever written on the subject.
Be warned: They are not for the absolute beginner, but are
all worth the time and effort (in other words difficult, but not impossible). They
are in alphabetical order, by author.
1.
Roland
Barthes – Image, Music, Text
As
philosophy died and cultural theory was born, Barthes was on the cusp of the
revolution. This collection of essays
contains the seminal essay The Death Of
The Author that explains that it is at the moment that a film (or other
cultural ‘text’) is watched rather
than when it is made where meanings
are created. This means that an audience
can interpret a film in whichever way they want, without having to restrict
themselves to what the director intended.
2.
Jean
Baudrillard – Simulacra and Simulation
Without
Baudrilard there would be no Matrix trilogy.
This book explores the idea that we are all living in a world of images
and simulated experiences with no meaning.
A simulacra is a copy without an original – like when a film makes you
feel nostalgic for a time that never really existed (like every Disney film
ever made), and Baudrillard suggests that we have all forfeited reality and
replaced it with reproductions of reality, Hollywood style. Anyone that has ever fought with a loved one
and found themselves accidentally quoting a line from a film/TV show will enjoy
this book…
3.
Carol J
Clover – Men, Women & Chainsaws
For
anyone who is interested in horror films, especially the ‘slasher’ films of the
1980s, this is the quintessential
book on the subject. It is here that
Clover outlines her theory about the ‘Final Girl’ – aka the girl left alive at
the end of the film who has not broken any of the moral ‘rules’ that have been
set by the monster – If you watch the film Scream and listen to Randy talking
about the rules of horror films, he is working mainly from Clover’s theories.
