Fields of vision: Essays in film studies, visual anthropology, and photography

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Filmed images dominate our time, influencing entertainment, news, and cultural vocabulary. This collection explores the power and limits of film and photography in understanding ourselves and others, crossing disciplinary boundaries. Contributors, including critics, social scientists, filmmakers, and literary scholars, focus on representation and the construction of visual meaning across cultures. The essays traverse various genres and eras, examining how images produce meaning—from horror films' dismembered bodies to the exoticism of ethnographic films and the allure of romantic cinema. They interrogate how the "real" on film generates fantasy and news, while also addressing the complexities of cultural boundaries. One essay highlights Hollywood's global commercial influence on local cinemas, while another investigates indigenous responses to mass media in central Australia. Additional essays delve into the unconscious in cinema, the impact of the 1920s "women's film" genre on female spectatorship, and the personal narratives in documentary films and war photography. By illuminating overlooked areas of representation, these essays reveal new perspectives and insights into visual culture.