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Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema (Harvard Film Studies) Paperback – October 1, 1991

3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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David Bordwell’s new book is at once a history of film criticism, an analysis of how critics interpret film, and a proposal for an alternative program for film studies. It is an anatomy of film criticism meant to reset the agenda for film scholarship. As such Making Meaning should be a landmark book, a focus for debate from which future film study will evolve.

Bordwell systematically maps different strategies for interpreting films and making meaning, illustrating his points with a vast array of examples from Western film criticism. Following an introductory chapter that sets out the terms and scope of the argument, Bordwell goes on to show how critical institutions constrain and contain the very practices they promote, and how the interpretation of texts has become a central preoccupation of the humanities. He gives lucid accounts of the development of film criticism in France, Britain, and the United States since World War II; analyzes this development through two important types of criticism, thematic-explicatory and symptomatic; and shows that both types, usually seen as antithetical, in fact have much in common. These diverse and even warring schools of criticism share conventional, rhetorical, and problem-solving techniques―a point that has broad-ranging implications for the way critics practice their art. The book concludes with a survey of the alternatives to criticism based on interpretation and, finally, with the proposal that a historical poetics of cinema offers the most fruitful framework for film analysis.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Few books of film criticism are as daring and controversial as Making Meaning. In the tradition of Terry Eagleton's Literary Theory: An Introduction and Fredric Jameson's The Political Unconscious, David Bordwell looks back at the work done in his field, summarizes its strengths, criticizes its weaknesses, and proposes a new point of departure. The result is an arresting overview of contemporary film theory that also exposes its shortcomings. Bordwell concludes that most film criticism and theory is tied to the idea of making meaning, unpacking the overt or hidden messages that lie within the movie. Prophesying that a new era of analysis is before us, Bordwell calls for film scholarship that will both complement and transcend mere interpretation.

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“It’s hard to avoid superlatives when talking about David Bordwell’s work. Let me simply say that here is a book which, for lucidity, breadth, erudition, and rigor, only he could have written. It addresses and analyzes interpretive practice in a way that only the most self-absorbed critic can ignore, and then only at his or her own risk.”Seymour Chatman, Film Quarterly

Making Meaning is a startling and important book.”Barry Salt, Sight & Sound

“[Bordwell] approaches the issue with his characteristically refreshing candor, clarity, and wit, proceeding from the direct question, ‘How do film interpreters actually come up with the meanings at which they arrive?’ …The controversies sure to be ignited by
Making Meaning, in the short run, will be anything but dull; in the long run, its contributions to the development of film poetics will be of even greater import.”Herb Eagle, Wide Angle

“An A-list historian and theorist himself, Bordwell is the unchallenged
capo di tutti capi of academic film studies… His industrial-strength overview is a streamlined and steady Eurail pass through the Continental modes of thought that have dominated the American university since the late ’60s.”Thomas Doherty, Boston Phoenix Literary Supplement

“A new book by David Bordwell is always an event. The wealth of examples, the sharp prose and vividness of his presentation give his writing force and persuasiveness.”
Thomas Elsaesser

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 067454336X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press; Revised ed. edition (October 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780674543362
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674543362
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 0.88 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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David Bordwell
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David Bordwell is Jacques Ledoux Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a master's degree and a doctorate in film from the University of Iowa. His books include The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer (University of California Press, 1981), Narration in the Fiction Film (University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Princeton University Press, 1988), Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema (Harvard University Press, 1989), The Cinema of Eisenstein (Harvard University Press, 1993), On the History of Film Style (Harvard University Press, 1997), Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Harvard University Press, 2000), Figures Traced in Light: On Cinematic Staging (University of California Press, 2005), The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies (University of California Press, 2006), and The Poetics of Cinema (Routledge, 2008). He has won a University Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Copenhagen. His web site is www.davidbordwell.net.

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
    What we have to remember is that there was a brief time in the U.S., primarily the twenty years from 1975 to 1995, when analyzing films mattered. It was not just that Pauline Kael had held a well-deserved spot in the New Yorker for decades writing about pop culture and the way films addressed it, colleges and universities had serious courses about films, film genres, foreign films, documentary films, and even silent films. From these courses, learners began to see how films make meaning -- editing, mis-en-scene, styles of acting and directing, the advances in technology, influences from abroad -- the student learned how complexly movies combined art and business to reach the mind of the public.

    I have heard that since about 1995, American films have to appeal to overseas audience, especially those in China, to make a profit. The Chinese leaders have figured out that they can call the shots in how films portray China, but they have also demanded that American films which have nothing to do with the history or culture of China include "product placement" that tout Chinese products (This was on "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" in February 2022.).

    So, we have David Bordwell, who wrote with insight and humor about how to watch a film and how to think about the critiques and analyses of films that were prevalent in those days. Now we have Rotten Tomatoes and 100-word critiques in People magazine to guide us. OMG, there even used to be REALLY good magazines about the film business like MovieLine. Entertainment Weekly is just an outlet for PR dreck.

    Buy this book and have a chuckle while having your mind and consciousness raised by Mr. Bordwell. I met him about 28 years ago at the Annenberg School at the Univ. of PA, where I gushed over this book. He was surprised even then that someone so enjoyed this book, and he signed my copy. I wrote both a thesis and a dissertation about films, but have only taught two courses on film and film criticism, both in the 1990s. Alas. That students are now ignorant of both visual and textual persuasion is part of what makes this world so messed up in 2022!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
    This is not a review of the book by David Bordwell, but of the actual item, which was advertised as new but clearly not -- it has a sun-faded cover and pencil marking inside, even though it was wrapped (obviously re-wrapped) in plastic. I"m glad to have it but please do not advertised clearly used books as new.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Gregory Clements
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2024
    As I expected. Very satisfied