Embodied Visions

We have long needed a theory of film which was naturalistic-which shows what cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, and brain science can tell us about movies. Torben Grodal has created a comprehensive and detailed version of such a theory. He ranges widely across genres and periods, old media and new, and he finds something new to say about every subject he touches. Embodied Visions gives us a provocative set of explanations for how and why we get so emotionally invested in shadows on a screen. * David Bordwell, University of Wisconsin-Madison *
For decades the field of film studies has been under the sway of theories of social and linguistic determinism. Challenging these approaches, Grodal brilliantly shows why the natural sciences are relevant for a comprehensive understanding of cinema. This book is essential reading for scholars and viewers seeking to understand film as a universal and cross-cultural medium of expression. * Stephen Prince, Virginia Tech *
Grodal has thrown down the gauntlet to film studies, giving us the first really detailed model of an evolutionary theory of film. This work will become a major reference point for scholars working on similar terrain, and indeed for any serious theorist of film. * Murray Smith, University of Kent *