Sofia Coppola
The Politics of Visual Pleasure
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Berghahn Books
Published:29th Nov '18
Should be back in stock very soon

This insightful analysis of Sofia Coppola reveals how her films challenge postfeminist narratives while offering a rich feminist philosophy through captivating imagery and emotional depth.
In Sofia Coppola, Backman Rogers delves into the intricate layers of the director's cinematic style, drawing from a diverse array of feminist theorists. The author presents Coppola's work as a critique of postfeminist lifestyles, revealing how her films engage viewers with a unique blend of feminist and feminine philosophies. Through beguilement, mood, and surface aesthetics, Coppola's films offer a rich, textured experience that challenges simplistic interpretations. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the emotional and psychological undertones that permeate her storytelling.
Rogers argues that Coppola's films are often mischaracterized as lacking substance, when in fact they are deeply meaningful and complex. By examining key themes such as the subversion of patriarchy in The Virgin Suicides and the exploration of the 'female gothic' in The Beguiled, the author illustrates how Coppola's work goes beyond mere visual appeal. Instead, her films create a space for reflection and critical engagement, inviting audiences to reconsider their perceptions of femininity and power.
The book is not just an academic analysis but also an accessible exploration of Coppola's artistic vision. With a focus on mood, texture, and tone, Sofia Coppola highlights the director's sophisticated understanding of imagery and its impact on viewers. By situating her work within feminist discourse, Rogers makes a compelling case for Coppola's films as significant contributions to contemporary cinema, ultimately reshaping the narrative around her artistic legacy.
""This is a forceful and necessary feminist intervention in film theory; Anna Backman Rogers brilliantly carves out a space for work that is usually marginalized as pretty, as superficial, as ineffable, insisting we reckon head-on with the politics of seeing the world through a woman's perspective. And she does it in wonderfully straight-talking prose that doesn't shy away from controversy, underlining how necessary it is to tackle these questions, now more than ever." - Lauren Elkin, author of Fl neuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London "This work on Coppola makes a genuinely significant contribution to the field of film studies--the writing on The Virgin Suicides is simply the best I have read. It is a radical work, in keeping with the radical, subversive and beautiful films it does justice to." - Lucy Bolton, Queen Mary, University of London "Anna Backman Rogers has produced a timely, beautifully written, and trailblazing account of female authorship and femininity in contemporary cinema, full of both conviction and compassion." - Davina Quinlivan, Kingston University
ISBN: 9781785339752
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
200 pages