Breaking the Frame: Film Language and the Experience of Limits

Ranging over the broad spectrum of contemporary literary and film theory, Breaking the Frame explores the different approaches to cinematic art that areoffered by cognitive psychology, feminist theory, aesthetics, and psychoanalysis. Inthis study Inez Hedges looks closely at films that challenge accepted norms in bothform and content. The films discussed here, including Zazie, La Nuit de Varennes, and Interiors, break out of conventional frames, upsetting our expectations abouthow films should look (the film frame) as well as how experience is usuallyorganized by cinematic works of art (the psychological or cognitive frame). Hedgesfocuses on two primary areas: the way that the structure of film texts guides theinterpretations of the spectator (hermeneutics) and the way that films reflectsocial models (representation).

Breaking the Frame will be ofinterest not only to scholars and students of film and literature but also totoday's "filmliterate" public who enjoy exploring the theoretical and philosophicalimplications of cinematic works.