John Sayles

David R. Shumway

ISBN 10: 025207856X / ISBN 13: 9780252078569

Published by University of Illinois Press, 2012

About this Item

Seller Inventory # F690DB76ABF59DA

Bibliographic Details

• Title: John Sayles
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 025207856X
• ISBN 13: 9780252078569
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

John Sayles is the very paradigm of the contemporary independent filmmaker. By raising much of the funding for his films himself, Sayles functions more independently than most directors, and he has used his freedom to write and produce films with a distinctive personal style and often clearly expressed political positions. From The Return of the Secaucus Seven to Sunshine State, his films have consistently expressed progressive political positions on issues including race, gender, sexuality, class, and disability.

 

In this study, David R. Shumway examines the defining characteristic of Sayles's cinema: its realism. Positing the filmmaker as a critical realist, Shumway explores Sayles's attention to narrative in critically acclaimed and popular films such as Matewan, Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, and Lone Star. The study also details the conditions under which Sayles's films have been produced, distributed, and exhibited, affecting the way in which these films have been understood and appreciated. In the process, Shumway presents Sayles as a teacher who tells historically accurate stories that invite audiences to consider the human world they all inhabit.

About the Author

David R. Shumway is the director of the Humanities Center and a professor of English and literary and cultural studies at Carnegie Mellon University. His many books include Modern Love: Romance, Intimacy, and the Marriage Crisis.