Description
Book SynopsisExamines changing perspectives toward everyday eco-disasters as reflected in the work of filmmakers from the silent era forward, with an emphasis on recent films such as
Dead Ahead,
Total Recall,
The Devil Wears Prada, and
Food, Inc. The authors evaluate not only the success of these films as rhetorical arguments but also their rhetorical strategies.
Trade Review“The authors’ grasp of historical and legal context is top-notch and the book consistently connects the issues and arguments represented in the films to their potential to inspire environmental activism in the viewer. . . . A broad-based, historically detailed overview of its fascinating and relevant central theme.”—Carter Soles,
Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and the Environment Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Cinematic Ecodisasters and Our Basic Human NeedsPart 1: Human Approaches to the Ecology of Air, Water, and Clothing1. At the Boiling Point: The Aesthetics of Atmospheric Pollution and Climate Change in Documentary and Feature Films2. James Bond and Water Wars in Contemporary Film: A New Ecowarrior?3. Ready to Wear? From Fashion to Environmental JusticePart 2: Ecodocumentaries and the Rhetoric of Food Production4. Contemporary Ecofood Films: The Documentary Tradition5. Flipper? We’re Eating Flipper? Documenting Animals Rights and Environmental Ethics at SeaPart 3: Negative Externalities of Housing and Energy Industries6. Give Me Shelter: The Ecology of Homes and Homelessness7. Activism in Mountaintop Removal Films: Turn Off the Lights for Sustainability8. The Search for the “Golden Shrimp”: The Myth of Interdependence in Oil Drilling FilmsConclusion: Can the Film Industry and the Environmental Movement Mix?FilmographyWorks CitedIndex
