Description
Book SynopsisThe Cinema of Sofia Coppola provides the first comprehensive analysis of Coppola's oeuvre that situates her work broadly in relation to contemporary artistic, social and cultural currents. Suzanne Ferriss considers the central role of fashion - in its various manifestations - to Coppola's films, exploring fashion's primacy in every cinematic dimension: in film narrative; production, costume and sound design; cinematography; marketing, distribution and auteur branding. She also explores the theme of celebrity, including Coppola's own director-star persona, and argues that Coppola's auteur status rests on an original and distinct visual style, derived from the filmmaker's complex engagement with photography and painting.Ferriss analyzes each of Coppola's six films, categorizing them in two groups: films where fashion commands attention (
Marie Antoinette, The Beguiled and
The Bling Ring) and those where clothing and material goods do not stand out ostentatiously, but
Trade ReviewScholar Ferriss traces and deconstructs how Coppola’s knowledge of interior design, fashion, architecture, art and music informs every aspect of her movies – and their carefully crafted, painterly compositions – and illuminates how deftly style becomes substance. * Everything Zoomer *
Suzanne Ferriss presents us with an indispensable study that effectively captures the complexities of Sofia Coppola's universe through the lens of fashion, culture and celebrity. * The Journal of Dress History *
Thought provoking for fans of Coppola’s work and casual viewers alike. * Film Criticism *
Ferriss offers a sophisticated and wide-ranging analysis of Coppola's films and their intersections with fashion, art and celebrity culture. This is the first study, in particular, that positions Coppola's aesthetic preoccupations from the perspective of neither feminism nor post-feminism, but rather from that of art history. This book, therefore, offers a genuinely new, vital and fascinating take on a currently neglected, or under-studied, aspect of Coppola's oeuvre. Ferriss combines rich analysis with extensive knowledge of Coppola's artistic influences and writes both lucidly and beautifully. This study will be indispensable to both undergraduate students and serious scholars of not only film, but also those working in interdisciplinary subjects such as fashion studies, gender studies and art history. -- Anna Backman Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Feminism and Visual Culture, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Suzanne Ferriss’s timely and lively book makes a convincing case for considering Sofia Coppola a designer as much as a director, creating beautifully fashioned story worlds. Threading together analysis of Coppola’s use of costume, her carefully curated locations, and her eclectic range of photographic and fine art references, this book will appeal not just to devotees of Coppola but also scholars interested in the vibrant interconnections Ferriss demonstrates between fashion, film, and visual cultures. -- Fiona Handyside, Associate Professor of Film Studies, University of Exeter, UK
This vibrant addition to the growing body of Coppola scholarship is an exquisitely detailed celebration of her luscious visual style, in the particular context of costume and fashion, photography and fame. Ferris explores Coppola’s unique set of influences and firmly demonstrates her cultural prestige and indisputable significance. -- Lucy Bolton, Deputy Head of Film, Queen Mary, University of London, UK
A tour de force of extensive range yet admirable clarity,
The Cinema of Sofia Coppola stands apart in the rapidly expanding field of Coppola studies for its definitive demonstration of the filmmaker's debt and contribution to fashion cultures, broadly defined. Moving nimbly between areas as diverse as fine art, phenomenology and business, Suzanne Ferriss' study conjures vividly the far-reaching impact of "Coppolism" as a densely intermedial aesthetic and social phenomenon. -- Mary Harrod, Assistant Professor, University of Warwick, UK
The Cinema of Sofia Coppola will fast become the go-to reference volume for any student, scholar or cinephile interested in the films of this talented, award-winning director. Writing in a readable and engaging style, the author provides a wealth of well-researched material about the complicated itinerary that lead to the success of one of the world’s most prominent women auteurs. -- Hilary Radner, Professor Emeritus, University of Otago, New Zealand
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Self-Fashioning 2. Fashioning Worlds 3. Film Style 4. The Fashion-Fame-Film Industrial Complex Conclusion Fashion and Film Timeline Bibliography Index
