New Philosophies of Film: Thinking Images

Robert Sinnerbrink’s New Philosophies of Film is a captivating, challenging, smart, and highly readable exploration of the aesthetic encounter between cinema and philosophy. As an introduction to the recent philosophical turn in film studies, the book offers a rich and insightful critical perspective on many influential developments in film theory such as cognitivism. As a contribution to the emerging field of philosophical engagement with film New Philosophies of Film shows that films can do more than just illustrate or serve as metaphors for philosophical ideas. Films are philosophically valuable in themselves insofar as they can engage in philosophizing as ‘thinking agents’. Furthermore, films can invite us to invest in them philosophically, to meet them in dialogue as philosophical discussion partners. This idea comes alive in Sinnerbrink’s exceptionally vivid examples, in which he analyzes the philosophical-aesthetic receptivity to the work of such filmmakers such as David Lynch, Lars von Trier and Terrence Malick. This book is a ‘must read’ not only for philosophers and film scholars, but also for anyone seriously enthusiastic about cinema. Tarja Laine, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Both an excellent introduction and an original contribution to the field, New Philosophies of Film: Thinking Images covers a large range of theoretical positions with impressive adroitness. By offering incisive philosophical analyses alongside brilliant film readings, Sinnerbrink achieves that rare thing, a true marriage of the abstract and the concrete that will be of huge value to scholars and students alike. Professor John Mullarkey, Kingston University, London, UK

New Philosophies ofFilm is an ambitious attempt to overcome the Analytic-Continental divide intheorizing about film and to develop a new understanding of the relationshipbetween film and philosophy. Beginning with a critical overview of recentdevelopments in the philosophy of film and ending with interpretations that presentfilm as a new mode of thinking, this book breaks new ground and will have to bereckoned with by anyone interested in film and philosophy. Thomas E Wartenberg, Professor of Philosophy, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, USA.

RobertSinnerbrink’s New Philosophies of Filmis a captivating, challenging, smart, and highly readable exploration of theaesthetic encounter between cinema and philosophy. As an introduction to therecent philosophical turn in film studies, the book offers a rich andinsightful critical perspective on many influential developments in film theorysuch as cognitivism. As a contribution to the emerging field of philosophicalengagement with film New Philosophies ofFilm shows that films can do more than just illustrate or serve asmetaphors for philosophical ideas. Films are philosophically valuable inthemselves insofar as they can engage in philosophizing as ‘thinking agents’.Furthermore, films can invite us to invest in them philosophically, to meet themin dialogue as philosophical discussion partners. This idea comes alive inSinnerbrink’s exceptionally vivid examples, in which he analyzes thephilosophical-aesthetic receptivity to the work of such filmmakers such asDavid Lynch, Lars von Trier