Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Without Empathy: Irony and the Satirical Impulse in Eight Major Filmmakers

Without Empathy: Irony and the Satirical Impulse in Eight Major Filmmakers

Raghavendra, Mk

Hardcover

Technology & EngineeringFilm & Video Art

ISBN10: 1835951406
ISBN13: 9781835951408
Publisher: Intellect (UK)
Published: Sep 8 2025
Pages: 225
Weight: 1.20
Height: 0.70 Width: 6.60 Depth: 41.00
Language: English

Irony and the satirical impulse in cinema have gradually lost favor, mockery increasingly more selective in its choice of targets. As Linda Hutcheon notes, irony is becoming a problematic mode of expression in the twenty-first century.

The book examines the work of eight film auteurs: Luis Bunuel, R.W. Fassbinder, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Paul Verhoeven, Aki Kaurismaki, Aleksei Balabanov and David Lynch, much of whose work is not always regarded thus and the films examined are often more ironic than satirical. From apparent melodrama and eroticism to fantasy and horror, these eight directors redefine satire's limits, providing evidence that irony in cinema often goes unrecognised.

The introduction examines the various categories of satire, and the chapters then study the filmmakers individually through selected works, offering interpretations of films and identifying a consistent approach. Since the work is often ambiguous the book speculates on each film's purport, engaging in textual interpretation of individual works to understand concerns underneath the most obvious. The afterword tries to find common targets and strategies on the filmmakers' part.

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