Research Catalog

The white savior film : content, critics, and consumption

Title
The white savior film : content, critics, and consumption / Matthew W. Hughey.
Author
Hughey, Matthew W. (Matthew Windust)
Publication
Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2014.

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TextUse in library Sc E 14-1313Schomburg Center - Research & Reference

Details

Description
x, 219 pages; 23 cm
Summary
The cinematic trope of the white savior film; think of Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves, or Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, features messianic characters in unfamiliar or hostile settings discovering something about themselves and their culture in the process of saving members of other races from terrible fates. In this book the author provides a multipronged analysis of this subgenre of films to investigate the underpinnings of the Hollywood-constructed images of idealized (and often idealistic) white Americans. He considers the production, distribution, and consumption of white savior films to show how the dominant messages of sacrifice, suffering, and redemption are perceived by both critics and audiences. Examining the content of fifty films, nearly 3,000 reviews, and interviews with viewer focus groups, he accounts for the popularity of this subgenre and its portrayal of "racial progress." This book shows how we as a society create and understand these films and how they reflect the political and cultural contexts of their time. -- Provided by publisher.
Subjects
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-210) and index.
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
The savior trope and the modern meanings of whiteness -- White savior films: the content of their character -- Reviewing whiteness: critics and their commentary -- Watching whiteness: audience consumption and community -- Data and methodology for content analysis of film -- Data and methodology for film reviews -- Data and methodology for film audiences.
Call Number
Sc E 14-1313
ISBN
  • 9781439910009 (hardback)
  • 1439910006 (hardback)
  • 9781439910016 (paper)
  • 1439910014 (paper)
LCCN
2013043278
OCLC
858366456
Author
Hughey, Matthew W. (Matthew Windust)
Title
The white savior film : content, critics, and consumption / Matthew W. Hughey.
Publisher
Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2014.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-210) and index.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Research Call Number
Sc E 14-1313
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