Amy Rust - Passionate Detachments

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Passionate Detachments

Technologies of Vision and Violence in American Cinema, 19671974

Amy Rust

Cover: Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (Warner Bros.Seven Arts, 1967)

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

2017 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY

www.sunypress.edu

Production, Eileen Nizer

Marketing, Fran Keneston

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rust, Amy, 1974 author.

Title: Passionate detachments : technologies of vision and violence in American cinema, 19671974 / by Amy Rust.

Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, [2017] | Series: SUNY series, horizons of cinema | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016031447 (print) | LCCN 2016047975 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438465395 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438465418 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Violence in motion pictures. | Motion picturesUnited States. | Motion picturesSocial aspectsUnited States.

Classification: LCC PN1995.9.V5 R87 2017 (print) | LCC PN1995.9.V5 (ebook) | DDC 791.43/6552dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016031447

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For Scott

In many ways, passionate detachments describes my experience of writing this book. Devoted to my technological approach to film violence, I nonetheless suffered the consequences of a charged topic, an uncommon method, and the mundane tasks of writing and writing and writing. Still, I remain attached to the project and its interventions, thanks in no small part to the many advisers, colleagues, friends, and family members who offered guidance and support along the way.

Among these are my mentors at UC Berkeley, where this book began as a dissertation and, before that, a seminar paper for Linda Williams. Later, as my chair, Linda proved an exacting yet generous guide, knowing when to press my claims and when to let me discover them. She is, moreover, one of the most capacious interlocutors I know, ever open to methods of investigation that are not necessarily her own. So, too, Carol Clover, whose influence lingers in each moment of this text. Carol let writing be hard but insight easy and, along with Linda, proved both ally and advocate. I owe much to Martin Jay and Kaja Silverman as well. Marty kept me honest in matters intellectual and historical. Kaja inspired me with the aesthetic and theoretical beauty of her own work.

Indeed, there are many to acknowledge from my time at Berkeley, including faculty members such as Mark Sandberg, Anne Nesbet, Jeff Skoller, and Kristen Whissel, as well as fellow graduate students and friends who shaped me professionally and personally through their intellect, creativity, humor, and care. Among the latter, Jonathan Haynes, Erica Levin, Irene Chien, and Norman Gendelman proved insightful readers of the present project. Additional supportacademic and otherwisecame from Meredith Hoy, Irina Leimbacher, Mona Bower, Kris Paulsen, Stacey Moran, James Harker, Ara Osterweil, Scott Combs, Sylvia Chong, Tan Hoang Nguyen, Julie Napolin, Libby Anker, Yannik Thiem, Andrew Weiner, Diana Anders, Ben Wurgaft, Nima Bassiri, Steve Choe, Anu Kapse, Damon Young, Brooke Belisle, Todd Barnes, Jen Malkowski, Kris Fallon, Chris Dumas, Will McBride, Ben Coleman, and Dsire Pries.

Moving to Tampa, I have been lucky and thankful to find an equally inspiring and supportive crew of colleagues and friends. These include fellow faculty in the Department of Humanities and Cultural Studies at the University of South Florida, many of whom are dear friends: Dan Belgrad, Andy Berish, Maria Cizmic, Brendan Cook, Bill Cummings, Jim DEmilio, Sara Dykins Callahan, Benny Goldberg, Christie Rinck, and Brook Sadler. However formally or informally, each has helped me complete this work through readings, discussions, professional advice, and emotional support. So, too, the wonderful friends I have made during my time in Florida, including Julia Irwin, Steve Prince, Darcie Fontaine, Aaron Walker, Brian Connolly, Gena Camoosa, Annette Cozzi, Sari Altschuler, Chris Parsons, Jan Awai, and Devon Brady, among others.

Generous funding assisted me throughout this project. At UC Berkeley, I received a William T. and Helen S. Halstead Grant, Townsend Center for the Humanities Dissertation Fellowship, and Deans Normative Time Fellowship in addition to other funds from the Department of Rhetoric. At USF, a Creative Scholarship Grant from the College of Arts and Sciences and Summer Grant from the Humanities Institute subsidized additional research, writing, and revision. I have the Humanities Institute to thank for a trip to the Robert Altman Archive in the Special Collections Library at the University of Michigan, where I uncovered materials for of the book and enjoyed the hospitality of Berkeley friends Zeynep Gursel and Tung-Hui Hu.