Synopses & Reviews
Review
No book about the art of Hollywood I have ever read can make its readers stop and think more effectively than this one. S. S. Prawer
Review
This is a voice like no other in philosophy, today or ever. Times Literary Supplement
Review
The great achievement of...Pursuits of Happiness is that it finally provides a solid framework for the serious discussion of the great dialogue comedies of the thirties and forties, perhaps the most revived and loved movies of Hollywood's golden period. Arthur C. Danto - October
Review
This just must be, in its close readings and its stunning associations, one of the most compelling accounts of its kind. The fact is, it just is its kind. Al LaValley - American Film
Review
Stanley Cavell's book succeeds brilliantly...The individual 'readings' of the films and the general conceptual plan in which they are embedded are both so rich and rewarding that...'brilliant'...seems an understatement. Geoffrey Hawthorn - London Review of Books
Synopsis
Cavell names a new genre of American film, 'the comedy of remarriage, ' in this reading of seven romantic comedies of the '30s and '40s: It Happened One Night, The Awful Truth, Brining Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, The Lady Eve, and Adam's Rib.
Synopsis
During the '30s and '40s, Hollywood produced a genre of madcap comedies that emphasized reuniting the central couple after divorce or separation. And the female protagonists were strong, independent, and sophisticated. Here, Stanley Cavell examines seven of those classic movies for their cinematic techniques, and for such varied themes as feminism, liberty and interdependence. Included are Adam's Rib, Bringing Up Baby, and The Philadelphia Story.
About the Author
Stanley Cavell is Walter M. Cabot Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value, Emeritus, at Harvard University.
Harvard University
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Words for a Conversation
- 1. Cons and Pros
The Lady Eve - 2. Knowledge as Transgression
It Happened One Night - 3. Leopards in Connecticut
Bringing Up Baby - 4. The Importance of Importance
The Philadelphia Story - 5. Counterfeiting Happiness
His Girl Friday - 6. The Courting of Marriage
Adam’s Rib - 7. The Same and Different
The Awful Truth - Appendix: Film in the University
- Acknowledgments
- Index