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Reviewed by:
  • Cinematic Identity: Anatomy of a Problem Film
  • Gerald R. Butters Jr.
Cinematic Identity: Anatomy of a Problem Film. By Cindy Patton. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2007.

Film theory, when grounded historically and given a firm foundation, can serve as a useful, purposeful tool by those working in film studies. Film theory, when heavily invested in established paradigms and unresponsive to change, or ahistorical in nature, is often useless. Cindy Patton's Cinematic Identity: Anatomy of a Problem Film wildly swings between these parameters. The primary strength of this volume is Patton's intriguing questions; they will hopefully lay the groundwork for the next generation of film theorists.

Patton focuses her study on the social problem film of the late 1940's and specifically her obsession with Pinky (1949). The author is interested in the development of the Method acting style and the impact it had on racial representation in these social problem films. This supposed "realistic" style of acting was deemed important in the transmission of post-World War II civil rights discourse. She claims "audiences watched and interpreted the film acting of the period in question through a set of socially shared visions of the world" and that this impacted the concept of the self (3). Patton questions the relationship between citizenship, liberalism, racial identification and the realism of the Method acting style in this body of films. Quite accurately, she argues that it is virtually impossible for the modern viewer to comprehend the impact of such films on contemporary audiences. This genre was susceptible to both industry self-censorship and southern racial dictates. Patton's theorization of how and why both race and homosexuality were censored during this period of virulent anti-Communism and how the notion of true citizenship was often put into play is the most groundbreaking theoretical premise of the book and will aid interdisciplinary studies. Like cutting edge contemporary film theorists, Patton does not just dwell on one category of difference. For example, she demonstrates the melodramatic roots of this genre of films and its association with a female audience. Thus, gender is also introduced into this swirl of ideas. Unfortunately, at times, the theory swings out of control and the reader is lost in a whirlwind of Lyotard, Rorty and Foucault. One must climb out of the jargon to find the rich discussion taking place. The book would have been greatly enhanced if written in the style of Richard Dyer, an accomplished author who is the consummate uniter of theory and history. Patton approaches this pattern in her chapter on Ethel Waters (one of the African American stars of Pinky) and an examination of her autobiography His Eye Is On the Sparrow (1951). The nexus between a landmark film, autobiography, and racial discourse is rich material indeed.

A trend is emerging in contemporary film studies—book length examinations of motion pictures that combine the contemporary historical setting of the film with a theoretical structure. Robert T. Self's analysis of McCabe & Mrs. Miller is an excellent example of this research. A primary rule for authors though is that history should not be sacrificed for the glory of theory.

Gerald R. Butters Jr.
Aurora University
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