Review by Choice Review
Griffiths (Univ. of Gloucestershire) and his contributors continue the abstract, elusive discussion of the impossibility of defining "Europe," "European cinema," and now "queer European cinema" in the wake of weakening abilities to negotiate poststructuralist and postmodern landscapes. This all makes the contributors giddy with excitement. But even without this zeal, the encounters with unknown or overlooked films and the new interpretations of canonical films are electrifying. Part 1 focuses specifically on the queer identities, and deviation from the European mainstream, of French filmmakers such as Francois Ozon, Sebastien Lifshitz, and Olivier Ducastel. Part 2 shifts from identity to Belgian, German, and British experimentation with sexuality and gender through "camp" sensibilities; part 3 explores the public and private spaces of transnational eastern and western European sexualities. The concluding section focuses on the queer European star system, with emphasis on actors such as Dirk Bogarde and Monika Treut. This volume reads well in conjunction with A New Queer Cinema, ed. by Michele Aaron (CH, Jun'05, 42-5761), Zoom in, Zoom Out: Crossing Borders in Contemporary European Cinema, ed. by Sandra Barriales-Bouche and Marjorie Attignol Salvodon (2007), and Spaces in European Cinema, ed. by Myrto Konstantarakos (1999). Extensive notes and bibliographies, but no index. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. J. Pruitt University of Wisconsin-Rock County
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
