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FILM / MEDIA STUDIES A b Abel Ferrara Nicole Brenez, promi- e Nicole Brenez nent fi lm critic and cura- l Translated from the French by Adrian Martin tor for the experimental F cinema programs at the e Cinémathèque française “A truly remarkable achievement. Brenez does the r best job to date in defending an underappreciated in Paris, teaches cinema r a American director not only in terms of aesthetics, studies at Universite Paris r but also for his ethical refl ections on the crimes and I/Pantheon-Sorbonne. She a abuses of the past century.” is the author of Shadows —Jonathan Rosenbaum dddeee JJJooohhhnnn CCCaaassssssaaavvveeettteeesss aanndd other books. “One of the most exciting fi lm books I have read in years. This essay is not only a brilliant study on Abel Adrian Martin is coeditor Ferrara’s work, but a deep plunge into the stormy of the internet magazine waters of fi lm theory. In short, a masterpiece of RRRooouuugggeee aanndd tthhee aauutthhoorr modern literature about more than cinema.” of Once Upon a Time in C O N T E M P O R A R Y F I L M D I R E C T O R S —Carlos Losilla, fi lm critic and professor of fi lm AAAmmmeeerrriiicccaaa aanndd The Mad Max theory, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) Movies. B “Where critical work on Ferrara is concerned, r e Brenez has set a daunting new standard.” A volume in the series n e —Brad Stevens, author of Abel Ferrara: Contemporary Film z The Moral Vision Directors, edited by James Naremore In this concise study, Nicole Brenez argues for Abel Ferrara’s place in a line of grand inventors who have Cover illustration: Terry Kinney blurred distinctions between industry and avant- and the shadows of the three soldiers in Body Snatchers. garde fi lm, including Orson Welles, Monte Hellman, Photo courtesy Zone Frontiére. and Nicholas Ray. Rather than merely reworking Cover design: Paula Newcomb genre fi lm, Brenez understands Ferrara’s oeuvre as Abel Ferrara University of Illinois Press formulating new archetypes that depict the evil of Urbana and Chicago the modern world. Focusing as much on the human www.press.uillinois.edu fi gure as on elements of storytelling, she argues that fi lms such as Bad Lieutenant express this evil isbn-10: 0-252-07411-4 Nicole Brenez through visionary characters struggling against isbn-13: 978-0-252-07411-0 ILL ,!7IA2F2-ahebba!:t;K;k;K;k IN the inadmissible (inadmissible behavior, morality, O images, and narratives). IS Abel Ferrara Contemporary Film Directors Edited by James Naremore The Contemporary Film Directors series provides concise, well-written introductions to directors from around the world and from every level of the film industry. Its chief aims are to broaden our awareness of important artists, to give serious critical attention to their work, and to il- lustrate the variety and vitality of contemporary cinema. Contributors to the series include an array of internationally respected critics and academics. Each volume contains an incisive critical commentary, an informative interview with the director, and a detailed filmography. A list of books in the series appears at the end of this book. Abel Ferrara Nicole Brenez Translated from the French by Adrian Martin University oF illinois Press UrBANA AND ChICAgo © 2007 by Nicole Brenez All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1 ∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brenez, Nicole. [Abel Ferrara. English] Abel Ferrara / Nicole Brenez ; translated from the French by Adrian Martin. p. cm. — (Contemporary film directors) Filmography: p. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-0-252-03154-0 (cloth : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-252-03154-7 (cloth : alk. paper) isbn-13: 978-0-252-07411-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-252-07411-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Ferrara, Abel, 1951—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. II. Series. pn1998.3.f465b7413 2007 791.4302'33092—dc22 [b] 2006011276 Maybe it comes from being brought up in America and idolizing Patrick henry and all these guys. It’s about freedom of speech and will. —Abel Ferrara (2002) give me liberty or give me death. —Patrick henry (1775) Contents Acknowledgments | xi a cinema of negation | 1 Some Ethical Stakes in Ferrara’s Cinema 1 What Is Passion? Central Figures of Hypermorality 22 “Going to the End of Being” 68 Self-Consciousness: The Visionaries 110 Cinema and Symbolic Reparation 150 interview: abel ferrara | 165 Filmography | 173 Bibliography | 193 Index | 199
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