Existentialism and Social Engagement in the Films of Michael Mann PDF
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Existentialism and Social Engagement in the Films of Michael Mann Existentialism and Social Engagement in the Films of Michael Mann Vincent M. Gaine © Vincent M. Gaine 2011 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2011 978-0-230-30105-4 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2011 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-33672-2 ISBN 978-0-230-34844-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230348448 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gaine, Vincent M., 1979– Existentialism and social engagement in the films of Michael Mann / Vincent M. Gaine. p. cm. Includes filmography. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Mann, Michael (Michael Kenneth) – Criticism and interpretation. 2. Existentialism in motion pictures. 3. Motion pictures – Social aspects – United States. I. Title. PN1998.3.M3645G35 2011 791.43(cid:2)684—dc23 2011024163 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 Dedicated to Peter Kramer, the best mentor a student could hope for Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Part I Mann and Movies 1 Michael Mann – Hollywood Auteur? 13 2 Film and Philosophy 28 Part II Crime and Solitude 3 Being theThieff(1981) 53 4 Psychological Resolution inManhunterr (1986) 69 5 Isolation and Desolation in Heatt (1995) 88 6 Indifference and Compassion inCollateral (2004) 108 7 Pretence and Romance in Miami Vice (2006) 128 Part III History and Social Conscience 8 Origins of Evil in The Keep (1983) 149 9 Utopia Lost inThe Last of the Mohicans (1992) 164 10 Hazardous Authenticity inThe Insider(1999) 179 11 Being the People’s Champion in Ali (2001) 199 Conclusion: Ethics, Engagement and Enemies 217 Bibliography 236 Filmography 242 Index 245 vii Acknowledgements The genesis of this book occurred in March 1996 when my mother took her 16-year-old son to a screening of Heatt at a cinema in Bristol. That single experience set me on the route to becoming the film scholar I am today, so thanks for taking me, Mum. I have been ably supported in the preparation of this manuscript by Catherine Mitchell and Felicity Plester at Palgrave, who guided me through the publication requirements and made the potentially daunt- ing task of publication so straightforward. I have been immensely fortunate in my academic endeavours and thank everyone in the School of Film and Television Studies and the School of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia who guided and supported me during my time there. Specific thanks are due to Rupert Read, Mark Jancovich, Yvonne Tasker, Rayna Denison and Diane Negra. Most of all, I thank Peter Kramer, a tireless and relentless supervisor who ensures that his students are the very best they can be, never set- tling for less than the perfection and commitment of any Mann Man. Special thanks also to Amanda Dillon, who read through every chapter and never stopped loving and supporting me, allowing me the social engagement the Mann Men tend to lose. I am grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material: the editors of Jump Cutt, for reproduction of material from ‘Heat: Genre and Work’, by J. A. Lindstrom, 2000, found at http://www. ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC43folder/Heat.html; Empire and BauerConsumer Media for reproduction of material from ‘A Fare to Remember‘, by Ian Nathan,October 2004. ix
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