Nietzsche in Hollywood: Images of the Übermensch in Early American Cinema PDF
Preview Nietzsche in Hollywood: Images of the Übermensch in Early American Cinema
Nietzsche in Hollywood RECENT TITLES David Venditto, Whiteness at the End of the World Fareed Ben-Youssef, No Jurisdiction Tony Tracy, White Cottage, White House Tom Conley, Action, Action, Action Lindsay Coleman and Roberto Schaefer, editors, The Cinematographer’s Voice Nolwenn Mingant, Hollywood Films in North Africa and the Middle East †Charles Warren, edited by William Rothman and Joshua Schulze, Writ on Water Jason Sperb, The Hard Sell of Paradise William Rothman, The Holiday in His Eye Brendan Hennessey, Luchino Visconti and the Alchemy of Adaptation Alexander Sergeant, Encountering the Impossible Erica Stein, Seeing Symphonically George Toles, Curtains of Light Neil Badmington, Perpetual Movement Merrill Schleier, editor, Race and the Suburbs in American Film Matthew Leggatt, editor, Was It Yesterday? Homer B. Pettey, editor, Mind Reeling Alexia Kannas, Giallo! Bill Krohn, Letters from Hollywood Alex Clayton, Funny How? A complete listing of books in this series can be found online at www.sunypress.edu Nietzsche in Hollywood Images of the Übermensch in Early American Cinema • Matthew Rukgaber Cover: Marlene Dietrich in The Scarlet Empress (Josef von Sternberg, Paramount Pictures, 1934). Courtesy Photofest New York. Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2022 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Name: Rukgaber, Matthew, author. Title: Nietzsche in Hollywood : images of the Übermensch in early American cinema / Matthew Rukgaber. Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, [2022] | Series: SUNY series, Horizons of Cinema | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: ISBN 9781438490274 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438490298 (ebook) Further information is available at the Library of Congress. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Niti Contents Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations of Nietzsche’s Works xi Introduction: Approaching Film with Nietzsche 1 1 The Inhuman in the Human: Social Darwinism and the Übermensch in the Silent Era 15 2 The Weakness in Strength: The Übermensch as Degenerate in the Films of Erich von Stroheim 37 3 The Criminal Law: The Übermensch as Gangster and the Will to Power 61 4 The Salvation of Sin: The Übermensch as Superwoman and the Role of Gender 85 5 The Truth of Lies: The Übermensch as Genius in the Comedies of Ben Hecht 113 6 The Freedom in Fate: The Übermensch as Dionysius in the Films of Josef von Sternberg 141 7 The Revealing Mask: The Übermensch as Free Spirit in the Comedies of Ernst Lubitsch 169 viii Contents Conclusion: A Nietzschean Philosophy of Film 197 Notes 221 Bibliography 263 Index 277 Acknowledgments This work would never have come to be if Edward Minar had not intro- duced me to the thought of Stanley Cavell as an undergraduate. While he also presented me with my first formal introduction to the thought of Nietzsche, it was through the teaching and mentorship of Richard Schacht that I was presented with a unified model through which to read Nietzsche. I owe them both a huge thanks for the philosophical evolution that led to this book. ix
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