Films evoke broad moods and cue particular emotions that can be broadly shared as well as individually experienced. Although the experience of emotion is central to the viewing of movies, film studies have neglected to focus attention on the emotions, relying instead on vague psychoanalytic concepts of desire. Film Structure and the Emotion System synthesizes research on emotion in cognitive psychology and neurology in an effort to provide a more nuanced understanding of how film evokes emotion. Analysing a variety and range of films, including Casablanca and Stranger than Paradise, this book offers a grounded approach to the mechanisms through which films appeal to the human emotions, demonstrating the role of style and narration in this process.

Synthesizes research on emotion in cognitive psychology and neurology to provide an understanding of how film evokes emotion.
Reviews
"...this book provides a comprehensive study of the theories of emotion and successfully defines its 'emotion system' in relation to film structure. It also includes a thorough review of prior studies on the subject..." Journal of Film and Video



Book Information
ISBN 9780521817585
Author Greg M. Smith
Format Hardback
Page Count 230
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 520g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 22mm