Anarchism and Cinema
Anarchism and Cinema
Representation and Self-Representation
This chapter discusses how, from early cinema to the present, the demonization of anarchist protagonists is evident in films made by both commercial hacks and auteurs with more rarefied sensibilities. Most filmmakers usually proffer de-historicized versions of anarchism, which nurture specific agendas that have little to do with historical reality. It is important to remember, nonetheless, that hyperbolic images of anarchist terrorists, conspicuous in both Hollywood and European cinema, from the early work of Edwin S. Porter and D. W. Griffith to the apparently more sophisticated films of European cineastes such as Claude Chabrol and Bertrand Tavernier, do not exist in a vacuum. For this reason, a brief historical excursus is necessary to explain the staying power of the wild-eyed, homicidal anarchist as a popular cinematic stereotype. The chapter then looks at the ambiguous representations of anarchism in the twenty-first century and the perils of self-representation, assessing Joel Sucher and Steven Fischler's documentary Anarchism in America (1981). It also considers the link between “free love” and anarchist sexual politics. Finally, the chapter addresses anarcho-feminism in cinema and the question of violence.
Keywords: cinema, anarchist protagonists, anarchism, anarchist terrorists, cinematic stereotype, self-representation, anarchist sexual politics, anarcho-feminism, violence
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