People Like Ourselves: Portrayals of Mental Illness in the Movies (Studies in Film Genres)

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Description

The stigmatization of mental illness in film has been well documented in literature. Little has been written, on the other hand, about the ability of movies to portray mental illness sympathetically and appropriately. People Like Ourselves: Portrayals of Mental Illness in the Movies fills that void with a close take a look at mental illness in more than seventy American movies, beginning with classics such as The Snake Pit and Now, Voyager and including such up to date successes as A Beautiful Mind and As Good as It Gets. Films by legendary directors Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and John Cassavetes are included. Through the examination of universal themes with regards to one’s self and society, the denial of reality, the role of women, creativity, war, and violence, Zimmerman argues that these ground-breaking films defy stereotypes, presenting sympathetic portraits of people who find themselves mentally unwell, and advance the movie-going public’s understanding of mental illness, even as providing insight into its causes, diagnosis, and remedy. More importantly, they portray mentally unwell people as atypical people with conflicts and desires common to everyone. Like the motion pictures it revisits, this fascinating book offers insight, entertainment, and a sense of understanding.

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