Description: The thirteen chapters in this collection analyze the paradoxes and tensions in David Fincher's filmography by examining his attitudes toward his audiences, his attention to detail, his Gothic sense of evil, his modernization of film noir, and his reinvention of the serial killer.
Review Quotes:
"A Critical Companion to David Fincher captures all the ways in which Fincher's work is interesting and important. Among the book's many strengths, it shows us a variety of methodologies at their best, from art history through fan studies, production histories, genre analysis and up-close textual readings. Showcasing the innovative work of young scholars, this volume maps the full range of Fincher studies and moves the field forward in exciting ways." --William Straw, James McGill Professor of Urban Media Studies, McGill University
"A Critical Companion to David Fincher, edited by Francis Mickus, offers a fascinating perspective on the work of one of the most emblematic filmmakers of our time. The multi-disciplinary approaches to the filmmaker's visual aesthetics, his cinematic sources of inspiration, his relationship to genre cinema and technology, his philosophical and moral stance on the representation of evil and violence... provide a comprehensive overview of how David Fincher's cinema questions the nature of cinema in its relationship to reality." --Yann Calvet, Université de Caen Normandie ""David Fincher is an enigmatic figure, often beguiling and befuddling for viewers, critics, and scholars, operating as he does with one foot in the Hollywood system and the other without. The contributors to A Critical Companion to David Fincher have found multiple exciting angles from which to both situate and deconstruct this iconic and iconoclastic figure. This collection is a radical and ranging overview of Fincher's oeuvré, appropriately taking the reader on a long single-take tracking shot from the iconic filmmaker's brain, through the viewfinder and camera apparatus, then out into the film-world and beyond. With detailed analyses of individual moments and scenes, and considered contextualisation of Fincher's work in a variety of realms, the chapters herein will be of great use to cinema and media scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike."" --Daniel Binns, RMIT University "Francis Mickus' edited volume on the work of David Fincher is not just an extensive review but a captivating journey into the mind of a multifaceted artist. The chapters in the collection, with their detailed attention to the moving image, interrogate Fincher's approach to reality and the mind, his flirting with metaphysical and ethical questions, and his ability to cross genres. These articles, clearly and engagingly written, reflect varied perspectives in philosophy and film criticism, ultimately pointing to the importance of a dialogue between the two. They stand alone while talking to each other, generating a discussion that is sure to be appreciated by scholars and moviegoers alike." --Laura T. Di Summa, William Patterson University