Frederick Blichert

791.4372

23

Trade Paperback

1476671990

9781476671994

Yes

Scholarly & Professional

0.5 in

9 in

10.4 Oz

6 in

PN1997.2.S465J67

2018-001713

English

242 Pages

1 vol.

Joss Whedon's Big Damn Movie : Essays on Serenity

2018

Mcfarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers

Worlds of Whedon Ser.

Film / Genres / Science Fiction & Fantasy, Film & Video

Art, Performing Arts

When Joss Whedon's television show Firefly (2002-2003) was cancelled, devoted fans cried foul and demanded more--which led to the 2005 feature film Serenity . Both the series and the film were celebrated for their melding of science fiction and western iconography, dystopian settings, underdog storylines, and clever fast-paced dialogue. Firefly has garnered a great deal of scholarly attention--less so, Serenity . This collection of new essays, the first focusing exclusively on the film, examines its depictions of race, ableism, social engineering and systems of power, and its status as a crime film, among other topics., Joss Whedon's short-lived series Firefly developed a fierce following while it aired on FOX from 2002 to 2003. After its cancellation, fans cried foul and demanded more, which eventually led to the 2005 feature film follow-up Serenity. In the first collection of essays devoted specifically to Serenity, authors from around the world offer various perspectives on the film.

Table of Contents Introduction: Spotlight on Serenity A Reaver in the Writers Room: The Cannibal Approach to Box Office Fear (London Brickley) Completion of Character and Relationship in Serenity (S. Evan Kreider) Death in the 'Verse (H.S. Hobma) Cassandra Revisited: River Tam, Hysteria and the Politics of Ecstatic Revenge (Aviva ­Dove-Viebahn) "Better worlds": Western Heroes and the Civilized 'Verse (Frederick Blichert) The Miranda Job: Serenity as Crime Film (Ina Rae Hark) Overconsumption, the Natural Environment and Lessons from ­Earth-That-Was (Eric Benson) "Eat them all the time/Let them blow your mind": River and the Unacknowledged Corporate Hand in Serenity (Erin Giannini) Failed Experiment: Miranda and the Critique of Social Engineering (Andrew Howe) Miranda: Conflicting Anxieties, Ableism and Population Health (Max Ferguson) "She's a creature of extraordinary grace": Resistance Through Dance to the Myth of "Civilized Cultures" (Joel Hawkes) "The Indians ride over the hill": Revisiting "On the Paradoxical Construction of the Reavers" (Agnes B. Curry) Unspeakable Darkness: Truth, Power and the Taboo of Race (Renee St. Louis) Paint It Red (and Black and Blue): How Joss Whedon and Jack N. Green Created the Bruised, Beautiful Look of Serenity (K. Brenna Wardell) Spaceships as Soundscapes in Serenity (Holly ­Randell-Moon and Arthur J. Randell) About the Contributors Index

Textbook

Mcfarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers

9781476671994