Issue 1: Conference Reports
Atlanta 2004: The State of Cinema Studies
Society for Cinema and Media Studies, March 4-7, 2004, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, USA
A Report by Liza Palmer, Cape Fear Community College & University of North Carolina at Wilmington, USA
What better venue for the 2004 conference of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) than the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia? For an event so concerned with the inner-workings of media, the unofficial -- yet indisputable -- locus of news and media in the United States is a fitting locale, indeed. The setting served to invigorate the conference proceedings, and lent a certain intensity and relevancy to the works that were presented over the four-day convention.
This most recent conference of SCMS featured an ambitious line-up of panels, papers, roundtable discussions, film screenings, and scholarly interactions. This year's organizers noted the marked increase in the number of proposal submissions, making the acceptance rate significantly more competitive and exclusive. Likewise, much of the SCMS literature cited an unprecedented number of papers and panels on issues of media, as opposed to cinema; however, the program showed no lack of scholarship in the area of film studies. Rather, the emphasis seemed to be more upon film and cinema than in previous SCMS conferences -- a happy circumstance for all cineastes in attendance.
A conference of SCMS's size can be an intimidating prospect, given that it spans four days, with over fifteen sessions, each session consisting of at least five panels. The possibilities are endless, but time is at a premium. And, it seems, that SCMS in particular has the tendency to schedule similarly themed panels and events at conflicting times (for instance a panel entitled, 'Black Documents: African Americans and Early Television Programming' was timetabled against a unique screening of The Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing), which can be frustrating to the eager attendee. This having been noted, the overview this single author can offer of such a large and varied conference is undoubtedly selective and narrow.
A much-anticipated panel was 'Guys and Gals: Hollywood Stars in the Early Sound Era'. So seldom do scholars explore star studies -- particularly stars of the classical Hollywood era -- in any great depth, that it was refreshing to see this panel on offer. Christina Lane (University of Miami) presented on the inimitable duo, Myrna Loy and William Powell, perhaps best known for the Thin Man series. Lane's paper, "An Ode to Perfection: Myrna Loy and William Powell as Wife and Husband", was interesting to hear. She drew on a variety of sources -- both contemporary and more recent secondary texts -- but, overall, lacked a serious engagement with the films themselves, a telling weakness given such a wide body of films the team made together. The following paper, by Timothy Connelly (Syracuse University), entitled, "Forsaking All Others: Robert Montgomery and the Articulation of Heterosexual Masculinity in the Early 1930s", was a welcome addition to the rather sparse scholarship on this overlooked Hollywood star. However, it suffered from similar problems as the earlier paper, and would have benefited from more textual analysis of key scenes from the films. But criticisms aside, this panel was a pleasure, if only for the opportunity to celebrate classical Hollywood cinema and stars with other fans.
A definite highlight of the conference was the panel 'At the Vanguard of French Cinema', organized by Tim Palmer, of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Palmer's paper, entitled "Stylistic Brutality: Gaspar Noé and Irréversible", offered a cogent stylistic analysis of the violent tendencies of the recent cinema of France. Interestingly enough, Noé's controversial film was the subject of a second, later panel presentation by Eugenie Brinkema of SUNY, Buffalo, entitled, "Rape and the Rectum -- Bersani, Deleuze, Noé". Lucille Cairns (University of Stirling) presented her paper, "Lesbian Desire in Recent French and Francophone Cinema". As the title suggests, the scope of Cairns' thesis was undeniably ambitious; indeed, her allotted fifteen minutes was hardly enough to scratch the surface of her topic and she struggled to keep within her limit. However, she gave a fascinating glimpse of what one hopes become a larger project. Her treatment of Francophone films, in particular, was a vital contribution to the scholarship on international cinema. Another notable presentation on this panel was given by Charles Michael, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Michael's paper, "Taming the Beast: Integrating Martial Arts into Contemporary French Action Films", was an innovative consideration of the far-flung impact of Hong Kong action cinema. His research proposed that such recent French films as Brotherhood of the Wolf are modelled after the action cinema aesthetic in order to broaden their appeal and locate new markets. All in all, this was one of the strongest panels, featuring interesting and consistent research-oriented papers.
Along these same lines was a separate panel, 'French Cinema and Globalization', chaired by Graeme Hayes of Nottingham Trent University. Hayes' paper, "Regulating Multiplexes: The French State Between Corporatism and Globalisation", was a historically based investigation of the upsurge in the number of multiplexes outside city centers in France, and the controversy that surrounds this current trade practice. Another sharp presentation was that given by Jonathan Buchsbaum (Queens College/CUNY), "After GATT: The Revival of French Cinema". His paper offered a concise overview of the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) agreement and how it has (negatively, for the most part) affected French cinema. So good were the first two papers -- those authored by Hayes and Buchsbaum -- that it was hard for the subsequent presentations to measure up. But, overall, this panel was an admirable addition to the SCMS conference, and was among the impressive number of panels on national cinemas. Panels such as this occur thanks in large part to the caucuses and special interest groups (for example, the French/Francophone Special Interest Group) that advocate for and sponsor cutting-edge and underrepresented areas of film and media studies. One can only trust that more groups will be formed, and consequently continue to bring such quality panels to light in SCMS.
A final panel of note was the timely 'Truth, Memory, History: The Films of Errol Morris', organized by Charles Musser of Yale University. Musser's paper read more like a work-in-progress, but was interesting nonetheless, given the subject matter. But the real standout of the panel was Jonathan Frome, (University of Wisconsin, Madison), who offered a paper striking not only for its researched arguments but also for the controversy it inspired among attendees. Frome assumed a refreshing anti-theory stance in "False Histories: Uncertainty, Truth, and The Thin Blue Line", positing that there is a prevailing sense of truth within Morris' films despite the seemingly open-ended nature of his filmic investigations.
There were several prominent film screenings during the conference, most notably that of Ross McElwee's eagerly awaited documentary of the tobacco industry of North Carolina, Bright Leaves (2003). Given the immediate surroundings of the South and Atlanta, the special presentation, "Screenin' the Blues: Films from the Delilah Jackson Collection," was particularly apt. A great disappointment, though, was the cancellation of the tribute to Stan Brakhage, listed initially on the pre-conference program but omitted upon final publication. One can only hope that the passing of one of the great figures of cinema -- for, indeed, his impact was felt far beyond his avant garde contexts -- will be noted at a later conference.
In closing, the 2004 SCMS conference was a marvel of planning, scholarship, and camaraderie. It is always enjoyable to witness and celebrate a shared love of cinema with friends and colleagues. Indeed, the only sincere regrets to be had were the panels missed because of conflicts or simply exhaustion. If the 2004 conference is any indication of what to expect, then the 2005 SCMS conference in London, England, is certainly an event to look forward to with enthusiasm. For more information, visit: http://www.cmstudies.org/conference_index.html.