Seeing Film and Reading Feminist Theology

Seeing Film and Reading Feminist Theology

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Seeing Film and Reading Feminist Theology A Dialogue Ulrike Vollmer

SEEING FILM AND READING FEMINIST THEOLOGY Copyright Ulrike Vollmer, 2007. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-1-4039-7435-8 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-53493-7 DOI 10.1057/9780230606852 ISBN 978-0-230-60685-2 (ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vollmer, Ulrike. Seeing film and reading feminist theology : a dialogue/ulrike Vollmer. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-349-53493-7 1. Motion pictures Religious aspects. 2. Feminist film criticism. 3. Feminist theology. I. Title. PN1995.5.V65 2007 791.43 682 dc22 2007060043 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Macmillan India Ltd. First edition: September 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my parents, Reinhold and Ursula

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Contents List of Images Acknowledgments viii ix Introduction 1 1 Seeing and Being Seen: A Philosophical View 11 2 Seeing and Being Seen in Cinema: Feminist Film Theory 31 3 Seeing and Being Seen: A Feminist Theological View 39 4 Camille Claudel 67 5 Artemisia 79 6 Learning to See in a New Way: Artemisia in Dialogue with Feminist Theology 101 7 The Tango Lesson 135 8 Learning to Love with One s Eyes: A Theological View of The Tango Lesson 171 Conclusion 195 Appendix 1: Film Script Artemisia 203 Appendix 2: Film Script The Tango Lesson 207 Appendix 3: Interview with Sally Potter 211 Notes 233 Bibliography 273 Index 285

List of Images 1 Sally and Pablo s relationship seems broken after the professional tango performance. 209 2 Sally and Pablo pose as Jacob and the angel in front of Delacroix s painting in St. Sulpice, Paris. 210

Acknowledgments This book owes much to the support, encouragement, and interest of others. I would like to thank, first of all, Professor J. Cheryl Exum, for her careful and diligent work on much of this text, for her presence of mind, her enthusiasm, and her continuing professional support. I also wish to thank Professor David Jasper for his input, encouragement, and help with this project, as well as for ongoing professional support. Also, I would like to thank Sally Potter for giving her valuable time to meet me, and for the permission to include the interview in this book. A big thank-you goes to the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Wales Lampeter for allowing me the freedom to complete the manuscript, and to my colleagues here who have made my time in Wales so enjoyable. I also wish to thank the editor at Palgrave Macmillan, Amanda Johnson Moon, and the editorial team for their interest in this project as well as their straightforward and flexible working style. I owe many thanks to friends and family. Thanks go to all my friends who have had an interest in this book, including friends in Germany and those I have met during the completion of this text in Sheffield and Lampeter. Finally, I owe a very big thank-you to my parents, Reinhold and Ursula Vollmer, without whose support in various ways this book could not have been written, and to my husband, Dr. Peter Fearon, for his belief in me, his encouragement, and his unfailing optimism.