Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take on Hollywood

The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions, said the existentiallist thinker Albert Camus. And no less a philosopher than Woody Allen has wondered: How is it possible to find meaning in a finite world, given my waist and shirt size?
Movies and the Meaning of Life looks at popular and cult movies, examining their assumptions and insights on meaning-of-life questions: What is reality and how can I know it? (The Truman Show, Contact, Waking Life); How do I find myself and my true identity? (Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Boys Don't Cry, Memento); How do I find meaning from my interactions with others? (Pulp Fiction, Shadowlands, Chasing Amy); What is the chief purpose in life? (American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, The Shawshank Redemption); and How ought I live my life? (Pleasantville, Spiderman, Minority Report, Groundhog Day).

Author: Kimberly A. Blessing
Publisher: Open Court
Published: 03/29/2005
Pages: 302
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 9.18h x 6.24w x 0.66d
ISBN: 9780812695755

Review Citation(s):
Ingram Advance 06/01/2005 pg. 109