Publisher's Synopsis
The Film Theory in Practice series fills a gaping hole in the world of film theory. By marrying the explanation of a film theory with the interpretation of a film, the volumes provide discrete examples of how film theory can serve as the basis for textual analysis. This book provides a concise introduction to network theory and shows how this theory can be used to interpret Robert Altman's 1975 film Nashville.
Through three key theoretical subcategories-assemblage theory, actor-network theory, and network formalism-the book demonstrates how analyzing the ubiquitous characteristics of networks changes the way film fans, students, and scholars understand cinema's storytelling possibilities. It models a method of interpretation (focusing on character, cinematography, and sound) that students can practice with other feature films. Moreover, it situates film within a larger discourse about art and society, offering students the tools for analyzing other large-form cultural objects. Organized into two parts, the first section of the book presents an overview of network theory and its historical context in post-industrial life, before turning to Altman's Nashville, situating the film and its characters in relation to the nascent discourse of network cinema to argue that appeals to "connectedness" alone cannot make sense of the network form (and often, in fact, obscure it).
