Visconti ─ Insights into Flesh and Blood

In this work of philosophical aesthetics, first published in German as Visconti: Einsichten in Fleisch und Blut (2006), Duttmann (philosophy and visual culture, U. of London, UK) explores the oeuvre of Italian film director Luchino Visconti (1906-1976). He assesses the work of Visconti against philosophical concepts such as "aesthetic seriousness" as formulated by Soren Kierkegaard and, later, Theodor Adorno and the "cinematic circle" as understood by Stanley Cavell. At the center of the work is the idea that Visconti's films depict failures of revolution and liberation, failures that arise from people's attachment to possibility over reality. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)