Dangerous Knowledge (Culture And The Moving Image) [Paperback]

Art Simon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Culture And The Moving Image | Publication Date: February 4, 1996

The assassination of John F. Kennedy provoked intense public debates and focused the world's attention on the recorded details of the event in still and moving images. Intense scrutiny of the testimony and images became a national obsession. "Dangerous Knowledge" argues that the very currents that powered the debates also prompted a crisis in interpretation that profoundly affected American culture. From 1963 to the present day, amateur sleuths have proposed compelling theories of who was responsible for Kennedy's death and why. In the process they entered into an ongoing struggle centered in questions of authority: Who has access to evidence and the power to interpret history? What is the relation of photographs and films to the writing of history? To show how this struggle literally changed history and figured in the avant-garde's artistic production, Art Simon considers a wide range of cultural work shaped by the assassination. Simon reveals the influence of the assassination theorists on commercial films such as "JFK" and "Parallax View" and shows how the images that blanketed the media resurfaced in Andy Warhol's silk screens, work and underground film of Bruce Conner, and other 1960s artists where they become vehicles for challenging the truth value of photographs or the public's endless fascination with celebrities. Art Simon is Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Montclair State University, New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Beginning with a description of a poster for a punk band and ending with a critique of the movie JFK (the exemplary "Hollywood narrative discourse"), this work marshals an impressive array of cultural information in attempting to provide an overall history of the genre. Simon (Montclair State Univ.) closely examines images and films, relating them to the continuing struggle over the authoring and interpretation of the story of Kennedy's death. Sections are devoted to the journalistic evidence, including the Zapruder film; the works of avant-garde artists Andy Warhol, Bruce Connor, the Ant Farm, and what Simon calls the "Pop Camp"; and, finally, a group of Hollywood films. The author handles the films with flair, providing a chapter on the underappreciated Connor's Report, which we learn in the epilog actually inspired the entire effort. Simon's stated aim of providing a context?a history?is not clearly fulfilled, but this critical examination will no doubt interest all who continue to be fascinated by this controversy.?Jane E. Sloan, Rutgers Univ. Libs., New Brunswick, N.J.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Beginning with a description of a poster for a punk band and ending with a critique of the movie JFK, this work marshals an impressive array of cultural information in attempting to provide an overall history of the genre. Simon closely examines images and films, relating them to the continuing struggle over the authoring and interpretation of the story of Kennedy's death." --Library Journal "This history of the representation of the JFK assassination makes a terrific contribution to film studies and indeed to cultural studies generally. Moving with wit and erudition across political history, avant-garde film, serigraphy, journalism, and mass-market film, Simon transcends the banalities of the high culture/low culture binary to produce a study of exemplary range and insight." --David E. James, School of Cinema-Television, University of Southern California

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (February 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566393795
• ISBN-13: 978-1566393799
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars pretty good book (for the time), February 20, 2007

By 

Vince Palamara "SECRET SERVICE/JFK/STEELERS/M... (South Park/Bethel Park, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dangerous Knowledge (Culture And The Moving Image) (Paperback)

As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and President Kennedy's interaction with the agency), I was much interested in this book by Art Simon. I really like the perspective he takes on the case---as seen through the lens of film, art, and culture. That being said, while interesting reading, this book will not move you to any great depth. Still, I commend him for his unique thoughts on the case. vince palamara

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting content deals with an interesting subject, May 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dangerous Knowledge (Culture And The Moving Image) (Paperback)

It is a good book. However, i wish that the author explored more, as well, the political influence on the information allowed to be released in the mentioned movies and art work.