Disaster Mon Amour (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300246940)

A deep--and darkly comic--dive into the nature of disasters, and the ways they shape how we think about ourselves in the world

"In this brilliant book, David Thomson tells the story of how we came to make disaster and catastrophe our best friends--how we let terror cocoon and take over our imaginations to avoid seeing the things that really frighten us. Riveting and totally original."--Adam Curtis, BBC filmmaker and political journalist

"Erudite. . . . Engaging. . . . A cri de coeur about art's struggle to keep up with reality."--Kirkus Reviews

Audiences swell with the scale of disaster; humans have always been drawn to the rumors of our own demise. In this searching treatment, noted film historian David Thomson examines iconic disasters, both real and fictional, exposing the slippage between what occurs and what we observe. With reportage, film commentary, speculation, and a liberating sense of humor, Thomson shows how digital culture commodifies disaster and sates our desire to witness chaos while suffering none of its aftereffects.

Ranging from Laurel and Hardy and Battleship Potemkin to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and from the epic San Andreas to the intimate Don't Look Now, Thomson pulls back the curtain to reveal why we love watching disaster unfold--but only if it happens to others.

Author: David Thomson
ISBN-10: 0300246943
ISBN-13: 9780300246940
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/25/2022
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.60w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2021
Library Journal 12/01/2021 pg. 84
Publishers Weekly 12/20/2021
Booklist 12/15/2021 pg. 80