CFP: Heroes and Villains of the Golden Age and Beyond (6/1/14; 10/29-11/1/14)

From: Cynthia Miller <[email protected]>

CALL FOR PAPERS
CFP: Good Guys Always Wear White? Heroes and Villains in the Golden Age =
and Beyond
An area of multiple panels for the 2014 Film & History Conference:
Golden Ages: Styles and Personalities, Genres and Histories
October 29-November 2, 2014
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor=92s Club
Madison, WI (USA)
DEADLINE for abstracts: June 1, 2014

AREA: Good Guys Always Wear White? Heroes and Villains of the Golden Age =
and Beyond

=46rom their first flickers on the Silver Screen, films have narrated =
the epic struggle between good and evil=97hero/ines against their =
nemesis villain/esses.  In The Wizard of Oz, audiences watched Judy =
Garland journey across the many lands of Oz, fight off the evil Wicked =
Witch of the West, and then wish her way home. They rode into the sunset =
with John Wayne, gasped in terror at the sight of Anthony Hopkins as =
Hannibal Lecter, and uncovered the secrets of The Matrix with Keanu =
Reeves. Whether unproblematic binary opposites or dark and conflicted =
characters that blur the boundaries of good and evil, how do these =
classic cinematic staples offer commentary on our values, identities, =
and shared hopes and fears?

The Heroes and Villains area invites 20-minute papers that examine the =
constructions, understandings, and struggles of and between hero/ines =
and villain/esses. How might they influence our understandings of the =
often-shifting borders across and between heroism and villainy, good and =
evil? This area invites broad considerations of these conceptualizations =
and some topics to consider include:

=95 Gotham Calling: heroes and their relationships with society (Batman, =
Superman,=20
 Watchmen)
=95 Heroes without a villain (Old Man and the Sea, Vertical Limit, 127 =
Hours)
=95 The compelling villain (Hannibal Lecter, Dexter, Dracula)
=95 Heroic/villainous constructions and their historic moments (World =
War II, the Atomic Age, Post-9/11)
=95 Diversity in heroism and villainy: race, gender, age, and ethnicity =
(Clint Eastwood, Halle Berry, Mystery Men)
=95 Cinematic styles and signifiers of good and evil=20
=95 Our dark knights: anti-heroes and sympathetic villains (the Joker, =
Ethan Edwards, Travis Bickle)

Proposals for complete panels (three related presentations) are also =
welcome, but they must include an abstract and contact information, =
including an e-mail address, for each presenter. For updates and =
registration information about the upcoming meeting, see the Film & =
History website (www.uwosh.edu/filmandhistory).

Please e-mail your 200-word proposal by 1 June 2014, to the area chair:

Norma Jones
Kent State University
[email protected]

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