"This is a brilliantly lucid account of psychoanalytic theory and its relevance to the interpretation of the film text. Todd McGowan presents a clear and rigorous explication of psychoanalytic theory in his illuminating textual analysis of Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game , one of the cinema's greatest films. This is an indispensable book for anyone interesting in the interpretation of films and fascinating reading for those with a particular interest in film as a form of public dreaming." -- Barbara Creed, Professor of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne, Australia "Todd McGowan's Psychoanalytic Film Theory and The Rules of the Game is a long overdue up-to-date survey of the field and its key thinkers.The book is an invaluable resource for both new students as well as advanced readers because it not only explores the concepts of desire, fantasy, and enjoyment of film and in film but also considers the debates between critical methodologies involving screen theory, the gaze, and ideological fantasy.Its comprehensive review of The Rules of the Game provides an insightful psychoanalysis of the director, characters, and audience.Beyond writing an exemplary model of cogent theory and lucid criticism, McGowan demonstrates how the psychoanalytic study of film offers radical and revolutionary possibilities for art and life." -- Alex E.

Blazer, Associate Professor of English at Georgia College & State University, USA "This is a brilliantly lucid account of psychoanalytic theory and its relevance to the interpretation of the film text. Todd McGowan presents a clear and rigorous explication of psychoanalytic theory in his illuminating textual analysis of Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game , one of the cinema's greatest films. This is an indispensable book for anyone interested in the interpretation of films and fascinating reading for those with a particular interest in film as a form of public dreaming." -- Barbara Creed, Professor of Screen Studies, University of Melbourne, Australia.