Plato and Popcorn

William G. Smith is chair of the philosophy department at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

• Table of ContentsPreface      1. Did You Ever Think You Knew Something, but Didn’t?      Movie 1: Twelve Angry Men      9Movie 2: The Return of Martin Guerre      10Movie 3: House of Games      14Movie 4: Rashomon      162. The Greatest Happiness Principle      Movie 5: Abandon Ship      23Movie 6: The Field      253. Doing One’s Duty      Movie 7: High Noon      29Movie 8: The Road Home      294. Anxiety and Inauthenticity      Movie 9: Hannah and Her Sisters      33Movie 10: My Dinner with Andre      35Movie 11: About Schmidt      385. Fate and Determinism      Movie 12: Tess      45Movie 13: Sliding Doors      466. Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Tammy Faye and Miscellaneous Religious Issues      Movie 14: The Last Temptation of Christ      48Movie 15: The Message      51Movie 16: Little Buddha      53Movie 17: The Apostle      55Movie 18: Breaking the Waves      56Movie 19: The Eyes of Tammy Faye      58Movie 20: The Decalogue      597. The Journey Upward      Movie 21: Billy Elliot      69Movie 22: Girlfight      70Movie 23: The Truman Show      72Movie 24: The Matrix      74Movie 25: The Color Purple      788. Civil Disobedience      Movie 26: Gattaca      82Movie 27: Gandhi      849. Death      Movie 28: Shadowlands      87Movie 29: Under the Sand      89Movie 30: Fearless      90Movie 31: Whose Life Is It Anyway?      92Movie 32: Dead Man Walking      94Movie 33: Resurrection      96Movie 34: The Seventh Seal      9910. War      Movie 35: The Red Badge of Courage      105Movie 36: Paths of Glory      106Movie 37: Saving Private Ryan      108Movie 38: Full Metal Jacket      109Movie 39: No Man’s Land      11211. Racism      Movie 40: The Birth of a Nation      116Movie 41: Mississippi Burning      117Movie 42: American History X      119Movie 43: Do the Right Thing      120Movie 44: The Long Walk Home      122Movie 45: Imitation of Life      12312. The Holocaust      Movie 46: Shoah      126Movie 47: The Pianist      129Movie 48: Mr. Death      130Movie 49: Life Is Beautiful      13113. Sexism and Women’s Issues      Movie 50: In the Company of Men      137Movie 51: Thelma and Louise      138Movie 52: Ladybird, Ladybird      140Movie 53: If These Walls Could Talk—Part I      142Movie 54: Real Women Have Curves      144Movie 55: Artemisia      145Movie 56: Whale Rider      147Movie 57: Daughters of the Dust      14814. Gay Rights      Movie 58: Chasing Amy      153Movie 59: If These Walls Could Talk—Part II      155Movie 60: Philadelphia      156Movie 61: The Celluloid Closet      15715. Pornography      Movie 62: The People vs. Larry Flynt      162Movie 63: The Pornographer      16416. Love, Love, Love      Movie 64: When Harry Met Sally      167Movie 65: East-West      169Movie 66: The Lover      171Movie 67: The Bridges of Madison County      172Movie 68: Sidewalks of New York      173Movie 69: Indecent Proposal      174Movie 70: Babette’s Feast      176Movie 71: Pop and Me      17817. Puzzlers      Movie 72: The Usual Suspects      183Movie 73: Memento      185Movie 74: Mulholland Drive      18618. The Love of Movies      Movie 75: Cinema Paradiso      189Notes      Bibliography      Index

“thought-provoking...useful”—ARBA; “does a good job of explaining profound philosophies and their proponents”—Harrisburg Pennsylvania Patriot News; “a book that can result in many hours of enjoyment...William Smith has written an amusing, sometimes provocative, and always interesting guide to 75 films...Smith loves films and has an eye for the moral and philosophical questions that often are conveyed by the best of films...a must-read for all film mavens”—Jewish-PostOpinion.com; “always interesting...a must read”—New Jersey Jewish News; “universal appeal...opens up your eyes”—Intelligencer Journal; “digs below the visual”—FilmNewz.