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Black Film Through a Psychodynamic Lens

Author(s) : Katherine Marshall Woods

Reviews and Endorsements

In Black Film Through a Psychological Lens, Dr. Marshall Woods offers a powerful explanatory framework for films from the early 20th century until today, moving from discussion of painful stereotypes especially prevalent in early films, to depictions of narratives of resilience, posttraumatic growth, creativity, and empowerment reflecting the broad range of Black Lives today. The author ably utilizes an insightful culturally nuanced and modern psychodynamic analytic framework, particularly with regard to how defense mechanisms such as sublimation and reaction formation serve to illuminate how and why filmmakers create the films they do, and how and why viewers respond in they ways they do. Marshal Woods is to be commended for providing insights into both the better known, as well as into some less familiar, Black films from the early years through the first quarter of the 21st century.
Grant J. Rich, PhD, President Society for Media Psychology and Technology, Walden University

Dr. Katherine Marshall Wood's Black Film Through a Psychodynamic Lens is a seminal work that meticulously dissects the psychological motifs embedded within Black cinema alongside pertinent psychological research, highlighting the complexities of race, identity, and culture in film.
Through insightful chapter divisions, each dedicated to a specific era of filmmaking, Dr. Marshall-Wood adeptly synthesizes the synopses of pivotal films with insightful analyses of the profound psychological themes relevant to the Black community. This book is vital in fostering inclusivity within film anthology, highlighting the underappreciated significance of Black cinema, its psychological influence and its indispensable role in shaping broader cinematic discourse on American life.
A compelling must-read for scholars, practitioners, and film enthusiasts alike.
Dr. Tamika Damond, Founder of Believe Psychology Film Festival