The Traces of Jacques Derrida's Cinema

No one has tended more carefully or convincingly to the cinematic dimension of Derrida's thought than Holland. The Traces of Jacques Derrida's Cinema pushes Derrida's work into the twenty-first century, where the visual is no longer a turn but a norm, in truly useful and utterly poetic ways. More than just a reading of Derrida, this book is also a beautiful introduction to the work of a very important new voice in film philosophy. * Brian Price, Professor of Cinema Studies, University of Toronto * Until the publication of Timothy Holland's book, we knew that Derrida was an avid viewer of films, and that he had been interviewed a few times on the topic of cinema. Now we know so much more. Not only has Holland unearthed every archival piece, he has crafted an ingenious compendium of the ways in which cinematic questions haunt Derrida's work, and rightly emphasized, among those questions, ideas concerning belief, credence and trust that are central to the moving image. Combining detailed knowledge of Derrida, and a keen film theoretical intelligence, The Traces of Jacques Derrida's Cinema has convincingly 'busted' what were previously little more than indistinct ghostings. * David Wills, Professor of French Studies, Brown University * Building on detailed archival research and Derridean scholarship material across the humanities, Holland puts his critical skills to fruitful use as he mixes textual analyses of selected films with careful reading of literary works that prove relevant to the topics at hand. The result is not only an archive that brings us closer to ""a full reappraisal of Derrida's work and of his place in 20th century philosophy and literary theory"" but, more importantly, takes a decisive step in opening film studies to its own future as ongoing rediscovery in the ever-expanding world of moving images. Anyone interested in Derrida, film theory, and criticism will find the book of interest and value. * B. G. Chang, CHOICE *