Main description:

The portrayal of suicide in cinema can impact public understanding and effective prevention of suicide. This book presents the first-ever comprehensive analysis of how suicide has been portrayed in films over 110 years, based on a thorough evaluation of more than 1,500 film suicides - 1,377 in American films, 135 in British films. One striking finding is that while the research literature generally attributes suicide to individual psychiatric or mental health issues, cinema and film solidly endorse more social causes. In a compelling blend of social science and humanities approaches, the authors use quantitative methods, as well as the voices of scriptwriters, directors, actors, and actresses, dozens of illustrative frame-grabs, and numerous case examples to answer core questions such as: Are we guilty of over-neglecting social factors in suicide prevention and research? Do cinematic portrayals distort or accurately reflect the nature of suicide in the real world? Has film presentation of suicide changed over 110 years? What are the literary roots of cinema portrayals?This unique book makes fascinating reading for all concerned with suicide prevention, as well as areas such as sociology, film and media studies, and mass communication.

Contents:

Acknowledgments ... vi Preface... vii Part I: Introduction ... 1 Chapter 1: The Neglect of Social Patterns in Suicide ... 3 Chapter 2: Finding and Categorizing the Suicide Movies... 13 Part II: Individual Causes of Suicide in the Cinema... 29 Chapter 3: Traditional Psychiatric Motives for Suicide in Film ... 31 Chapter 4: The Psychopath and Suicide: A Nontraditional Psychiatric Factor... 57 Chapter 5: Physicality: Pain, Physical Illness, & Disability in Film Suicides... 79 Part III: The Social Causes of Suicide in the Cinema... 103 Chapter 6: Death of a Significant Other... 105 Chapter 7: Strain in Social Relationships: Relationship Breakdown... 131 Chapter 8: Economic Strain and Suicide in the Cinema ... 171 Chapter 9: Altruistic Suicide ... 197 Part IV: Cross-National Analysis and Conclusion... 225 Chapter 10: Globalization and the Causes of Suicide: Comparing British to American Films... 227 Chapter 11: Conclusions... 249 References... 277 Subject Index ... 285 Film Index... 293