- Paperback: 262 pages
- Publisher: Bison Books; 1 edition (May 1 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0803280459
- ISBN-13: 978-0803280458
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 14.1 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 340 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #709,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“Lewis’s writing is at all times clear, efficient, and accessible, and his nuanced understanding of Obomsawin’s work is evident throughout. In addition to a masterful and informative narrative, Lewis provides useful filmographies of Obomsawin’s work and of other noteworthy Native American documentaries.”—T. Maxwell-Long, Choice
(T. Maxwell-Long Choice )“Most Americans probably do not know that Canada has an oft-distinguished film industry. . . . Here Lewis goes some way toward redressing this oversight by discussing the career of a documentary filmmaker who is a double rarity: a member of a First Nations tribe (one of the Canadian indigenous peoples) and a woman. . . . Lewis relates the story of this remarkable woman in conventional chronological order, with amplebiographical data and a detailed analysis of her oeuvre and its impact on Canadian society. . . . [This is a welcome addition to a long-neglected part of cinema literature.” —Library Journal
(Roy Liebman Library Journal )
Product Description
In more than twenty powerful films, Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin has waged a brilliant battle against the ignorance and stereotypes that Native Americans have long endured in cinema and television. In this book, the first devoted to any Native filmmaker, Obomsawin receives her due as the central figure in the development of indigenous media in North America.
Incorporating history, politics, and film theory into a compelling narrative, Randolph Lewis explores the life and work of a multifaceted woman whose career was flourishing long before Native films such as Smoke Signals reached the screen. He traces Obomsawin’s path from an impoverished Abenaki reserve in the 1930s to bohemian Montreal in the 1960s, where she first found fame as a traditional storyteller and singer. Lewis follows her career as a celebrated documentary filmmaker, citing her courage in covering, at great personal risk, the 1991 Oka Crisis between Mohawk warriors and Canadian soldiers. We see how, since the late 1960s, Obomsawin has transformed documentary film, reshaping it for the first time into a crucial forum for sharing indigenous perspectives. Through a careful examination of her work, Lewis proposes a new vision for indigenous media around the globe: a “cinema of sovereignty” based on what Obomsawin has accomplished.
(20060415)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much needed contribution, honoring a visionary Native Woman, April 19 2011
By RedPen - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker (Paperback)
This book is a much needed and long overdue contribution to the scholarly literature on Native women, especially those who are path-breaking artists and filmmakers, like Alanis Obasmwin. The author is always fair and respectful and gives Obamswin her due, widening her audience beyond Canadian circles. Driven by the narrative arc of Obamswin's own fascinating life, the book is very engaging and readable. It also makes several important theoretical contributions, and I particularly appreciated Lewis' ideas about representational sovereignty. Most importantly, it highlights the important role of Native women in cultural production, both in honor of their communities and in critique of the state. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommended it.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but should double check his facts, Mar 13 2011
By jbu - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker (Paperback)
Randolph Lewis'book is interesting and provides a much needed look at Alanis Obomsawin's rich and inspiring career. However, Mr. Lewis should be more diligent when it comes to double-checking his facts. He mentions the Oka Crisis as a moment of great importance in Canada's recent history as well as in Alanis Obomsawin's journey as an activist and documentary filmmaker. However, he places the crisis in 1991 when, in reality, it took place in 1990. Lewis is sloppy on other occasions throughout the book which greatly reduced the pleasure I took in reading the book.
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