Lexington Books
Pages: 206
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜
978-1-4985-7966-7 • Hardback • October 2019 • $111.00 • (£85.00)
978-1-4985-7967-4 • eBook • October 2019 • $105.50 • (£82.00)
Helen J. Knowles is associate professor of political science at the State University of New York at Oswego.
Bruce Altschuler is professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Oswego.
Jaclyn Schildkraut is associate professor of criminal justice at the State University of New York at Oswego.
Chapter 1 – Murder in Coweta County: No Man is Above the Law
Chapter 2 – The Thin Blue Line: The Search for Truth
Chapter 3 – Dead Man Walking: Redemption for the Guilty
Chapter 4 – The Life of David Gale: A Paradoxical Execution
Chapter 5 – A Lesson Before Dying: A Dignified Date with Death
Chapter 6 – The Green Mile: An Extraordinary Look into Death Row
Chapter 7 – The Chamber: “Take A Deep Breath”
Chapter 8 – Last Dance: A Tango Between Life and Death
Chapter 9 – Monster’s Ball: Understanding the Broader Impact
“In this compelling examination of the death penalty on film the authors show that the success of those films depends on their capacity to draw their audiences into individual stories rather than their taking a pro or anti-capital punishment stance. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the culture life of state killing.”— Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
“Lights, Camera, Execution! fills an important void in our knowledge about how cinema engages with the important issue of the death penalty, and does so via fascinating, yet thorough, analyses of several films, including many that will be new to most readers. Everyone from new undergraduates to seasoned film buffs will find something of value in this groundbreaking work. Highly recommended.”— Justin Vaughn, co-editor of Poli Sci Fi: An Introduction to Political Science through Science Fiction
“And the award goes to… Lights, Camera, Execution! – an excellent book that dispels the myths and untruths associated with creative, profit-driven filmmaking about the death penalty while at the same time explaining how filmmakers and audiences grapple with the social and moral issues necessarily associated with this controversial topic. This book is not only ideal for courses on politics and film but would be a nice addition to classes centered around race and class, public policy, and popular culture. I can’t wait for the sequel!” — Artemus Ward, Northern Illinois University
Death penalty movies are windows into the way Americans think about some of our most profound concepts—justice, responsibility, violence. Lights, Camera, Execution! offers a thoughtful survey of the most important death penalty movies of the past forty years, from lesser known television movies like Murder in Coweta County, to blockbuster big screen hits like The Green Mile. Helen J. Knowles, Bruce E. Altschuler, and Jaclyn Schildkraut thoughtfully and effectively use nine films to illustrate the complexities of the political, legal, and cultural world of American capital punishment.
— Daniel LaChance, Emory University