Shoe Reels - (Film and Fashions) by Elizabeth Ezra & Catherine Wheatley (Paperback)

About the Book

Examining the special relationship between footwear and film, Shoe Reels explores images of shoes in cinema. It questions what shoes mean in the context of narrative, aesthetics and symbolism, why they are so memorable, and what their wider cultural resonances might be.

Book Synopsis

In his famous interpretation of Vincent Van Gogh's painting A Pair of Peasant's Shoes (1886), Heidegger argues that shoes tell us all we need to know about the world of the person who walks in them. In the case of Van Gogh's painting, we learn this not through a description of the pair of shoes, nor by a report on how to make shoes, but by looking at the shoes. Heidegger thus gestures towards the power of the visual arts to show us human truths through images of footwear and the feet they conceal or reveal, a power that finds its fullest expression in the cinema. From Chaplin's meal of boots (The Gold Rush, 1925), through Powell and Pressburger's Red Shoes (1948) and Dorothy's ruby slippers (The Wizard of Oz, 1939), to Julia Roberts' pvc thigh-highs (Pretty Woman, 1990), Marty McFly's power-lacing Nikes (Back to the Future, 1985) and the slim, spike-heeled stiletto that graces the poster for The Devil Wears Prada (2006), shoes are not only some of the cinema's most enduring icons; they also serve as characterisations, plot devices, soundtracks, metaphors and philosophical touchpoints. This book anaylses their significnace through a range of approaches drawn from the fields of Film Studies, Philosophy, Cultural History, Fashion, Cultural Studies and Politics.

Review Quotes

As the word count of this review illustrates, Ezra and Wheatley's abundant and compelling text brings together studies of dress, film, philosophy, fact and fiction. Suitable for a range of audiences, from the purely interested, to the academic scholar, this rich anthology will be an indispensable tool in explor-ing the widening parameters of cinematic studies.--Dr Cheryl Roberts, Royal College of Art, London "Studies in Costume & Performance"

This is a fascinating, almost microscopic, take on the materiality of things in cinema, which is all the more unique for considering the cultural significance of shoes (as well as their lack) on screen.--Shelley Cobb, University of Southampton

About the Author

Professor Elizabeth Ezra is Professor of Cinema and Culture at the University of Stirling.

King's College London

Catherine Wheatley is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at King's College London