Vivian Sobchack
Encyclopedia
Vivian Sobchack is an American
cinema and media theorist and cultural critic.
Sobchack's work on science fiction
films and phenomenology of film is perhaps her most recognized. She is a prolific writer however, and has authored numerous books and articles across a diverse range of subjects; from historiography to film noir
to work on documentary film
, new media
, and film feminism. Her work has been featured in such publications as Film Comment
and Camera Obscura
and she is the author and editor of many books on film and media.
. While at Barnard, Sobchack often frequented the nearby legendary Thalia Theater
, which offered up a diverse schedule of classic and foreign films. She received her degree in English Literature
in 1961 with aspirations to write fiction. She published some poetry and began work on a novel, but within two years of graduating moved into a career counseling college grads in search of their first jobs. This ultimately led her to a new position, sponsored by President Johnson’s Anti-Poverty Program
, counseling troubled high school dropouts towards sustainable careers. She remained in New York until 1966 when she relocated to Salt Lake City where her husband had taken an Assistant Professorship in the English Department at the University of Utah
. It was there that Sobchack got her first teaching experience. She took part time work with the University, teaching film courses—some of the first offered in the early 1970s.
She stayed with the part time teaching at the University of Utah while she brought up her son. In Salt Lake City, she also became involved in the establishment of a film club with the intention of bringing hard-to-find films to a city with only one art house theater. The success of this film club eventually led to the inauguration of the Utah Film Festival (which, as it grew, eventually led to the establishment of the US Film Festival and ultimately, the Sundance Film Festival
).
Sobchack went on to pursue a more established career as a film studies professional. She earned her MA in Critical Studies from UCLA’s Department of Theater Arts/Division of Motion Pictures and Television in 1976. Her Masters Thesis became her first book, The Limits of Infinity: The American Science Fiction Film 1950-1975 (In 1987 greatly expanded and retitled Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film). In 1978, she took a position as Visiting Lecturer at the University of Vermont
in Burlington, in the Department of Communication. On her trip back to her family in Utah, she visited the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale
, where she ultimately decided to pursue her Ph.D. the following year in the Department of Speech Communication, with an emphasis on Philosophy of Language. In 1984, she was awarded her Ph.D. Her dissertation on the phenomenology of film became the basis for her groundbreaking film theory
book The Address of the Eye: A Phenomenology of Film Experience (1992).
Sobchack began teaching at the University of California, Santa Cruz
In 1981. While at Santa Cruz, along with pursuing her own research and writing, she served in a number of administrative capacities including becoming the first Dean of the Arts Division and effectively helping to establish the University’s Film Studies
curriculum. In 1992 she moved to the University of California, Los Angeles
as a professor in the Critical Studies area of the UCLA Department of Film Television, and Digital Media and Associate Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
. She retired from administration and currently teaches classes in Visual Phenomenology, Contemporary Film Theory, Historiography
, and Cultural Studies
.
Sobchack is the recipient of the 1995 Pilgrim Career Award
for science fiction scholarship from the Science Fiction Research Association
., and also received the Society for Cinema and Media Studies
Distinguished Service Award in 2005. She has served as a juror on the American Film Institute
Awards Motion Picture Committee five times since 2000. She is on numerous editorial and advisory boards for print and electronic publications—Film Quarterly
, Cultural Theory and Technology, Signs
, Journal of Film and Video
, Journal of Popular Film and Television, and Cinema Journal
, to name a few. She has been an on-camera participant and voice-over commentator for several DVD features and featurettes. She can be seen delivering commentary, for example, on the bonus features of Dark City, Buffy the Vampire Slayer(Season 7) and Warner Bros. Tough Guys set of DVDs. She did a voice-over commentary on His Kind of Woman
for Warner Bros.
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3. Additionally, Sobchack is in high demand as a lecturer for conferences and presentations around the world. She has spoke at over 30 conferences and presentations in the last five years alone.
Articles:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cinema and media theorist and cultural critic.
Sobchack's work on science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
films and phenomenology of film is perhaps her most recognized. She is a prolific writer however, and has authored numerous books and articles across a diverse range of subjects; from historiography to film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
to work on documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
, and film feminism. Her work has been featured in such publications as Film Comment
Film Comment
Film Comment is an arts and culture magazine published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, of which it is the official publication. Film Comment features critical reviews and in-depth analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world...
and Camera Obscura
Camera obscura
The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
and she is the author and editor of many books on film and media.
Biography
Sobchack was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1940. Her early life was spent on Long Island until she moved to Manhattan to attend Barnard CollegeBarnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
. While at Barnard, Sobchack often frequented the nearby legendary Thalia Theater
Bowery Theatre
The Bowery Theatre was a playhouse in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. Although it was founded by rich families to compete with the upscale Park Theatre, the Bowery saw its most successful period under the populist, pro-American management of Thomas Hamblin in the 1830s and 1840s...
, which offered up a diverse schedule of classic and foreign films. She received her degree in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
in 1961 with aspirations to write fiction. She published some poetry and began work on a novel, but within two years of graduating moved into a career counseling college grads in search of their first jobs. This ultimately led her to a new position, sponsored by President Johnson’s Anti-Poverty Program
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
, counseling troubled high school dropouts towards sustainable careers. She remained in New York until 1966 when she relocated to Salt Lake City where her husband had taken an Assistant Professorship in the English Department at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. It was there that Sobchack got her first teaching experience. She took part time work with the University, teaching film courses—some of the first offered in the early 1970s.
She stayed with the part time teaching at the University of Utah while she brought up her son. In Salt Lake City, she also became involved in the establishment of a film club with the intention of bringing hard-to-find films to a city with only one art house theater. The success of this film club eventually led to the inauguration of the Utah Film Festival (which, as it grew, eventually led to the establishment of the US Film Festival and ultimately, the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
).
Sobchack went on to pursue a more established career as a film studies professional. She earned her MA in Critical Studies from UCLA’s Department of Theater Arts/Division of Motion Pictures and Television in 1976. Her Masters Thesis became her first book, The Limits of Infinity: The American Science Fiction Film 1950-1975 (In 1987 greatly expanded and retitled Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film). In 1978, she took a position as Visiting Lecturer at the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
in Burlington, in the Department of Communication. On her trip back to her family in Utah, she visited the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, where she ultimately decided to pursue her Ph.D. the following year in the Department of Speech Communication, with an emphasis on Philosophy of Language. In 1984, she was awarded her Ph.D. Her dissertation on the phenomenology of film became the basis for her groundbreaking film theory
Film theory
Film theory is an academic discipline that aims to explore the essence of the cinema and provides conceptual frameworks for understanding film's relationship to reality, the other arts, individual viewers, and society at large...
book The Address of the Eye: A Phenomenology of Film Experience (1992).
Sobchack began teaching at the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
In 1981. While at Santa Cruz, along with pursuing her own research and writing, she served in a number of administrative capacities including becoming the first Dean of the Arts Division and effectively helping to establish the University’s Film Studies
Film studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies...
curriculum. In 1992 she moved to the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
as a professor in the Critical Studies area of the UCLA Department of Film Television, and Digital Media and Associate Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
UCLA School of Theater Film and Television
The UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television , is one of the twelve schools within UCLA. It is located in Los Angeles, California, USA, and is unique in that it combines all three of these aspects into a single school. The graduate programs are usually ranking within the top 3 nationally,...
. She retired from administration and currently teaches classes in Visual Phenomenology, Contemporary Film Theory, Historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, and Cultural Studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
.
Sobchack is the recipient of the 1995 Pilgrim Career Award
Pilgrim Award
The Pilgrim Award is presented by the Science Fiction Research Association for Lifetime Achievement in the field of science fiction scholarship. It was created in 1970 and was named after J. O. Bailey’s pioneering book Pilgrims Through Space and Time. Fittingly, the first award was presented to...
for science fiction scholarship from the Science Fiction Research Association
Science Fiction Research Association
The Science Fiction Research Association , founded in 1970, is the oldest, non-profit professional organization committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding the study of science fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media...
., and also received the Society for Cinema and Media Studies
Society for Cinema and Media Studies
The Society for Cinema and Media Studies is an organization of professors and scholars. Its home office is at the University of Oklahoma, but it has members throughout the world....
Distinguished Service Award in 2005. She has served as a juror on the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
Awards Motion Picture Committee five times since 2000. She is on numerous editorial and advisory boards for print and electronic publications—Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly is a film journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California, United States. It was first published in 1945 as Hollywood Quarterly, was renamed The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television in 1951, and received its current title in 1958...
, Cultural Theory and Technology, Signs
Signs (journal)
Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society is a feminist academic journal established in 1975. It is published quarterly by the University of Chicago Press. Signs publishes articles on women's studies.- See also :* Cultural studies...
, Journal of Film and Video
Journal of Film and Video
The Journal of Film and Video is the official academic journal of the University Film and Video Association. It features articles on film and video production, history, theory, criticism, and aesthetics. The journal is published by the University of Illinois Press and the current editor is Stephen...
, Journal of Popular Film and Television, and Cinema Journal
Cinema Journal
The Cinema Journal is published by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies . It features articles on film studies, television studies, media studies, visual arts, cultural studies, film and media history, and moving image studies....
, to name a few. She has been an on-camera participant and voice-over commentator for several DVD features and featurettes. She can be seen delivering commentary, for example, on the bonus features of Dark City, Buffy the Vampire Slayer(Season 7) and Warner Bros. Tough Guys set of DVDs. She did a voice-over commentary on His Kind of Woman
His Kind of Woman
His Kind of Woman is a black-and-white 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting roles by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, and Charles McGraw...
for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3. Additionally, Sobchack is in high demand as a lecturer for conferences and presentations around the world. She has spoke at over 30 conferences and presentations in the last five years alone.
Works
Books:- Carnal Thoughts: Embodiment and Moving Image Culture (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004).
- Beyond the Gaze: Recent Approaches to Film Feminisms [special issue of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society] Vol. 30: no.1 (Autumn 2004), Co-editor with Kathleen McHugh.
- Meta-Morphing: Visual Transformation and the Culture of Quick Change, Editor (Minneapolis:University of Minnesota Press, 2000).
- The Persistence of History: Cinema, Television and the Modern Event, Editor (New York: AFI Film Reader Series, Routledge, 1996).
- New Chinese Cinemas: Forms, Identities, Politics, Co-editor with Nick Browne, Paul Pickowicz, and Esther Yau (London: Cambridge University Press, 1994).
- The Address of the Eye: A Phenomenology of Film Experience (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,1992).
- Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film (New York: Ungar Press,1987, rpt., Rutgers University Press, 1997).
- The Limits of Infinity: The American Science Fiction Film 1950-1975 (South Brunswick, NJ & New York: A.S. Barnes/London: Thomas Yoselloff, Ltd., 1980).
- An Introduction to Film, Co-author with Thomas Sobchack, (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1980).
Articles:
- "Waking Life: Vivian Sobchack on the experience of Innocence," Film Comment 41, no. 6 (November/December 2005): 46-49.
- "Nostalgia for a Digital Object: Regrets on the Quickening of QuickTime," Millennium Film Journal 34 (Fall 1999): 4-23. available at: http://www.mfj-online.org/journalPages/MFJ34/VivianSobchack.html
- "Toward a Phenomenology of Non-Fictional Experience," in Collecting Visible Evidence, ed. Michael Renov and Jane Gaines (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999), 241-254.
- "'Lounge Time': Post-War Crises and the Chronotope of Film Noir," in Refiguring American Film Genres: History and Theory, ed. Nick Browne (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998), 129-170.
- "The Scene of the Screen: Envisioning Cinematic and Electronic ‘Presence," in Materialities of Communication, ed. Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht and K. Ludwig Pfeiffer (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994), 83-106.
- "The Active Eye: A Phenomenology of Cinematic Vision," Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 12, no. 3 (1990): 21-36.
- "Cities on the Edge of Time: The Urban Science Fiction Film," East-West Film Journal, 3, no. 1 (December 1988): 4-19.