Feminist film theory has a complex history of debate, both with external
theoretical positions, and among its own theorists. At the heart of
this debate is the difficult relationship between 'woman' as cinematic
representation, real life women, and the female theorist. Passionate
detachment is the stance of the feminist engaged in a critical reading
of the cinema, whether as film critic, as film-maker or as audience
member.

This book traces the key developments and debates
in feminist film theory over the past twenty-five years. Beginning with
the work on stereotypes of women from the early 1970s and moving to the
most recent debates within cultural criticism, it charts the
relationship of feminist film theory to the contexts from which it
arises - and to which it offers a profound challenge. From arguments
about 'the male gaze' to work on fantasy, horror and the body, each
chapter presents a clear and detailed critical account of a key area of
debate. Feminist film theory emerges as the central arena in which
feminist theories of representation, identity and cultural politics have
been fought out from the 1970s onwards.