On The Wire

Williams Linda Williams

Description

Many television critics, legions of fans, even the president of the United States, have cited The Wire as the best television series ever. In this sophisticated examination of the HBO serial drama that aired from 2002 until 2008, Linda Williams, a leading film scholar and authority on the interplay between film, melodrama, and issues of race, suggests what exactly it is that makes The Wire so good. She argues that while the series is a powerful exploration of urban dysfunction and institutional failure, its narrative power derives from its genre. The Wire is popular melodrama, not Greek tragedy, as critics and the series creator David Simon have claimed. Entertaining, addictive, funny, and despairing all at once, it is a serial melodrama grounded in observation of Baltimore's people and institutions: of cops and criminals, schools and blue-collar labor, local government and local journalism. The Wire transforms close observation into an unparalleled melodrama by juxtaposing the good and evil of individuals with the good and evil of institutions. 

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Popular culture
• Television

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 08 août 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822376446
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Ohe Wîre

A productîon o te Consoe-îng Passîons books serîes Edîted by Lynn Spîge

Ohe Wîre

L I N D A W I L L I A M S

D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S Duram and London 2014

© 2014 Duke University Press All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America on acidfree paper ♾ Typeset in Warnock Pro by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.

Cover art: Still from The Wire . Courtesy of Photofest.

Library of Congress Cataloging inPublication Data Williams, Linda, 1946–

On the Wire / Linda Williams. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9780822357063 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 9780822357179 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Wire (Television program). I. Title. PN1992.77.W53 W52 2014 791.45'72—dc23 2014000762

Açkôégéŝ  ïôûçô 

Contents

PART I. Wô Eôûg à Té Hé Gééŝŝ à Géûŝ ôhe Wîre

1 2

Eôgàç ïàgàô ô Jôûàŝ ô Tééŝô Séà  Séà Tééŝô’ŝ Wô à Té Hé ïôàçé ô é “Pà” 

PART II. Jûŝçé he Wîre Tàgé, Réàŝ, à Méôàà

3 4

“Càŝŝçà” Tàgé, ô . . . 

Réàŝç, Môé Séà Méôàà 

PART III. Sûéàçé, Sçôô’, à Ràçé

5 6

à Eéŝ / Sô Eéŝ Sûéàçé à Sçôô’  éég Ràçéhe Wîreà é Aéçà Méôàà ô Bàçk à Wé 

Côçûŝô ôé Séé Bàôé 

notes bîbîograpy îndex

Acknowledgments

ï ôé àkŝ ô éé féé çàŝŝéŝ ôhe Wîreà ï àŝ ôûàé ô éàç à UC Békéé àé é ŝééŝ éé. Hé îŝ àŝ à ŝéô ŝéà à àŝô ŝéé àŝ  ô àô ô ééŝô ŝûéŝ. Hé ŝéçô àŝ à àgé éçûé çàŝŝ ôŝé ŝçûŝŝô ŝéŝŝôŝ éé éx- éé éû ô ŝ ôôk. Hé  àŝ à gàûàé ŝéà ô ŝéà ééŝô éàûghe Wîreàŝ à çàŝé ŝû  ç ï é ôû ŝôé ô é éàŝ ô ŝéà à éôàà. Mà ŝgŝ éé ŝàké  é ŝûéŝ  éŝé çàŝŝéŝ à  çôûéŝŝ ŝçûŝŝôŝ  éŝ. Séçà àkŝ gô ô éé ôéû éŝéàç àŝŝŝàŝ à éôŝ Jôàà éé (ô é é à), Kéŝà Tô (ŝé éô é éàŝ), à ïéé Cé (ôû ô ï ôû ŝ é é  éŝéàç). ï à àŝô éé ô Cŝé Bôé, ô àûg é é ôàçé ô Sô’ŝ jôûàŝ; Nk Kŝà, ô ûéŝôô é ûé ô éç- ôôg; Màô Rûŝŝé, ô çôûé à éàŝ; Zéé Güŝé, ô ké àôû éôgà; Màà Môàŝà Gàà à Càéé Zé, ô éé ô ŝà àôû ŝûéàçé; à Eŝàé Aké, ô ô é ô kéé  éé ô é ŝééŝ ŝé. ï éçàé ŝ ôôk ô à ô éŝé éŝ, çôéàgûéŝ, à ŝûéŝ ô ŝôé é é àçéŝ ô é ŝééŝ. Eŝéçà éàé àkŝ gô ô é éé éôé ô îŝ àé é àçhe Wîre E Kàé, J. P. Gô, à Qû zgéà.

Introduction

But to tell the truth, I no longer watch many films. . . . I feed my hunger for fiction with what is by far the most accomplished source: those terrific American TV series like Deadwood , Firefly , or The Wire . . . . There is a knowledge in them, a sense of story and economy, of ellipsis, a science of framing and of cutting, a dramaturgy, and an acting style that has no equal anywhere, and certainly not in Hollywood. —Chris Marker, La Jetée / Sans Soleil DVD booklet

Who knew that the movie business would disappear. It disappeared instantaneously. . . . There will be festival films, there will be a way to live, where a movie like ‘[Michael] Clayton’ gets made if you get a movie star like [George] Clooney to waive his fee, there will be exceptions for decades. But as a rule, the middle class drama, ambitious drama, it’s on TV. Everybody knows that, it’s why TV is so great right now, they’ve got it. —Tony Gilroy, The Playlist website

ï é ŝûé à à ô , ï àŝ à û  é. ô é îŝ é   é ŝçé çôô ï à é ô éé  “ûgé ô îçô” à ééŝô. A é à ôûg é à ŝé g ôôégŝ ô é îŝ éé ŝéàŝôŝ ôhe Wîre. ï ôçééé ô àç à éŝôé éàç éé- g û ï à ôû. Aŝ ŝôô àŝ ï çôû, ï ûçàŝé é àŝ ô ŝéàŝôŝ à çôûé ô ŝéà éé à gôg à. Hé ŝééŝ à éék ô hbo ô  ô , û à  à ôé çôçéàé, g ô ô  éôô tv ô  ô . B é é ï îŝé àç-