Rock ’n’ Film: Cinema’s Dance with Popular Music



  • Illustrated Lecture
    David E. James

    David E. James teaches in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. His teaching and research interests focus on avant-garde cinema, East Asian cinema, film and music, and working-class culture. His recent books include Power Misses: Essays Across (Un)Popular Culture and The Most Typical Avant-Garde: History and Geography of Minor Cinemas in Los Angeles.

In his book Rock ’n’ Film: Cinema’s Dance with Popular Music, David E. James explores how rock’s capacity for cultural empowerment and its usefulness as a driver of commerce and profit were reproduced in various kinds of cinema: independent documentaries and concert films including Monterey Pop and Gimme Shelter, narrative films such as King Creole and Privilege, and the experimental cinema of artists like Kenneth Anger. In his lecture James will explore the rich legacy of cinema’s dance with popular music and what these films share with classic film musicals.