The Growth of Cult

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Cult films, what does it mean and what makes a film cult? Cult has been around for quite some time and the term has grown throughout the years in which it has been known. Although it has been out since the 90’s, many people are unsure of what cult is and how it is defined. In her article Cult Film or Cinephilia by Any Other Name, Elena Gorfinkel, a Professor in Cinema Studies, addresses and argues how the contemporary definition of cult is defined through the merge of cult and cinephilia. In addition to Gorfinkel’s article, Dan Bentley-Baker, a literature and film studies teacher at Florida International University, provides a more detailed list of characteristics found in cult cinema in his article What Is Cult Cinema? In this essay, I will be discussing how Gorfinkel utilizes the history and the present accessibility of cult and cinephilia in order to explain the merge of these two terms, Gorfinkel and Baker’s characteristics that are found in cult films, and how Wes Anderson and his movie The Royal Tenenbaums follow the characteristics of cult films.
In “Cult Film or Cinephilia by Any Other Name, Gorfinkel informs her audience how the history of cult and cinephilia merge together in order to provide what today’s contemporary definition of cult is, also with the help with today’s digital age. Gorfinkel’s intended audiences are scholars who have degrees in Cinema and aspiring graduate students wanting to focus on cinema. This is determined through the use of her vast cinematic vocabulary and also due to the fact that this article was presented at a conference. Gorfinkel begins her article by asking her audience what they feel came first, the cinephile or the cultist and goes further into the purpose of her article by stating th...

... middle of paper ...

...cult is important because as time progresses, the way these two terms merge will differ and the characteristics and definition of cult will also start to change. With a scholarly audience concerned about Cinema, the history of cult and cinephilia, along with the characteristics of cult will help these scholars have more of an understanding of cult films.

Works Cited

Bentley-Baker, Dan. "What Is Cult Cinema?." BLFJ Blog. Version Issue 69. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
Gorfinkel, Elena. “Cult Film or Cinephilia by Any Other Name.” RWS 200 Course Reader. San Diego: CalCopy, 2014. 30-35. Print
Lovullo, Michael. "SEC feature presentation: The Royal Tenenbaums." SEC feature presentation: The Royal Tenenbaums. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .

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