Visions of Virtue in Popular Film grows out of the interplay between film criticism and a philosophical view of virtue. Joseph H. Kupfer argues that film fictions can be integral to moral reflection, and thus by examining the narrative and cinematic aspects of popular films, we can derive important moral truths about people and their behavior. Taking as his base a classical conception of virtue and vice, Kupfer offers an in-depth examination of Groundhog Day, The African Queen, Parenthood, Rob Roy, Fresh, Jaws, and Aliens in order to investigate the value of virtue within ever-widening social contexts.
Introduction: Visions of Virtue in Popular Film -- Film Criticism and Virtue Theory -- Virtue and Happiness in Groundhog Day -- The Work of Love in The African Queen -- The Virtues of Parenthood -- Language, Community, and Evil in Rob Roy -- Fresh Phronesis -- Character in Crisis: Reluctant Heroes in Jaws and Aliens -- Concluding Angles