UC Spark

Dr Mary Wiles

School of Humanities; Cinema Studies

Phone: +64 3 364 2987 ext. 7296
 Office: Locke Building (English) 320a

Fields of Research

  • Feminism
  • Film
  • French New Wave
  • Queer theory
  • Theatricality

Researcher Summary

As Canterbury's second official appointment in cinema studies (2003), I have contributed to the creation and ongoing development of the newest programme in the School of Humanities, "Cinema Studies."  My PhD thesis (2002) that focused on theatricality in the films of French New Wave director Jacques Rivette has provided me with the ideal academic framework for my current teaching and research responsibilities.  My doctoral research in France has provided the groundwork for a monograph, _Jacques Rivette_ (2012), which will be a key English-language study of this important postwar film director.  Over the past five years, I have published articles in refereed journals and prominent collections; I also have participated in numerous conferences, such as the Modern Language Association Conference (MLA) and Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference(SCMS).  As the topics of these presentations and essays indicate, I not only have a strong interest in French film studies, but also feminism and gender studies.  My future projects include a book that looks at theatricality in international cinema.

Subject Area: Disciplines

Future Research

  • feminism
  • theatricality, film, gender

Key Methodologies

  • French New Wave film
  • Feminist film theory
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Queer theory

Affiliations

Research Service

  • M.A. Thesis Supervision, Leah Vonderheide, "Literariness in the Films of Eric Rohmer," First Class Thesis, Completed 2008. (2007-2008)

Publications


Chapter in Book
  • Wiles, M. (2007) Narrating the Feminine Nation: The Coming-of-Age Girl in Contemporary New Zealand Cinema. In T. Shary and A. Seibel (Ed.), Youth Culture in Global Cinema: 175-188. Austin: University of Texas Press.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2002) Sounding Out the Operatic: Jacques Rivette's "Noroit". In J. Joe and R. Theresa (Ed.), Between Opera and Cinema: 199-222. New York: Routledge.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2000) The Fascination of the Lesbian Fetish: A Perverse Possibility across the Body of Dorothy Allison's "Bastard Out of Carolina". In C. Thomas (Ed.), Straight With a Twist: Queer Theory and the Subject of Heterosexuality: 146-162. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. http://www.press.uillinois.edu/f99/thomas.html.
Journal Article
  • Wiles, M.M. (2012) The film portrait of a New Zealand storyteller: Gaylene Preston's Home by Christmas. Illusions 43/44: 8-12.
  • Wiles, M. (2011) L'amour fou: A Revolution in Realism, Reflexivity, and Oneiric Reverie. Senses of Cinema 61: Online. http://tinyurl.com/76djkdx.
  • Wiles, M. (2010) In "Permanent Revolution": Jacques Rivette's Out 1: Noli me tangere. Australian Journal of French Studies XLVII(2): 146-159.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2001) Re-staging the Feminine in Jacques Rivette’s "Haut bas fragile" (1995). Studies in French Cinema 1(2): 98-107.
Other
  • Wiles, M.M. (2011) Douglas Morrey and Alison Smith, Jacques Rivette. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2009, xi + 271pp. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television 31(2): 314-316. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01439685.2011.578905. Book Review.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2010) "A Gentle Voice in a Noisy Room": An Interview with New Zealand Filmmaker Gaylene Preston. Senses of Cinema(56): Online. http://tinyurl.com/bqrgval. Interview.
  • Wiles, M. (2008) Marked Women. Illusions 40(Winter 2008): 54-55. Review.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2007) Dr Mary Wiles and the Films of Jacques Rivette. 3 Jun 2007 SBS Radio, Melbourne, Australia. Podcast.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2000) Book Review of "The Girl: Constructions of the Girl in Contemporary Fiction by Women". Modern Fiction Studies 46(2): 565-567. New York.
Conference Contribution - Full conference paper
  • Wiles, M. M. (2013) "The Film Portrait of a New Zealand Storyteller: Gaylene Preston’s Home by Christmas.”. Chicago, Illinois: Society for Cinema Studies Conference, 6-10 March, 2013.
  • Wiles, M. (2010) Moving on from Downstage and the 1960s Radio Play: The Resonant Theatricality of Jane Campion's 'A Girl's Own Story'. Los Angeles, CA, USA: SCMS@50/LA: Archiving the Future/Mobilizing the Past, 17-21 Mar 2010.
  • Wiles, M. (2008) From Historical Moment to Existential Myth: A Fait Divers in Jacques Rivette's Paris nous appartient. Dunedin, New Zealand: XIVth Biennial Conference of the Film and History Association of Australia and New Zealand, 27-30 Nov 2008.
  • Wiles, M. (2007) Seductive Doubles: The Contemporary French Cinema of Catherine Breillat and Eric Zonka. Chicago, IL, USA: Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Annual Conference, 8-11 Mar 2007.
  • Wiles, M. (2006) Julie Dash's 'Daughters of the Dust': The Gendering and Genesis of a Black Cinematic Aesthetic. Melbourne, Australia: XIIIth Biennial Conference of the Film and History Association of Australia and New Zealand, 16-19 Nov 2006.
  • Wiles, M. (2006) Narrating the Feminine Nation: The Coming-of-Age Girl in Contemporary New Zealand Cinema. Vancouver, Canada: 2006 Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Conference: Media and the Americas, 2-5 Mar 2006.
  • Wiles, M. (2006) Surveying Suburban and Panoramic Perspectives: Theatricality in the Early Films of Jane Campion. Dunedin, New Zealand: Jane Campion: Cinema, Nation, Identity, 6-9 Dec 2006.
  • Wiles, M. (2004) Lethal Performances: The Origins of the Execution Film in an 'Electric Century'. Singapore: PSi10 "Perform: State: Interrogate" - Performance Studies International Annual Conference, 15-18 Jun 2004.
  • Wiles, M. (2003) Shame and the Crisis in Male Subjectivity: Laurent Cantet's L'Emploi du Temps. Minneapolis, MN, USA: 2003 Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference, 6-9 Mar 2003.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2001) Disability and Disavowal in Léos Carax's Cinéma du Look: A Disabling Postmodern Discourse? New Orleans, LA, USA: Modern Language Association, 27-30 Dec 2001.
  • Wiles, M. (2001) French Film et les femmes françaises: Restaging the Feminine in Jacques Rivette's "Haut bas fragile". Washington, DC, USA: 2001 Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference, 24-27 May 2001.
Conference Contribution - Oral presentation
  • Wiles, M.M. (2011) The Film Portrait of a New Zealand Storyteller: Gaylene Preston's Home by Christmas. Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand: Gaylene Preston Film Retrospective, 23 Oct 2011.
Oral Presentation
  • Wiles, M. (2007) Moving Backstage: The Films of Jacques Rivette. Melbourne Cinematheque, Melbourne, Australia: Jacques Rivette Retrospective: The Fantastic Realism of Jacques Rivette, 23 May 2007.
Thesis - Doctor of Philosophy
  • Wiles, M.M. (2002) Theatricality and French Cinema: The Films of Jacques Rivette. PhD, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Additional Publications
  • Wiles, M.M. (2012) Jacques Rivette. Springfield: University of Illinois Press. 208pp.
  • Wiles, M.M. (2011) Gaylene Preston Film Retrospective. Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, 22-24 Oct 2011. [Curator and catalogue editor].
  • Preston, G., Wiles, M., Harding, B. and Shepard, D. (2011) Round Table Discussion: Gaylene Preston and Guests. Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand: Gaylene Preston Film Retrospective, 22-24 Oct 2011.