ABSTRACT
Film theorists have almost always embraced a critical perspective and a willingness to question existing assumptions about film and culture. Despite film theory's overall success, the dilemmas associated with post-modernism in general and the Sokal Affair more specifically introduced a new crisis of legitimacy. While some critics called for an outright rejection of all film theory, Post-Theory was in another sense consistent with the broader shifts taking place as part of the discipline's changing institutional and intellectual status. Growing concerns about reigning models and the influence of French theory more generally came to a crescendo as select scholars enjoined the field of film study to adopt new objectives and different theoretical frameworks. Widespread technological changes have also raised questions. As film gives way to digital media and as cinema is recast as a form of visual information, it is uncertain whether film theory will remain the dominant conceptual lens for the critical analysis of moving images.
