ABSTRACT
As the above quotation indicates, a key dimension of political communication in the cultural sphere is the ‘talk’ generated around the rituals of film viewing. Individuals and groups engage in public discourse about movies as a means of working through the significance of issues felt to have both keen personal import and broad social relevance. Whether through face-to-face discussion at the multiplex or art cinema, the posting of computer messages or the publication of articles and letters in the pages of print magazines and fanzines, talk provides important-if often critically neglected-ways of imparting and sharing knowledge and opinion. By talking about issues important to them on a personal level, fans and other discussants help to constitute the group identities through which individuals strive to make sense of their movie-going experiences.
