Everyone was watching! Strategies of self-presentation in oral histories of cinema-going

Abstract

This article considers the different ways in which strategies of selective self-presentation on behalf of both interviewee and interviewer structure the oral history narrative, using, as an example, the ways in which embarrassment and shame function in narratives of cinema-going in Australia. The essay explores when and how embarrassment and shame feature in cinema-going narratives and also the way in which some issues, such as the recollection of segregation in rural cinemas, disrupt the easy conversational flow of a narrative and cause discomfort, bordering on embarrassment and shame for both interviewee and interviewer.

Drawing on oral histories and autobiographical accounts from New South Wales cinema-goers, this article delves into the public/private and past/present functions of embarrassment and shame in order to better understand cinema-going practices and recollection strategies. It takes into account how critical oral history and cultural theory can assist cinema studies to examine how practices of cinema-going are situated within wider cultural attitudes and discourses.

Keywords:

• cinema
• audiences
• reception
• oral history
• segregation