The document summarizes several scholarly reviews of works by artist Stan Douglas. The reviews discuss Douglas' use of historical context, adaptations of other works, and unique installation techniques in his films, photographs, and other pieces. Specifically, the reviews analyze how Douglas represents urban decline in Detroit through his film Le Detroit, captures political and social change in Cuba in another work, and thoughtfully adapts novels and films by other artists while bringing his own style. The reviews praise Douglas' creative approach while also noting questions that could be further explored regarding his reliance on adaptation and historical context.

1. Miranda Diez
500744637
1
Annotated Bibliography
Coulthard, Lisa. “Uncanny Memories: Stan Douglas, Subjectivity and Cinema.” Scope: An Online Journal of
Film Studies vol. 12 (2008). Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
Uncanny Memories: Stan Douglas, Subjectivity and Cinema by Lisa Coulthard, discusses similarities in
various Douglas works. Most of Douglas’s films are intertextual remakes of famous works by artists and
authors such as Hitchcock, Argento, and Welles. According to Coulthard, Douglas has the ability to de-
familiarize the originals through his use of quotation, and manipulation of the film viewing process.
Coulthard gives three specific examples of adaptation in Douglas’s work. Suspiria was adapted from a
gothic piece by Argento, involving ghosts. He adapts it by overlaying different colourful projections on a
black and white film. Journey into Fear by Douglas, incorporates films by Welles, Mann and Melville.
Douglas’s piece uses phrases from Melville’s The Confidence Man, overlaying different phrases every time
the film loop plays. Douglas’s Win, Place, or Show was inspired by an episode form the 1960s CBC’s series
The Clients with 2 characters arguing with no resolution. He adapts this idea by shooting from various
angles and using permutations of the dialogue. Coulthard also discusses subjectivity in Douglas’s pieces
and how he purposely creates confusing and often disjointed films to encourage viewers to develop their
own narrative based on the images.
Crichlow, Warren. “Stan Douglas and the Aesthetic Critique of Urban Decline.” Cultural
Studies? Critical Methodologies 3.1 (2003): pp. 8-21. Sage Publications. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
This critique, written by Warren Crishlow, discusses Douglas’s film Le Detroit and its subtle, political
commentary about the “urban decay” of cities. Douglas is able to address dilemmas in society without
explicitly speaking about them or stating facts, rather he acknowledges them through interpretation and
subjective understanding through his “open work.” In this case of Le Detroit he creates a set and
atmosphere of an abandoned house, on land that was previously a white development, which had become
a ghetto after the 1967 Detroit Riots. This suggestion of violence and unrest is demonstrated through the
house’s eerie, ghost-like presence, as if it and the rest of the city have experienced the trauma personally.
Crishlow also discusses Douglas’s literary inspirations for this film, Legends of Le Detroit by Marie
Caroline Watson Hamlin, 1884 and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 1959 which is a gothic
thriller about a woman who drives to an abandoned house to explore supernatural activity, very similar to
Douglas’s story. It is clear that Crishlow took the time to analyze the aesthetics and purpose behind Le
Detroit, and how the ideas and techniques were similar to other work Douglas has done in the past.

2. Miranda Diez
500744637
2
Enwezor, Okwui. "Afterimages: Stan Douglas' Le Détroit and Comments on Other Works." Nka: Journal of
Contemporary African Art 15.1 (2001): pp. 18-25. Project MUSE. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
In this peer-review article by Okwui Enwezor, titled AfterImages: Stan Douglas' Le Detroit discusses
Douglas’s motives behind creating his films. By using specific examples Enwezor establishes that Douglas
creates films and installations in an attempt to engage the viewer in various historical origins and their
significance. The first example that Enwezor discusses is Douglas’s piece titled Overture, 1986. According
to Enwezor, this piece discusses a conflict between romantic ideas of the 19th century and
industrialization as a train travels through mountain passes of the Rocky Mountain landscape of British
Columbia. However, the main piece that Enwezor analyses is titled Le Detroit, 2001. This film discusses
the history of violence and civil unrest in the USA during the 1960s. This film involves a women visiting an
abandoned house in a formerly Caucasian neighbourhood, which became a slum after the Detroit Riots of
1967. The house is dirty, broken, and disheveled to represent the state that Detroit has been left in since
the unrest. Once a thriving, industrial city, Detroit is now a neglected shell of a city. Enwezor suggests that
Douglas highlights the harsh reality of modern idealism and how history has effected various
communities, throughout his work.
Jacobs, Steven. "FROM SCENE TO SCREEN: THE SECRET AGENT BY STAN DOUGLAS." Millennium Film
Journal no. 63 (2016): pp. 12-15. ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
In, From Scene to Screen The Secret Agent by Stan Douglas, written by Steven Jacobs, Douglas’s newest
film The Secret Agent is discussed and analysed. Jacobs presents the argument that it is through
Douglas’s use of adaptations, historical accuracy, and creative story layout that a successful spy thriller
was created. Douglas adapted this film off of a spy novel written by Joseph Conrad, which was also
adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1936. In Douglas’s rendition, he incorporates elements from both versions
of the story. He incorporates a bookstore from Conrad, and a movie theatre from Hitchcock. The Secret
Agent, 2015 takes place during the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal. Douglas used accurate
costumes, props, and sets to create a realistic, believable setting demonstrating his interest in historical
events. Lastly, Douglas’s unique exhibition room involves six screens, all of which are placed differently.
He creates the illusion of an L-shaped lobby in the movie theatre by placing two screens perpendicularly
to one another and projecting both either side of the lobby on the screens. Overall, as discussed by
Jacobs, Douglas engaged the audience by adapting the original story, presenting historical accuracies and
creating a unique exhibit to display his story.

3. Miranda Diez
500744637
3
Moser, Gabrielle. “Phantasmagoric Places Local and Global Tensions in the Circulation of Stan Douglas’s
Every Building on 100 West Hastings.” Photography and Culture 4.1 (2011): pp. 55-69.
Routledge. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
This in-depth analysis of Stan Douglas’s photograph titled, Every Building on 100 West Hasting, was
written by Gabrielle Moser. Phantasmagoric Places Local and Global Tensions in the Circulation of Stan
Douglas’s Every Building on 100 West Hastings discusses the effects of globalization and resistance to
gentrification present in the Eastern Downtown district of Vancouver, BC as portrayed in Douglas’s photo.
Moser discusses that while most of Vancouver has continued to thrive and participate in economic-global
activity, Eastern Downtown has declined and is filled with crime and poverty after deindustrialization.
However, Douglas’s piece not only captures the division of wealth in Vancouver, but also represents the
anonymous struggles of other cities. Every Building on 100 West Hastings, 2001, is not limited to one
location, rather it acts as a symbol for “everywhere” and “nowhere” simultaneously, as described by Moser.
The photo was taken on the location of Woodward’s department store, which exemplified the argument of
development vs underdevelopment and lack of gentrification and conformity in East Downtown. Therefore,
while holding significance with local citizens, its production is also impressive in the art world. Moser
argues that its large scale and high resolution help make it a beautiful yet thought-provoking photo.
Wood, Kelly. “Still Supplementation- Stan Douglas’s Cuba Photographs.” History of
Photography 32.2 (2008): pp. 188-198. Taylor & Francis. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
This peer-review article by Kelly Wood discusses Douglas’s film, Inconsolable Memories, 2005, and his
related series Cuba Photos. Wood suggests that the photos are integral to the understanding and
appreciation of his film. He also discusses the effectiveness and subject matter of the photos, as well as
Douglas’s inspiration for his film. Douglas decided to display his photos outside of his main exhibit, this
way the photos acted as a foreword or preface of the film. It is suggested that the photos play a
supporting role for the film, rather than acting as an independent piece. His photos help viewers
understand the context of Inconsolable Memories as the Cuba Photos capture the notion of repurposing
old buildings and spaces to adapt to changing culture and economics. Douglas captures “historical
reconstruction” as described by Wood. Wood also explains that these retrofitted buildings capture a
specific moment of time through their stillness. Unlike the film, a still photo allows viewers to contemplate
the composition and message as long as they desire. Wood also discusses how Douglas was inspired by
fellow film maker Tomas Alea when making his film. Douglas decided to incorporate Alea’s documentary

4. Miranda Diez
500744637
4
footage throughout the film in tribute and to create historical awareness.
Summary
Stan Douglas is an artist with a distinct style, as explained throughout various scholarly peer-reviews. All
of the scholars acknowledged that Douglas incorporates historical context, various installation techniques
and adaptations of other works in his art. In terms of historical context, Crichlow and Enwezor discuss Le
Detroit, and explain how this film portrays “urban decay” (Crichlow, 2003:9) and “the modern ruin”
(Enwezor, 2001:7) to imply the harsh after effects of the Detroit Riots. Jacobs discusses how Douglas uses
accurate props and sets to create the atmosphere of Portugal in the 1970’s specifically during the
Carnation Revolution, in his film The Secret Agent. (Jacobs, 2016:13) Douglas’s famous photograph Every
Building on 100 West Hastings also has historical context acting as a metaphorical divide between rich and
poor in Vancouver and capturing the history of economic and cultural struggle in East Downtown. (Moser,
2011:60) Douglas also captures the essence of Cuba in his film Inconsolable Memories and photo series
Cuba Photos. Wood argues that the images captured demonstrate both political and social change in
Cuba. (Wood, 2008:191)
Douglas’s creative use of installation to display his work was also discussed in many of the scholarly
critiques. Coulthard elaborates on Douglas’s use of superimposing images to create a haunting, lagged
effect on his film Suspiria. (Coulthard, 2008:2) Jacobs discusses Douglas’ film The Secret Agent and its
engaging use of space, which involved several screens displayed throughout the room, which created
unique projections for scenes such as the Lobby scene of his film. (Jacobs, 2016:15) Moser’s critique Every
Building on 100 West Hastings, suggests that the photo represents cities’ struggle for economic equality.
However, Moser explains that with Douglas’s use of a high resolution camera and professional standard
equipment, his installation and process could be seen as contradictory. (Moser, 2011:69) Wood’s critique
discusses Douglas’s use of photos as a preliminary element and foreword of his main film. Wood explains
that the Cuba Photos’ context and composition help support the message and overall effectiveness of
Inconsolable Memories. (Wood, 2008:189)
Adaptation of other films and texts is also acknowledged in the scholarly reviews. The majority of
Coulthard’s article discusses this approach. Coulthard explains that Douglas was inspired by the works of

5. Miranda Diez
500744637
5
Hitchcock, Argento, and Welles, as well as a CBC TV series for some of his art. (Coulthard, 2008:1)
Douglas uses film, projection and storytelling techniques that make his work distinct. (Coulthard, 2008:2)
In his analysis of Le Detroit, Crishlow acknowledges Douglas’s literary inspiration for the film. Douglas
titled his film after Legends of Le Detroit by Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin, and created the context based
on a gothic thriller by Shirley Jackson. These pieces were merely stepping stones for Douglas as his
storytelling abilities and use of film loop made this film unique. (Crishlow, 2003:6) The Secret Agent also
incorporates inspiration and adaptation as explained by Jacobs. The plot was inspired by Joseph Conrad’s
novel of the same title, and Hitchcock’s adaptation of Conrad’s story. To pay homage to both of these
works, Douglas added elements from both men’s creations; a cinema and a bookstore. And rather than
taking place in London, England like the other works, Douglas chooses Portugal as a different approach
with historical significance as explained in Jacobs’ analysis. (Jacobs, 2016:15)
Scholarly reviews reveal that most of the scholars had similar opinions and praise for Douglas’s work.
They did not raise concerns or write negative critiques. However, some questions about Douglas’s work
could be raised in terms his use of adaptation and historical significance. Knowing about his reliance of
adaptation one might question Douglas’s originality. Would Douglas be able to create a piece without
adapting it from another source? Due to the fact that he uses similar story lines, as well as titles, one
might wonder how successful a truly original film of his would be? Another aspect of Douglas’s work that
could be analyzed further is his interest in historical events. Does Douglas rely too heavily on viewers’
knowledge of historical events? Does Douglas explain historical context well enough that everyone leaves
his exhibit more historical understanding? Or might they become more confused? These are some
questions that could be used for further research on Douglas’s work. This being said, Stan Douglas is an
admirable artist whose work deserves to be appreciated by audiences around the world.