▁a ▁new ▁method ology ▁with ▁an ▁aim ▁to ▁understanding ▁social ▁life . ▁Al the ide ▁indicates ▁that ▁by ▁providing ▁in - depth ▁read ings ▁of ▁films , ▁Den zin ▁cr us ades ▁for ▁social ▁justice . ▁ ▁Sem iot ics / struct ural ism / post mod ern ism ▁Den zin ▁expanded ▁his ▁qual itative ▁research ▁to ▁include ▁semi ot ics ▁and ▁cinema ▁studies . ▁Based ▁on ▁a ▁detailed ▁critical ▁reading ▁of ▁thirty - se ven ▁films ▁produced ▁between ▁ 1 9 3 2 ▁and ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁Den zin ▁published ▁Hollywood ▁Sh ot ▁by ▁Sh ot : ▁Al co hol ism ▁and ▁American ▁Cinema ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 1 . ▁From ▁a ▁historical ▁and ▁dia chron ic ▁approach , ▁Den zin ▁ident ifies ▁five ▁periods ▁in ▁films ▁dealing ▁with ▁alco hol ism , ▁through ▁which ▁Den zin ▁demonstr ates ▁how ▁feature ▁films ▁shape ▁the ▁mean ings ▁of ▁alco hol ism , ▁and ▁how ▁films ▁are ▁sh aped ▁by ▁a ▁broad ▁soci etal ▁disc ourse , ▁and ▁how ▁cultural ▁texts ▁sign ify ▁and ▁l end ▁themselves ▁to ▁interpretation ▁within ▁a ▁social ▁ne x us . ▁Roger ▁E bert , ▁American ▁film ▁critic ▁and ▁historian , ▁pra ised ▁Den zin ' s ▁work , ▁stating , ▁" D enz in ▁has ▁gone ▁on ▁an ▁exhaust ive ▁bar - c raw l ▁through ▁hundreds ▁of ▁mov ies , ▁returning ▁with ▁evidence ▁that ▁the ▁film ▁about ▁drink ing ▁is ▁a ▁genre ▁of ▁its ▁own . ▁He ▁writes