Isolated as a Whole

Jeffrey Sconce includes among his five elements of “smart” film style a thematic critique of the white middle class family as a site of miscommunication and emotional dysfunction. To explore this notion in depth, I will examine the following films: sex, lies and videotape (Steven Soderbergh 1989), Safe (Todd Haynes 1994) and Boogie Nights (P.T. Anderson 1997). Each of these “smart” films provides a critical commentary on the family in relation to the individual; however, each film is unique in its approach to the subject matter, as they each employ distinct filmmaking techniques to convey a similar idea. The main characters in each of these films are distanced from their families and must seek acceptance and comfort elsewhere. While they are each considered to be thematically and aesthetically similar according to the conceptualizations of the 1990’s “smart” film, they each offer disparate results for each protagonist once they have ventured far from their respective families: Ann’s issues are resolved and the future looks hopeful; Carol is relocated to an equally isolating environment, seeming unaware of the lack of progress made, and the future looks grim; Eddie/Dirk has not learnt anything, and continues to acquire validation sexually, lacking any self-awareness, and any hope for his future looks fleeting.

Animating Auteurism: Contemporary Japanese Animator Hayao Miyazaki According to 1950’s Auteur Policy

In the 1950s, Cahier du Cinema critics were writing about “la politique des auteurs”, or “auteur policy”. The central concept of “la politique des auteurs”, as delineated by the Cahier du Cinema critics, is that “the cinema is an art of personal expression” (Buscombe 22). The Cahier critics believed that some directors should be recognized as artists, as their personalities were consistently found across a body of work. In his article, “De la Politique des Auteurs” written in 1968, Andre Bazin contemplates the validity of the auteur policy as the subject has become a matter of debate among film critics. He believes the final product, the film, is more important than the director (Bazin 20), while the politique des auteurs places the emphasis on the director, the author, the artist, and his personality, rather than one film in isolation. Bazin also speaks of the significance of the industry in which a director’s films are produced (22). The conditions under one must work impact the final product, and this must be taken into account. Bazin goes on to discuss films made completely by the director, stating that these films are indefinitely more personal (24). While Bazin teeters back and forth throughout his essay as to whether or not the politique des auteurs is a fruitful endeavor, he comes to a conclusion deducing that the policy is in fact useful as a concept, but it must be accompanied by complimentary approaches (28). He declares that the auteur policy is not a complete theory and must not be treated as one. In 1973, Edward Buscombe suggests three approaches to supplement the auteur policy: (a) the “effects of the cinema on society” must be examined; as well as  (b) “the effect of society on cinema”; and finally (c) “the effects of films on other films” must be considered (32). Theorists, audiences and critics still exercise the term auteur today, applying it to directors whose work is recognizable as their own, both stylistically and thematically. Hayao Miyazaki is an auteur. While examining Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001) and Princess Mononoke (1997), I will argue that he is worthy of the title auteur according to the original auteur policy.

Adventures in Animated Adaptation

             While exploring adaptation and animation, I will undertake a comparative reading of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and Disney’s 1951 film adaptation Alice in Wonderland. Paul Wells explores the animated film adaptation in his essay “Thou Art Translated: Analysing Animated Adaptations”. He argues that animation is “a distinctive film-form which offers to the adaptation process a unique vocabulary of expression unavailable to the live-action film-maker” (199); “animation […] provides a vocabulary that enables the most sensitive response to literary texts” (212). Kamilla Elliott delves into the debate surrounding the novel and film as she explores “adaptations and analogies”(211), drawing the distinction between novels that conjure images in the minds of readers, and films that offer words that must compete with the simultaneous images on-screen. She studies the various adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and contends that the Disney film adaptation is able to illustrate the novel’s verbal imagery successfully with literal pictorial representations of the “hybrid verbal-visual puns” (226-228). My analysis will be primarily confined to Wells’ theorization of the animated adaptation. I will focus my comparison on reading closely the adaptation in terms presented by his model. While drawing from a comparative analysis of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and Disney’s animated adaptation, I will argue that animation enables the filmmaker to transform the written word to the screen without constraint. This will be made clear while exploring the extensive capacities available to the medium outlined by Paul Wells and Kamilla Elliott, including the “greater continuity between how the text is imagined (the imagist principle) and reformed (the propositional mode)” (Wells 210); the ways in which words evoke images, while images may reciprocally evoke words (Elliott 211); and the seamless transitions from interiority/subjectivity to exteriority/objectivity afforded by this film form (Wells 200).

Lying to Tell the Truth: An Exploration of the Mockumentary "I'm Still Here"

            While examining the film I’m Still Here (Affleck 2010), which was marketed and promoted as a documentary featuring actor Joaquin Phoenix and his questionable career change and simultaneous downfall, I will explore the mock documentary (also referred to as the “mockumentary”). This strategic and arguably successful marketing strategy created the necessary attention and hype leading up to the film’s release. By employing the notion that the events in the film are non-fictional, and that the bearded man behind the sunglasses is the actor we used to know and love, the creators successfully raised eyebrows and received the desired attention from the public. During my examination, I will analyze the various responses and reactions to the film in relation to its intentional blurring of fiction and reality. This film is significant in the discussion of representations of the real as it forces viewers to think critically and engage with the film throughout, questioning whether it is a raw and invasive look into the life of a celebrity, or if it is a complex fabrication as a means to comment on celebrity culture, or as an elaborate acting performance used to enhance a dwindling career. The true brilliance of this film is that it successfully works on several levels simultaneously. However, many critics seem less open-minded as they incessantly try to deduce from this thought-provoking work only one of these explanations, rather than see it for all of its layers of genius. Moviegoers and critics alike seem to be offended that they had been “fooled”, and as the debate escalated, the term “hoax” was thrown into the mix. The mockumentary is not a new phenomenon, nor are films that neglect to confirm what is in fact real and what is artifice. I will embark on this process of analysis by first studying the mock documentary in general. Next, I will look at articles pertaining to the film in question specifically. I will investigate the discourse surrounding the film, examining how it was discussed in the media, and ultimately ask why the debate was framed in the way that it was.

I am embarrassed to admit it: I like "Twilight"

An analysis of Ien Ang’s interpretation of the ideology of mass culture and its opponents

            Ien Ang explores the ideology of mass culture in relation to the social image of American television series “like Dallas” which often receive negative attention due to this ideology. “There are very few programmes that people will freely and plainly admit they like to watch… people seem to feel a compelling need to explain, defend and justify their viewing habits” (Alasuutari, 1992). The film Twilight (Hardwicke 2008) is an excellent example of popular mass culture which can be examined using Ang’s essay on Dallas and the ideology of mass culture as a methodological model to detail the discursive constitution of the social image of this beloved film as Ang does. “By ‘ideology of mass culture’ she means the negative image commonly given to so-called mass culture”; the thought processes which provoke negative associations with some cultural forms, mostly very popular cultural products and practices cast in an American mould, labelling them as ‘bad mass culture’ (Ang, 1998). Although she provides a wealth of insight to this discussion regarding different types of reading positions throughout her analysis, it is important to pay attention to the amount of autonomy she gives to her viewers. She seems to carelessly dismiss the practices of publicity and promotion, focusing too much upon the ideology of mass culture at the expense of other structural and institutional facets that bring the audience to the program and/or film. In Ang’s desperate search for an alternative position to the ready-made conceptions supplied by the structured ideology of mass culture, she tends to ignore significant external factors, and then, she proceeds with a fabrication of an oppositional reading position, which bears no existence among her research. She claims this reading position adopts an independent attitude toward the ideology of mass culture, when really it is yet another strategic defence mechanism, much like the others she explores, which would not exist without this ideology in which it contrasts.

Walter Neff and Travis Bickle

              In Billy Wilder’s 1944 film Double Indemnity and Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver, many similarities can be drawn regarding the male protagonists Walter Neff and Travis Bickle, who both become enveloped within the cities in which they dwell. Neff resides in the centripetal core of Los Angeles, but spends a lot of his time in the peripheries of the city in a centrifugal space, whereas Bickle lives in the center of New York and is engulfed within this centripetal space, never straying far from the city core. He gradually becomes consumed by it, and ultimately obsessed with the state the city is in, constantly observing his surroundings, experiencing brief encounters with his various taxi customers, progressively building on his anxiety and disgust concerning the “scum” of the city. Although these two films are presented in very different ways, pertaining to elements such as cinematography and genre, as well as the very different times in which they were created, it is important to first establish the similarities which can be drawn from them, before exploring the different ways in which they are presented cinematically.

            Walter Neff and Travis Bickle exhibit similarities, as they both become entangled and obsessed with their plans. In both films, the plan is made possible because of the modern advances in technology, such as the automobile. However, simultaneously, these advances also contribute to their demise. Also, Neff and Bickle each develop a liking for a female character. In both films, the woman contributes to the protagonist’s new found necessity to boldly overcome the unfulfilling life he has been passively drifting through. The difference here is that in Double Indemnity, Phyllis is actively engaged in the plan and therefore plays a much more important role. Whereas in Taxi Driver Betsey is hardly included in the film, and is not in any way involved in Bickle’s plan (or lack there of). Furthermore, Neff’s scheme eventually backfires, leaving him unsuccessful and without his trophy woman, paralleling with Taxi Driver as Bickle is unsuccessful in his pursuit to murder Palentine, and also similarly does not end up with the woman. However, in both films, the protagonist city dweller is able to come to peace with himself- Walter through confession and seeing to Lola’s safety, and Travis through freeing young Iris from this corrupting, dangerous city, giving her a second chance to live a better life.

Body Modifications: Are Tattoos and Body Piercing an Outlet for Expression and Individuality? Or Are These Decisions Permanently Closing Doors?

              When considering the social impact of body language, attractiveness may have an impact in various settings, including the job setting: who obtains a job and who does not? Who is offered a promotion, or a more prestigious job, or a higher salary? The nonverbal cues in which I propose to research are tattoos and body piercings. Many stereotypes and judgments have developed surrounding these two forms of body modification. A negative connotation has developed. As tattooing and piercing are both becoming increasingly popular in Western society, as well as many other areas of the world, it is important to study the possible implications behind these forms of expression, especially when discussing tattoos as they are a decision being made which lasts a lifetime. What are individuals’ first impressions when meeting someone for the first time and are able to see visible tattoos and/or body piercings? Do they form a completely different judgment whether a tattoo/piercing is visible? What kinds of things are associated with tattoos and piercings? As they are becoming increasingly popular, are opinions changing as well? Are we becoming more open-minded, accepting individuals’ personal choices of partaking in permanent body art? As these forms of body modification become more and more common, is it possible that future generations no longer carry with them these negative ideals regarding tattoos/piercings? Will society one day consider these currently frowned upon artifacts to be forms of expression, beauty, and design? Or, are the increasing numbers of individuals who are participating in these forms of body modification closing doors, limiting future endeavors, eliminating possibilities, opportunities, which they otherwise would have had?

            The main question I will be addressing is: Do first impressions differ if a person has a visible tattoo/piercing? My study will relate this question to the workplace in a job interview setting. This research proposal aims to determine whether or not employers formulate stereotypical judgments and negative first impressions of applicants based on visible tattoos and/or body piercings.

Race, Sexuality, and Violence Surface in the Subversive Neo-Noir "Devil in a Blue Dress"

Carl Franklin’s neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) brings to the screen a number of things that were suppressed or ignored by classic noir, including race, sexuality, and violence, ultimately meaning that this film is subversive in other ways than classic noir films. The protagonist is a morally stable, intelligent, black man. The film tackles issues of interracial sex, ruthless politics and power, police corruption, and familial corruption.

The film is set in 1948 Los Angeles. Ezekiel Rawlins also known as, Easy, is a World War II vet and has just recently lost his job unfairly. He is a property owner and takes pride in his achievements. The majority of the cast consists of African Americans, with only a couple important white characters. The film flopped at the box office but is renowned critically. Its poor box office results may be in part because of the predominantly black cast, and the assumption that the film is a ‘black film’ for black audiences. Also, the majority of the cast lacked star power, as many of the actors were fairly new to the Hollywood scene, including Tom Sizemore. Jennifer Beal’s screen time was minimal. The film also didn’t have a “big pay off” audiences were expecting during the neo-noir movement like we see in Chinatown, while others preferred the bittersweet ending. Furthermore, there has been discussion concerning the lack of a love narrative between Easy and Daphne. However, others believe the avoidance of this Hollywood cliché betters the film. Some criticisms of the film concern the narrative itself, and Denzel Washington’s character in particular. He does not learn anything new throughout the course of the film. He does not have any distractions or weaknesses which conflict with his determination of completing his assigned job, apart from the isolated sexual encounter with Corretta who prematurely dies early on in the film. Even so, Easy and Corretta discuss her friend Daphne while they are engaging in sexual acts. It is hardly an interference or disruption of the progression of his investigation.

            Regardless of the poor box office results and the various criticisms of the film, it is without a doubt an alternative perspective of the 1940s film noir as the protagonist is a black male working to restore the equilibrium of the world of white politics. Easy is intelligent and confident, which would have never been a depiction of a black man in classic noir. Furthermore, his character is morally stable, which is a departure from the classic noir hero, as they are usually confronted with issues of greed, selfishness, corruption, sexual distraction, and ulterior motives.

            What is most interesting about this film, apart from the black perspective, is the reversal of conventional race depictions, in the sense that the protagonist and supportive characters are black (or bi-racial in the case of Daphne), and the corrupt, twisted characters are the white characters, including the crooked politicians, DeWitt, and the police. It is a backward film noir, but in a believable, justified, convincing way. Perhaps this alternative narrative approach is a contributor to the mixed reception, as some viewers praise its contrasted perspective, and others question it. 

1970's Neo-Noir and Polanski's "Chinatown"

                The beginning of the cycle of classic film noir in America arose in reaction to World War II, or the Depression according to some contemporary scholars. Polanski’s 1974 film Chinatown and the rise of the 1970’s neo-noir, like the arrival of classic film noir in the 1940s, are in reaction to many historical, cultural, and social factors. During the 1970s, social progressive values are shifting, political awareness increasing, political and economic liberty for women, hippie culture, opposition to the Vietnam War, opposition to nuclear weapons, the advocacy of world peace, and hostility to the authority of government and big business. Among these factors, we must consider the rise of capitalism and the increasingly overwhelming, all-encompassing monopolies, and the impenetrable class system, which is very clearly depicted in Chinatown.

The distrust felt by the middle and lower classes toward the police and the government once again surfaces, as the monopolistic elites control everyone and everything, including the police and the war. They are above the law, and the law rules in their favour, no matter what the cost. Society can no longer trust in or rely on its police force and governing authorities, the system, their “protectors”. The collective feelings of isolation and alienation return, similar to the period of the classic noir. Society is once again unbalanced, with the rich, powerful, corrupt, tyrannical, monopolistic superpowers on top.

            In Chinatown, when Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) confronts Noah Cross (John Huston) about Horris Mulwray’s murder, on the account of his glasses being found in the salt-water pond, Noah admits that he did it. He puts all of the pieces together for Gittes, admitting to being behind the whole thing. Gittes briefly thinks he has got Noah, he’s going to take him to the police, turn him in, put an end to this mess. Noah quickly demonstrates that that is not the way things are going to play out, as one of his men approaches with an outstretched gun pointed in Gittes’ direction. Gittes asks how much Noah is worth, curious as to why he would go to these lengths if he already has well over ten million dollars. Noah and his colleagues are going to expand the city, take over, its “the future!” he shouts.

The audience and the few trusting characters in the film are lead to believe the police are investigating the death of Horris Mulwray, paralleling the independent investigation conducted by Gittes. Meanwhile, the police are in on the scheme, working under Noah Cross. “He’s rich! He can get away with anything! He owns the police!” Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), Noah's own daughter, screams as she runs for her life. Those were her last words before she was shot dead by the police on her father’s command. Jake Gittes is stunned, shocked, in disbelief. America does not have the comfort of security, safety, justice, or peace. 

The Film Noir Cycle and its Final Installment

             Film noir developed in reaction to World War II and/or the Depression, but what was responsible for marking the end of the movement? Why did it come to a screeching halt after all of its successes? Stephen Armstrong argues that the subgenre’s ending was in reaction to a sociological change in regard to technological advances, anti-communist obsession, and the fall of politician McCarthy. Meanwhile J.P Telotte asserts that a shift in cultural anxieties is responsible for the extinction of the film noir, concerning the bomb, the nuclear holocaust, and the failure of our communication. Michael Grost analyzes the 1955 film Kiss Me Deadly which was released at the end of the noir cycle, discussing innovative techniques used in the film that set it apart from the other noirs that came before it. He attributes the end of the noir cycle to the social commentary the films communicate to audiences: the corrupt individuals who lack any real ability, virtue or accomplishment, rise to the top. Aldrich, director of Kiss Me Deadly, completely deglamorizes them. Like the arrival of the phenomenon later referred to as film noir, the end of the film noir cycle and its final installment Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly, are in reaction to many cultural and social factors including social change (the need to talk, the “post-post-war disillusionment”, and national unity), technological advances (the spread of television and nuclear warfare), and ultimately a shift from the cynicism and negativity during the noir era to a necessary “confidence about the present and optimism for the future” (Armstrong).

The Use of Frame Story and Flashback in Noir

In Mate’s 1950 film D.O.A. the frame story and flashback narrative structure work to reinforce the moral and philosophical message of the film. The film would not have been nearly as effective with a linear narrative. It is such a bizarre and suspenseful conversation as it is unclear what Frank Bigelow means when he, himself, claims to have already been murdered. The frame story and flashback narrative structure allow the audience to watch as his character shifts from being inconsiderate and depressed when he is healthy, to the loving, driven man after finding out he has only a few days left to live. This ironic twist of fate and reflective narrative structure reinforce the moral and philosophical message of the film which is along the lines of: be honest and respectful to yourself and those around you, “you never know what you’ve got til’ its gone”, “love the one you’re with”,  or “live life to the fullest”.

 First the audience is introduced to the determined Frank, who enters the homicide office claiming to be dead, and when he begins to tell his story and the flashback sequence is cued, the audience goes back in time and is then presented with the unhappy and unappreciative Frank who neglects his girlfriend, and takes everything he has for granted. Next we are shown a slightly better version of Frank when he reads the note from Paula and then rips up the other woman’s number. Soon Frank becomes hysterical as he goes from doctor to doctor, desperately hoping to come across more hopeful examination results. Finally, when the odds are against him, the audience (and Paula) is offered a new, appreciative Frank Bigelow who is determined to unravel his mysterious murder. He realizes he hasn’t much time left, and he quickly has regrets regarding his outlook on life. 

This frame story works because it gets the audience interested right away, and we are increasingly curious as the flashback narrative unfolds. The moral or philosophical message of the film concerns Frank Bigelow, and the fact that he repeatedly states that he did not do anything wrong, and all that he did do was approve a bill of sale. He was just doing his job. It was not until Bigelow was confronted with his own murder that he began to appreciate and value the life he already had. Prior to the unsettling news from the doctors, Bigelow was unhappy, and in a state of disappointment. He decides to go on a trip on his own, and does not care to relay this to Paula, the woman he is seeing. The moral and philosophical message of this postwar American film noir is that you should not take what you have for granted, you should cherish what you have, and you should not wish for anything more. Or else you will be punished like Frank Bigelow. 

Innocent Women Plead Guilty, Guilty Men Plead Innocent

            Fritz Lang’s 1953 film The Blue Gardenia presents a female protagonist. The themes and concerns addressed in the film differ from other male-driven noirs. The audience is exposed to women in the workplace, female friendships, and a faithful woman who is waiting patiently for her boyfriend to return from Korea. Furthermore, the audience is aligned with a mystery murderess who the male reporters, police officers, and detectives are having trouble finding.

Norah and Crystal work as telephone operators, and they work with many other women. Some of these women have boyfriends, some are single, but none of the women are married. Not only are the telephone operators all female, but also the public relations representative who assists the police with their investigation at Norah’s workplace is a woman. These women enjoy their work and are able to live with friends, or on their own, without the support of a man. They have an independence unlike other noirs with male-driven narratives.

Mirroring the American Mood

Paul Schrader points out seven common stylistic techniques found in film noir. The visual style embodied in this specific period of film history is reflective of the postwar American mood. The characters and themes are often depicted visually following highly stylized techniques and motifs, while the narrative content and narrative structure also work to portray this overarching mood. George Marshall’s 1946 The Blue Dahlia offers fruitful examples of some of the techniques outlined by Schrader, including the compositional tension, the dramatic water/rainfall, and lighting.

                     Schrader notes that, “compositional tension is preferred to physical action” (586). Instead of giving the actor control of the scene by means of physical action, the scene is moved cinematographically around the actor. Near the beginning of Marshall’s film when the three men are having drinks, one of the characters, Buzz, becomes increasingly irritated by the “monkey music” being played by another patron. The audience becomes increasingly aware of his growing frustration and discomfort as the camera zooms in on his clenched face. He stares straight ahead, eyes wide; his face fills the entire frame to the point of claustrophobia. The actor has not moved from his seat, and has not spoken another word during this anxious moment. It is the composition, framing, and invasive close-up, which communicate this tension felt by the character. This cinematographic technique is utilized to visually reflect the emotional depths of a character, to display sociological or psychological issues cinematically.

Modernism and Blood Melodrama

Modernism challenged dominant values, the economy, mass culture/culture industry, and industrialized dehumanization. Film noir emerged as a result of the collective unconscious in the wake of World War II, questioning the class system, authority, and morality. Therefore, the ideologies of modernism are ingrained in the film noir subgenre, reflecting the shift in the collective mood following the war and the depression. This is demonstrated in Billy Wilder’s 1944 Double Indemnity through its morally complex characters, the control of point of view, and the film’s grim critique of American modernity.

James Naremore explains that, like modernism, many early films noirs are characterized by “urban landscapes, subjective narration, nonlinear plots, hard-boiled poetry, and misogynistic eroticism” (45), including Double Indemnity. The film is set in both the suburban centrifuge of Los Angeles and it’s downtown centripetal core. The film’s protagonist, Walter Neff, provides the subjective narration. He is recording a confessional retelling of events, which serves as a frame narrative. The story unfolds to spectators as a series of flashbacks, until we are caught up to speed and brought back to present time.

B is for Radical Realism, A is for Corny Contradiction

James Naremore confirms that Detour (Ulmer 1945) is a “genuinely cheap production, photographed in only six days, with a two-to-one shooting ratio, seven speaking parts, and a running time of a little over an hour” (144). B-pictures differ from A-pictures both visually and contextually. Among the film noir productions, which had been produced during a time of despair, many of these films that had larger budgets to work with, paradoxically depict upper-middle class characters that are not tremendously distressed (excluding the trouble they bring upon themselves i.e. deception, greed, promiscuity, etc). Men and women alike are often displayed in flashy attire, making sexually implicit comments, and always having an agenda of their own. B-noirs’ low-budget production allows the noir subgenre’s true tone/mood to be captured on screen. Detour is more subversive than the A-noirs, in terms of its themes and tone, as it effectively and effortlessly reflects the realism of the poverty and isolation looming after the depression and the war, ultimately reflecting the true noir tone/mood on-screen in a dramatically different way.

Scorsese's Mean Streets

 The Independent Path to Scorsese’s Mean Streets:

A Scene Analysis of the Opening Sequence

Martin Scorsese’s 1973 film Mean Streets is a semi-autobiographical story of Scorsese’s life in New York’s Little Italy. It was released by Warner Bros and was produced by Taplin-Perry-Scorsese Productions. Mean Streets is an independent film, and the opening sequence is visually representative of not only the low budget they had to work with, but also Scorsese’s commitment to this personal project and his persistent drive to create the film he had envisioned, without the assistance of bigger producers looking to make profit driven changes to his story. The opening scenes reflect that the film is an independent production in both style and content. It was important for Scorsese to maintain creative control of the project since the story is closely aligned with his past experiences and set in the neighborhood he grew up in. Therefore he declined offers from other producers, namely Roger Corman, who sought to manipulate Scorsese’s vision, employing alternative motives for making this film. We will also consider the use of a handheld camera and natural lighting, as well as the self-reflexivity present in the opening sequence. Furthermore, the ambiguity exhibited in the film further distances it from Classical Hollywood Style. The opening sequence is presented as though these events have taken place in chronological order, and therefore occur before the events of the film are presented. However, once the film ends, it becomes questionable as to whether or not the opening home movie sequence does in fact take place prior to the film narrative, or afterward.

Feminism and Postmodernism in Film

A “Redefinition of the World”

A Comparative Analysis of Laura Mulvey’s Feminism and Barbara Creed’s Feminism/Postmodernism in Relation to Peeping Tom and American Psycho

            Using Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” and Barbara Creed’s “From Here to Modernity: Feminism and Postmodernism”, this paper will examine Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom and Mary Harron’s American Psycho, by paying particular attention to the comparable and distinguishable ways in which each film positions its male and female characters. The films depict women and men in different ways, resulting in distinct spectator experiences. Furthermore, using Mulvey and Creed’s analyses, this paper will examine whether or not feminism and postmodernism are compatible theories, or if they present conflicting ideas.

            In Peeping Tom, the audience is aligned with the film’s main protagonist Mark Lewis, with whom we share an uncomfortable subjective gaze of his objectified female victims. In American Psycho, the audience identifies with main protagonist Patrick Bateman, with whom we share a subjective gaze of his objectified self, in addition to his subjective gaze of his objectified victims, who are in most instances female. The different depictions of gender result in different spectator positions. Michael Powell’s film fits comfortably within Mulvey’s theoretical framework, while Mary Harron’s film renegotiates, reconceptualizes and reappropriates Mulvey’s arguments pertaining to gender binaries, and works well in relation to Creed’s more contemporary discussion and analysis of feminism and postmodernism.

The Caligari Controversy

Theoretical Models, Technical Aspects, and Historical Conditions:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

            This essay will examine Robert Wiene’s 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the ways in which certain theoretical models and historical conditions are reflected in the technical aspects of the film in addition to being evident in the narrative content. As Mike Budd contends that this film is a particularly useful text for the study of reception history in a socially critical context, “[w]ith its Expressionist stylization and contradictory frame story, the text itself produces a fascinating range of interpretations, questions and confusions” (3). 

            The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is considered the most famous of all German films, and is the best-known example of German Expressionism. Worland describes the film as a “weirdly atmospheric horror drama” which helped to make German cinema world-famous (44). The cultural movement known as German Expressionism developed in the 1920s in Germany, after the Great War of 1914-1918. Expressionism aimed to “break decisively from the past traditions in both form and content, and was strongly anti-naturalistic, exploding the smooth linear perspective of post Renaissance art” (Worland, 46). The movement was committed to externalizing the internal, attempting to visualize interior psychological states and emotions. Wiene’s film “sought to make its settings, décor, and acting reflect no reality other than its characters’ anxious psychological states” (Worland, 46).

Girl World Gone Wrong: Female Relationships in Contemporary Film

A Comparative Analysis of Thirteen and Mean Girls

“Mothers, lock up your sons!” –Tracy Freeland 

            This essay will examine gender identity by drawing on the comparable and distinguishable ways in which the films Thirteen and Mean Girls position females in relation to one another. By paying particular attention to relationships between friends, enemies, mothers and daughters, and finally the relationship the main protagonists have with themselves and their own identity through an analysis of the transformations each female experiences throughout the progression of each respective film, this paper will delve into the complex realm of female identity acquisition and formation.  

Catherine Hardwicke’s 2003 pre-teen melodrama Thirteen deals with a girl’s coming of age in southern California, through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old girl named Tracy Freeland who finds herself struggling to accept her current social identity at school, and consciously decides to try and join the popular group of girls. Desperate to impress them and finally get a taste of popularity and find out what it is like to be “cool”, Tracy observes and imitates the way the girls dress, and she finally gets noticed. Tracy doesn’t stop there. Her skewed determination results in a stream of ongoing pressure and compliance to do anything and everything popular girl Evie Zamora does, and as the pattern continues, the behaviour worsens. 

The Electronic Book: A Step in the Wrong Direction?

Written March 22, 2010

            This paper will examine the digitalization of written literary works, including scholarly works and other non-academic texts such as fiction, and the potential impacts this technological advancement will have on the individual and on society as a whole.

            Not only are academic journals and scholarly articles being experienced via electronic interfaces, entire textbooks and novels are now being published electronically. Moreover, it is no longer only the publishers, software producers and market research firms who are excitedly anticipating electronic distribution, “announcing an ever-shifting series of commercial ventures and alliances to produce material for electronic distribution”, but “authors are also exploring digital books as new means of reaching audiences”.

Representation of Suburban Consumer Culture in Film

Pants, plastics and videotape:

Dissatisfaction, but no clear alternative solution in The Graduate, sex, lies and videotape, and Ghost World

            This essay will examine the comparable and distinguishable ways in which The Graduate, sex, lies and videotape, and Ghost World position men and women differently in relation to suburban consumer culture. This paper will delve into the differences and similarities there are in men and women’s experiences of suburbia in these films by paying particular attention to space and landscape,and each film’s depiction of traditionally taboo topics in American suburban culture by exploring the protagonists’ comparable experiences with such topics, in contrast to the other characters' understanding and acceptance as they conform and abide by cultural norms, confirming the taboo status of the culturally forbidden subject matter.

            Each of these films is situated in a suburban neighbourhood. On the surface, everyone seems to be content with their current situations. It is not until the audience is introduced to the main protagonist(s) that it is realized that the idealistic suburban imagery poses a much deeper problem. While most everyone portrayed in these three films happily accepts the ideologically embedded terms and conditions of American suburban lifestyle, the protagonists challenge these norms, rejecting them, experimenting with culturally unacceptable and inappropriate realms of sex, age, and identity.

Celebrity Lifestyle and Societal Ideals

We are constantly striving for a higher standard of living. New modes of production emerging from the mass media are causing an unprecedented, insatiable desire for more. The media constructs and presents the public with images of lavish, unrealistic lifestyles, which we have somehow come to believe are within our attainable reach. We are offered glamorous glimpses into the high lives of the rich and the famous, and with an increasingly accessible media landscape, the more we are convinced we can reach this level of consumption. The pervasive mass media offer only one side of the picture, the glamorous consumerism, materialism, and derived satisfaction. Meanwhile, the negative realities concerning production, debt, exploitation, manipulation, and environmental depletion are ignored in an eager attempt and effective ploy to keep us spending. The fashion industry, television programs, advertising, and fascination with celebrities together perpetuate the consumption momentum, constantly raising the desired standard of living.

Television Studies

The Big Bang Theory Is a Big Bang!

An Industrial Case Study of CBS’s The Big Bang Theory

 Josef Adalian asserts, “CBS, almost single-handedly, is keeping the off-network comedy pipeline supplied with fresh product” (2009). The purpose of this essay is to provide an overview of the television program The Big Bang Theory in the larger industrial and commercial context of the television industry, while also dissecting the formulaic method adhered to in the making of a comedy sitcom by paying particular attention to the practices of creator Chuck Lorre. Some sitcoms become international favourites and continue to draw in viewers post-season via re-run, while others are unable to succeed during their initial airing. What does it take for a television show to outlive those around it who are quickly drowning? As CBS rises in the realm of comedy while other competitors continue to struggle, it is imperative to look closely at the television shows that do succeed, drawing mass appeal, and producing skyrocketing ratings and subsequently, the big bucks.

The Sitcom Theory

A Genre Analysis of “The Big Bang Theory”

           “The Big Bang Theory” is an example of a television program that represents the television genre commonly known as the situation comedy or the sitcom. Jane Feuer states that “the difficulties of genre result from it being used to analyze ‘(1) the system of production, (2) structural analysis of the text, and (3) the reception process’ (144 qtd in Mills 26). Utilizing television studies genre theory and a reception study methodology, I will proceed to analyze how one specific episode of “The Big Bang Theory” represents the situation comedy as a genre and how the television show is situated in said genre. I plan to conduct a reception study in order to determine whether or not audiences are able to situate “The Big Bang Theory” in the sitcom genre, and whether or not they are familiar with the conventions of the genre, as genre theory suggests that audiences are well aware of this television genre’s apparatus. In order to analyze a specific episode of the television program we must first understand the sitcom as a genre in a theoretical perspective and use this foundation to ultimately draw conclusions concerning “The Big Bang Theory” specifically in relation to the genre.

Animation Alters Mental States: An Exploration of the Effects of Animation in Film

            Animation functions as a conscious choice by directors. While examining a variety of animated films including mixed media films utilizing live action and animation combined, as well as fully animated films, we can begin to explore why animation has been co-opted into certain film narratives, and what the desired effect of this technical method has on viewers.

Animated films tend to depict either the adult imagination or a child’s imagination. The use of animation in films to depict the imagination of an adult is a way of connecting to adult subject matter and adult issues safely. The animation reflects an altered mental state, which either the child or adult experiences or engages with in order to escape reality. There are four altered mental states depicted in films, which are visualized by the use of animation: the dream state, the intoxicated state, the post-traumatic state, and the imagination (which is an often forgotten or ignored realm after one has entered adulthood). Please note that many films deal with more than one of these themes simultaneously. Also, it is often times up to the viewer to interpret and give meaning to the presence of animation, allowing multiple possibilities.

Animation used to represent the dream state in the adult world differs significantly from a representation of a child’s dream. Richard Linklater’s Waking Life (2001) presents a young adult who cannot escape his dream. It is a “visually and philosophically surreal journey exploring theories of consciousness as viewed through the eyes of an unnamed protagonist” (Dobson and Iftody 67). He meets multiple people along his journey and each one offers a new philosophical perspective about the dream state in which he is perpetually entrapped. Certain aspects of the character’s dream world do not make sense, nor do they need to, since it is a dream we are seeing. Animation is used to signify to audiences that the protagonist is still dreaming, and what we are seeing is not a state of reality. He is unable to wake up from this dream, this altered mental state.

Collection of Essays

I would also like to utilize this blog to organize and share some of my recent academic writing. When given the opportunity, I try to write about areas of Communication Studies and/or Film Studies that genuinely interest me. You will notice that I am very interested in animation, adaptation, authorship and auteurism, independent filmmaking, graphic novels, and intertextuality. I often attempt to develop new theories or conceptualizations, rather than merely arguing that the existing theory is accurate, adequate, and complete. There is always room for reflection, and there is always something more to be said.

Please feel free to offer feedback. I would love to hear what you think!

Essay on Film Noir and the Graphic Novel Film Adaptation

“Down These Mean Streets A Man Must Come. A Hero Born, Murdered, and Born Again”

An Analysis of the Graphic Novel Film Adaptation and The New Hero

Hardboiled fiction influenced film noir, which eventually influenced the graphic novel, which ultimately influenced contemporary neo-noir comic book film adaptations. Obvious noir elements have carried over into the world of comic books and graphic novels, including character archetypes, settings, plot devices, themes, mise-en-scene, language, and the masculine protagonist. However, there is one fundamental difference that the graphic novel introduced to the neo-noir adaptations. The evolution of film noir, from 1940s classic noir to the contemporary neo-noir, has led to the graphic novel adaptation, which introduces a new kind of noir hero. Classic noir heroes, and many neo-noir heroes, are realistic representations of men, while the graphic novel and its subsequent film adaptations present a fantastical hero. The mundane, realist portrayal of earlier noir protagonists has evolved into a fantastical superhero, which is a hyperbolized version of the classic noir hero. Graphic novel based neo-noirs are highly stylized, using colour and computer animation to symbolize visually to audiences the new noir protagonist. Through the analysis of Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City (2005), James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta (2006), and Frank Miller’s The Spirit (2008), while building off the work of Danny Fingeroth, Frank Krutnik, Umberto Eco, and Peter Coogan, we can delve deep into this evolutionary stage of the neo-noir genre, discussing what the fantastical hero representation is in reaction to, as well as what this popular representation of masculinity and heroism says about our society.

Preface

I'm Sarena. I am from Toronto, Ontario, and I am currently completing an Honours BA in Communication Studies and Film Studies at WLU. In the future I would like to work in the publishing industry. I am determined to continue to embrace my love for reading and writing beyond my years as a student, which are somehow already coming to an end. When I am not reading, writing, drawing, or watching movies, you can find me rummaging through used book stores and video stores for hidden treasures.

I love to follow litblogs and find out what others are reading. I also enjoy browsing film reviews and checking out the latest film trailers. I plan to use this blog as a space where I can write about books, essays, graphic novels, reviews, and poetry that I am reading, as well as films that I am watching. I will also use this space to share my own writing projects.

Feel free to leave comments and feedback! You can also reach me through email at sa_re_na@hotmail.com or find me on twitter @writereadcreate.