Thinking about movies, theory, and meaning презентация

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Movies and Meaning Movies can mean a great number of things, and there is plenty of room for argument about those meanings. Question to ask yourself: Why has a movie

Слайд 1CH8. Thinking About Movies, Theory, and Meaning
IB Film

Слайд 2Movies and Meaning
Movies can mean a great number of things, and

there is plenty of room for argument about those meanings.
Question to ask yourself:
Why has a movie stimulated my
intellectual or
emotional responses?
In IB Film we always want to go beyond “I loved, liked or hated
it” to find convincing reasons within the movie to support our
opinions.
In this next unit, we are going to examine and apply the many
different theoretical and critical models that allow us to enrich
our film viewing experience and improve our ability to offer an
intelligent and provocative analysis of the films we see.

Слайд 3Film Theory and Film Criticism
> Film Theory is

a way at looking at movies from a particular intellectual or ideological perspective. It is concerned with many areas of
investigation, including:
The film text itself - its structural properties and meanings.
The film text’s connection to culture and history.
The relationship between film and reality and anti-realism
(formalist theory).
The production of movies as the result of art, economics or technology.
Our psychological reaction to the world projected on the screen.

>Film Criticism is generally focused on evaluating a film’s artistic merit and appeal to the public.

Слайд 4Q. Which of the following statements characterize film theory?
It is based

on general principles concerning how
we might analyze the movies.
Its purpose is to give us a model for contemplating
and understanding a movie’s various meanings.
It is a way of looking at movies from a particular
intellectual or ideological perspective.
All of the above.
a and b only

Слайд 5The 3 Phases of Film Theory
The First Phase- a formalist movement

that spanned from 1916-1935
and included the work of Hugo Munsterberg, Rudolph Arnheim, and
Sergei Eisenstein.
The Second Phase- a realist reaction to formalism that began with the coming of sound in 1927 and continued to the 1960s and was primarily influenced by Andre Bazin and Siegfried Kracauer.
The Third Phase- began in the late 1950s/1960s and continues today and includes a wide range of new interpretive approaches,
including: auteurism, feminism, psychoanalytic criticism, Marxism
and cultural studies. Among the seminal writers are
Laura Mulvey, David Bordwell, Stanley Cavell, and Christian Metz.

Слайд 6A Film’s Meaning I
Explicit Meaning- everything that a movie presents on

its surface. Our ability to notice associations and relationships among the many pieces of information in the film.
Implicit Meaning- an association, connection, or inference that a viewer makes on the basis of the explicit story and form of the film. Lying below the surface of explicit meaning- closest to the everyday sense of the word meaning.

Слайд 7A Film’s Meaning II
Ideological Meaning- body of ideas expressed by a

film that reflects beliefs on the part of filmmakers, characters, or the time and place of the movie’s setting.
Ideological meaning is the product of social, political, economic, religious, philosophical, psychological, and sexual forces that shape the filmmakers’ perspectives.

Слайд 8Q. Ideological meaning
a. Is the product of social, political, economic, religious,

philosophical, psychological, and sexual forces that shape filmmakers’ perspectives.
b. May be either intentional or unconscious.
c. May be symptomatic of the time and place in which a film is made.
d. a and c only
e. All of the above

Слайд 9Q. Ideological meaning







All of the above

Слайд 10Critical Approaches
Traditional criticism attempts to place a value on a work

of art, a genre or an artist; to establish hierarchies of good and bad and to distinguish between timeless classics and forgettable pulp or tasteless junk.
Formalism is a traditional type of criticism; when applied to film, it entails seeing cinematic form as the most important source of a movie’s meaning, and attempting to explain how the filmmakers’ techniques create the movie’s layered meanings.
We might contrast formalism which looks inward at a film with the contextualism which looks outward at critical theories.
Theories offer specific world views (e.g. feminism, Marxism) that make expansive claims to explain the place of works of art within a larger context, and they offer critical lenses into the implicit and ideological meanings within those works.

Слайд 11Q. What is the principle difference between realist and formalist film

theory?

Realist theory is concerned more with the film’s structural properties and formalist theory concerns itself with a film’s connection to culture and history.
Realist theory holds that cinematic language and technology are capable of achieving an almost perfect representation of reality while formalist theory holds the belief that cinema is more than a mere reproduction of reality and that the film artist gives form to reality.
Realist theory explores the production of movies as the result of an artistic system, while formalist theory is concerned with genre distinctions.
Realist theory investigates the psychological relationships of the viewer to the world projected onscreen, while the formalist theory delves into the screen actors’ psychology.
None of the above.

Слайд 12Q. What is the principle difference between realist and formalist film

theory?




Realist theory holds that cinematic language and technology are capable of achieving an almost perfect representation of reality while formalist theory holds the belief that cinema is more than a mere reproduction of reality and that the film artist gives form to reality.

Слайд 13Interpretive Frameworks

Слайд 14Mimesis and Catharsis
Mimesis and Catharsis: In the Western tradition, the effect

of art on people and society begins with the Greek philosophers and dramatists. On one side you had –most prominently Plato- who viewed the arts as dangerous in their potential influence.
Plato opposed the idea of mimesis, the Greek word for the imitative representation of the world in art and literature.
On the other side of the Greek debate were the defenders of art. In the Poetics, Aristotle argued that humans acquire knowledge through imitation. More famously, he used the term catharsis-to describe a therapeutic by-product of watching tragedy, which, through fear and pity, purged viewers of such emotions.
e.g. In film studies, genres like horror, b-moves, pornography and violent films like Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) or Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004) generate complex issues in discussions about film violence.

Слайд 15Q. Mimesis:
Is a Greek word for the imitative representation of the

world in art and literature.
Is the process by which viewers interpret a movie’s explicit meanings.
Is another name for film criticism.
Is, according to Plato, an imperfect and morally questionable activity.
a and d only

Слайд 16Q. Mimesis







a and d only

Слайд 17Q. Catharsis:
Is a Latin word meaning “to run away.”
Is the name

for the therapeutic purging of emotions such as fear and pity.
Is frequently invoked to defend art that contains negative content (such as violence, criminality, or hatred)
b and c only
a, b, and c

Слайд 18Q. Catharsis





b and c only

Слайд 19Binary Oppositions(Dualism)
According to structuralist anthropologist Claude Levi- Strauss (b. 1908), all

human cultures share an underlying reliance on dualism, the tendency to see the world in terms of opposing binary oppositions-raw/cooked, nature/culture, man/woman, for example.
In addition, each binary opposition reveals an underlying tension, a potential conflict that myth or art tries to reconcile. The form of such resolutions reflect the prevailing culture.
e.g. In James Cameron’s Terminator films we see the machines vs. humanity. In Terminator 2 (1991) the T-800=“human” and T-1000=“machine”. In Wizard of Oz (1939) It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) we see rural vs. urban and (“There’s no place like home”).
Dramatic conflict, in and of itself, creates binary oppositions.

Слайд 20MAJOR FILM THEORIES

Слайд 21Auteurism


The auteur theory postulates that the film director is the “author” of a film.
Auteurism has roots in 1920s France; its popularity peaked there in the 1950s with the influential film journal Cahiers du cinema, founded and edited by Andre Bazin.
Contributors to this journal and early proponents of this theory (both as critics and directors) included the New Wave filmmakers Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer and Claude Chabrol.
A director must have made a significant body of films (oeuvre) to be considered an auteur.

Слайд 22Auteurism II


A film director’s style should be as distinctive as a novelist’s and the cinematic style is the DNA by which that author can be identified.
In the 1960s, this auteur theory was promulgated by The Village Voice film critic Andrew Sarris.
In his influential book, The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929- 1968 his “pantheon” of 14 directors has inspired a great many arguments.
Pauline Kael, a longtime critic for The New Yorker, particularly took umbrage with Sarris and his list.
Despite its weaknesses, Auteurism is a useful approach to film criticism and helps identify those directors whose work displays ideological and stylistic consistency.

Слайд 23Q. What is the title of the influential film journal helped

create and support auteur theory?

Cahiers du Cinéma
The Village Voice
The New York Times
Camera Obscura
Wide angle

Слайд 24Q. What is the tile of the influential film journal helped

create and support auteur theory?

Cahiers du Cinéma

Слайд 25Psychological Film Theories:
FREUDIANISM
Sigmund Freud, the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis, believed

that each person has a profoundly influential unconscious.

A good deal of this unconscious manifests itself through art, narratives and entertainment and the venting of the unconscious is therapeutic and cathartic.

Слайд 26Films with Notable Freudian Influence
Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny & Alexander(1982)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound(1945)

& Vertigo (1958)
Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People(1942)
Fred Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet(1956)
Ken Russell’s Altered States(1980)

Слайд 27Freudian Film Theory
Art may reveal emotional dynamics not deliberately fashioned by

the artist.
Expressions of sexual desire in art are intertwined with incompletely suppressed aggression, fear and guilt.
A critic can link an artwork and an artist’s biographical background within an interpretation that reveals unconscious manifestations of desire, aggression, fear and guilt.

Слайд 28Q. Which of the following is true of Freudian theory?
It is

based on Sigmund Freud’s belief in “the unconscious.”
It asserts that desire and aggression is unconsciously expressed through art, narrative, and entertainments.
It has had a major impact on film theory.
All of the above
a and c only

Слайд 29Q. Which of the following is true of Freudian theory?






All of

the above

Слайд 30Psychological Theories: Cognitive Psychology
Draws on perceptual psychology and aesthetic studies

to explain how we fit elements into orderly patterns, experience joy and sadness through art.
Film scholars David Bordwell and Noel Carroll are among the principal proponents of this movement.
A viewer is seen as an active participant in the creation of a film’s effects and meaning.

Слайд 31Cognitive Psychology II
A foundational idea of cognitive psychology is that people

use schemas to make sense of a perceptually incomplete world.
Schemas are mental concepts that filter our experience.
e.g. Films such as M.Night Shyamalan’s Sixth Sense(1999) requires an active viewer to determine the meaning of the film’s conclusion.

Слайд 32Q. Which of the following is true of cognitive psychology theories?
They

deal with practical perceptual, emotional, and conscious responses of film viewers.
They attempt to explain how viewers fit disparate elements into orderly patterns, experience emotions through art, and simultaneously understand multiple meanings.
They are premised on the notion that people use schemas to make sense of the world.
They counterbalance the traditional notion that the artist is the sole active contributor to the effects and meanings of a film.
All of the above

Слайд 33Q. Which of the following is true of cognitive psychology theories?









All

of the above

Слайд 34Ideological Theory-An Overview
Ideological criticism attends to the formal and informal beliefs,

feelings and habits of individuals, groups and nations.
Films reflect ideology.
e.g. Triumph of the Will (1935)
Why We Fight (1943-1945)
genre film

Слайд 35Q. Which of the following is NOT considered an ideological theory?
Auteurism
Feminism
Marxism
Cultural

theories
None of the above

Слайд 36Q. Which of the following is NOT considered an ideological theory?
Auteurism

Слайд 37Marxist Film Theory
Marxism: a body of doctrine developed

by Marx and Hegel in the mid 19th Century.
It consists of:
A philosophical view of humanity that is non-religious.
A theory of history (thesis + antithesis= synthesis).
An economic and political program.

Слайд 38Marxist Film Theory II
The idea of the proletariat as hero, rising

up and creating a classless society with prosperity for all was reflected in the films of:
>Dovshenko
>Eisenstein
>Pudovkin
>Vertov
>Shub

Слайд 39Q. Marxism:
Is a system of thought developed in the mid nineteenth

century by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Describes the emergence of a classless society.
Provides a critical method for analyzing power structures and class inequities.
All of the above
a and c only

Слайд 40Q. Marxism:






All of the above

Слайд 41Feminism
Feminism brings the following issues to the forefront

in the movies:
A desire for equality with men in society and the arts.
The roles of women in society.
The patriarchal structure of society.
The stereotypes of women.
Gender discrimination.

Слайд 42Feminist Film Theory
Feminist film theory focuses on how

the media, and film, in particular, have represented women in a condescending manner as:
Objects of desire.
Passive beings.
Dependent on men.

Слайд 43Feminist Film Theory II
Two of the most important

issues facing feminist film theory are:
1. Deterministic Feminist Theory

2. Liberal- Progressive Feminist Theory

Слайд 44Deterministic Feminist Theory
Many feminist critiques focus on whether woman and men

can challenge patriarchy.
Laura Mulvey’s landmark essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”(1975) stated patriarchy is a systemic condition that is virtually unchangeable because classic narrative cinema views women as objects to be watched.
This theory was popular in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Слайд 45Liberal-Progressive Feminist Film Theory
Molly Haskell’s “From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment

of Women in the Movies”(1974) surveys the unrealistic depiction of women in films.
She states that most depictions of women in films made before 1960 are demeaning.
Haskell argues that stereotypes should be replaced with images that are real and positive.
Today we embrace this form of feminist theory.

Слайд 46Q. Laura Mulvey’s essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975), is

an example of _______ feminist theory, which takes the position that patriarchy is a systemic condition that neither film artists nor viewers can change.

Deterministic
Liberal progressive
Binary
Structural
None of the above


Слайд 47Q. Laura Mulvey’s essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975), is

an example of _______ feminist theory, which takes the position that patriarchy is a systemic condition that neither film artists nor viewers can change.

Deterministic


Слайд 48Q. Molly Haskell’s theory in From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment

of Women in the Movies (1974), which argues that the stereotypes of women as virgins, victims, and sex goddesses should be replaced with depictions that are more diverse, faithful to women’s actual lives, and positive is known as:

Deterministic feminist theory.
Liberal-progressive feminist theory.
Binary feminist theory.
Structural feminist theory.
None of the above.

Слайд 49Q. Molly Haskell’s theory in From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment

of Women in the Movies (1974), which argues that the stereotypes of women as virgins, victims, and sex goddesses should be replaced with depictions that are more diverse, faithful to women’s actual lives, and positive is known as


Liberal-progressive feminist theory.

Слайд 50Cultural Studies
In the 1920’s The Frankfurt Institute attempted to incorporate politics,

culture, psychology and sociology into a single discipline. (i.e. cultural studies)
Works by intellectuals such as Siegfried Kracauer’s “From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of German Film”(1947) opened a new perspective on movies as a popular art rather than a traditional one.
A branch of cultural studies called reception theory studies how the audience received the movie (not its director or theme) evaluating age, politics, sex, class, ethnicity, socio-economics etc.
Cultural studies goes deep beneath the surface of a movie to explore implicit and hidden meanings.






Слайд 51APPLIED READINGS

Слайд 52Applied Readings
Let’s now look at a number of films that are

well suited to specific critical and theoretical approaches.
Although all approaches are broadly applicable to almost any film, some movies yield more interesting answers to particular kinds of questions, as the case studies that follow illustrate.

Слайд 53Mimesis and Catharsis: Die Hard
Die Hard(1988) presents violence in a form

that can entertain and horrify. It becomes perfect fodder for a mimesis/catharsis debate.
To explore Die Hard’s treatment of violence, you could do basic research into the film’s reception-reading reviews, criticism, marketing materials, interviews of viewers and fans-to learn how the violence was received and then begin your analysis.

Слайд 54Binary Oppositions: Die Hard
Compose a list after watching the film

such as:
>Man versus Woman
>Black versus White
>West Coast versus East
>Local Cops versus FBI
>USA versus Japan
>USA versus Europe
>Outlaw Hero versus Official Hero

Слайд 55Freudianism: Wall Street
Oliver Stone’s Wall Street(1987)provides a textbook example of a

classic Freudian oedipal conflict between a caring and supportive father and his prodigal son.
Freud’s central idea is that oedipal aggression expresses itself indirectly, accidentally and unconsciously.


Слайд 56Cognitive Psychology: Vertigo
Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant Vertigo(1958)is interesting cognitively

for:
POV depiction of vertigo effects.
Visually dramatic dream sequences.
The viewer’s sharing of Scottie’s visions of Madeleine and then his memory of her through Judy.
Our ability to remember and recognize a familiar face or profile.

Слайд 57Auteurism: Rear Window(1954)
Hitchcock’s film is a good example of how the

director, together with his cast and crew created a unified work.
Hitchcock is an auteur because he is a director who manifests a consistency of style( e.g. shooting in a confined space) and theme (e.g. interest in voyeurism) across his films.
Film Slang
Oeuvre: the total body of work of a filmmaker

Слайд 58Marxism: Metropolis(1927)
Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece was the high point of German

expressionism.
The sci-fi story presents a society with a social structure much like that described by Marx.
The owners live above ground and the slave workers toil beneath.
Marxism’s central tenet of exploitation of workers by those who control capital is evident.
Hitler’s favorite film!

Слайд 59Feminism: Thelma and Louise(1991)
Ridley Scott’s film is the

first big budget Hollywood film to assert a feminist perspective with its details debatable:
The film traffics in stereotypes of male chauvinism.
Thelma and Louise take on traditional male roles.


Слайд 60Feminism: Thelma and Louise II
3.Thelma and Louise develop into proud, fearless,

satisfied people.
4. The road picture and western overlap feminist concerns.
5. The film condemns criminal justice and its failure to protect women victimized by sexual assault.
6. The movie deflects the traditional Hollywood male gaze by allowing T&L to ogle handsome J.D. (Brad Pitt).

Слайд 61Cultural Studies: Repo Man(1984)
Alex Cox’s low- budget,

dark comedy speaks eloquently about social conditions and attitudes.
It depicts subcultures of disaffected youth and:
Examines the punk movement.
Urban legends.
Conspiracy theories.
Provides a deadpan commentary on American social conditions and attitudes.

Слайд 62Buzz Words
Cult: any cause, person or object admired by a minority.
Cult

Movie: Repo Man is a cult film which means that it has a small but devoted audience that admires and values certain aspects of this film.
Cult Movies are either ‘so bad they’re good’ (e.g. world’s worst director Ed Wood) or are the objects of a quasi-religious worship (Star Wars).

Слайд 63Other Forms of Film Analysis
GENRE STUDY
The study of individual films within

a certain genre.
One simple but very effective way of analyzing genre convention and a particular film’s place within a genre is to break down a movie into three discrete temporal aspects: (continued)

Слайд 64GENRE STUDY
Story Formula-overall plot structure found in a genre. e.g. In

the science fiction genre consider the plot of E.T.(1982), or Starman(1984)
Scene Convention-In science fiction, the scene in which the visitor exhibits otherworldly powers.
Iconic Shot-an immediately recognizable visual symbol. In Sci-Fi this might be homesick shots of the night sky.

Слайд 65Q. _______ is the overall plot structure found in a genre.
Scene

type
Iconic image
Story formula
Stylistic framework
Rhetorical layout

Слайд 66Q. _______ is the overall plot structure found in a genre.


Story

formula

Слайд 67Film Slang
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving  an original work of

fiction. Multiple sequels are often planned well in advance and, in the case of motion pictures, actors and directors often sign multi-film deals to ensure their participation.
e.g. The Scary Movie(2001-2006) franchise.

Слайд 68Genre Homage & Hybridization
Wes Craven’s Scream(1996)echoes and plays homage to Psycho(1960),

Halloween(1978)and the horror genre itself.
Hybridization: the tendency to combine genres in a single film.
e.g. Blade Runner(1982)=thriller,sci-fi,adventure &
The Matrix(1999)=action, adventure, illusionist sci-fi.


Слайд 69Film History Study
“The term itself suggests a two-part definition. Film

history involves the study of the phenomenon we commonly refer to as ‘film’…Further it involves studying film from a particular perspective and with particular goals in mind-perspective and goals that are historical”.
Film historians Douglas Gomery and Robert C. Allen from “Film History, Theory and Practice”(1985)


Слайд 70Film History Study II
In its broadest sense, film history, examines the

development of the movies from their invention in 1895 to the present.
Film historiography=different types of historical writing about the cinema.
Human conflict has been depicted in the movies not only to entertain but to inspire and educate.
e.g. Saving Private Ryan(1998)

Слайд 71Film History Study III
> Some historical movies are biased or melodramatic.

e.g. Birth of a Nation(1915)
Gone With The Wind(1939)
> Some historical movies tend to smooth- over history’s facts and blur its moral ambiguities.
e.g. Scarlet Express(1934)
Gandhi(1982)
Malcolm X (1992)

Слайд 72Types of Film Historiography
>The aesthetic approach.
Sometimes called

the masterpiece or
great man approach seeks to evaluate:
Individual movies
National cinemas
Directors
>The economic approach
Studio system (Hollywood) vs. Independents (“Indiewood”)

Слайд 73Types of Film Historiography II
>The technological perspective:
optics
chemistry
digital processing
>Social history:
movies and how

they affect culture, society and influence social change.

Слайд 74Q. Which of the following are traditional approaches to film history?
Aesthetic
Technological
Economic
Social
All

of the above

Слайд 75Q. Which of the following are traditional approaches to film history?




All

of the above

Слайд 76Q. _______ offer familiar story formulas, conventions, themes, and conflicts, as

well as immediately recognizable visual icons.

Hybrids
Genres
Scenarios
Formalism
Realism

Слайд 77Q. _______ offer familiar story formulas, conventions, themes, and conflicts, as

well as immediately recognizable visual icons.


Genres

Слайд 78Q. The chapter discuss three interpretive frameworks, “ideas so fundamental and

resonant that they underlie most theoretical camps and disciplines.” What are these three ideas?

Auteurism, formalism, and contextualism
Genre, history, and theory
Mimesis, catharsis, and binary oppositions
Freudianism, Marxism, and cultural studies
None of the above

Слайд 79Q. The chapter discuss three interpretive frameworks, “ideas so fundamental and

resonant that they underlie most theoretical camps and disciplines.” What are these three ideas?



Mimesis, catharsis, and binary oppositions

Слайд 80THANK YOU!

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