Starter: Define the following key terms:
Bourgeoisie, Aesthetics, Free association , The Unconscious Mind, Subversion
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Exam question:
How far can the impact of your chosen
international film style be explained by reference to its historical context?
[35]
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— This section of the exam examines your understanding of complex films
from different contexts (non Hollywood and non British) as well as the
diversity of film and its effects.
In your case those complex films are
Surrealist and the different contexts are:
- Europe 1920s
- Lynch 1960s to present (though our focus is on the 1990s)
- and Svankmajer 1960s to present.
- The Surrealist artists sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination. Disdaining rationalism and literary realism, and powerfully influenced by psychoanalysis, the Surrealists believed the rational mind repressed the power of the imagination, weighting it down with taboos.
— Don’t describe the style or the films in
negative or derogatory terms
— Surrealism in the 1920s (France) was one of
the most influential, experimental and radical art and cinema forms ever to
emerge
— Don’t describe the narratives as ‘weird’ or
making no sense. Narratives are anti-narrative deliberately or
non-linear, also non cause-effect. All of this was deliberate playing with rules
and techniques to push boundaries and explore possibilities – the focus of
many these films was style rather than story.
— Bunuel was a prolific film maker and his style
matured as he grew older. He also made films in several countries so other
influences can be seen in some of his films but Un Chien Andalou and
Le Phantome De La Liberty stand
at two ends of his career, which is why they are so useful to compare.
— Bunuel was, arguably, an auteur because his
style and intentions remain throughout his films though his methods of
executing them differ. Not least because of developments in technology. His
later films are ‘glossier’ (bigger budgets; higher production values) and the
use of film stars evidences his success and standing, especially in France.
Inception - Christopher Nolan (2010)
—Svankmajer worked as an animator so his approach to
surrealism has to be explored in light of this. It’s part of his style so
technique does dictate/influence meaning to a certain extent. His major
influences are his training, the political context of Czechoslovakia (occupied
by Communists) and the disturbances and effects of his own childhood.
Task 3: Discuss how far your international film style was
developed by directors and how far by other influences. [35]
Bourgeoisie
A person whose attitudes and behaviour are fitted to the standards and conventions of the middle class.
Aesthetics
The study of what is considered "beautiful" in a given society.
In the Western world, aesthetics in art is judged by a rigid set of long-established rules.
The object of surrealist art was to break some of these conventions, while still maintaining an essence of beauty.
Free association
was originally a technique used in psychoanalysis that was devised by Sigmund Freud. It encouraged the expression of thoughts directly from the sub-conscious, free from fear of social judgement or self censorship. In art and film, free association refers to the linking of ideas and images that may have no original fixed meaning. The viewer or audience are free to make associations and connections themselves.
The Unconscious Mind
Also known as sub-conscious
The thoughts and ideas that drive us but which we are not necessarily aware of.
Also known as sub-conscious
The thoughts and ideas that drive us but which we are not necessarily aware of.
Subversion
To seek or intend to undermine the power and authority of an established system or institution.
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