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April 27, 2019 at 3:56 pm #1392Jason WhelehanParticipant
I agree. The unfortunate thing about horror films, particularly during the eighties, is that they were largely B movies and often the philosophical or in this case, social and political messages would go unnoticed, even by those of us who were B movie geeks. There were many films, Night of the Comet, Dawn of the Dead, etc. that had very interesting deeper meanings but were resigned to cult classic status simply because they were technically poorly made films.
Dr. Gillin defined horror as something that we recognize but is different in such a way that it leaves us unsettled. To the point you have made, this was exactly the feeling growing up at the end of the Cold War. Russians were the enemies or villains in many films during the time drawing a stark difference between them and us. From James Bond films to Rocky IV, it was clear the message was that we were the good guys and they were the bad guys. The underlying theme you’ve illuminated is contrary to that good guy/U.S vs. bad guy/USSR dynamic. It reminds us that despite any seemingly unsettling differences, we are actually not that different and we’re all in this together whether we like it or not. I would add that the Antarctic setting is more than just a harsh climate character but also a metaphor for the planet itself. We’re not going anywhere. Our differences, political or social must be settled here. There is no place else to resolve them, and you pulled a great interaction between Macready and Childs at the end to highlight this. It is almost forty years since the film was made and it seems we’re still waiting to see what happens.
April 9, 2019 at 5:28 pm #1377Jason WhelehanParticipantI’m inclined to agree. Yet, Sadie is such a wonderfully flawed character. I offer no critical argument for her heroism. Rather, I have adjusted, to some degree, how I believe a character can be viewed. I feel hopeful at the end of this film. And so, perhaps Sadie can be a hero. Is she drinking still? Yes. IS it a stronger argument that she fails over and over for the rest of her life? Yes. But I am hopeful, I am rooting for her. Sadie says twice about Georgia, “The singular person I will miss when I leave this place.” Well, she has not chosen to leave this place by the end of the film. Maybe, the standard for our hero should be different when our hero is so wonderfully flawed like so many of us are.
P.S. The was just the best film of the semester.
April 8, 2019 at 1:56 pm #1371Jason WhelehanParticipantI agree particularly with the framing mechanisms. When I read the section you mentioned on the frame and the mirror, I was reminded of a film, “Imitation of Life”, where the director uses mirrors and frames to illustrate the feelings of being trapped by the main character, Jane.
There is a quote from another film, “A Room with a View”, that really captures the scopophilia represented in the glass coffin in Snow White, “…He wants you for a possession, something to look at like a painting or an ivory box.” There is an added element to the fetishism and voyeurism we have talked about in class in the glass coffin, though I can’t put my finger on it. Obviously, the element of death is there but still, there seems to be a lot packed into the imagery in the glass coffin, and its placement on top of the mountain as well.
February 28, 2019 at 2:12 pm #1325Jason WhelehanParticipantIt’s hard to say. There are no examples of the fetishistic scopophilia that come to mind. I can’t picture an example like the one of soft lighting surrounding Ilsa in “Casablanca”. ANd to consider a woman’s point of view as a writer or director does not seem to necessitate a female gaze. I think that says more about women writers’ role in social progress than anything. I was considering the male gaze in my drama class. I understand why Mulvey’s article applies only to film, because the camera acts as a surrogate eye for the audience, but I found it interesting to consider how the theater must also have properties that are like the male gaze, male writers dominate, the stories reflect that point of view, and the wall between stage and audience is somewhat like the camera eye. Once women writers began to add to the landscape, different views were represented. The same is happening now with more women writers and directors in film. The reason I think it suggests progress is because you don’t see reciprocation of on screen representation like the example of Ilsa. I’m sure if we consider comedy, satire, and parody, there are examples. The parody of Austin Powers dressed in a bikini on the beach like Ursula Andress in the famous James Bond scene pokes fun at the absurdity of a scene like that rather than expose a female gaze. But I imagine it will be difficult to find a true example of a female gaze that isn’t satirical.
February 18, 2019 at 1:15 pm #1307Jason WhelehanParticipantIm curious of a particular quality that seems to blur with Rick’s neutrality, and Renault as well. It seems ther lack of scruples helps to shape what comes across as neutrality. I feel like rick has always been the “hero” and as mentioned in the post, he is refusing the call, he’s bitter over lost love, etc. but we get glimpses of his lack of neutrality throughout. Renault is a bit harder to pin down because his lack of scruples are overt. Rick even comments on his lack of subtlety. Renault is all about self preservation. He is unscrupulous. But like Rick, his neutrality, or lack there of is exposed in the end. Regardless, I completely agree with the arc presented in the post from reluctant hero and neutrality, to growth into the hero.
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