Critical Perspectives

Critical Perspectives

The traditional way of approaching content is through analysis of

“

theme

”

. Theme is

the

controlling

idea,

and

it guides

the

organization

of

all

the other

elements

of

the

film.

Film theories, including theories of the auteur, structuralist theories, theories deriving from

feminism and gender studies, psychoanalytic theories, and theories attempting to unravel

the

ideology of

film,

provides

an

alternative

set of

critical

approaches

employed

in the

interpretation of films.

The Definition of Theme

?

Theme is the controlling idea of the film. This idea takes the form of a generalized

comment

about

life

—

a

special

understanding

of

human

experience

that

has

significance beyond

the

specific

narrative

and

the

individual

lives

of

the

characters

who act within it.

?

Theme

will

emerge

from,

and

be

expressed

through

the

film

’

s

genre,

character,

narrative, and style. It only properly exists when it s fully integrated into the film as a

whole.

?

Theme is never expressly stated in the film, and it is the job of the critics or viewer to

work it out through interpretation. The selectivity and subjectivity of interpretation will

mean that one

’

s idea of the theme will rarely be identical with another

’

s.

Typical Thematic Concerns

?

Themes are, by nature, variable

and diverse, and they often revolve around certain

constants in human nature or human experience and contemporary social issues.

?

Below

is

the

introduction

of

some

of

the

forms

in

which

theme

is

expressed

in

Hollywood films:

?

Broad Human Concerns

?

Life Philosophies

?

Religious and Ethical Concerns

?

Historical Issues

?

Nations and National Characteristics

?

Social/Cultural/Technological Changes

?

Social Problems

Auteur Theory

?

Definition:

According to 1950s

’

Cahiers du Cinema,

in which the auteur theory was

originally proposed,

the auteur is a person who is able to stamp his own identity on a

film

despite

the

commercial

restraints

of

the

studio

system.

The

way

the

auteur

making

cinema

into

art

form

is

through

the

visual

style

of

a

film,

and

the

personal

“

signature

”

of

an

auteur

is

to

be

seen

most

clearly through his

distinctive

personal

style.

?

Affirmative:

The critic

Andrew Sarris believes that the auteur theory will help to prove

the excellence of Hollywood films, and he also believes that the distinctive themes of

an auteur are of as much significance as his style.

?

Negative:

Auteur theory has not gone without criticism which states:

?

Cinema is a thoroughly collaborative art.

?

The

concept

of

the

auteur

may

have

become

a

category

more

commercial

than

artistic in nature.

?

The concept of the auteur runs the risk of producing a kind of

“

cult of personality

”

with

a

small

number

of

“

star

”

directors

dominating

cinema

and

determining

the

standards for what constitutes high cinematic art.

?

Conclusion:

Auteur theory remains a useful concept when it comes to analyzing film.

Structuralism

?

Definition:

Structuralism is a method of analyzing phenomena that is characterized

by

contrasting

the

elemental

structures

of

the

phenomenon

in

a

system

of

binary

appositions.

Structuralist

approaches

try

to

look

beyond

the

surface

details

of

a

phenomenon

in

an

attempt

to

define

the

deeper

organizing

structures

—

structures

that take the form of oppositions.

?

Auteur

structuralism:

It

is

proposed

by

British

critic

Peter

Wollen.

Auteur