Useful Links

Included are some websites that have really helped me when researching postmodernism within films. There are generic websites such as wikipedia but other blogs and websites too:

www.onpostmodernism.com/movies

www.imdb.com/list/Is051370237/

www.postmodernblog.tumblr.com

Explaining theory to Parents

As a part of the task in which we wrote 3 paragraphs to do with Baudrillard, Lyotard and Jameson's theory, we had to explain it to a friend or family member. I explained it to my Mum. She believed that it seemed like a complicated theory but I tried to keep it quite simple. She did ask me to explain what exactly postmodernism was however I struggled to do so as there are just so many different examples of what it could be and many terms which can be applied to the theory in which are criticised and praised by many theorists.

Overview of Lyotard's Theory

One of the main ideologies outlined by Lyotard's theory is the notion of the 'Postmodern Condition.' He has argued that we no longer need these grand narratives since the evolution of technology over the past 100 years. He believes that little or 'meta' narratives are now more appropriate in terms of explaining various social transformations and political problems, with this being the driving force behind postmodern science. As meta narratives fade, science suffers a loss of faith in its search for truth, therefore new ways must be found in order to legitimate its efforts. Connected to this legitimacy is the growing dominance for computers. Lyotard argues that one day, in order for knowledge to be considered useful, it will have to be converted into computerised data.

Overview of Baudrillard's Theory.

One of Baudrillard's main ideologies is the notion of hyperreality. Hyperreality is a condition in which reality has been replaced by simulacra. Simulacra can be defined as when a sign loses its relation to the real world. This loss of realism can cause desensitisation and ignorance towards what is really going on in society. He highlights some causes of simulacra which can include the evolution of the economy, the media and capitalism. (Capitalism is a marxist concept in which the bourgeoisie exploit the workings and labour of the proleteriat in society.)

The mass media has played a massive impact on simulacra because it has excessively shaped the shapes and meanings of the symbols portrayed in various mediums. These symbols can be seen as agents of representation, creating new signs of new culture, imaging and codes within the value of reality.

Overview of Jameson's Theory

One of Jameson's main postmodern ideologies is Pastiche and its evolution from the modernist view of parody. Jameson has said that postmodernity can be characterised by pastiche and a crisis in the authenticity of history. He believes that society as a whole has moved on from Hutcheon's view of parody in which work is mimicked and destroyed in a way that could be deemed disrespectful, and this is replaced by the ideology of pastiche in which even though has similar characteristics of parody, it is nostalgic and pays tribute to art and literal texts.

Jameson states that parody is more common in modernist texts (pessimistic postmodernism), as it copies old styles of art but takes a critical view of this unlike pastiche by asking questions and does not just simply duplicate. In terms of pastiche, he states that it is a mixture of past styles, however shows no understanding of history. It reflects the idea that society has abandoned the possibility of change. Jameson overall believes that pastiche is becoming postmodernism's most dominant trait.

Narrative Theory

Postmodernism in Film

Postmodernist film attempts to articulate postmodernism (its ideas and themes and methods) through the medium of film. Postmodernist film attempts to subvert the mainstream conventions of narrative structure, characterisation and destroys (or, at least, toys with) the audience's suspension of disbelief.  Typically, such films also break down the cultural divide between high and low art and often upend typical portrayals of gender, race, class, genre, and time with the goal of creating something different from traditional narrative expression.

Blade Runner Example (wiki)

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner might be the best known postmodernist film. Ridley Scott's 1982 film is about a future dystopia where "replicants" (human cyborgs) have been invented and are deemed dangerous enough to hunt down when they escape. There is tremendous effacement of boundaries between genres and cultures and styles that are generally more separate along with the fusion of disparate styles and times that is a common trope in postmodernist cinema. "The futuristic set and action mingle with drab 1940s clothes and offices, punk rock hairstyles, pop Egyptian style and oriental culture. The population is singularly multicultural and the language they speak is agglomeration of English, Japanese, German and Spanish. The film alludes to the private eye genre of Raymond Chandler and the characteristics of film noir as well as Biblical motifs and images."Here is a demonstration of the mixing of cultures and boundaries and styles of art. The film is playing with time (the various types of clothes) and culture and genre by mixing them all together to create the world of the film. The fusion of noir and science-fiction is another example of the film deconstructing cinema and genre. This is an embodiment of the postmodern tendency to destroy boundaries and genres into a self-reflexive product. "The postmodern aesthetic of Blade Runner is thus the result of recycling, fusion of levels, discontinuous signifiers, explosion of boundaries, and erosion. The disconnected temporality of the replicants and the pastiche of the city are all an effect of a postmodern, postindustrial condition: wearing out, waste.

Characteristics of Postmodern Film:

Temporal Distortion - Use of a nonlinear timeline in which the author will jump back and forth in time, or where cultural and historical references do not fit the story that is being told.

Paranoia - Many postmodern authors wriet under the assumption that modern society cannot be explained or understood from which any apparent connections or controlling influences on the chaos of society would be frightening which leads to the paranoia in some postmodern works.

Intertextuality - referencing or acknowledgement of previous works.

Pastiche - The combination or pasting together of elements of previous genres and styles to create a new 'narrative voice'

Black humour - The use of irony and playfulness within work. They often treat a very serious subject - Wars and Conspiracy theories - from a position of distance and disconnect, and will choose to depict their histories ironically and humourosly

Postmodern Film Case Study

I have decided to use the film Her (2013). The film was directed by the American director and producer Spike Jonze who is known for films such as Where The Wild Things Are and Being John Malkovich.

Her is about Theodore, a lonely man in the final stages of his divorce. When he's not working as a letter writer, his down time is spent playing video games and occasionally hanging out with friends. He decides to purchase the new OS1, which is advertised as the world's first artificially intelligent operating system, "It's not just an operating system, it's a consciousness," the ad states. Theodore quickly finds himself drawn in with Samantha, the voice behind his OS1. As they start spending time together they grow closer and closer and eventually find themselves in love. Having fallen in love with his OS, Theodore finds himself dealing with feelings of both great joy and doubt. As an OS, Samantha has powerful intelligence that she uses to help Theodore in ways others hadn't, but how does she help him deal with his inner conflict of being in love with an OS? 

How is this film postmodern?

- a postmodern love story (the idea of the film is fictitious

- the character is somewhat alienated and a little alone

- the film shows a great sense of hypereality: technology creates something more desirable

- 'more human than human' - artificial equipment and cybernetics in some ways replaces humanity for theo as he has a relationship with a programme

Other postmodern films:
 

Pastiche - pulp fiction, jackie brown, kill bill volume 1, scream, scary movie, Austin powers, buffy the vampire slayer

Flattening of effect - the stepped wives, fight club, a clockwork orange, 2001 a space odyssey, rules of attraction

Hypereality - the Truman show, kick ass, the matrix trilogy, inception, the thirteenth floor

Time bending - donnie Darko, pay check, dark city, memento

Altered states - videodrome, a beautiful mind, fear and loathing in Las Vegas

More human than human - blade runner, robocop, wall-e, district 9, artificial intelligence, avatar