For a long time, most Hollywood directors stuck to a certain kind of narrative strategies to convey their view of the world to the recipient. Movie-conventions were therefore set from the beginning of profitable movie making and were fastened by the rise of big movie studios.
In recent modern movies however, some directors have laid extreme interest on not sticking to the conventions and established a kind of non-narrative technique. As a result some of the most astonishing movies of the 90ies and the new millennium were created. The success of some of these movies can be explained by two facts. First of all, the abolishing of movie conventions resulted in the filmic reproduction of stories that had before been said to be unfit for filmic expression.
Secondly the movies created drew their fascination from a non-understanding. With no classical movie conventions aligned, these movies seemed disturbing and frightening but it is also this disturbance that mesmerizes the viewer.
In this essay I will try to outline in which way narrative conventions are abolished in modern productions and what effect this has on the spectator. To reduce the amount of information and to exemplify certain points I will stick to Cameron Crowe’s movie Vanilla Sky (2001) which is based on the motion picture Arbre los Ojos (1997) by Alejandro Amenabar. The choice is justified by a rather confusing structure of the film which corresponds perfectly to the new way of moviemaking and also by the roots of the motion picture in an Off-Hollywood production area. These roots show that, although many non-classical movies have earned a lot of reputation, most moviemakers stick to conventions and that inventions are still entrenched in alternative cinema.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and thoughts about the subject
2. The story of the film
3. Anti-Narrative techniques
3.1. Distortion of Story-time
3.2. The Dis-Notion of Place
3.3. Diegetic form vrs. Non-diegetic form
3.4. The Misrepresentation of Characters
4. Overall anti-narrative effect on the viewer and examples from other modern movies
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This essay explores how modern cinema departs from classical narrative conventions to create a sense of confusion and fascination, using Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" as a primary case study to analyze the impact of these techniques on the spectator's engagement with the story.
- Analysis of anti-narrative strategies in contemporary film.
- The distortion of temporal and spatial logic in cinema.
- The breaking of the barrier between diegetic and non-diegetic worlds.
- The role of character misrepresentation in challenging audience expectations.
- The psychological effect of "the sublime" on the viewer's perception.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The Distortion of Story-time
The notion of time has been a traditional value in classic Hollywood moviemaking. A film has to have a beginning, a middle part and an ending and they follow each other in a logical pattern. Episodic filming or the new Hollywood school of the sixties tried to surmount these patterns but were still deeply concerned about the reception of the viewer. A movie could not be successful at the box office, if the viewer could not easily understand the time structure that was the base for the plot. Same holds truth, as I will point out, for characters, place, and plot.
Vanilla Sky however, does not provide us with a coherent time scale. In fact the notion of story-time is purposely distorted to prevent the reader from having an easy access to the film. The film features a kind of break point. That point at which David’s real life ends and the lucid dream starts. However, this break is not visible to the viewer. Following gestalt-theories, the spectator is made to believe, that the scenes in picture 1 and 2 directly follow one another and are therefore connected. Surely this is logical for the story world, as David himself is made to believe that his life has never ended and he is still living on without the lucid dream. But, as an outcome, it becomes very hard for the viewer to identify the break point and the border between reality and dream until he gets informed by the story world.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction and thoughts about the subject: Outlines the shift from traditional Hollywood conventions to modern non-narrative techniques, establishing the focus on "Vanilla Sky" as an example of confusing film structure.
2. The story of the film: Provides a concise synopsis of the plot regarding David Aames, his facial disfigurement, and the transition into a "lucid dream" narrative.
3. Anti-Narrative techniques: Examines specific structural methods that subvert classical storytelling, including temporal manipulation, spatial confusion, and the blurring of narrative boundaries.
3.1. Distortion of Story-time: Discusses how non-linear timelines and hidden "break points" prevent viewers from easily accessing or interpreting the film's events.
3.2. The Dis-Notion of Place: Analyzes how the film uses the displacement of familiar settings, like an empty Times Square, to alienate the viewer and convey a sense of the sublime.
3.3. Diegetic form vrs. Non-diegetic form: Explores the implicit crossing of narrative boundaries, where the film forces the viewer to confront the artificiality of the story.
3.4. The Misrepresentation of Characters: Investigates how the film subverts actor-based expectations and character identification to force the audience to re-evaluate the story world.
4. Overall anti-narrative effect on the viewer and examples from other modern movies: Compares the film's impact to other modern works like "Fight Club" and "Memento," highlighting the audience's role in active re-organization of plot.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes how anti-narrative strategies, while building on tradition, satisfy a modern demand for deeper audience participation and active analysis.
Keywords
Vanilla Sky, Anti-Narrative, Film Theory, Hollywood Conventions, Lucid Dream, Story-time, Diegetic, Non-diegetic, Character Misrepresentation, The Sublime, Modern Cinema, Viewer Participation, Narrative Structure, Fight Club, Memento
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work examines how modern filmmakers abandon classical narrative conventions to create complex, confusing, and ultimately more fascinating cinematic experiences.
Which film serves as the main case study?
The essay primarily analyzes Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" (2001), based on the original Spanish film "Abre los ojos."
What is the central research question?
The author explores how modern narrative strategies are abolished to create a specific effect on the spectator and how this forces an active participation in the viewing process.
Which scientific concepts are applied to film analysis?
The essay utilizes concepts such as Gestalt-theory, the notion of the "sublime," and narratological distinctions between diegetic and non-diegetic worlds.
What is the "anti-narrative" effect on the viewer?
It creates a state of "fearful adoration" where the confusion caused by distorted time, space, and character roles forces the viewer to continuously reconstruct the film's meaning in their own mind.
Which other films are mentioned for comparison?
The author draws comparisons to "Fight Club," "The Sixth Sense," "Memento," and "Identity" to show similar uses of anti-narrative techniques.
How does the film use Tom Cruise to subvert audience expectations?
By casting a star known for his "good-looking hero" persona and then disfiguring his character's face, the film disrupts the viewer's reliance on actor-based identification to understand the story.
Why is the "Times Square" scene considered significant?
The scene depicts a familiar, usually crowded location as entirely empty, creating a "sublime" and frightening effect that prevents the viewer from feeling comfortable within the diegetic world.
What does the author mean by "implicit diegetic/non-diegetic crossing"?
It refers to subtle techniques, such as the introduction of a father figure who represents David's own mental needs, that implicitly force the viewer to bridge the gap between their own reality and the world on screen.
- Quote paper
- Christian Schlütter (Author), 2005, The distortion of classical narrative techniques in modern film using the example of Vanilla Sky, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/39098
