The Existential Ego in the Space of the Others : Chinatown, Generic Renovation and Inheritance

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 동국대학교 영상미디어센터
· 수록지 정보 : 씨네포럼 / 12호 / 5 ~ 26페이지
· 저자명 : 정민아

초록

In the present analysis of popular culture, Film Noir extremely attracts analysts. Film Noir flourished from the 1940s to the 1950s, and then rapidly declined. As many film historians agree, it began with The Malese Falcon(John Huston, 1941) and ended with Touch of Evil(Orson Welles,1958). But if the period of Classic Noir ended in 1958, the real revival of Noir was launched by Chinatown(Roman Polanski) in 1974. Chinatown is called film noir thriller, neo noir, gangster, or criminal mystery. The reason for its various names is due that it is a magnificent descendent from film noir. Despite its inheritance, Chinatown has clear distinctions from classic noir as a permutation. Apocalypse message in film noir and Polanski's perspective as a stranger are mixed in Chinatown, which becomes a treasure chest containing varicolored interpretations. Texts about film noir were dominated by common words such as the influence of German expressionism, a play of shadow and light,abnormal camera angles, flash back and voice-over, social depression after World War II and the instability of male identities. On the other side, in the case of the interpretation of Chinatown, there is a possibility of reading against grain. This film opened the period of new noir and functions as a text that permits pluralistic interpretations as well. As a result, the social implication of permutation genre film in the era of anti-war and minorities' movements commences with Chinatown.
To analyze this film, first of all, this article will follow the problem of genre. The question of genre helps accepting the value of a film in the tradition of cinema or contemporary culture. Genre is the dynamic system that allows minimum changes in the structure of repetition. The term of minimum changes includes invention, auteur,tension and deviation. Chinatown belongs not only to Polanski but also to a group's effort including Hollywood that had to consider audience's desire in 1970s America. In particular, this article applies Rick Altman's genre approach to Chinatown. Genre's dynamic power can be proved through his methodology including theory and history.
In supplement, the topic of auteur will be accepted for this analysis in that the place where genre stepped into authority and sincerity of cinema was through the very auteur. After that, genre criticism and auteur theories cooperate enthusiastically.

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