Narrating Violence in Post-9/11 Action Cinema [electronic resource] : Terrorist Narratives, Cinematic Narration, and Referentiality /
Jung, Berenike.author.
This work discusses the way in which action movies have responded to the visual and narrative challenge of depicting terrorist violence after 9/11, when the spectacular representation of terrorist violence – and by extension the consumers of these imagers – was considered as complicit behaviour. If terrorism is theatre, who goes to see the show? A close-reading of exemplary movies (V for Vendetta, Munich, and Children of Men) concentrates on three key aspects: How is terrorist violence justified, especially in comparison to other forms of violence? How is the audience implicitly positioned? And finally, what is the role and scope of the films’ visual short-cuts, iconic “real” images such as those from the Abu Ghraib prison? The results reaffirm popular movies' power of working through traumatic events as well as their capacity to articulate a valid political critique. Instead of inventing or preceding real acts of violence, cinema can document, witness, and encourage the spectator to explore unorthodox viewing positions and moral dilemma. This interdisciplinary work is addressed to students of Philosophy, the Humanities, Cinema, American, or Cultural Studies as well as to the interested public.
Description based upon print version of record.
Geleitwort; Deutsche Zusammenfassung; Table of Contents; 1 Introduction; 1.1 Methodology; 1.1.1 Just War Theory; 1.1.2 Narrative Discourse; 2 The Films; 2.1 Narrating Violence in V for Vendetta; 2.1.1 Types of Violence; 2.1.1.1 A Vendetta : Vigilantism; 2.1.1.2 Terrorism: Just Revolution and Tyrannicide; 2.1.1.3 Torture; 2.1.2 Cinematic Narration; 2.1.2.1 Visualizing Violence: The Spectacular; 2.1.2.2 Alterations in Focalization; 2.1.2.3 Heroes and Enemies; 2.1.3 Narrative Challenges; 2.1.3.1 References: Post-9/11 Politics; 2.1.3.2 Responding to 9/11: Charges against Cinema
2.1.4 Résumé for V for Vendetta2.2 Narrating Violence in Munich; 2.2.1 Types of Violence; 2.2.1.1 Terrorism and the Media; 2.2.1.2 Targeted Killings: The Response; 2.2.2 Cinematic Narration; 2.2.2.1 Flashbacks: Visualizing Violence with Latency; 2.2.2.2 Point of View: Heroes and Enemies; 2.2.2.3 Docudrama; 2.2.3 Narrative Challenges; 2.2.3.1 9/11: Depicting Images of Atrocity; 2.2.3.2 The Media and the Response to 9/11; 2.2.4 Résumé for Munich; 2.3 Narrating Violence in Children of Men; 2.3.1 Types of Violence; 2.3.1.1 Terrorism: The Fishes; 2.3.1.2 War; 2.3.1.3 A Biological Threat
2.3.2 Cinematic Narration2.3.2.1 Visualizing Violence: The Long Take; 2.3.2.2 The Spectacular vs the Long Take; 2.3.2.3 External Focalization and the Subjective Camera; 2.3.2.4 Disrupting Cinematic Codes; 2.3.2.5 Characters and Character Relations; 2.3.3 Narrative Challenges; 2.3.3.1 References to Post-9/11 Politics; 2.3.3.2 Engaging with 9/11: Iconic Images and The Media; 2.3.4 Résumé for Children of Men; 3 Conclusion; Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. [121]-130).
This work discusses the way in which action movies have responded to the visual and narrative challenge of depicting terrorist violence after 9/11, when the spectacular representation of terrorist violence – and by extension the consumers of these imagers – was considered as complicit behaviour. If terrorism is theatre, who goes to see the show? A close-reading of exemplary movies (V for Vendetta, Munich, and Children of Men) concentrates on three key aspects: How is terrorist violence justified, especially in comparison to other forms of violence? How is the audience implicitly positioned? And finally, what is the role and scope of the films’ visual short-cuts, iconic “real” images such as those from the Abu Ghraib prison? The results reaffirm popular movies' power of working through traumatic events as well as their capacity to articulate a valid political critique. Instead of inventing or preceding real acts of violence, cinema can document, witness, and encourage the spectator to explore unorthodox viewing positions and moral dilemma. This interdisciplinary work is addressed to students of Philosophy, the Humanities, Cinema, American, or Cultural Studies as well as to the interested public.
Culture.
Sociology.
Communication.
Sociology of Culture.
Sociology, general.
Media Research.
Communication Studies.