電影研究概論
941001036 張珮琦
Binary opposition, as Levi-Strauss suggests, is a feature of mythologies depend
upon and it is also a two-term conflict. One of the ways in which humans understand
the world is through dividing it into sets of mutually exclusive categories – land and
the sea , man and woman , good and bad , us and them.
In the film “ Casablanca” , I think the binary opposition is between Rick and his
friend- Ugarte rather than between Rick and Victor. Because in the film , Rick helps
Victor and Victor’s wife go to Lisbon not only for Rick’s own sake but also for his
country’s sake. On the other hand, Rick’s friend- Ugarte keep the permission to leave
to Lisbon just for earning money and for his own good. In my opinion, this point is
the most obvious point of binary opposition in the film.
Structuralism has been very powerful in its influence on narrative theory. Its
main virtue is that it is most interested in those things that narratives have in common ,
rather than in the distinctive characteristics of specific narratives. Structuralists look at
films , for instance , to see how they fit into or help to define a genre , style , or
movement . As a result , what they notice tends to be a component of all narrative , or
the narrative systems of a particular medium , rather than the features of a particular
narrative.
I think the point that impresses me most ,in the book , is that the resolution is not
one that could survive outside the narrative as a model for solving disputes, but that is
narrative’s function – to resolve symbolically what cannot be actually resolved.
Maybe , we can see in a film that something hardly happens in our daily life. For
example in the film “ Casablanca” , we see Rick help Victor and Victor’s wife leave to
Lisbon not because of his own love. Rick knows that Victor will flea to American to
lead a movement that is good for America . So , in spite of Rick’s own love, he helps
the couple. In real societies , we can hardly see some sacrifice himself for his own
country .In the film “ Casablanca”, the story goes that, and maybe the movie wants us
to think about when facing with your own love and your country, what would you do?
When we watch the film, we may be touched by the ending, but when we face the
problem in real life , I think there are few person would do as Rick does .
When we want to deal with bodies of films , film movements , or even a single
text , we need to look at the specific relations established between one film and the
whole context in which it is viewed. This context will include other films as well as
the full rage of media constructions , advertising strategies, and so on that frame the
particular film. This is ultimately a social context. The satisfaction an audience finds
in a film does not emerge from the narrative alone. At the simplest level, film
narratives are viewed within a context that is both textual and social. From the social
context, connections can be implied between a film and social movements
So, films have something to do with society . Different people in different
societies may watch the same film in different ways .In my opinion, if I were people
in the World War Two , I might experience a lot when I watch the film “ Casablanca”.
And, of course, I might have different feelings when watching and finishing watched
the film. And , if I were an American, I might see differently from when I am a
Taiwanese..
One of the ways in which we distinguish between different kinds of film
narratives is through genre. Borrowed from literary studies, where it is used to
delineate the difference between satire and comedy, tragedy and farce, and so on, the
term ’genre’ has become a useful tool in film analysis. In film, genre is a system of
codes, conventions, and visual styles which enables an audience to determine rapidly
and with some complexity the kind of narrative they are viewing. What genre does is
recognize that the audience watch any one film within a context of other films, both
those have personally seen and those they have heard about or seen represented in
other media outlets.
In the beginning of “ Casablanca”, the music is Marseillaise (the national anthem
of France). We can get an idea about the film “ Casablanca” that it is a story has
something to do with someone’s country. In the film “ Casablanca”, the Marseillaise
is also sing by a group of people. In the end , we can get an idea that the film
“ Casablanca” is not only a love story but also a story about being patriotic.
Genre depend on the audience’s competencies and experience : on the skills they
have developed in understanding films and the body of similar experiences they draw
upon.
In conclusion, Different people in different societies may watch the same film in
different ways