CINEJ Cinema Journal
Not a member yet
358 research outputs found
Sort by
Representations of Gothic and Spectral Identities in the Global South: A Study of Manichitrathazhu and its Adaptations
Full text linkGothic as a genre in literature took its form in Europe but has existed within and outside Europe in various forms and formats. In nations like India, the colonial impact has influenced the way one imagines the supernatural and the uncanny. This paper studies the evolution of an ‘alternate gothic’ in the movies from India, focusing on the Malayalam movie Manichithrathazhu (1993) and its Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi adaptations. The paper examines how each version incorporates the regional culture, rituals, and social norms of the respective linguistic and geographic setting, thereby creating an ‘alternate gothic’ unique to the subcontinent. Through this lens, the film is read as an act of cultural negotiation, where local myths and social structures are embedded within a colonial framework of reason
Audiovisual Strategies and the Unity in Diversity Principle of the EU: A Cultural Dimensions Perspective on European and Turkish Cinema
Full text linkThe question of the study is, what the kind of impactss of the EU’s audiovisual strategy and its corresponding policies —rooted in the principle of unity in diversity—on the European and Turkish cinema there are. So, introducing a comprehensive answer requires handling culture, European cultures, almost all completely different from each other, which has historical roots. Within this framework, comparing the European cultural paradigm with Turkish cultural dynamics offers valuable insight into the study’s central theme. Study applies Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory—a widely used framework for analyzing cultural diversities—to explore and evaluate the differences between European and Turkish cultural influences in the context of cinema and the audiovisual sector. Drawing on the insights gained, the study presents concrete insights on both the European and Turkish film industries and proposes recommendations to support the development and internationalization of both sectors
The Lexicons of Cult Film: Rhetoric, Media, and The Big Lebowski
Full text linkIn this paper, we explore how The Big Lebowski provides “equipment for living,” to explain the Lebowski phenomenon and answer the question: How do individuals use The Big Lebowski to communicate across cultures? In answer to this question, we argue that the shared lexicon of the cult film serves as a diagnostic tool, which fans use to identify each other, size up their situation, and determine a course of action. In one sense, the film is both a representative anecdote and an unrepresentative anecdote, which draws viewers into a comic frame and allows them to see new ways of thinking and acting in an otherwise typical situation. Ultimately, the co-opting of the film’s ethos and lexicon by fans “individualizes” popular culture, subverting film (a big-budget medium historically dominated by the auteur-director model) and positioning fans as both artistic consumers and creators
Avatar: A Film at the Center of the Feminine Other
Full text linkThis study analyzes James Cameron\u27s 2009 film Avatar from the perspective of the feminine other through deconstruction. In the movie, nature and the Na\u27vi people are depicted as feminine, while modern man and the science, technology, and military power he represents are portrayed as masculine. Although it critiques the colonialist structure of modernity, the film\u27s narrative structure and character portrayals indicate that it reproduces the superiority of Western-centered ideology and the masculine mind. The study analyzes how the film\u27s narrative and character representations implicitly support masculine centrism. The analysis reveals how nature and marginalized cultures are romanticized and presented in the film and how the notion that the feminine can only survive by adopting masculine traits is processed in the subtext. Grounded in a conceptual and theoretical framework, this research focuses on the sustainability of the patriarchal capitalist system and gender politics while critically examining how cinema reconstructs ideological structures through the narratives in the film
From Cinema to Youtube: Globalization and Active Audience of KKN Di Desa Penari Film
Full text linkThis article examines how youth consume the film KKN Di Desa Penari, one of Indonesia\u27s cinema releases. The youth in this study are positioned as active audience. The article employs a narrative approach, selecting 18 youths who watched the film KKN Di Desa Penari on YouTube as informants. The objective of this research is to understand the reasons behind youth choosing to watch the film through alternative media platforms. The findings show that YouTube serves as an alternative medium for Indonesian youth with limited access to cinemas. Nevertheless, this does not diminish the autonomy of cinemas in screening the film. Youth have different experiences when watching KKN Di Desa Penari through either cinema or YouTube
The Relation of Film, Literature, and Music: The Big Lebowski’s Soundtrack as a Means of Significance Beyond the Anglophone World
Full text linkConsidering films as semiotically “multitrack” texts that integrate elements from different arts —writings—, this chapter analyzes the relationship between The Big Lebowski (1998), Carter Burwell’s soundtrack selection for the film, composed mainly of preexisting songs, and Raymond Chandler’s novel The Big Sleep (1939). In such a varied soundtrack, featuring well-known names like Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, we can discern the meaning behind the Gipsy Kings’ cover of “Hotel California.” The reason is that, like a cover song, the double cultural background of the music styles —rock and Spanish rumba —could connect the Coen brothers’ parodic film with other cinematographic genres, such as the Spanish quinqui films, contributing to the film’s memory and significance beyond the Anglophone world
The Interrelation of TV-series and Interior Design in the Construction of Meaning: Cinematic Narratives and the Psychological Function of Space
No full textThis paper explores the complex relationship between TV series and interior design, intending to emphasize the significant impact of spatial design on the construction of cinematic meaning. The study proffers the notion that both visual media and interior design function as potent storytelling instruments, employing spatial dimensions not solely to portray physical environments, but also to convey emotional profundity, psychological intricacy, and thematic richness. Through a detailed analysis, the study illustrates how interior design is employed to mirror the psychological states of characters, propel the narrative forward, and amplify the portrayal of emotions and social dynamics. Focusing on Turkish television series such as Masumlar Apartmanı (2020) and Şahsiyet (2018), the paper underscores the pivotal role of interior d in visual storytelling. These series demonstrate how meticulously designed spaces can enhance narrative depth and emotional resonance. The findings of this study offer valuable insights that can guide future research in the intersection of interior design and visual media, emphasizing the significance of spatial design in crafting compelling cinematic experiences
Review of Rated A: Soft Porn Cinema and Mediations of Desire in India
Full text linkThis paper reviews the book Rated A: Soft Porn Cinema and Mediations of Desire in India by Darshana Sreedhar Mini
Revisiting History in Yeşilçam Cinema: An Analysis on Yeşilçam Heroes; Karaoğlan, Malkoçoğlu, Kara Murat and Battal Gazi
Full text linkHistory presented in films has always been problematic. This debate is generally categorized into two categories, if the historical movies are loyal to the historical fact or if they should be aesthetically considered an art form. Costume adventure films in Turkish Cinema, present mythological characters with fantasy elements raising nationalist sentiments. This authentic genre in Turkish Cinema takes history as a background motif presenting Karaoğlan, Malkoçoğlu, Kara Murat and Battal Gazi, yet combines real facts and people in history with fantasy world heroes and incidents. Hence, these films raise a query regarding the accuracy of their portrayal in relation to historical fact. This paper aims to uncover the fact beyond the fantasy, the conflict between the real people and their representations in the movies in a different perspective
‘The Dude is not in’: How the Coen Bros.’ slacker detective upends Joseph Campbell’s hero’s arc
Full text linkJoel and Ethan Coen’s The Big Lebowski (1998) simultaneously engages with and subverts Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey as articulated in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (2008 edition). While Campbell’s monomyth outlines a transformative cycle in which the hero confronts trials, attains wisdom and returns from his journey to spread knowledge unto others, the Dude—cast as a bumbling, slacker-detective—fails to achieve enlightenment or growth, effectively stumbling into partial solutions despite his lack of acumen. Through dream sequences, noir conventions and the figure of the extra-natural Stranger, the film teases the structural signposts of the Campbellian arc only to undermine them, positioning the Dude as both clown and unwitting hero who “abides” without transformation. Although the Dude could be said to be like Buddha in his come-what-may attitude, he never grows nor shares what he has learned with any acolytes—yet, paradoxically, his lack of development has produced a mythic afterlife in the real world through the rise of “Dudeism,” a secular, ironic mythos for non-diegetic consumers practiced by fans. Dudeism does not in fact become a diegetic religion in the same fashion as, say, Jedi-ism in the galaxy of Star Wars (Lucas 1977). Accordingly, the Coens craft a narrative that resists classical mythic resolution while nonetheless generating a cultural mythology, revealing how postmodern storytelling both dismantles and perpetuates the heroic paradigm