The Shift to Postmodern Cinema
Cinema, the most dynamic cultural media, is undergoing a drastic systematic transformation. The incurring change is a shift from modern to postmodern themes. This transformation has been an ongoing process, rooted in the societal changes of the 1960s, and though modernism has not completely decayed as its themes still appear in all media forms, the prevalence of postmodern values are more than apparent. The shift toward the postmodern is instigating immense cultural changes demonstrated by the recurrent trends postmodern films have followed; however, the theme most translated across media boundaries is the absolute distrust of society derived from an omnipresent paranoia and portrayed as a motif of chaos.
The beginnings of modernism are generally believed to have taken root during the Enlightenment. Modernism is characterized by optimism, a focus on progress, realism, grand narratives, a return to the classical, a focus on education, and creativity. As film popularized in American culture during the years following World War I, one can see modernist values reflected in American cinema. “Looking at the twentieth century, we view the evolution of American cinema within the intricate web of modernity that includes Enlightenment values, industrialism and urbanism, liberal-capitalist ideology, patriarchy, bureaucracy, and the expansion of technology.” (Boggs & Pollard 5) As the values of modernism became more and more ubiquitous with American cinema an optimistic view of progress became an intrinsic part of national thought and thus was the birth of classic
Modernist ideology remained dominant in American cinema at least until the 1960s. (Boggs & Pollard 5) It is here that we first begin to see the shift from modern to postmodern in film as it was during this decade that studio control first began to break down allowing for more creativity on the part of writers, directors, actors, etc. (Boggs & Pollard 7) “Given extraordinarily deep changes at work in American society, it was now possible for innovative, experimental movie production to develop alongside the quest for mass audiences.” (Boggs & Pollard 7) As ingenuity surged, the quest for the mass audience was indisputably met with success. The public was extremely receptive to these new cinematic undertakings, and the impact postmodern film made upon its audience was unarguably noteworthy. “The postmodern shift tore down, gradually but inexorably, some well-established boundaries...between realism and formalism, between establishment and progressive, and between and among the many conventional genres...” (Boggs & Pollard 8)
Postmodern themes have been present since the 18th and 19th centuries, manifesting in the Romanticism, in Nietzche’s philosophy, and in surrealist art and literature. (Kvale 19) “Postmodern thought is characterized by a loss of belief in an objective world and an incredulity towards meta-narratives.” (Kvale 19) There is debate whether postmodernism is modernism’s continuation or rather a total split from it; nonetheless, in film, there are obvious distinctions.
The postmodern shift in cinema involves a weighty criticism of modernity and an almost complete rebuff of it as well. “Postmodernism gathers strength by virtue of the increasing fissures and contradictions within modernity, fueled by economic globalization, corporate domination, bureaucracy, ecological crisis, and the personal alienation that pervades everyday life.” (Boggs & Pollard 6) In this sense postmodernism is the polar opposite and end of modernism. This can easily be demonstrated through the consistently different thematic ideals depicted within these two opposing “genres,” especially in terms of their respective heroes. “Within modernism, the hero is invested with the power to decisively influence or transform society...or at least to stand tall against enormous odds...” (Boggs & Pollard 6) On the contrary, a postmodern film would depict a protagonist fail in his or her struggle to beat the odds. James Cole, played by Bruce Willis in Terry Gilliam’s film 12 Monkeys (1995), is a prime example of the postmodern hero while Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s film Spiderman
Peter Parker is the feeble nerd, bullied by his classmates and ignored by his “dream girl,” Mary Jane; however, after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider, Peter gains superpowers and becomes Spiderman. Peter uses his superpowers to fight crime and promote justice. Throughout all of the Spiderman films, Peter overcomes enormous obstacles and internal struggles to incessantly come out on top. His character is a testament to the universal narrative of the triumph of good over evil. Furthermore, the story of Spiderman’s heroics reflects themes of classical Greco-Roman heroes (an orphan is gifted with divine powers which he uses to beat the odds, overcome the antagonist, and get the girl). He is the archetype of the modern hero.
James Cole is the polar opposite of Peter Parker. Cole is the tough, brawny “bad-ass,” imprisoned for violent behavior, but given a chance at redemption if he can “save the world.” He is sent into the past by a group of scientists, dangling a full pardon over his head, to get as much information as he possibly can about a virus that nearly killed the entire human race in the year 1996. Cole does gain his pardon; however, he becomes stricken by what seems like paranoid schizophrenia, an apparent side effect of time travel, and struggles to determine what is true reality. In his final trip to the past, he attempts to stop the man who released the virus that nearly ended humanity, but he is shot and killed in an airport while in pursuit of the villain. Cole’s failure bestows the film with an ending in which good does not triumph over evil, negating the prominent meta-narrative. Moreover, Cole’s lack of success in finding an objective reality further depicts postmodern themes.
There are five recurrent trends in postmodern film. First is the “blockbuster spectacle.” (Boggs & Pollard 16) This trend features “hyperreal, supercommodified media spectacles extending well beyond the movie experience itself.” (Boggs & Pollard 16) A prime example of the blockbuster spectacle is George Lucas’ series of Star Wars films. Each episode of Star Wars has skyrocketed to become a culturally iconic film, and the subsequent success of related manufactured products reinforces this idea. The second trend is the abundance of existential morass as seen in the work of Woody Allen. (Boggs & Pollard 16) Third is the emphasis on American representation of historical quagmire. Along with this comes the disappearance of the modern hero demonstrated above. (Boggs & Pollard 16) The fourth trend deals with the mass portrayals of world chaos spurred by paranoia seen in films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (1995), and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002). (Boggs & Pollard 16) The final trend is theatrically playful cinema. (Boggs & Pollard 16) These films often mock and satirize societal values. Examples of this kind of film would be John Waters’ Hairspray (1988) and even Keenan Ivory Wayans’ Scary Movie (2000)
In contemporary culture, the greater sociohistorical context grants postmodern cinema its wealth of imagination, ingenuity, and liveliness. Fredric Jameson believes, “there is an undeniably powerful linkage between globalization of the capitalist economy and growing concentration of corporate power within the film industry, a linkage that recasts virtually every cinematic development in the United States and elsewhere.” (Boggs & Pollard 8) However, this creativity, spawned by the afore-mentioned linkage, is habitually manifested as paranoid narratives of social control and restriction, pointed out as one of the recurrent trends in postmodern film above. This is exemplified in the reactions, both live and cinematic, to the attacks of September 11th.
The 9/11 attacks, to date, are the most devastating terrorist attacks carried out on American soil; furthermore, it was the first instance that the hegemonic superpower, the United States, had been attacked with such violence and efficiency. (Boggs & Pollard 9-10) These actions are considered “blowback” against the
“Paranoia is increasingly a binding force for the whole nation.” (Boggs & Pollard 13) Pratt believes that the pressures of the increasingly bureaucratically dominated system we live in lead to distrust and fear of the system and its constituents. More and more films, such as Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State (1998), portray such notions of constant surveillance, obliterated privacy, and diminished social autonomy. (Boggs and Pollard 13) This point is exemplified with another reference to Terry Gilliam’s film 12 Monkeys.
The group of scientists in the film 12 Monkeys represents the bureaucratic system; they are Cole’s “governors.” The consistent insincere and corrupt portrayal of this group, as well as their perpetual surveillance of Cole, throughout the film is meant to garner distrust for its members and the ideas they symbolize. The scene in which this is most apparent is the final scene on the airplane. The villain releasing the virus boards the plane and is seated next to the sole female scientist dressed appropriately for the era as a businesswoman. She strikes up a conversation with the villain and ironically states, “I’m in insurance,” referencing her “profession.” The viewer is supposed to gather that the group of scientists desired this ending. The female scientist had been sent into the past to ensure the virus was released in hopes of getting a sample possibly, or at least as much information about the virus as she could. The scientists, the bureaucrats of their system, wanted to use the information for their benefit and the benefit of the citizens of the future. The goal was never to change the past, as Cole believed, and it is now blatantly clear that Cole was simply being used. To the scientists, he was completely expendable. The question must now be asked, “What kind of moral character do these people have?” Furthermore, “Would the leaders of the system I live in act similarly?”
Recurrent paranoid themes in postmodern film are further touched upon by Tudor in his framework for the “paranoid horror film.” In “From Paranoia to Postmodern,” Tudor asserts that contemporary horror films show characteristics of postmodernism, specifically in use of pastiche and comedy. Yet, most notable is the distinction created between contemporary paranoid horror and its predecessor, secure horror. The paranoid horror film displays postmodern qualities and is characterized by failed human intervention, ineffective expertise, unreliable authorities, escalating disorder, internal threats, organization of victim groups, diffuse boundaries, and open narratives. (Tudor 108) Secure horror films preceded paranoid horror, and its characteristics are the opposite extremes of paranoid horror films. Tudor uses the films Frankenstein (1931) and Halloween (1978) to exemplify the distinction:
“In the former, the narrative’s central threat is a consequence of human volition, is external to the human body and mind, is clearly distinguished from normality, and is finally defeated. Human expertise is effective; authorities are broadly legitimate. In the latter, the threat is unexplained, it is internal in the sense that it emerges from the psyche and is located in an ordinary everyday world, and the boundary between normality and abnormality is not clearly marked. The monster survives, and experts are unable to deal with it. At every turn, the world of Halloween and its many successors is thoroughly unreliable and insecure.” (Tudor 108)
Clearly Tudor is distinguishing Frankenstein as the secure horror and Halloween as the paranoid as the “world” of Halloween is thoroughly insecure. He further notes, “This was a major change in emphasis...prior to the emergence of the psycho-killer [horror movie threats] were externally derived.” (Tudor 108)
A “paranoid horror film,” and certainly a postmodern film, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002) not only reflects many of the themes presented in Tudor’s article, but also Boggs and Pollard’s collaboration “The New Cinematic Society.” The premise of the film is that a virus has been cultivated, Rage, in experimentation to develop a biochemical weapon. This virus is then released onto the streets of
28 Days Later, like Halloween, fits Tudor’s framework of a paranoid horror film entirely. The film opens with a portrayal of failed intervention of humans, ineffective expertise, and escalating disorder as the “triumph” of the animal rights activists over a wimpy scientist leads to a world shrouded in total chaos. Furthermore, the resultant zombie threats are internal and inescapable; the survivors can do nothing except try to stay alive even though death seems inevitable. The scenes involving the military men depict a corrupt totalitarian authority, especially exemplified through the scene in which the military men attempt to “procreate with” (rape) the two female characters. This film further makes this situation seem like a possible and potential reality for our constantly warring world.
The drastic transformation occurring in film, the shift from modern to postmodern, cannot be denied. Postmodern film will be the next generation of cinema as it shapes American society, revamps creative vision, and reworks the face of auteur theory. As it has been a slow-moving process, one may wonder will modernist values fully diminish as the transition concludes...most likely not. There are certain modernist values that can be seen in the themes of postmodernism; however, the current domination of postmodern sentiments in media would lead one to conclude a steady decline in modernist values, especially those of trust in the system. Dystopia, chaos, disorder, distrust have already begun to run rampant. The postmodern “age of paranoia” is truly in an onset.
Works Cited
Boggs, Carl and Tom Pollard. “The New Cinematic Society.” A World in Chaos: Social
Crisis and The Rise of Postmodern Cinema. Boggs, Carl and Tom Pollard. p. 1-24. Lanham MD. Rowman and Littlefield. 2003. Electronic.
Kvale, Steiner. "Themes of Postmodernity". The Truth About The Truth. Walter Truett
Tudor, Andrew. “From Paranoia to Postmodernism: The Horror Movie in Late Modern
Society.” Genre and Contemporary
Peace, Love
Evan
