Art Cinema Characteristics in Persona
Kyle Keitz
Professor Mullens
Film 221
March 5, 2013
Art Cinema Characteristics in Persona
According to David Bordwell’s research, Hollywood had a basic outline on how they made their films. The classical narrative cinema follows narrative structure, cinematic style, and spectatorial activity. In Classical Hollywood Cinema there is usually a psychologically defined, goal oriented character that’s easy to like. Foreign countries had a different way of making film, post WWII, Europe reestablished their facilitated film export and coproduction. Since the U.S. was exhibiting film in other countries it gave those foreign countries a chance to make film for international audiences. The neorealist films may be considered the first postwar versions of art cinema. Most of these films were made by New Wave film directors, Fellini, Resnais, Bergman, De Sica, Kurosawa, Pasolini, etc. The Stylistic Devices and Thematic Motifs seem to differ between these directors but the overall functions of style and theme seem to remain constant in Art Cinema. Art Cinema is the exact opposite of the classical narrative cinema and it avoids the cause and effect linkage of events throughout a film. The characteristics of Art Cinema are easy to follow; it gives a realistic setting since most of these films are shot on location without the use of “sets”. Things may occur in the film for no apparent reason and it may never be explained at all in the film. Most of all Art Cinema uses psychologically complex characters that don’t seem to have clear traits or objectives. Some characters just question their objectives and at times they may even be alienated. Every film in this era can be analyzed in a different way; some you should look at literally and some you should think deeply about. In Persona it seems to be easy enough to analyze by taking what is being shown to you literally. This film seems to contain complex and somewhat alienated characters, realistic settings, some random
Professor Mullens
Film 221
March 5, 2013
Art Cinema Characteristics in Persona
According to David Bordwell’s research, Hollywood had a basic outline on how they made their films. The classical narrative cinema follows narrative structure, cinematic style, and spectatorial activity. In Classical Hollywood Cinema there is usually a psychologically defined, goal oriented character that’s easy to like. Foreign countries had a different way of making film, post WWII, Europe reestablished their facilitated film export and coproduction. Since the U.S. was exhibiting film in other countries it gave those foreign countries a chance to make film for international audiences. The neorealist films may be considered the first postwar versions of art cinema. Most of these films were made by New Wave film directors, Fellini, Resnais, Bergman, De Sica, Kurosawa, Pasolini, etc. The Stylistic Devices and Thematic Motifs seem to differ between these directors but the overall functions of style and theme seem to remain constant in Art Cinema. Art Cinema is the exact opposite of the classical narrative cinema and it avoids the cause and effect linkage of events throughout a film. The characteristics of Art Cinema are easy to follow; it gives a realistic setting since most of these films are shot on location without the use of “sets”. Things may occur in the film for no apparent reason and it may never be explained at all in the film. Most of all Art Cinema uses psychologically complex characters that don’t seem to have clear traits or objectives. Some characters just question their objectives and at times they may even be alienated. Every film in this era can be analyzed in a different way; some you should look at literally and some you should think deeply about. In Persona it seems to be easy enough to analyze by taking what is being shown to you literally. This film seems to contain complex and somewhat alienated characters, realistic settings, some random