Cinema And Its Discontents: The Dialectical Nature Of Character

The ultimate aim of drama is to expose the soul of Character. Dramatists achieve this objective by employing a specific type of conflict known as dialectic, a concept woven throughout Western thinking and--from Homer to 21st century cinema--the basis of all dramatic characters. This study details the history of dialectical thought from Plato to Jung before turning its focus to the development of character in a century of filmmaking. From Chaplin's Tramp to Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle, it examines more than two dozen cinematic characters governed by dialectic--torn between life and death, opposing desires, moralities and wills, their sense of self threatened by others.

• | Author: Zachariah Rush
• | Publisher: Mcfarland
• | Publication Date: May 12, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 212 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback/Performing Arts
• | ISBN-10: 0786475382
• | ISBN-13: 9780786475384