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science fiction

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:38:39 +0100

Science fiction film

Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that aren't necessarily accepted by mainstream science. such as extra-terrestrial life forms, alien worlds, esp, and time travel, often along with futuristic elements such as spacecraft, robots, or other technologies. Science fiction films have often been used to focus on political or social issues, and to explore philosophical issues like the human condition. In many cases, tropes derived from written science fiction may be used by filmmakers ignorant of or at best indifferent to the standards of scientific plausibility and plot logic to which written science fiction is traditionally held.

The genre has existed since the early years of silent cinema, when Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon (1902) amazed audiences with its trick photography effects. The next major example in the genre was the 1927 film Metropolis. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the genre consisted mainly of low-budget B-movies. After Stanley Kubrick's 1968 landmark 2001: A Space Odyssey, the science fiction film genre was taken more seriously. In the late 1970s, big-budget science fiction films filled with special effects became popular with audiences and paved the way for the blockbuster hits of subsequent decades

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Definition

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Defining precisely which films belong to the science fiction genre is often difficult, as there is no universally accepted definition of the genre, or in fact its underlying genre in literature. According to one definition:

Science fiction film is a film genre which emphasizes actual, extrapolative, or speculative science and the empirical method, interacting in a social context with the lesser emphasized, but still present, transcendentalism of magic and religion, in an attempt to reconcile man with the unknown (Sobchack 63).

This definition assumes that a continuum exists between (real-world) empiricism and (supernatural) transcendentalism, with science fiction film on the side of empiricism, and horror film and fantasy film on the side of transcendentalism. However, there are numerous well-known examples of science fiction horror films, epitomized by such pictures as Frankenstein and Alien.

The visual style of science fiction film can be characterized by a clash between alien and familiar images. This clash is implemented when alien images become familiar, as in A Clockwork Orange, when the repetitions of the Korova Milkbar make the alien decor seem more familiar.^[1] As well, familiar images become alien, as in the films Repo Man and Liquid Sky.^[2] For example, in Dr. Strangelove, the distortion of the humans make the familiar images seem more alien.^[3] Finally, alien and familiar images are juxtaposed, as in The Deadly Mantis, when a giant praying mantis is shown climbing the Washington Monument.

Cultural theorist Scott Bukatman has proposed that science fiction film allows contemporary culture to witness an expression of the sublime, be it through exaggerated scale, apocalypse or transcendence.

History

Main article: History of science fiction films

1900–1920s

Science fiction films appeared early in the silent film era, typically as short films shot in black and white, sometimes with colour tinting. They usually had a technological theme and were often intended to be humorous. In 1902, Georges Méliès released Le Voyage dans la Lune, often considered the first sci fi movie and a film that used early trick photography effects to depict a spacecraft’s journey to the moon. Several films merged the science-fiction and horror genres, such as Frankenstein (1910), a film adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912). A longer science fiction film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916), was based on Jules Verne’s novel. In the 1920s, European filmmakers tended to use science fiction films for prediction and social commentary, as can be seen in German films such as Metropolis (1927) and Frau im Mond (1929).

1930s–1950s

In the 1930s, there were several big budget science fiction films, notably Just Imagine (the first feature length science fiction film by a US studio), the US-made films King Kong (1933) and Lost Horizon (1936) and the British-made Things to Come (1936). Starting in 1934, a number of science fiction comic strips were adapted as serials, notably Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, both starring Buster Crabbe. These serials, and the comic strips they were based on, helped fix in the mind of the US public the idea that science fiction was juvenile and absurd, and led to the common description of science fiction as "that crazy Buck Rogers stuff". After 1936, no more big budget science fiction films were produced until 1950's Destination Moon, the first color film.

During the 1950s, the science fiction film became a popular genre with American audiences, leading to an increase in film production.^[4] Public interest in space travel and new technologies revived. While many 1950s science-fiction films were still low-budget B movies, there were several successful films with larger budgets and impressive special effects. Some of the many B movies are also still of interest today. There was a close connection between many films in the science fiction genre and the monster movie, in, for example, Them!, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, and The Blob.

Ray Harryhausen began to use stop-motion animation to create special effects for films.

1960s

There were relatively few science fiction films in the 1960s, but some of the films transformed science fiction cinema. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) brought new realism to the genre, with its groundbreaking visual effects and realistic portrayal of space travel and influenced the genre with its epic story and transcendent philosophical scope. Other 1960s films included Planet of the Apes (1968) and Fahrenheit 451 (1966), which provided social commentary, and the campy Barbarella (1968), which explored the sillier side of earlier science fiction. Jean-Luc Godard's French "new wave" film Alphaville (1965) posited a futuristic Paris commanded by an artificial intelligence which has outlawed all emotion.

Another influential science fiction film of the 1960s, though it was never produced, was Satyajit Ray's The Alien, a story about a boy in Bengal befriending an alien. After production of the film was cancelled, the script became available throughout America in mimeographed copies, and may have served as inspiration for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).^[5]^[6]

1970s-1990

The era of manned trips to the moon in the 1970s saw a resurgence of interest in the science fiction film. Andrei Tarkovsky’s slow-paced Solaris (1972) had visuals and a philosophic scope reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Science fiction films from the early 1970s explored the theme of paranoia, in which humanity is depicted as under threat from ecological or technological adversaries of its own creation, such as Silent Running (ecology), Westworld (man vs. robot), THX 1138 (man vs. the state), and Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (threat of brainwashing). Conspiracy thriller films of the 1970s included Soylent Green and Futureworld. The science fiction comedies of the 1970s included Woody Allen's Sleeper and John Carpenter's Dark Star.

Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, both released in 1977 , were box-office hits that brought about a huge increase in science fiction films. In 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture brought the television series to the big screen for the first time. It was also in this period that The Walt Disney Company released many science fiction films for family audiences such as The Island at the Top of the World, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Black Hole, Flight of the Navigator, and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. Ridley Scott's films, such as Alien and Blade Runner, along with James Cameron's The Terminator, presented the future as dark, dirty and chaotic, and depicted aliens and androids as hostile and dangerous. In contrast, Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, one of the most successful films of the 1980s, presented aliens as benign and friendly.

The big budget adaptations of Frank Herbert's Dune, Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon and Arthur C. Clarke's sequel to 2001, 2010, were box office duds that dissuaded producers from investing in science fiction literary properties. Disney's Tron turned out to be a moderate success. The strongest contributors to the genre during the second half of the 1980s were James Cameron and Paul Verhoeven with The Terminator and RoboCop entries. Robert Zemeckis' 1985 film Back to the Future and its sequels were critically praised and became box office successes, let alone international phenemenons. James Cameron's 1986 sequel to Alien, Aliens, was very different to the original film, falling more into the action/sci-fi genre, it was both a critical and commercial success and Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards. The Japanese anime film Akira (1988) also had a big influence outside Japan when released.

1990s–2000s

In the 1990s, the emergence of the world wide web and the cyberpunk genre spawned several movies on the theme of the computer-human interface, such as Total Recall (1990), The Lawnmower Man (1992), and The Matrix (1999). Other themes included disaster movies (e.g., Armageddon and Deep Impact both from 1998), alien invasion (e.g., Independence Day from 1996) and genetic experimentation (e.g., Jurassic Park from 1993 and Gattaca from 1997).

As the decade progressed, computers played an increasingly important role in both the addition of special effects (thanks to Terminator 2:Judgment Day, and Jurassic Park) and the production of films. As software developed in sophistication it was used to produce more complicated effects. It also enabled filmmakers to enhance the visual quality of animation, resulting in films such as Ghost in the Shell (1995) from Japan, and The Iron Giant (1999) from the US.

During the first decade of the 2000s, superhero films abounded, as did earthbound SF such as the Matrix trilogy. In 2005, the Star Wars sextet was completed with the darkly-themed Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Science-fiction also returned as a tool for political commentary in films such as A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, Sunshine, and Children of Men. J.J. Abrams's "Star Trek", released in 2009, would be an example of a critically acclaimed sci-fi film.

Themes, imagery, and visual elements

Science fiction films are often speculative in nature, and often include key supporting elements of science and technology. However, as often as not the "science" in a Hollywood science fiction movie can be considered pseudo-science, relying primarily on atmosphere and quasi-scientific artistic fancy than facts and conventional scientific theory. The definition can also vary depending on the viewpoint of the observer.^{[citation needed]}

Many science fiction films include elements of mysticism, occult, magic, or the supernatural, considered by some to be more properly elements of fantasy or the occult (or religious) film.^{[citation needed]} This transforms the movie genre into a science fantasy with a religious or quasi-religious philosophy serving as the driving motivation. The movie Forbidden Planet employs many common science fiction elements, but the film carries a profound message - that the evolution of a species toward technological perfection (in this case exemplified by the disappeared alien civilization called the "Krell") does not ensure the loss of primitive and dangerous urges.^{[citation needed]} In the film this part of the primitive mind manifests itself as monstrous destructive force emanating from the freudian subconscious, or "Id".

Some films blur the line between the genres, such as movies where the protagonist gains the extraordinary powers of the superhero. These films usually employ a quasi-plausible reason for the hero gaining these powers.^{[citation needed]}

Not all science fiction themes are equally suitable for movies. In addition to science fiction horror, space opera is most common.^{[citation needed]} Often enough, these films could just as well pass as westerns or World War II movies if the science fiction props were removed.^{[citation needed]} Common motifs also include voyages and expeditions to other planets, and dystopias, while utopias are rare.^{[citation needed]}

Imagery

Film theorist Vivian Sobchack argues that science fiction films differ from fantasy films in that while science fiction film seeks to achieve our belief in the images we are viewing, fantasy film instead attempts to suspend our disbelief. The science fiction film displays the unfamiliar and alien in the context of the familiar. Despite the alien nature of the scenes and science fictional elements of the setting, the imagery of the film is related back to mankind and how we relate to our surroundings. While the sf film strives to push the boundaries of the human experience, they remain bound to the conditions and understanding of the audience and thereby contain prosaic aspects, rather than being completely alien or abstract.^{[citation needed]}

Genre films such as westerns or war movies are bound to a particular area or time period. This is not true of the science fiction film. However there are several common visual elements that are evocative of the genre. These include the spacecraft or space station, alien worlds or creatures, robots, and futuristic gadgets. More subtle visual clues can appear with changes the human form through modifications in appearance, size, or behavior, or by means a known environment turned eerily alien, such as an empty city.^{[citation needed]}

Scientific elements

Peter Sellers as the title character from Dr. Strangelove, a darkly comic example of the "mad scientist" stock character type^{[citation needed]}

While science is a major element of this genre, many movie studios take significant liberties with what is considered conventional scientific knowledge. Such liberties can be most readily observed in films that show spacecraft maneuvering in outer space. The vacuum should preclude the transmission of sound or maneuvers employing wings, yet the sound track is filled with inappropriate flying noises and changes in flight path resembling an aircraft banking. The film makers assume that the audience will be unfamiliar with the specifics of space travel, and focus is instead placed on providing acoustical atmosphere and the more familiar maneuvers of the aircraft.

Similar instances of ignoring science in favor of art can be seen when movies present environmental effects. Entire planets are destroyed in titanic explosions requiring mere seconds, whereas an actual event of this nature would likely take many hours.

The role of the scientist has varied considerably in the science fiction film genre, depending on the public perception of science and advanced technology.^{[citation needed]} Starting with Dr. Frankenstein, the mad scientist became a stock character who posed a dire threat to society and perhaps even civilization. Certain portrayals of the "mad scientist", such as Peter Sellers's performance in Dr. Strangelove, have become iconic to the genre.^{[citation needed]} In the monster movies of the 1950s, the scientist often played a heroic role as the only person who could provide a technological fix for some impending doom. Reflecting the distrust of government that began in the 1960s in the U.S., the brilliant but rebellious scientist became a common theme, often serving a Cassandra-like role during an impending disaster.

Alien life forms

Main article: Extraterrestrial life in popular culture

The concept of life, particularly intelligent life, having an extraterrestrial origin is a popular staple of science fiction films. Early films often used alien life forms as a threat or peril to the human race, where the invaders were frequently fictional representations of actual military or political threats on Earth. Later some aliens were represented as benign and even beneficial in nature in such films as Escape to Witch Mountain, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, "Koi Mil Gaya", and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Aliens in contemporary films are still often depicted as hostile, however, such as those in the Alien series of films.

In order to provide subject matter to which audiences can relate, the large majority of intelligent alien races presented in films have an anthropomorphic nature, possessing human emotions and motivations. Often they will embody a particular human stereotype, such as the barbaric warriors, scientific intellectuals, or priests and clerics.^{[citation needed]} They will frequently appear to be nearly human in physical appearance, and communicate in a common Earth tongue, with little trace of an accent. Very few films have tried to represent intelligent aliens as something utterly different from human kind (e.g. Solaris).^{[citation needed]}

Disaster films

Main article: Disaster film

A frequent theme among science fiction films is that of impending or actual disaster on an epic scale. These often address a particular concern of the writer by serving as a vehicle of warning against a type of activity, including technological research. In the case of alien invasion films, the creatures can provide as a stand-in for a feared foreign power.

Disaster films typically fall into the following general categories:^{[citation needed]}

Alien invasion — hostile extraterrestrials arrive and seek to supplant humanity. They are either overwhelmingly powerful or very insidious. Typical examples include The War of the Worlds (1953 film) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 film).
Environmental disaster — such as major climate change, or an asteroid or comet strike. Movies that have employed this theme include Soylent Green (1973) and Waterworld (1995).
Man supplanted by technology — typically in the form of an all-powerful computer, advanced robots or cyborgs, or else genetically-modified humans or animals. Among the films in this category are The Terminator (1984) and The Matrix (1999).
Nuclear war — usually in the form of a dystopic, post-holocaust tale of grim survival. Examples of such a storyline can be found in the movies Dr. Strangelove (1964), Planet of the Apes (1968), A Boy and His Dog (1975) and Mad Max (1979).
Pandemic — a highly lethal disease, often one created by man, threatens or wipes out most of humanity in a massive plague. This topic has been treated in such films as The Andromeda Strain (1971), The Omega Man (1971), and Twelve Monkeys (1995).

Monster films

Main article: Monster movie

While monster films do not usually depict danger on a global or epic scale, science fiction film also has a long tradition of movies featuring monster attacks. These differ from similar films in the horror or fantasy genres because science fiction films typically rely on a scientific (or at least pseudo-scientific) rationale for the monster's existence, rather than a supernatural or magical reason. Often, the science fiction film monster is created, awakened, or "evolves" because of the machinations of a mad scientist, a nuclear accident, or a scientific experiment gone awry. Typical examples include The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), the Godzilla series of films.

Mind and identity

The core mental aspects of what makes us human has been a staple of science fiction films, particularly since the 1980s. Blade Runner examined what made an organic-creation a human, while the RoboCop series saw an android mechanism fitted with the brain and reprogrammed mind of a human to create a cyborg. The idea of brain transfer was not entirely new to science fiction film, as the concept of the "mad scientist" transferring the human mind to another body is as old as Frankenstein.

Films such as Total Recall have popularized a thread of films that explore the concept of reprogramming the human mind. The theme of brainwashing in several films of the sixties and seventies including A Clockwork Orange and The Manchurian Candidate coincided with secret real-life government experimentation during Project MKULTRA. Voluntary erasure of memory is further explored as themes of the films Paycheck and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The anime series Serial Experiments Lain also explores the idea of reprogrammable reality and memory.

The idea that a human could be entirely represented as a program in a computer was a core element of the film Tron. This would be further explored in the film version of The Lawnmower Man, and the idea reversed in Virtuosity as computer programs sought to become real persons. In the Matrix series, the virtual reality world became a real world prison for humanity, managed by intelligent machines. In eXistenZ, the nature of reality and virtual reality become intermixed with no clear distinguishing boundary.

Robots

Robots have been a part of science fiction since the Czech playwright Karel Čapek coined the word in 1921. In early films, robots were usually played by a human actor in a boxy metal suit, as in The Phantom Empire, although the female robot in Metropolis is an exception. The first depiction of a sophisticated robot in a US film was in The Day the Earth Stood Still. Over the last several decades, robots in films have been depicted as having increasingly advanced capabilities, including artificial intelligence.^{[citation needed]} In films, robots are often depicted as humanoid-looking machines that walk stiffly and speak with a flat affect.^{[citation needed]}

Robots in films are often sentient and sometimes sentimental, and they have filled a range of roles in science fiction films. Robots have been supporting characters, such as Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet, sidekicks (e.g., C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars), and extras, visible in the background to create a futuristic setting. As well, robots have been formidable movie villains or monsters (e.g., the robot Box in the 1976 film Logan's Run. In some cases, robots have even been the leading characters in science fiction films; in the 1982 film Blade Runner, many of the characters are bioengineered android "replicants".

One popular theme in science fiction film is whether robots will someday replace humans, a question raised in the film adaptation of Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, or whether intelligent robots could develop a conscience and a motivation to take over or destroy the human race (as depicted in The Terminator).

Time travel

Main article: Time travel in fiction

The concept of time travel—travelling backwards and forwards through time—has always been a popular staple of science fiction film and science fiction television series. Time travel usually involves the use of some type of advanced technology, such as H. G. Wells' cla

neo-romanticism

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:33:57 +0100

Neo-romanticism

Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal one of the points of reference for Neo-Romantic architecture

The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in music, painting and architecture. It has been used with reference to very late 19th century and early 20th century composers such as Gustav Mahler particularly by Dalhaus who uses it as synonymous with late Romanticism. It has been applied to contemporary composers who rejected or abandoned the use of the devices of avant-garde modernism.

Late 19th century and early 20th century

It is considered in opposition to naturalism. The naturalist in art stresses external observation, whereas the neo-romantic adds feeling and internal observation. These artists tend to draw their inspiration from artists of the age of high romanticism, and from the sense of place they perceive in historic rural landscapes; and in this they react in general to the 'ugly' modern world of machines, new cities, and profit. Characteristic themes include longing for perfect love, utopian landscapes, nature reclaiming ruins, romantic death, and history-in-landscape. Neo-romanticism is often accused by critics of being too insular, too interested in figurative painting and beauty, too fond of intuition, too distrustful of ideological & theoretical ways of comprehending art, and too in love with the past and the idealised / spiritual / haunted landscape. A more persuasive criticism is that neo-romanticism lacks an adequate conception of evil in the modern world.

Neo-romanticism tended to shed somewhat the emphasis of Romanticism on 'the hero' and romantic nationalism. This was particularly so in the decades after both of the world wars.

In Britain

1880-to-1910

Neo-romanticism emerged strongly in the period from about 1880 to about 1910, in Britain.

See:

Lewis Carroll
John Ruskin
Edward Elgar
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Vaughan Williams
The Aesthetic movement and the Arts & Crafts Movement
William Morris
Symbolism
W.B. Yeats
Rudyard Kipling
A.E. Housman
Tadeusz Miciński
Antoni Lange
Neo-gothic architecture
Some modes of pictorialism in photography.

1930-1955

In the 1920s, artists such as F. L. Griggs had begun to re-evaluate and re-discover the works of their Romantic forebears; from the visionary work of Samuel Palmer and William Blake via high Romanticism, to the neo-romanticism that flowered between 1880 and 1910. This led to a further re-flowering - in the Depression and war years between 1930 and 1955 - and this can be seen in the work of: artists such as John Piper; John Tunnard, David Jones; Graham Sutherland; John Craxton; John Minton; Stanley Spencer; Eric Ravilious; Robin Tanner; Bettina Shaw-Lawrence; writers such as John Cowper Powys; J. R. R. Tolkien; Mervyn Peake; C. S. Lewis; Arthur Machen; T. H. White; Dylan Thomas; Geoffrey Grigson; and Herbert Read; film-makers such as Humphrey Jennings; Powell and Pressburger (e.g.: A Canterbury Tale, 1944 and Gone to Earth, 1950); and photographers such as Edwin Smith; Roger Mayne; and John Deakin. Many working in this vein benefited from efforts to record the English home front during World War II, proving able to provide a timely and useful romantic vision of the national heritage at a time of war.

1955-1975

Neo-romanticism suffered neglect in the art world, when the strong waves of state-sponsored abstract expressionism and Warhol-ian pop art swept in from the USA from the 1950s to the 1970s.^{[citation needed]} But as major ecological awareness and 'back to the land' movements began in the mid to late 1970s; then the work of the neo-romantics began to be, once again, re-discovered and re-evaluated, often through the work of magazines such as Resurgence. Before this it survived most strongly in British poetry, for example in the growing posthumous reputation of Dylan Thomas, in the work of Vernon Watkins, Laurie Lee, and the celebratory poems of Ted Hughes. One can also see neo-romanticism emerging in the serious science fiction and fantasy writing of the period. Benjamin Britten might be noted in this period; given his strong attraction to supernatural themes, folk music and the use of 'the innocent boy' as a motif.

1975-present

Neo-romanticism continues, to this day, as a viable current in the English underground: notable artists being Alan Reynolds, Graham Ovenden and the Ruralists; Christopher Bucklow; Robert Lenkiewicz; Andrew Logan; Christopher Boyd; and Ian Hamilton Finlay; photographers as Simon Marsden; the writers Angela Carter; Russell Hoban; Ted Hughes; Pauline Stainer; and Peter Ackroyd. It is also strongly present in the early super-8 and later personal films of Derek Jarman (e.g. The Garden, The Angelic Conversation). In serious popular music, one might cite Virginia Astley (From Gardens Where We Feel Secure); Shriekback (Big Night Music and subsequent albums up to 2007's Glory Bumps); John Foxx (Systems of Romance and The Garden); and some have seen the early eccentric songs of Brian Eno (such as "Julie With…" and "St Elmo's Fire"), and even his later sound-scapes, as neo-romantic in nature. A group of British synthpop bands including Japan, Visage, Spandau Ballet are often credited with starting the so-called "New Romantic" movement as an offshoot of New Wave.

Neo-romanticism can be noted also as a strong current in British children's literature of the 1970s and 80s (e.g.: Alan Garner). It is also a current in post-1945 British photography - Fay Godwin; James Ravilious; Raymond Moore and Andy Goldsworthy being a few notable names.

In Estonia

In Europe

Knut Hamsun (Norway)
Symbolism (pan-European)
Odysseus Elytis (Greece)
Bernard Faucon (France)
Balthus (France/Switzerland)
Sigurdur Nordal (Iceland)
Vicente Aleixandre (Spain)
Anton Bruckner (Austria)
Dragotin Kette (Slovenia)
Wandervogel (Germany)
Modernisme (Catalonia)

The aesthetic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer has contributed greatly to neo-romantic thinking, especially in Europe.

In Russia & Eastern Europe

In the USA

Imagists
Maxfield Parrish
Allen Ginsberg and the beat poets
Minor White's photography
Joseph Cornell
James Cameron's Titanic
John Crowley (the novel Little, Big)
Guy Davenport's Fourier-ist short stories
Justine Kurland's photography
Jim Morrison

Much of the primarily U.S. sculptural art movement called earth art or environment art - from large-scale earth-moving to ephemeral works made from leaves & moss - echoes the neo-romantic call to re-enchant the landscape.

In popular culture

Main article: New Romantic

A Gothic-tinged variety of neo-romanticism abounds in modern popular culture, often aimed at youths. A focal point of that phenomenon is in England and Germany. Some of the examples would be: fantasy Role playing games (e.g.: Dungeons & Dragons); 1970s progressive rock (e.g.: Marc Bolan), Gothic metal (e.g.: Sirenia) and contemporary heavy rock (e.g.: DragonForce). Within the goth subculture, bands such as Deine Lakaien or Dead Can Dance and in addition visual artists as Viona Ielegems or Gerald Brom.

fantasy art

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:30:36 +0100

Fantasy art

Fantasy
Fantasy media Fantastic art Fantasy anime Fantasy art Fantasy artists Fantasy authors Fantasy comics Fantasy fiction magazine Fantasy films Fantasy literature Fantasy television Fantasy webcomics Genre studies History of fantasy Sources of fantasy Fantasy subgenres Fantastic Fantastique Fantasy tropes and conventions Quests Magic items Fantasy races Fantasy worlds Legendary creatures Lovecraftianism Magician Magic Religious themes Tolkienology Categories Fantasy Fantasy awards Fantasy subgenres Fantasy television Fantasy tropes This box: view • talk • edit

Fantasy Art by Boris Vallejo

Fantasy Art by George Grie

Fantasy Art by Heinz Zander

Fantasy art is a genre of art that depicts magical or other supernatural themes, ideas, creatures or settings. While there is some overlap with science fiction, horror and other speculative fiction art, there are unique elements not generally found in other forms of speculative fiction art. Depictions of ancient myths and legends, as well as depictions of modern day fantasy in the form of divine interventions and other magical or supernatural forces, are very common elements, and help distinguish fantasy art from other forms. Dragons, wizards, fairies and other fantastical and mythical creatures are common features in fantasy art.

Fantasy art is strongly linked to fantasy fiction. Indeed fantasy art pieces are often intended to represent specific characters or scenes from works of fantasy literature. Such works created by amateur artists may be called fanart.

There is a large subculture based around the creation of amateur fantasy art. This is largely centred around websites such as Elfwood. Such sites are noticeably less male-dominated than some other pursuits related to the fantasy genre.

Fantasy art should not be confused with the fantastic art genre, which can contain fantastical elements that are not always considered "fantasy" per se.

Fantasy Art and High Culture

Despite the technical skill of many of its practitioners, and despite (or arguably because of) its popularity, Fantasy art is not considered part of the canon, or fine art, in the sense that it is not hung in galleries, subsidised by governments, studied in art schools etc.

A few works which are canonical, particularly surrealist or pre-Raphaelite works, have many characteristics in common with fantasy art. For example The Castle in the Pyrenees by Rene Magritte, and The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse, would almost certainly be accepted as fantasy art if they had been created recently by an artist who presented them as such. As with much fantasy art, the latter illustrates a scene from another work. Other modern fantasy artists use the Art Nouveau Movement and other high culture art movements with the contention that fantasy or faerie art should be critically evaluated and noticed by academic institutions. Finucane defines his art stylistics as "Neo-Medieval", rather than using the escapist terminology of "fantasy art" to define his work. Historical standards of what is high art or what is not high art was a common problem for now famous artists like the Glasgow School, who were also defined as inferior artists in their time.

Nonetheless these works are accorded the status of fine art^{[citation needed]}, and not considered to be connected to fantasy art.

neosurrealism

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:29:04 +0100

Neosurrealism

Digital Art, George Grie

Neosurrealism or Neo-Surrealism is an artistic genre that illustrates the complex imagery of dream or subconscious visions in irrational space and form combinations.
The term has been given to the reappearance of the surrealism movement in the late 1970s. Initially, the movement focused on relating surrealism with pop-art, but lately modern artists have been exploring extra directions similar to fantastic, visionary, and fantasy art within the present genre. Neosurrealism is sometimes called "modern surrealism" due to a noticeable visual resemblance of these two genres. However, the main distinction between them is that Neosurrealism does not imply the original surrealist idea of a freedom from rational control or psychic automatism declared by André Breton, in his “Manifeste du surréalisme” (Surrealist Manifesto).

Neosurrealism in arts & media

Movement

Any art movement is defined as a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time. This definition may be applied to Neosurrealism but it does not have a particular founder or group. The movement is still not clearly defined, but it develops rapidly adding more professional and amateur art enthusiasts every day. As it was suggested above, the field of neosurrealism is a highly intricate and fiercely contested one, and there is no universal consensus on precisely what constitutes neosurrealism. The name itself remains very unstable, shifting in meaning according to who uses it, when, where, and in what context. Whether or not this merely multiplies problems of definition is a debatable point, but it certainly reflects the dynamically conflicted, constantly developing, and heterogeneous nature of the movement itself. Neosurrealism and Realism in art are visual dramas diametrically opposite in intent. Neosurrealism expresses interior poetic states of being, envisaged in irrational space and form. Realism, illuminated by objectivity and directed by rational representation, appeals to recognizable truth.

Visual arts

Neosurrealism is a combined imagery of dreams, fantasies, and subconscious mind visions in fine art painting, digital art graphic, and photography. In the mid 1980s, modern computer technologies brought a large amount of additional depicting power to contemporary artists not possible by hand. The arrival of desktop publishing and the introduction of software applications introduced a generation of artists to computer image manipulation and 3D image creation that had previously been unachievable. There are thousands of artists, digital and traditional fine art media, who create neo-surrealistic, surreal fantasy, and fantasy realism artworks comparable to Neosurrealism.

Artists associated with modern surrealism include:

Neosurrealism artists

Internet

Neosurrealism is a philosophical, conceptual, artistic movement that acts as a revival of surrealist thought in relation to the new culture of the Internet. The Internet is seen by some^{[weasel words]} as a connection to, (or even the fabric of), a global subconscious mind which promotes unintentional juxtapositions of words and phrases while also imposing a new mental block that neo-surrealists are overcoming with internet automatism.^{[citation needed]}

The movement has been taking place at universities in Florida between philosophy, psychology, and art departments^{[citation needed]}. It is still in its early stages of growth and many people are becoming involved in dialogs about the future of the movement. It can also include a culture of revival, this is where people go back in time and use the style of art in the modern world today. (For example, the art Deco)

Reality hacking

References

Ffrench, Patrick (1997). "Tel Quel' and Surrealism: A Re-evaluation. Has the Avant-Garde Become a Theory?". The Romanic Review 88.
Rabate, Jean-Michel (2002). "Michael Riffaterre and the Unfinished Project of Structuralism". The Romanic Review 93.

memory

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:25:58 +0100

Memory

Neuropsychology

Topics[show]

Brain functions [show]

Tests [show]

Mind and Brain Portal

In psychology, memory is an organism's mental ability to store, retain, and recall information. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing the memory. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century put memory within the paradigms of cognitive psychology. In recent decades, it has become one of the principal pillars of a branch of science called cognitive neuroscience, an interdisciplinary link between cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Processes

From an information processing perspective there are three main stages in the formation and retrieval of memory:

Encoding or registration (receiving, processing and combining of received information)
Storage (creation of a permanent record of the encoded information)
Retrieval, recall or recollection (calling back the stored information in response to some cue for use in a process or activity)

Sensory memory

Main article: sensory memory

Sensory memory corresponds approximately to the initial 200 - 500 milliseconds after an item is perceived. The ability to look at an item, and remember what it looked like with just a second of observation, or memorization, is an example of sensory memory. With very short presentations, participants often report that they seem to "see" more than they can actually report. The first experiments exploring this form of sensory memory were conducted by George Sperling (1960) using the "partial report paradigm." Subjects were presented with a grid of 12 letters, arranged into three rows of 4. After a brief presentation, subjects were then played either a high, medium or low tone, cuing them which of the rows to report. Based on these partial report experiments, Sperling was able to show that the capacity of sensory memory was approximately 12 items, but that it degraded very quickly (within a few hundred milliseconds). Because this form of memory degrades so quickly, participants would see the display, but be unable to report all of the items (12 in the "whole report" procedure) before they decayed. This type of memory cannot be prolonged via rehearsal.

Short-term

Main article: short-term memory

Short-term memory allows recall for a period of several seconds to a minute without rehearsal. Its capacity is also very limited: George A. Miller (1956), when working at Bell Laboratories, conducted experiments showing that the store of short term memory was 7±2 items (the title of his famous paper, "The magical number 7±2"). Modern estimates of the capacity of short-term memory are lower, typically on the order of 4-5 items, and we know that memory capacity can be increased through a process called chunking. For example, if presented with the string people are able to remember only a few items. However, if the same information is presented in the following way people can remember a great deal more letters. This is because they are able to chunk the information into meaningful groups of letters. Beyond finding meaning in the abbreviations above, Herbert Simon showed that the ideal size for chunking letters and numbers, meaningful or not, was three. This may be reflected in some countries in the tendency to remember phone numbers as several chunks of three numbers with the final four-number groups generally broken down into two groups of two.

Short-term memory is believed to rely mostly on an acoustic code for storing information, and to a lesser extent a visual code. Conrad (1964)^[1] found that test subjects had more difficulty recalling collections of words that were acoustically similar (e.g. dog, hog, fog, bog, log).

However, some individuals have been reported to be able to remember large amounts of information, quickly, and be able to recall that information in seconds.

Long-term

Olin Levi Warner, Memory (1896). Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.

Main article: long-term memory

The storage in sensory memory and short-term memory generally have a strictly limited capacity and duration, which means that information is available only for a certain period of time, but is not retained indefinitely. By contrast, long-term memory can store much larger quantities of information for potentially unlimited duration (sometimes a whole life span). The capacity can also approach infinity (unlimited). For example, given a random seven-digit number, we may remember it for only a few seconds before forgetting, suggesting it was stored in our short-term memory. On the other hand, we can remember telephone numbers for many years through repetition; this information is said to be stored in long-term memory. While short-term memory encodes information acoustically, long-term memory encodes it semantically^{[citation needed]}: Baddeley (1966)^[2] discovered that after 20 minutes, test subjects had the most difficulty recalling a collection of words that had similar meanings (e.g. big, large, great, huge).

Short-term memory is supported by transient patterns of neuronal communication, dependent on regions of the frontal lobe (especially dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and the parietal lobe. Long-term memories, on the other hand, are maintained by more stable and permanent changes in neural connections widely spread throughout the brain. The hippocampus is essential (for learning new information) to the consolidation of information from short-term to long-term memory, although it does not seem to store information itself. Without the hippocampus, new memories are unable to be stored into long-term memory, and there will be a very short attention span. Furthermore, it may be involved in changing neural connections for a period of three months or more after the initial learning. One of the primary functions of sleep is improving consolidation of information, as it can be shown that memory depends on getting sufficient sleep between training and test, and that the hippocampus replays activity from the current day while sleeping.

Models

Models of memory provide abstract representations of how memory is believed to work. Below are several models proposed over the years by various psychologists. Note that there is some controversy as to whether there are several memory structures, for example, Tarnow (2005) finds that it is likely that there is only one memory structure between 6 and 600 seconds.

Atkinson-Shiffrin model

Working memory

The working memory model.

Main article: working memory

In 1974 Baddeley and Hitch proposed a working memory model which replaced the concept of general short term memory with specific, active components. In this model, working memory consists of three basic stores: the central executive, the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad. In 2000 this model was expanded with the multimodal episodic buffer.^[4]

The central executive essentially acts as attention. It channels information to the three component processes: the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad, and the episodic buffer.

The phonological loop stores auditory information by silently rehearsing sounds or words in a continuous loop: the articulatory process (for example the repetition of a phone number over and over again). Then, a short list of data is easier to remember.

The visuospatial sketchpad stores visual and spatial information. It is engaged when performing spatial tasks (such as judging distances) or visual ones (such as counting the windows on a house or imagining images).

The episodic buffer is dedicated to linking information across domains to form integrated units of visual, spatial, and verbal information and chronological ordering (e.g., the memory of a story or a movie scene). The episodic buffer is also assumed to have links to long-term memory and semantical meaning.

The working memory model explains many practical observations, such as why it is easier to do two different tasks (one verbal and one visual) than two similar tasks (e.g., two visual), and the aforementioned word-length effect. However, the concept of a central executive as noted here has been criticized as inadequate and vague.^{[citation needed]}

Levels of processing

Main article: Levels-of-processing effect

Craik and Lockhart (1972) proposed that it is the method and depth of processing that affects how an experience is stored in memory, rather than rehearsal.

Organization - Mandler (1967) gave participants a pack of word cards and asked them to sort them into any number of piles using any system of categorization they liked. When they were later asked to recall as many of the words as they could, those who used more categories remembered more words. This study suggested that the act of organizing information makes it more memorable.
Distinctiveness - Eysenck and Eysenck (1980) asked participants to say words in a distinctive way, e.g. spell the words out loud. Such participants recalled the words better than those who simply read them off a list.
Effort - Tyler et al. (1979) had participants solve a series of anagrams, some easy (FAHTER) and some difficult (HREFAT). The participants recalled the difficult anagrams better, presumably because they put more effort into them.
Elaboration - Palmere et al. (1983) gave participants descriptive paragraphs of a fictitious African nation. There were some short paragraphs and some with extra sentences elaborating the main idea. Recall was higher for the ideas in the elaborated paragraphs.

Classification by information type

Anderson (1976)^[5] divides long-term memory into declarative (explicit) and procedural (implicit) memories.

Declarative memory requires conscious recall, in that some conscious process must call back the information. It is sometimes called explicit memory, since it consists of information that is explicitly stored and retrieved.

Declarative memory can be further sub-divided into semantic memory, which concerns facts taken independent of context; and episodic memory, which concerns information specific to a particular context, such as a time and place. Semantic memory allows the encoding of abstract knowledge about the world, such as "Paris is the capital of France". Episodic memory, on the other hand, is used for more personal memories, such as the sensations, emotions, and personal associations of a particular place or time. Autobiographical memory - memory for particular events within one's own life - is generally viewed as either equivalent to, or a subset of, episodic memory. Visual memory is part of memory preserving some characteristics of our senses pertaining to visual experience. One is able to place in memory information that resembles objects, places, animals or people in sort of a mental image. Visual memory can result in priming and it is assumed some kind of perceptual representational system underlies this phenomenon. [2]

In contrast, procedural memory (or implicit memory) is not based on the conscious recall of information, but on implicit learning. Procedural memory is primarily employed in learning motor skills and should be considered a subset of implicit memory. It is revealed when one does better in a given task due only to repetition - no new explicit memories have been formed, but one is unconsciously accessing aspects of those previous experiences. Procedural memory involved in motor learning depends on the cerebellum and basal ganglia.

Topographic memory is the ability to orient oneself in space, to recognize and follow an itinerary, or to recognize familiar places.^[6] Getting lost when traveling alone is an example of the failure of topographic memory. This is often reported among elderly patients who are evaluated for dementia. The disorder could be caused by multiple impairments, including difficulties with perception, orientation, and memory.^[7]

A further major way to distinguish different memory functions is whether the content to be remembered is in the past, retrospective memory, or whether the content is to be remembered in the future, prospective memory. Thus, retrospective memory as a category includes semantic, episodic and autobiographical memory. In contrast, prospective memory is memory for future intentions, or remembering to remember (Winograd, 1988). Prospective memory can be further broken down into event- and time-based prospective remembering. Time-based prospective memories are triggered by a time-cue, such as going to the doctor (action) at 4pm (cue). Event-based prospective memories are intentions triggered by cues, such as remembering to post a letter (action) after seeing a mailbox (cue). Cues do not need to be related to the action (as the mailbox example is), and lists, sticky-notes, knotted handkerchiefs, or string around the finger are all examples of cues that are produced by people as a strategy to enhance prospective memory.

Physiology

Brain areas involved in the neuroanatomy of memory such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, the striatum, or the mammillary bodies are thought to be involved in specific types of memory. For example, the hippocampus is believed to be involved in spatial learning and declarative learning, while the amygdala is thought to be involved in emotional memory. Damage to certain areas in patients and animal models and subsequent memory deficits is a primary source of information. However, rather than implicating a specific area, it could be that damage to adjacent areas, or to a pathway traveling through the area is actually responsible for the observed deficit. Further, it is not sufficient to describe memory, and its counterpart, learning, as solely dependent on specific brain regions. Learning and memory are attributed to changes in neuronal synapses, thought to be mediated by long-term potentiation and long-term depression.

Hebb distinguished between short-term and long-term memory. He postulated that any memory that stayed in short-term storage for a long enough time would be consolidated into a long-term memory. Later research showed this to be false. Research has shown that direct injections of cortisol or epinephrine help the storage of recent experiences. This is also true for stimulation of the amygdala. This proves that excitement enhances memory by the stimulation of hormones that affect the amygdala. Excessive or prolonged stress (with prolonged cortisol) may hurt memory storage. Patients with amygdalar damage are no more likely to remember emotionally charged words than nonemotionally charged ones. The hippocampus is important for explicit memory. The hippocampus is also important for memory consolidation. The hippocampus receives input from different parts of the cortex and sends its output out to different parts of the brain also. The input comes from secondary and tertiary sensory areas that have processed the information a lot already. Hippocampal damage may also cause memory loss and problems with memory storage.^[8]

Disorders

Much of the current knowledge of memory has come from studying memory disorders. Loss of memory is known as amnesia. There are many sorts of amnesia, and by studying their different forms, it has become possible to observe apparent defects in individual sub-systems of the brain's memory systems, and thus hypothesize their function in the normally working brain. Other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease can also affect memory and cognition. Hyperthymesia, or hyperthymesic syndrome, is a disorder which affects an individual's autobiographical memory, essentially meaning that they cannot forget small details that otherwise would not be stored.^[9] Korsakoff's syndrome, also known as Korsakoff's psychosis, amnesic-confabulatory syndrome, is an organic brain disease that adversely affects memory.

While not a disorder, a common temporary failure of word retrieval from memory is the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. Sufferers of Nominal Aphasia (also called Anomia), however, do experience the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon on an ongoing basis due to damage to the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain.

Memorization

Memorization is a method of learning that allows an individual to recall information verbatim. Rote learning is the method most often used. Methods of memorizing things have been the subject of much discussion over the years with some writers, such as Cosmos Rossellius using visual alphabets. The spacing effect shows that an individual is more likely to remember a list of items when rehearsal is spaced over an extended period of time. In contrast to this is cramming which is intensive memorization in a short period of time. Also relevant is the Zeigarnik effect which states that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.

In March 2007 German researchers found they could use odors to re-activate new memories in the brains of people while they slept and the volunteers remembered better later.^[10]

At the Center for Cognitive Science at Ohio State University, researchers have found that memory accuracy of adults is hurt by the fact that they know more than children and tend to apply this knowledge when learning new information. The findings appeared in the August 2004 edition of the journal Psychological Science.

Interference can hamper memorization and retrieval. There is retroactive interference when learning new information causes forgetting of old information, and proactive interference where learning one piece of information makes it harder to learn similar new information.^[11]

Emotion can have a powerful impact on memory. Numerous studies have shown that the most vivid autobiographical memories tend to be of emotional events, which are likely to be recalled more often and with more clarity and detail than neutral events.^[12]

Improving memory

A UCLA research study published in the June 2006 issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that people can improve cognitive function and brain efficiency through simple lifestyle changes such as incorporating memory exercises, healthy eating, physical fitness and stress reduction into their daily lives.^[13]

The International Longevity Center released in 2001 a report^[14] which includes in pages 14–16 recommendations for keeping the mind in good functionality until advanced age. Some of the recommendations are to stay intellectually active through learning, training or reading, to keep physically active so to promote blood circulation to the brain, to socialize, to reduce stress, to keep sleep time regular, to avoid depression or emotional instability and to observe good nutrition.

While tofu consumption has been linked with worse memory in the elderly, tempeh (a fermented whole soybean product) was independently related to better memory, potentially due to its high folate levels.^[15]

Memory tasks

Paired associate learning - when one learns to associate one specific word with another. For example when given a word such as "safe" one must learn to say another specific word, such as "green". This is stimulus and response.^[16]
Free recall- during this task a subject would be asked to study a list of words and then sometime later they will be asked to recall or write down as many words that they can remember.^[17]
Recognition- subjects are asked to remember a list of words or pictures, after which point they are asked to identify the previously presented words or pictures from among a list of alternatives that were not presented in the original list.^[18]

Footnotes

^ Conrad, R. (1964). Acoustic Confusions in Immediate Memory. British Journal of Psychology, 55, 75-84.
^ Baddeley, A. D. (1966). The influence of acoustic and semantic similarity on long-term memory for word sequences. Quart. J. exp. Psychol., 18, 302-9.
^ [1]
^ Baddeley, A.D. (2000). The episodic buffer: a new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Science, 4, 417-23.
^ Anderson, J.R. (1976). Language, Memory and Thought. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
^ http://www.med.univ-rennes1.fr/iidris/cache/an/40/4003
^ http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=76974189
^ Kalat, J. W. (2001). Biological psychology (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
^ Forgetfulness is the Key to a Healthy Mind. New Scientist, February 16. 2008.
^ Smell of Roses May Improve Memory. Reuters, March 12, 2007.
^ ScienceBlog: Forgetting what you haven't yet learned
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion_and_memory
^ UCLA Study Finds that Simple Lifestyle Changes May Improve Cognitive Function and Brain Efficiency
^ "International Longevity Center report on memory" (PDF). http://www.ilcusa.org/_lib/pdf/isoa.pdf. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
^ Hogervorst E, Sadjimim T, Yesufu A, Kreager P, Rahardjo TB (2008). "High tofu intake is associated with worse memory in elderly Indonesian men and women". Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 26 (1): 50–7. doi:10.1159/000141484. PMID 18583909. http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000141484.
^ paired-associate learning - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
^ memory:: Recall - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
^ memory:: Recognition - Britannica Online Encyclopedia

References

Julia Russell; Cardwell, Mike; Flanagan, Cara (2005). Angels on Psychology: Companion Volume. Cheltenham, U.K: Nelson Thornes. ISBN 0-7487-9463-8.
Costa-Mattioli, M; et al. (2007). "eIF2α Phosphorylation Bidirectionally Regulates the Switch from Short- to Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity and Memory". Cell 129: 195–206. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2007.01.050. PMID 17418795. http://www.cell.com/content/article/abstract?uid=PIIS0092867407003248.

Article (Forget me not) in Isaac Asimov's book (Life and Time) Avon Books, 1979

stuff to think about

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:17:02 +0100

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michel Gondry
Produced by	Anthony Bregman Steve Golin
Written by	Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman Story: Michel Gondry Pierre Bismuth Charlie Kaufman
Starring	Jim Carrey Kate Winslet Kirsten Dunst Mark Ruffalo Elijah Wood Tom Wilkinson Jane Adams David Cross Thomas Jay Ryan
Music by	Jon Brion
Cinematography	Ellen Kuras
Editing by	Valdís Óskarsdóttir
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release date(s)	March 19, 2004
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Gross revenue	$72.2 million

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American comedy-drama by French director Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction, nonlinear narration and neosurrealism to explore the nature of memory and romantic love.^[1] It opened in North America on March 19, 2004 and grossed over US$70 million worldwide.^[2]

Gondry worked on the story with Charlie Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth, a French performance artist. Together, they won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2005. The film stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet and features Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Jane Adams, and David Cross.

The title is taken from the poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope, the story of a tragic love affair, where forgetfulness became the heroine's only comfort.

Plot

Emotionally withdrawn Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and dysfunctional free spirit Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) strike up a relationship on a Long Island Rail Road train from Montauk. They are inexplicably drawn to each other, despite their radically different personalities.

Although they apparently do not realize it at the time, Joel and Clementine are in fact former lovers, now separated after having spent two years together. After a nasty fight, Clementine hired a New York firm – Lacuna, Inc. – to erase all memories of their relationship. (The term "lacuna" means a gap or missing part. Lacunar amnesia is a gap in one's memory about a specific event.) Upon discovering this, Joel was devastated and decided to undergo this same procedure himself. However, while unconscious and having his memories of Clementine erased, he rebelled, realizing he wants to hold on to his memories of her after all.

Much of the film takes place in Joel's mind. As the memories are erased, Joel finds himself revisiting these past memories in reverse. Upon seeing happier times of his relationship with Clementine from earlier in their relationship, Joel struggles to preserve at least some memory of Clementine and his love for her. Despite Joel's efforts, the memories are slowly erased, with the last memory of Clementine telling him to "Meet me in Montauk".

In separate and related story arcs occurring during Joel's memory erasure, the employees of Lacuna are revealed to be more than peripheral characters. Mary (Dunst) turns out to have had an affair with the married doctor (Wilkinson) who heads the company, a relationship which she agreed to have erased from her memory when it was discovered by his wife.

Once Mary learns this, she steals the company's records and sends them to all of its clients. Joel and Clementine come upon these records just after having re-encountered each other on the train. They react with shock and bewilderment, given that they have no clear memory of having known each other, let alone having had a relationship and electing to have the memory erased. In the end, they reunite despite knowing that their past relationship, now erased, failed. Even though their prior relationship fell apart that they are willing to try again.

Cast

Jim Carrey as Joel Barish
Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Svevo
Mark Ruffalo as Stan Fink
Elijah Wood as Patrick
Tom Wilkinson as Dr. Howard Mierzwiak
Jane Adams as Carrie
David Cross as Rob
Deirdre O'Connell as Hollis
Thomas Jay Ryan as Frank
Ryan Whitney as Young Joel Barish
Paulie Litt as Young Bully

Targeted memory erasure

Depictions of the memories

Throughout the film we see a wide range of film techniques used to depict both the destruction of Joel's memories as well as his transitions from one to another. These range from quite subtle to extremely dramatic:

The picture quality and sound resolution of the memory simply deteriorate (one example being when Joel talks with his neighbor in the lobby of their apartment building).

Subtle details fade from view (examples of this being when Clementine's name fades away from the Lacuna postcard that Joel has in his hand or when the books in the Barnes and Noble gradually turn white).

In one case, time and perspective seem to "loop" (the scene where Joel tries to make up with Clementine after she stormed out of his apartment, Joel finds himself unable to get from one end of the street to another – this also combines the elimination of details such as the displays of stores. Also in this scene, we repeatedly see reflections of the lamp in Joel's apartment floating in the air).

Overt disintegration of the memories (examples of this include the car falling from the sky, the disappearance of a car that Joel and Clementine are in, the disappearance of a fence, a scene where they run through a train station with the people there "winking out," and perhaps most elaborately, the falling apart of the beach house that Joel and Clementine were in).

Cycling between the adult actors and their younger selves (when Joel recalls a humiliating memory of being forced by bullies to hit a dead bird with a hammer, the footage switches back and forth between young actors playing Joel and Clementine and Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey. Joel is apparently able to visualize Clementine's youthful appearance because he had seen a picture of her as that when they were still together).

Scenes of the movie use a trompe-l'œil (or forced perspective) effect, enabling the actors to be seen by the audience as life-sized, yet their characters are existing in a smaller world. (Examples are when Joel and Clementine are in the kitchen sink, or when Joel hides from his mother and a neighbor/Clementine under the table in his memory as a child.)

Frames of reference

There were numerous frames of reference in Eternal Sunshine. One was reality, shown in the group of scenes at the beginning and end of the movie that take place just before, on, and after Valentine's Day. The rest of the scenes could be broadly classified as taking place in Joel's memory, but these can be subdivided into:

Memories that Joel gets to relive as if they were really happening (e.g., the date on the frozen Charles).
Memories in which Joel narrates in a voiceover (e.g., the "dining dead" meal).
Memories which Joel watches take place and with which he can and does interact.
Memories in which Joel is a participant but can "break character" and change the way the scene turns out.
Memories in which Joel relives various moments of his childhood with Clementine in the place of one of the people in the memory.
Memories where Joel watches them unfold as if they were on a television screen (his conversation with Frank in the lobby of his building)
Memories that had been erased and lingered on in a degraded form (e.g., the faceless beings in the Lacuna offices).

Some events that actually took place during Joel's erasure (i.e. technicians Stan and Patrick's conversation about Patrick's stealing Clementine's panties) bleed through to memories Joel is reliving.

Throughout the film, a useful indicator for when a particular event is taking place is Clementine's hair color. Any time she is shown with blue hair indicates something in the present or a memory from the recent past (from about the time of the couple's disengagement). Clementine has green hair during the couple's first encounter, and shortly changes it to red when they become romantically involved. She then changes her hair color to 'tangerine' orange as their disengagement nears.

Ending

Kaufman made it very clear in an interview included with the published shooting script,^[4] that the story ended with the final scene of Joel and Clementine in the hallway, in which they appeared to have agreed to give their relationship one more try. He said it was up to individual members of the audience to decide what would have ultimately happened. This "unfinished" resolution of the story is foreshadowed by the following dialogue in the scene where Joel relives the memory of approaching Clementine at the bookstore where she worked after they first met at the beach party:

Joel: It would be different if we could just give it another go-around.

Clementine: Remember me. Try your best. Maybe we can.

There is debate as to what the repeated scene of Joel and Clem playing in the snow right before the credits means. In an interview also included with the published shooting script, Gondry said he wanted the scene of them playing in the snow to loop throughout the credits. This desire apparently sprang from the initial intent (expressed in an early script) that Joel and Clementine spent the rest of their lives meeting, falling in and out of love, getting their memories erased, and then repeating the cycle. However, Gondry said that this was not done, because it would ultimately detract from the credits.

In addition, several photo-stills that were from footage that wound up on the cutting room floor show Joel and Clementine sitting together on the steps to Joel's building with their arms around each other (and dressed in the same clothes that they wore in the hallway scene). It is unclear whether these were pictures taken for promotional purposes or from footage cut from the final scene at Joel's apartment.

Deleted and moved scenes

The shooting script — which has been published as a book (ISBN 1-55704-610-7) — and early drafts contain a fair amount of material that was either left on the cutting room floor or never shot.

A major change that came in editing was that the sequence of scenes where Joel and Clementine are shown (re)meeting in Montauk and then going to the Charles River got moved from near the end of the movie to the beginning. According to the Kaufman interview published with the shooting script, this was done to make sure the audience liked Clementine, as without it, their initial impression of her, based upon scenes from the end of Joel and Clem's first relationship, might have been too negative.

Dropped scenes included dialogue on the train, dialogue in Clementine's apartment, scenes with Joel and Naomi (the girlfriend he had before Clementine, portrayed by Ellen Pompeo), Joel in the Lacuna office describing his negative feelings about Clementine in more detail, and scenes showing Joel and Clementine on their first "date". The dialogue from the deleted Lacuna office scene is used later, when he is listening to a tape of himself describing Clementine's personality flaws, and brief moments of the cut scene showing their first "date" are mixed in with the jumble of memories Joel sees of Clementine as the erasure process comes to an end. In fact, much of the content of the film was moved around in editing. A fair amount of scenes were changed on-the-spot by director Michel Gondry, including scenes showing the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in the streets of Manhattan. Another dropped scene was one that took place in a bar where a very drunk Clementine tried to make Joel jealous by coming onto another man (which might have prompted Joel's claim in his taped interview with Mierzwiak that Clementine was very promiscuous). Another deleted scene that appears in the special two-disc DVD set is an extended scene in the doctor's office when Mary Svevo is listening to the tape of her file. Mary is saying in the tape why she should have the procedure done, especially after having to get an abortion. Yet another showed Joel and Clementine reading the mystery novel "The Red Right Hand" together on his couch (which is the novel we see Clementine reading in the diner at Montauk where she and Joel (re)meet for the first time.

Awards and recognition

Kaufman, Gondry, and Bismuth won the 2004 Academy Award for best original screenplay for Eternal Sunshine. Winslet was also nominated for best actress but lost to Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby.

It was nominated for and has won various other awards, including:

Australian Film Institute: Best Foreign Film
BAFTA Film Awards: Best Editing (won, Valdís Óskarsdóttir), Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay (won), David Lean Award for Direction
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Screenplay (2nd place)
Czech Lions: Best Foreign Language Film
César Award for Best Foreign Film
Golden Globe Awards: Best Musical or Comedy, Best Actor (Musical or Comedy), Best Actress (Musical or Comedy), Best Screenplay
Gotham Award: Best Film
Grammy Award: Best Score Soundtrack Album
London Critics Circle Film Awards: British Actress of the Year (won), Screenwriter of the Year (won)
National Board of Review: Best Original Screenplay (won)
Online Film Critics Society Awards: Best Actress (won), Best Director (won), Best Editing (won), Best Picture (won), Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score
Screen Actors Guild Award: Best Actress
Seattle Film Critics Awards: Best Original Screenplay (won)
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: Best Director (won), Best Screenplay (won)
Writers Guild of America Award: Best Original Screenplay (won)

Critical reception

The movie has a 93% certified fresh rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website based on 210 reviews. The consensus is that the film is "a twisty, trippy, yet moving take on love, Kaufman-style."^[5]

Roger Ebert commented, "Despite jumping through the deliberately disorienting hoops of its story, Eternal Sunshine has an emotional center, and that's what makes it work."^[6]

Time Out summed up their review by saying, "the formidable Gondry/ Kaufman/Carrey axis works marvel after marvel in expressing the bewildering beauty and existential horror of being trapped inside one's own addled mind, and in allegorising the self-preserving amnesia of a broken but hopeful heart."^[7]

In 2006, in issue 201 of Empire magazine, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was voted #83 in their 201 Greatest Movies of All Time poll as voted for by the readers.

Kate Winslet's performance as Clementine was included in Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time at #81. Claudia Puig, reviewer of USA Today said about her performance that "Winslet is wonderful as a free spirit whose hair color changes along with her moods. She hasn't had such a meaty role in a while, and she plays it just right."^[8]

In 2007, critic site Rotten Tomatoes dubbed it the #2 on a list of top Sci-Fi films.

The film was number 38 in movies for Entertainment Weekly's New Classic list.

Carol Vernallis points out that Gondry's experience in directing music videos contributed in the film's mise-en-scene and sound design. Vernallis describes some threads of the visual, aural and musical motifs through out the film, and how some motifs can work in counterpoint.^[9]

Music and soundtrack

Main article: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (soundtrack)

The soundtrack album for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was released by Hollywood Records on March 16, 2004.

The score was composed by Los Angeles musician Jon Brion. Other songs featured are from artists such as Jeff Lynne's E.L.O. ("Mr. Blue Sky" was featured in trailers and television spots but not used in the film), The Polyphonic Spree, The Willowz, and Don Nelson. Beck, in a collaboration with Jon Brion, provides a cover version of the Korgis' "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime".

Notably, many of the vocal songs either revolve around memories or the sun.

During the scene where Clementine enters Joel's apartment finding Joel listening to the tape about Clementine while staring at the skeleton painting of Clementine, the underscore is a poignant arrangement of "Oh My Darling Clementine." The harmonic voicings are such where the melody is clear up until the point of the line "you are lost and gone forever," where the arranger opted for use of dramatic diminished chords in the harmony thereby understating the fact that the two are gone and lost forever having no memory of each other.

Three filmi songs from old Hindi movies can be heard playing in the background. "Mera Man Tera Pyaasa" (My heart is thirsting for you) from the movie Gambler (1971) performed by Mohammed Rafi, "Tera Sang Pyaar Mein" performed by Lata Mangeshkar, and "Wada Na Tod" (Break not the promise) by Lata Mangeshkar from the movie Dil Tujhko Diya (Gave my heart to you) (when Clementine invites Joel to her apartment for a drink). All the three songs are listed in the original soundtrack credits.

The musical score from the film's opening scenes have also been used in television and cinema adverts in the UK for mobile phone company Vodafone.

Music relating to the movie

Many bands have referenced the movie in song, including Breaking Benjamin in their song "Forget it", Bayside in the song "Montauk", OAR in the song Love and Memories, Backseat Goodbye in the song "Technicolor Eyes", Christmas Fuller Project in the song "Meet Me in Montauk", The Autumns in the song "Clem", and Circa Survive in the song "Meet Me in Montauk" as well as several other songs on their 2005 album, Juturna. Rapper Jay Electronica sampled songs from the soundtrack on his song, "Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)." Your Ex-lover is Dead by Stars is also a reference to the movie, and the video to the song is also reminiscent of the film due to the band performing laying down on an iced over lake. Vienna Teng has said that her song "Recessional" was inspired by the movie.

Ryan Star's "Losing Your Memory," from the album Songs from the Eye of an Elephant, includes the lyrics "I wake in Montauk with you near." In the context of the song, it is a clear reference to the film.

Film setting and locations

The film is set largely in the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre, in Montauk, Long Island, and in New York City.

According to the end credits, it was filmed in and around Brooklyn, Manhattan, Montauk, Mount Vernon, Wainscott, and Yonkers, New York; also Bayonne and West Orange, New Jersey. The Barnes and Noble scenes were filmed at the Columbia University Bookstore. Some of the scenes in Yonkers were filmed along Riverdale Ave and Valentine Ln. Also, the Charles River scene was filmed at FDR State Park in Yorktown, New York.

All of the train scenes were shot aboard a Metro-North Railroad train along the New Haven Line, and the Mount Vernon East train station substituted for the Rockville Centre station.

Home video

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is available in the U.S. in separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen editions as of September 28, 2004. Both widescreen and full screen editions carry English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English DTS 5.1 Surround and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks.

It is available as a one disc Widescreen Collector's Edition worldwide. Bonus features included on this disc is:^[10]

A Look Inside Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — Step into the mind of the filmmakers in this behind-the-scenes look at Eternal
A Conversation with Jim Carrey and Director Michel Gondry — Witness an unparalleled discussion between Jim Carrey and Michal Gondry as they reflect on their favorite moments from the making of the film
Feature Commentary with Michel Gondry and Writer Charlie Kaufman
Deleted Scenes
The Polyphonic Spree "Light & Day" Music Video
Lacuna Infomercial

A special 2-disc widescreen Collector's Edition DVD was released in the U.S. on January 4, 2005. Bonus features include:^[11]

Award Winning Screenplay Book
Feature Commentary with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman
A Conversation with Kate Winslet and Michel Gondry
A Conversation with Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry
A Look Inside Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Inside the Mind of Michel Gondry
Deleted/ Extended Scenes
Anatomy of a Scene with Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry
The Polyphonic Spree "Light & Day" Music Video
Lacuna Infomercial

The film was released on HD DVD on April 24, 2007. Its bonus features consist of:^[12]

A Look Inside Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
- Step into the mind of the filmmakers in this behind-the-scenes look at Eternal Sunshine.
Deleted Scenes and Extended Scenes
A Conversation with Jim Carrey and Director Michel Gondry
- The star and director reflect on their favorite on-set moments.
A Conversation with Kate Winslet and Director Michel Gondry
Inside the mind of Director Michel Gondry
Feature Commentary with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman
Anatomy of a Scene: Saratoga Avenue
Polyphonic Spree "Light & Day" Music Video
Deleted / Extended Scenes
Lacuna Commercial

References

^ "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/dvd_review.asp?ID=460. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
^ "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=eternalsunshine.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
^ "Power of the Memory Molecule". http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-power-of-the-memory-molecule. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
^ Amazon.com: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script Series): Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry: Books
^ Rotten Tomatoes, Main Page of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind reviews
^ :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (xhtml)
^ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind movie review - Film - Time Out London
^ Puig, Claudia, 2006. USA Today, Movie Review: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
^ Vernallis, Carol. "Music video, songs, sound: experience, technique and emotion in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." Screen. 49.3. (2008) pp.277-97.
^ "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". DC-DVD.net. http://www.dc-dvd.net/index.php?action=details&item=Eternal%20Sunshine%20Of%20The%20Spotless%20Mind%20%28Region%202%29. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
^ "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". DC-DVD.net. http://www.dc-dvd.net/index.php?action=details&item=Eternal%20Sunshine%20Of%20The%20Spotless%20Mind%20%28Special%20Edition%29%20%28Region%202%29. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
^ "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". DC-DVD.net. http://www.dc-dvd.net/index.php?action=details&item=Eternal%20Sunshine%20Of%20The%20Spotless%20Mind%20%28High%20Definition%20DVD%29. Retrieved 2008-06-13.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Official site
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at the Internet Movie Database
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at Allmovie
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at Rotten Tomatoes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review by Roger Ebert
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at Box Office Mojo
Nick Madigan (1998-06-15). "Pic pitch plays at Propaganda". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117471841.

index

science fiction

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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