1. Briefly compare and contrast The Discipline of D.E. and Mala Noche in terms of film style (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound).
The first thing that comes to mind concerning the two films is the choice of black and white that exists as a similarity. Both films are also of high contrast, thought Mala Noche has far less key lighting. If anything, the film seems to be even darker than if it had been shot with natural lighting. Then again, the exposure must have played a role as well. The camera movements of Mala Noche seem to have a lot more life behind them as they move around, follow, and get in up close to the characters. The editing in D.E. is quicker and a bit more clean cut while the editing in Mala Noche makes use of the long take, creating a mundane setting for the viewer. Another characteristic to note is that both films made use of a narrator.
2. Briefly comment on the narrative structure of Mala Noche. How is it similar or different from Classical Hollywood narrative?
Mala Noche strays from the Classical Hollywood Structure in that it doesn’t have a solid storyline or framework to carry it along. While this “lack-of-story-framework” is common in independent films today, I’m not so sure it was as prevalent when this film was made. The story hinges on whether or not Johnny will come back into town and when, and that is completely unpredictable. This framework helps us to relate with Walt, who is pining for Johnny. Not only will Johnny’s return serve Walt with some joy and satisfaction, but it will also serve us with some plot development, therefore we yearn for Johnny as well. Classical Hollywood Narrative has been noted for having a heterosexual romance, where the romance (if you could call it that) in Mala Noche is homosexual.
Janet Staiger, “Authorship and Van Sant”
3. Briefly re-state the following passage in your own words: “By conceptualizing authoring as a technique of the self, as a citational practice, an individual person ‘authors’ by duplicating recipes and exercises of authorship within a cultural and institutional context that understands such acts as agency and repetition of such acts as signs of individuality. Moreover, acts that differ from dominant expressions may become favored performatives of authorship for minorities because they distinguish the speakers’ expression from other dominant authoring expressions.”
In order to stand out in today’s society, in terms of art and expression in the realm of filmmaking, an author must have a developed understanding of common techniques and practices that are executed by his/her fellow filmmakers/authors. These fellow colleagues may employ dominant-like or minority-like techniques in their films, however, all techniques are important to recognize as these techniques come from (as stated in the original quote) a cultural and institutional context that understand that these devices and the repetition of such devices can create an image of individuality. So depending on which techniques an author chooses to employ, his/her image of individuality will be altered, but not necessarily in terms of positively and negatively. In any art form, innovation is a strength. To choose minority-like devices and techniques and employ them in your recipe for creation is a great way to stand out among the crowd.
4. In your own words, briefly define the six tactics associated with minority authorship.
creation of alter egos- to employ a fictional or nonfictional character in one’s work as a image of one’s self
silence- silence, at times, can be a performative. In the example given, if one wanted to perform the act of keeping a secret, all they would have to do in order to perform it would be to remain silent.
repetition- to repeat techniques, shots, storylines, or other details in order to gain a sense of authoring individuality (ex. Van Sant using the same Idaho road in the films Idaho and Cowgirls) A direct quote from the reading states that “throwing in references to other works or one’s own texts is part of creating an authorial signature (repetition creates the signature)”.
recombination- to combine many sources into a brand new whole, thus carrying an entirely different meaning from its original parts
inversion- this one is tough to explain. the only way I can put it into words (if i’m even sure i have grasped the concept) is for an author to know what the audience expects, and to give them something that is the complete opposite, not for the sake of being unpredictable, but because the author knew what they expected and wanted to take advantage of such an opportunity as it can create irony.
accentuation- to slightly alter or dramatize a common idea, in order to bring about a further degree of importance to the idea at hand
5. What point does Staiger make when she compares critical speculation about the intent of using Shakespeare in My Own Private Idaho with Van Sant’s own comments about his use of Shakespeare in the film? For Staiger, how does Van Sant’s comments partially explain his use of intertexual references in many of his films?
The point she makes is that some authors make choices that will help them to be the author they want to be. Critical speculation, that is looking for a “grand purpose to the appropriation”, suggests Van Sant used Shakespeare in his film as a way of radicalizing Shakespeare, or bringing it into a modern setting. Van Sant explained himself as using such devices and intertextual references as insight into his characters and “the solution to the compositional problem of linking together episodes...the intertextual references serve as the glue”.
6. What is the relationship between Van Sant’s use of intertexual references and what Staiger calls his “post-gay” stance?
With Van Sant being “post-gay”, he recognizes his homosexuality but has no intention on advertising it or inspiring with it. It is a quality he possesses that carries the same weight of importance as his height or his shoe size. He believes in order to achieve and maintain complete civil equity, his homosexuality should not be seen as his number one feature, the main reason being because it simply isn’t. If you were to accentuate this quality and label Gus Van Sant a gay director, it could be argued that some of his intertextual references are “evidence of Van Sant’s gestures to other gays”. However, he is not just a gay director, he is a man who possesses many qualities including his homosexuality. His use of intertextual references are not attention getters to the gays, but instead are simply employed for the sake of Van Sant creating his own authorial signature.
7. Briefly explain why Staiger argues that ironical repetition is Van Sant’s foundational authorial tactic.
The sources Van Sant chooses to employ in his repetition are usually ironic in nature, and are “motivated by the art movements Van Sant acknowledges as his preferences...postmodernism and pop culture”. Some of the way he uses repetition is by referencing classic plot lines for his films.
8. How is the casting of Van Sant’s Psycho an example of the tactic of inversion?
This part of the article I found to be extremely witty of Van Sant, concerning his casting choices. In the original Psycho, Hitchcock casted a gay man (not necessarily intentionally) to play Norman, a character who was never perceived to be a heterosexual, so was assumed to be a psychotic pervert (which, as noted by the article, portrays some homophobia). Gus Van Sant, in utilizing a practice of inversion, casted an over-the-top straight Vince Vaughn to play the character of Norman this time around, a character who was obviously straight this time, in turn clearing up a plot line that should have been a bit more clear in the first place, and a lot less homophobic, considering today’s standards. The cherry on the top was that Van Sant casted Anne Heche, who had just recently come out of the closet, as Marion. Very clever Gussy.
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