No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis re-evaluates David Lynch’s films and their critical reception, with particular reference to psychological models employed in the context of ‘Lynchian’ themes such as identity, the self, the material, doubling and ambiguity, In repositioning readings and arguing for a new approach, I identify the flaws in the critical reception and , proceeding form the contention that the reception of the films suggests complex and specific psychological responses, explore possible origins with reference to two principal and associated theories. The five films selected as subjects are Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. The uncanny, or more specifically Unheimlichkeit (as described by Jensch, Rank, Freud et al) is encapsulated as ‘something which ought to have remained hidden but has come to light’ and encompasses a cluster of associations, e.g. doubles and doppelgangers, repression, ambiguous humanity, madness, amputation, the womb and the domestic. Distinct but closely related, the abject (as described by Kristeva), describes visual and physical elements associated with the uncanny but is often less nuanced and more extreme, engendering revulsion, loathing and ultimately a jouissance epitomised by the act of self effacement or the destruction of the self that often concludes an inevitable, heightening and terminal process of uncanniness. I argue that the symbiotic relationship between the uncanny and abject (the concepts coexist and each is implicated in the action of the other) pervades Lynch’s films and test the hypothesis that the balance between them shifts throughout the course of his career, identifying a trajectory characterised by an early predominance of visually disturbing objects through to a more pronounced and complex preoccupation with the uncanny in the late films. I will relate this exploration of the relationship between the uncanny and abject to questions of reception, examining how it problematises readings.

the films of Woody AlIen as well as the wider discourse surrounding the star. Exploring selected film texts from Allen's oeuvre from the 1970s, 80s and 2000s, as well as journalistic discourse of the period, I illustrate that these three subjects have framed Allen's work and wider star image since the early 1970s. Previous scholarship on AlIen has never explored these subjects with sufficient detail. Moreover, these studies have treated issues of ethnicity, gender and stardom as separate categories for analysis. In contrast, this project utilizes theories of race and ethnicity, star studies, performance analysis, cultural psychology, socio- linguistics and discourse analysis, to prove the intersectionality between these subjects. The second central approach of this project illustrates how Allen's engagement with these subjects has been marked by a profound "ambivalence"; simultaneously representing images of ethnicity and gender in his films both positively and negatively. This argument moves AlIen scholarship beyond the narrow polarisation of his work and star image both in the academy and in wider journalistic discourse. For example, while I show how Allen does indeed construct and perpetuate gender and ethnic stereotypes,) also illustrate how Allen simultaneously portrays positive images of gender and ethnicity. Focusing on reception, this thesis draws upon narratives about Allen's star image and work in a range of previously unexploredjoumalistic discourse to demonstrate this ambiguity. Using the performances and star images of Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow as case studies I illustrate how AlIen's ambivalence is repeatedly articulated through the intersectionality of performance and media discourse. In each chapter I examine previously unexplored tropes in Allen's work such as stereotypes of mental illness and pro and anti-feminist rhetoric. In each of my discussions, ans! il?- contrast to previous scholarship, I argue that Allen's films need to be contextualised by a specific socio-historical frame. By analyzing Allen's oeuvre through the prism of these intersecting categories this thesis identifies new avenues and original discourses for future Allen scholarship.