"Straight out the Gait: The Writing Process of Mallwalkers" documents the writing process of Mallwalkers, a feature-length comedy script about competitive mall walking. The report connects the writer's personal life to the process of writing three drafts of the film. / text

The research in this thesis will focus on China’s increasingly important role in the global film industry, including the dynamic between the Chinese government, the Chinese film industry, and Hollywood. The first chapter gives a comprehensive overview of the history of artistic trends in postsocialist Chinese film since 1979. The following chapter provides a history of the commercial and economic developments regarding the Chinese film industry after Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms and open door policy. In the third chapter, a detailed analysis of the different Chinese state entities and their functions provide insight into the history of the political and regulatory framework of the Chinese film industry. The fourth chapter examines Hollywood’s role and response to China’s burgeoning film industry and market including case studies of top western film companies that have been heavily involved with China. It also focuses on the challenges the domestic Chinese film industry faces in response to government censorship and competition from Hollywood. Finally, the conclusion offers predictions for the future state of the Chinese film industry, and discusses the implications surrounding the growing relationship between the China and Hollywood.

Cette analyse dresse le portrait des différentes représentations de la télévision à travers le cinéma américain de 1970 à 1999. Ce travail porte sur un corpus de quatorze films et s’intéresse à quatre dimensions de la télévision : l’appareil électrique, le téléspectateur, le contenu et l’univers professionnel. Les hypothèses soulevées sont que la télévision est majoritairement présentée de façon négative, que les représentations s’inscrivent dans un contexte culturel précis et qu’il y a un consensus entre les écrits universitaires et les cinéastes au sujet de l’écran cathodique. Bien que certaines critiques soient récurrentes d’une décennie à l’autre, il y a une évolution des représentations. Dans les années 1970, la télévision est un objet de risée. Son contenu est caricaturé et les professionnels qui travaillent pour la télévision sont personnifiés comme des êtres incompétents. Dans les années 1980, le petit écran est montré comme un objet dangereux. Sa très grande popularité en ferait un puissant diffuseur idéologique qui transforme tout en spectacle même la mort. Cette même popularité servira de prétexte aux cinéastes des années 1990 pour utiliser la télévision comme symbole de l’Amérique. Le portrait est peu flatteur : une Amérique corrompue, violente et en manque d’idéaux. Cette analyse montre également qu’au fil des décennies, les mêmes idées circulent entre cinéastes et penseurs américains. Enfin, cette attitude par rapport à la télévision est d’ailleurs symptomatique d’un mépris de l’élite intellectuel envers l’art populaire. / This analysis examines the multiple representations of the television in the American movie from 1970 to 1999. Four angles have been studied: the television set, the TV viewer, his content and the work environment. The hypothesis are theses: all the representations are negative, these representations are placed in a particular social context and there is a consensus between intellectuals and cineastes about the cathodic screen. Even if there are similarities between each decade, there is an evolution of the television representation. In the seventies, the cineastes laugh about the television. They show that the content is ridiculous and the TV workers are incompetent. In the eighties, the television is show like a dangerous object. His great popularity allows the owners to use the television as an ideological device. This popularity is used in the nineties like a pretext for the cineaste to talk about the United States over the television. The America’s portrait is negative: a violent and corrupted country. This analysis also shows that during these years, the same conclusions go through literature and cinema. Finally, this attitude toward television is symptomatic of an intellectual elite forward the popular art.

Anotation The main gaol of this study is to systematically map the manifestation of God in film with the focus on Hollywood production because it influences the whole western cinematography from its beginning to the present day. It systematically reveals various approaches to adaptation of the topic with regard to the time, cultural and social kontext. It expounds the development of the main aspects and ground of film censorship, which is considerably influenced by religion in secularized societies. It describes the techniques and approaches of individual directors to the topic.

The thesis analyzes a historical development of James Bond films in a background of the Cold War between years 1962-1989. A fictional character James Bond is a cultural phenomenon, which became an absolute world-wide symbol from the point of popular culture since the sixties in 20 century. The main part of the thesis focuses on movies with agent 007 and describes the ideological base, which we can investigate. Secondarily, Bond's past is handled. Therefore, a development of the literary figure, who moved from spy novels to the screen, is analyzed in here. Further, parts of the thesis mention social background, which was greatly influenced by Bond topic in the second half of the 20th century. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

This thesis compares novels The War of the Worlds (1898) by Herbert George Wells, Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad, Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding and A Clockwork Orange (1962) by Anthony Burgess and their film adaptations. Two of these adaptations are conceived tightly and the other two loosely. The theoretical part of this thesis focuses on defining the terms "tight adaptation" and "loose adaptation", on adaptation theories and on choosing the right criteria by which it will be possible to judge the suitability of techniques of adaptation in each case study. The practical part applies the chosen criteria on each adaptation and evaluates the success in transferring key themes and motifs from the model book into the movie version. Key words: tight adaptation, loose adaptation, fidelity, movie version, novel version 

Cette thèse étudie les relations techniques entre l’art magique et le cinématographe et confronte la pratique de trois artistes magiciens à celle de Georges Méliès. Bien que le rapprochement ait souvent été considéré comme évident, le but est ici d’étudier en détail les liens techniques entre le cinéma et la magie. En effet, le spectacle magique présenté par les prestidigitateurs, les illusionnistes ou les manipulateurs répond à des règles établies, théorisées, et débattues au sein de la profession. Il n’y a pas une pratique, mais des genres et des modes de présentation différents, qui évoluent sans cesse. Analyser l’utilisation du cinématographe au regard de ces règles permet de mettre en évidence une continuité d’approche de la part des magiciens ; cette machine constitue pour eux un nouvel élément dans un spectacle déjà établi. Après avoir développé les formes et les pratiques associées à la prestidigitation, nous analyserons dans la première partie l’œuvre de Buatier de Kolta, qui implante une nouvelle forme : l’illusionnisme, ainsi qu’une technique, le Théâtre Noir, invention née par erreur. La seconde partie retrace le succès de Leopoldo Fregoli, qui pousse les limites des pièces magiques anglaises avec son spectacle de Transformisme : il ne repose plus sur la technique des identités altérées d’acteurs. Finalement, la troisième partie étudie l’implantation de la figure du manipulateur, perçue comme un artiste-virtuose et comme une forme de « magie moderne » par le public ; cette forme questionne les magiciens sur la place que doit tenir la manipulation dans leur art, au moment où se forment les premiers syndicats corporatifs. Plus précisément la dernière partie étudie l’adoption de cette forme dans l’œuvre de Gaston Velle, tant dans ses spectacles itinérants que dans ses premières vues animées. L’ensemble de ces questionnements sera rapproché des pratiques magiques et cinématographiques de Georges Méliès, qui emprunte à chacune de ces formes / This thesis studies the technical relations between the art of magic and the cinematograph, and confronts the practice of three magicians to that of Georges Méliès. Although the link between cinema and magic was often considered evident, the purpose here is to study in detail the technical links between them. Indeed, the magic show presented by the prestidigitators, the illusionists or the manipulators replies to established theorized rules, which are discussed within the profession. There is not one practice, but several genres and different modes of presentation, which evolve. Analyzing the use of the cinematograph within these rules reveals a continuity of understanding amongst the magicians, this machine constitutes for them a new tool in their already established show. The first part, develops the forms and the practices associated with prestidigitatation, and analyzes Buatier de Kolta's illusionist work, as well as a technique : The Black Art, which arose, by mistake from a more compex invention. The second part redefines Leopoldo Fregoli's success, which pushes the limits of the English Magic Theater with its transformism show that is no longer based on the technique of the actors’ distorted identities. Finally, the third part studies the magician-manipulator, perceived by the public as a virtuoso; this questions the magicians about the place that manipulation takes in the magic show. The third part will study the adoption of this form in Gaston Velle's work both in his itinerant shows and in his first animated views. All these questionings will be reviewed in relation to Georges Méliès' magic and cinematographic practices, which borrow from each of these forms

Cette thèse se propose d’analyser les différents aspects de l'art de R. Magritte dans son interdisciplinarité. Le premier chapitre prend comme point de départ le versant philosophique et linguistique que l’on peut remarquer dans son œuvre, pour analyser de façon détaillée les aspects mimétiques et sémiotiques. L'utilisation que fait Magritte de certaines formes de la rhétorique rend évidente l'importance de l'aspect graphémique du mot, gouverné par le visible. La coïncidence entre les deux contraires (sémiosis et mimesis) laisse percevoir l'espace qui les sépare. D'un point de vue comparatiste, cet entrelacs permet d’établir des rapports entre certaines œuvres littéraires (de Baudelaire et de Mallarmé, notamment) et des titres ou des représentations dans les œuvres de Magritte. Les mots deviennent des images et le rôle de la mémoire et du rêve trouve un écho dans la pensée de R. Caillois. L'artiste place le passé, le présent et le futur dans un réseau qui peut être mis en parallèle avec l'Atlas de Warburg. Dans cette mosaïque, le geste d’écrire et celui de peindre s’entrelacent, de telle sorte que, chez Magritte, la distinction entre les deux actions s’efface dans la libre association du visible, qui acquiert ainsi un sens nouveau. Cette négation et cet écart se fondent en un seul contenant qui, d’un côté, exalte la différence mais qui, de l’autre, se construit à partir de sa propre appartenance. Certaines créations de R. Magritte dans le domaine de l'illustration ou de la production filmique le révèlent. On assiste à la décomposition et à la recomposition, par le biais de l'humour, de réalités distantes entre elles, ce qui laisse entrevoir la frange minime de l’écart. / This thesis aims at analyzing Magritte’s multifarious artistry in the light of its interdisciplinarity. The first chapter starts from the philosophical and linguistic côté that can be found in his work in order to deeply explore its figurative and semiotic aspects. The use of rhetorical forms in Magritte clearly shows the importance of the graphemic character of the word, dominated by the mimetic sign. The encounter, or rather the coincidence, between the two opposites (mimesis and semiosis) discloses the space that separates them: the nowhere we tried to define through various instruments. From a comparative point of view, this space of separation shows various literary ties (especially with Baudelaire and Mallarmé) inherent in the titles and in the representations of Magritte work. The words become images and the role of memory and dream attuned to the thought of R. Caillois. The artist constructs a network with the past, the present and the future, which suggests a parallelism with Warburg’s Atlas. In this mosaic, the gesture of writing mixes with the painting; similarly in Magritte the distinction between the two actions is cancelled through the free re-signified association of the visible.The painter destroys and builds at the same time, superimposing appearances, so to move away from a faithful description of reality. This rejection produces a gap in which the content of words and images fuses into a single element: page–canvas–screen. This is what some of Magritte’s creations reveal in their illustrative and film transposition, in which we see the assembling and disassembling of distant realities through the use of humor that reveals their thin divide. / Questa tesi si propone di analizzare i molteplici punti di vista di Magritte alla luce della sua interdisciplinarità. Il primo capitolo si basa sul côté filosofico e linguistico rintracciabile nella sua opera, per esplorarne nel dettaglio l’aspetto figurativo e semiotico. L’utilizzo delle forme retoriche in Magritte mostra con evidenza l’importanza del carattere grafemico della parola, sovrastato dal segno mimetico. L’incontro, o meglio la coincidenza, tra i due contrari (semiosis e mimesis) lascia apparire lo spazio che li separa: il non luogo a cui abbiamo cercato di dare una definizione. Da un punto di vista comparatista questo scarto mostra vari legami letterari (soprattutto con Baudelaire e Mallarmé) insiti nei titoli e nelle rappresentazioni delle produzioni magrittiane. Le parole diventano immagini e il ruolo della memoria e del sogno trova un raccordo con il pensiero di R. Caillois. L’artista costruisce una rete con il passato, il presente e il futuro, che fa pensare a un parallelo con l’Atlas warburghiano. In questo mosaico il gesto di scrivere si mescola a quello di dipingere, cosicché in Magritte la distinzione tra le due azioni si annulla nella libera associazione risimbolizzata del visibile. Il pittore distrugge e costruisce al contempo, sovrapponendo le apparenze, in modo da annullare la mimesis stessa, nel senso di descrizione fedele della realtà. La negazione e lo scarto sorgono dalla loro fusione in un unico contenitore, che da una parte esalta la differenza ma che dall’altra vi costruisce sopra la propria appartenenza. È ciò che certe creazioni magrittiane rivelano in ambito illustrativo o filmico, dove assistiamo alla decomposizione e poi alla ricomposizione delle realtà distanti attraverso l’humour, che lascia intravedere lo spessore sottile di separazione.

[pt] O objetivo desta pesquisa é uma análise das estratégias cinematográficas que são marcas específicas da obra do diretor espanhol Pedro Almodóvar, especialmente no que se refere às zonas de cruzamento cultural que evidenciam novas formas do posicionamento do sujeito no mundo. Para isto, realiza-se um desdobramento de certos elementos presentes na fonte primária selecionada, o recorte principal de trabalho: o último longa-metragem lançado no mercado internacional, Volver (2006). O estudo é baseado em três discussões que serão também o foco de cada capítulo: as diferenças no tratamento do tempo e na experimentação das esferas temporais; a remodelação da divisão alta arte / cultura de massa e da matriz genérica do melodrama; e finalmente, a construção do espaço fílmico e de representação das cidades. / [en] The main objective of this research is to analyze the cinematographic strategies that are features of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar s work. Specifically, our aim will be the relations of the cultural intersection zones that reveal new ways in which one lives in the contemporary world. For that matter, this study creates a discussion of various elements present in the primary source: the last film by Almodóvar released in the international market, Volver (2006). This dissertation is based on three points that are also the main focus of each chapter: the first being the different forms of dealing and experimenting with the notion of time; the second, the reconfiguration of the melodrama and the high art / mass culture division; and finally the third, the spacial construction of the film and the representation of the city.

[pt] Nesta dissertação, analisamos os aforismos reunidos no livro Notes sur le cinématographe (1975), do diretor Robert Bresson, com o objetivo de delimitar seu conceito de verdade. No livro, Bresson opõe seu ideal do cinema como arte pura, o cinematógrafo, ao cinema contaminado pela estética teatral de representação. O primeiro alcança a expressão verdadeira por ser consistente com sua essência, seguindo os princípios dados nos aforismos. Como estes não são organizados por qualquer tipo de divisão no livro, agrupamo-os em temas e subtemas que discernimos a partir da recorrência de certas palavras. A dissertação concentrou-se nos seguintes temas e sua relação com a verdade: técnicas elípticas contra a representação; realidade e falsidade; a figura do diretor-artista; os modelos e o automatismo; composição e montagem. Essa análise reforçou as abordagens que aproximam Bresson das concepções fenomenológicas, pela fundamentação da verdade nas percepções imediatas, pré-reflexivas. Tais sensações devem corresponder à essência do objeto real percebido, e deixam de ser verdadeiras quando a cognição as submete ao sistema linguístico. A verdade não está nas proposições, mas na sensação momentânea da presença do objeto em meio ao desconhecido externo e interno ao sujeito. A câmera pode tornar a realidade oculta parcialmente visível, captando os indícios da sua essência. Nos filmes, a composição apresenta essa realidade nas repetidas conjunções entre o desconhecido, em diversas formas de elipses, e a materialidade intensificada das coisas. / [en] In this dissertation, we analyzed the aphorisms collected in the book Notes on cinematography by film director Robert Bresson, to gain a more substantial understanding of his concept of truth. In the book, Bresson opposes his ideal of cinema as a pure art, or cinematography, to cinema contaminated by the representational esthetics of theater. The former attains truthful expression by remaining consistent with its essence, following the principles given in the aphorisms. Since these are not divided into any sections in the book, we grouped them by themes and subthemes discerned mainly through the recurrence of certain words. The dissertation focused on the following themes and their relation to truth: elliptical techniques against representation; reality and falsity; the figure of the director-artist; models and automatism; composition and editing. This analysis supported the views that link Bresson to phenomenological conceptions, given his grounding of truth in immediate, pre-reflexive perceptions. Such sensations must correspond to the essence of the perceived real object, and become untrue when cognition submits them to the linguistic system. Truth is not in propositions, but in the fleeting sensation of the perceived object amidst the unknown, which is both external to and inside the subject. The camera can make the hidden reality partly visible, capturing the glimmer of its essence. In his films, the composition presents this reality in repeated conjunctions between the unknown, in various forms of ellipses, and the intensified materiality of things.