The goal of this MA thesis is to point out the legitimacy and specificity of voice-over narration as an expressive device in film. Although it is generally underestimated a priori, voice-over has peculiar qualities which, when put to good use, contribute to establish the intended tone of the film. I document the distinctiveness of this narrative device on analyses of films by Woody Allen, Terrence Malick, and the Coen brothers, who are well-known for incorporating voice-over in their narrative styles.

L’intertextualité filmique de l’oeuvre des frères Coen permet un recyclage des formules génériques et stylistiques qui font partie des traditions du cinéma. Les frères Coen empruntent des techniques et des thèmes tant au cinéma de l’époque des studios qu’à des écrivains du XXe siècle comme Raymond Chandler ou James Joyce. Une étude narratologique des procédes des frères Coen apportera une appréciation de leursinnovations dans la mise en scène. Leurs réécritures des schémas du passé donnent à ces films des ancrages dans la contemporanéité. Cette esthétique de réécriture sera analysée dans le contexte de l’histoire des idées et dans le contexte de la civilisation américaine contemporaine. Une mise en rapport avec des metteurs en scène de l’histoire du cinéma, comme Fritz Lang et Alfred Hitchcock, permettra d’évaluer les effets de leurs films sur le spectateur. / Film intertextuality in the Coen brothers’ films allows generic formulas and styles to be reformulated, in a reworking of cinema traditions. The Coen brothers borrow techniques and themes from the era of the Hollywood studio system as well as those of writers of the twentieth century like Raymond Chandler or James Joyce. A study of thenarratology of the Coen brothers’ oeuvre allows readers to appreciate their innovations in film direction. Their rewriting of schemas of the past is analyzed in the context of the history of ideas and of contemporary American civilization. In comparing their work to that of other directors in the history of cinema, such as Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock,the effects of intertextuality on the spectator will be evaluated.

Through exploring the use of documentary style in a selection of contemporary American comedy series, this thesis closes in on the question whether texts that stylistically differ from traditional sitcom can still be regarded as part of the sitcom genre. The contemporary American TV series that are being analyzed are The Office, Arrested Development, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Michael J. Fox Show. As the series’ place within sitcom becomes apparent, the analysis ultimately leads to a critical investigation of the term “comedy verite.” Questioning the concepts applicability for the American series and their development leads to the investigation of new definitions. This analysis of contemporary televisual styles reveals a myriad of deeper issues and elucidates how stylistic developments point towards broader developments of the TV medium – towards a medium more and more defined by, or even drenched in, “reality.”