This thesis closely examines the representation of theatre in film, using insights derived from an ever-growing literature dedicated to the notion of intermediality, in order to understand film’s temporary disguise as another medium. With the realization that theatre is not just another object of representation in film, it becomes increasingly apparent that an analysis of theatre-in-film has the potential of serving as a catalyst for a complex reflection on the nature of mediation. The present dissertation studies the conditions under which this potential is realized. Throughout the thesis, I am integrating textual analysis with theoretical considerations, in an attempt to offer new readings of the chosen films and show how they cohere around four distinct problems pertaining to the issue of theatre-in-film. These problems can be spelled out as follows: the length and embedment of the theatrical inserts, the dual address of the represented performances, the relation between quoted theatre and theatricality and the problem of showing versus telling in the representation of theatre. The case studies were selected from a period spanning forty years; they range from Jacques Rivette’s 1968 L’Amour fou to Charlie Kaufman’s 2008 Synecdoche, New York. Through an in-depth analysis of these case studies, the chapters demonstrate that film is extremely versatile in the handling of theatre references, and that it is precisely this versatility that throws in crisis the existent intermedial discourse. I am arguing that staging a theatre event in film comes with its own set of challenges that need to be accounted for with the assistance of a suitable methodology. In a sense, I have devised my own methodology, by using intermediality studies in conjunction with concepts borrowed from narrative and drama theory, as well as with the analytical tools of film studies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:560186 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Sava, Laura |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/49180/ |
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