Richard W. Dyer is an English academic specialising in cinema. As of 2006 he is Professor of Film Studies at King's College London. Previously he was at the University of Warwick.
He thought that when watching films you should be able to answer these questions:
What sense of the world is it making?
What does it imply is it typical of the world of deviant?
Who is it speaking to for whom and to whom?
What does it represent to us and why how do we respond to the representation?
I have a applied this to a real life text- Life Of Brian
What sense of the world is it making?
Shows us the story of Jesus’ life and the people living when Jesus did and the portrayal of how empty headed they were in those times.
What does it imply is it typical of the world of deviant?
When the film was released England was quite a Christian country therefore people found it offensive.
Who is it speaking to for whom and to whom?
Young, British, open minded adults who are in to controversial text.
What does it represent to us and why how do we respond to the representation?
It could represent Christians as naive and stupid as they’ll do anything anyone tells them.
A couple of points here Polly:
ReplyDeleteI don't think your analysis of Life of Brian is careful or detailed enough. Does it really tell the 'story of Jesus' life'? I mean, the bible does that, but there are clear differences between the two texts! Whose perspective is the story explored from? Why is it important that the Monty Python writers were comedians, and how does this affect our understanding of the film and its intentions?
Your summary does not provide nearly enough detail, plus I think your conclusion is a weak one - why would it be difficult to make it controversial? If you are going to claim this, you need to explain why.
Finally, this post is has several errors, which I think may have hindered your understanding of Dyer's ideas. Re-read what you have written, and if you can't spot where you are going wrong, come and speak to me.
- Mr Thorogood