Changes of Escapist Narratives in the American Films

Changes of Escapist Narratives in the American Films Before and After 9/11 Capstone Project by Samvel Badalyan Instructor: Dr. Mica Hilson Department of English & Communications American University of Armenia Spring 2020

Outline ● Introduction ● Literature Review ● Research Questions ● Methodology ● Research Analysis ● Conclusions

Introduction ● The film industry is more than a mere entertainment platform; it is a universal medium of communication. ● Among other things, the film studies analyzes the connection between a film and an individual. ● A subgroup representative of the “person-film” link is a concept called escapism. ● It is believed that the narratives which nurture escapism within films are oftentimes remastered in accordance with different factors such as time.

Literature Review ● In his piece named The Rationality of Escapism and Self-Deception (1990) John L. Longeway defines escapism as an “attempt to avoid awareness of aversive beliefs, ” arguing that its prime function is to cultivate effectiveness in unclear instances, acting as a rational barrier to fight self-mutilation and anguish. ● Could the same escapism-provoking narrative attribute to larger groups of people? Contemporary American Trauma Narratives, written by Alan Gibbs (2014) discusses PTSD, as an emerging collective trauma that came into the U. S. public awareness in the late 20 th century. ● Guy Westwell’s Parallel Lines: Post-9/11 American Cinema (2014) pinpoints the specific shift of escapist narratives in post-9/11 era films.

Research Questions 1. How did the American films help the U. S. citizens to deal with their purgative needs? 2. Could escapism in the film industry obtain an all-inclusive form? 3. Is there a canonical and cyclical pattern that makes the specific film so popular?

Methodology Implementation of content analysis, descriptive analysis, and inferential analysis (with a further room for predictive analysis): Step#1 - Identification and explanation of the phenomenon of escapism Step #2 - Marking a distinction point between the eras resulting in the change of escapist narratives within the films - three distinctive sections, each discussing a separate genre (before and after-9/11 examples): 1. Terrorism films 2. War films Superhero films 3.

Research Analysis Terrorism Films: Die Hard (1988) Where does escapism originate? ● The juxtaposition of an amateur ex-cop Mc. Clane ● 1. ● ● ● with coldhearted and professional terrorists Protagonist’s deviation from the “standardized, almost stereotypical image of an eighties: ” Self-irony 2. Sincerity 3. Loneliness A sarcastic distrust of law enforcement Introduction of fragile Al Powell, his further transformation into a brave comrade Playing on human natural fears (acrophobia, claustrophobia)

Terrorism Films: Olympus Has Fallen (2013) Where does escapism originate? ● Patriotic Symbolism: 1. Uber-competent protagonist ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of the country 2. The U. S. collectively fighting a foreign threat that “will inevitably remind of 9/11” 3. Demolition of The White House and Washington Monument 4. Characters stand as institutionalized metaphors ● Lynchpin: The U. S. overcoming post-9/11 mass trauma

“Butler uses the bust of Lincoln to dispense American Justice” Olympus Has Fallen goes to the extent of absolute symbolism. The biggest symbol of the United States’ power, the president himself, defends the cabinet the main source of the United States’ influence: representation of invincibility of the Oval Office.

War Films: Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Rambo franchise had a tremendous impact on the industry Where does escapism originate? ● A sharp contrast from the First Blood (1982): 1. From illustrating a portrait “of someone with PTSD, ” Rambo had grown into a toughened and unstoppable cyborg-like machine. 2. Intimate symbolism: Rambo as the embodiment of individual/system confrontation 3. Emphasized distrust of law enforcement 4. Genre change: while prequel included drama elements, the sequel became a pure action/thriller model. 5. Vietnam War film

Imagery: In the final battle of the film Rambo uses a minigun to destroy his opponents. The scene stands as a manifestation of his relentlessness and preeminence. The look on Rambo’s face, his superlative reaction on the peaking enemies, and reoccurring tight shots of his body, as well as facial expression shot from the low angle perspective, affirm the character’s tenaciousness and highlight his muscular body.

War Films: Act of Valor (2012) With a budget of $12 million, it grossed $81 million worldwide Where does escapism originate? ● Challenging the status quo: the portrayal of the U. S. military as mighty and undivided: 1. SEALs are best-equipped 2. SEALs are ready to sacrifice themselves 3. SEALs stand against anti-American terrorism manifestations 4. SEALs have a shared moral code 5. “An individual twig will break, but a bundle is strong” - resemblance to fascism symbolism

Although its poster says “it is no game, ” Act of Valor avoids showing complexities of the war: POV shots of real life navy forces are more similar to Battlefield video game series rather than to battlefield. Under the pretext that answers the question of “what’s going on in this world? What are our men and women in uniform really doing right now for us? ” Act of Valor does not give its viewer a possibility to focus on anything else other than the powerfulness of the U. S. army.

Superhero Films: Superman (1978) Where does escapism originate? ● Initiated rebirth of the franchise: 1. Release date: 70 -80 s America seeking a method to challenge omnipresent anxiety 2. "During the Great Depression Superman was imagined as a powerful savior of the downtrodden" ● Symbolism: "The nationalist superhero (Superman) bears an additional burden that other superheroes not – embodying the nation state" ● The duality of the protagonist: a dichotomy of sociophobe young reporter and an almighty hero ● Superman’s respect for law enforcement ● Protagonist’s personal trauma ● Religious narratives do

The cornerstone of Superman's everlasting popularity is that “his audiences have engaged with the character. ” Therefore, the escapism in Superman is not a prerogative of a distinct movie; instead, it is one of the culminating phases for the depiction of it. “Superman, then, must remain 'inconsumable' and at the same time be ‘consumed’ according to the ways of everyday life. He possesses the characteristics of timeless myth, but is accepted only because his activities take place in our human and everyday world of time. ”

Superhero Films: Iron Man (2008) The first film in the MCU/The first installment of one of the most profitable franchises of all time Where does escapism originate? Robert Downey Jr. ’s charisma The protagonist’s familiarity: The love of luxury Absence of exaggerated heroism Devoid of supernatural powers Ability to make mistakes/realization, remorse Political topicality: Opponents - a terrorist group, a traitor 2. Criticism towards the U. S. military ● ● 1. 2. 3. 4. ● 1.

“Iron Man provides a perfect post-9/11 hero - a billionaire inventor with a conscience” (Pollard, 2011). The film does not take sides - the patriotic imagery and narratives are not deferred, though the viewer is also allowed to see the opposite side of the system. It does not try to be a burden on the shoulders of its audience as it avoids focusing on the scrupulously self-reflexing protagonist, nor on the antagonist who is obsessed with

Conclusions ● One major pattern that had been identified in the project is that symbolism had been the most important tool in the modification of narratives within the films that had been released before and after 9/11. ● Similarly, in the post-9/11 period war and terrorism genres, the narrative of praising an individual had been switched to portray the collective power of the nation. ● In the superhero genre, post-9/11 narratives had been altered in the way of displaying a tendency of making main characters more human-like. ● Although the aesthetical inclinations had been variated, it is remarkable that the imperative leitmotif of the protagonist constantly facing a foreign