Memento Film Context

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Memento basic context

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Released: 2000
Genre: American neo-noir psychological thriller film Directed: written and directed by Christopher Nolan

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Broad definition of Art-house Films

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Films in which narrative, codes and conventions are manipulated to present and artistic, emotional and intellectual approach to filming such as art and experimental films.

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Close Definition - Art House films by Jill...

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"A crude shorthand way of referring to films in which artistic ambition and intellectual challenge are more important than the simple motive to provide entertainment." Page 430 'An introduction to film' Ed. Jill Nelmes (2007)

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Explanation points of Close definition

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- Jill nelmes' definition of the term 'art-house' expresses the ideological intent that art films are not governed to the same degree to provide entertainment and pleasure, their narrative conventions differ from those of mainstream films
- Whilst Hollywood films traditionally have employed a formulaic approach to the construction of narrative and style, art films oppose the dominate form of mainstream storytelling by utilising broader guidelines in terms of conventions
- Art films aim to subvert structure and point of view, and establish a distinctive style in order to assume an ideological position that prioritises who the narrative is presented rather the what it is about

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Artistic conventions of Art house films

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- typically loosens the chain of cause and effect, narrative progression is non-linear, consequently this may consist of multiple plot lines and manipulations of chronological order
- character subjectivity and their mental states are the narrative focus and construct the point of view
- resolutions are open-ended, left to interpretation, may feature irresolution and indecision
- have distinctive visual style, may be influenced by filmic traditions, movements, genres and /or bear the personal expression of the director
- make social or political comment through the themes, values and ideologies that are presented in the film

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Cultural influences on art cinema narrative structure

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- Experimentation with narrative structure has typically been the province of art cinema
- there have been distinctive periods in film history which have been characterised by experimentation with narrative structure both in America and Europe
- Some examples of this experimentation include the film movements of the 1940's/50s the American film noir, the mid 1960s second stage of the fence new wave and the american independent cinema of the 1990's
- Non-linear narratives date back to the beginning of film form itself with DW Griffiths 1916 film Intolerance displays four parallel stories from different ages in world history
- Further narrative experimentation was explored in avant-garde surrealist cinema 'Un Chien Andalou' (1929) by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali
- Since the 1990's, during the rise of Independent film innovative plots have emerged that take on a more deconstructed approach with Tarantino's films 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992) and 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) considered to be two very influential non-linear narrative films

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Social trends- Influence of Technology on Experimentation with narrative structure

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- technological trends during the 1990's further advanced the independent filmmakers willingness to embrace alternative and experimental approaches to structuring narratives
- there was an expansion of post-theatrical platforms - Video and DVD this allowed the home viewer greater opportunity to engage with complex narratives due to he ability to stop, pause, rewind, watching the whole film scenes again in order to reconstruct the story. DVD took advantage of this by adding alternate endings and extras such as Directors commentary, which further enhanced th viewing pleasure of audiences as it offered and official discourse as to how narratives could be interpreted
- the growth in the Internet and popularity of Video games has made contemporary audiences culturally primed to accept non-linearity and narrative complexity that arises due to this experimentation.

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Devices

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Shifts in time and space are a chivied through devices that aid temporal manipulation such as flashbacks within a flashback, flash-forwards, hallucination or dream sequences, resulting in the manipulation of chronological order

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Purpose of devices

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- To create more emphasis on characters and themes instead of goal-driven action associated with mainstream films
- Make the viewing experience more exciting and engaging as it requires the audience t concentrate more
- Non-linear narratives reflect the way audience experience thought an imagination

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Artistic convention thesis

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Films that are classified as 'art' present alternate approaches to narrative structure by loosing the chain of cause and effect employing devices that manipulate chronological order

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Flashbacks and Flash forwards

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- Conventionally employed to clarify plot, create context or deliver and exposition or even the back-story within a film
- In art house films, The flashbacks are often subjective and can be used to mislead viewers to control the interpretation of what is happening int the story
- Time manipulation is used with greater frequency and manipulation, a familiar sight in art films being the flashback within a flashback and the use of flag-forwards

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Dreams or hallucination Sequences

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-Dreams or hallucinations sequences are placed within the narrative to interweave the characters life between fantasy and real
- these techniques are employed when the character's subjectivity is the driving force and can cause the audience to wonder what is motivating a character in a film

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Manipulating chronological order

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- An effect of Non-linear narrative is that events unravel out of chronological order and so this puts a huge emphasis on plot direction
- That makes non-Linear plot effective is the use of strong teems that convey social or political comment, which increases the artistic value of the film

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Aesthetic value

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- manipulation of narrative structure is appealing to audiences as it suggests the viewer should be prepared for the unexpected, to try and make sense of not only what is happening but also how and when the events are occurring no matter how bizarre or illogical

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Aesthetic benifits

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-non-linear narrative is an artistic convention wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order, and there are various devices to enforce the convention in a specific way.
- The devices are used create movement within the films plot and this movement is with purpose: to create dramatic effect
- the non-linear narrative can enhance the unique view of the world the director holds, and allows them to communicate their own particular perspective