6 theories to analyse a film

1) Film Theory

--> Montage, composition, movement, visuality, lightings, spaces, settings, editting, sound effects

--> Genres, themes & conventions

--> Director's perspective

 

2) Literacy Theory

Aristotelian Narrative Structure -->

1. Introduction
2. Exposition
3. Development
4. Conflict
5. Climax
6. Resolution

 

3) Art Theory

M.M. Bakhtin's Bakhtinian Dialectics

--> Novelistic (many voices) vs Epic (single narration)

--> Heteroglossia (text that's novelistic)

--> Dialogic, canivalesque (many voices, like a market place, eg. House of 72 Tenents)

 

Henri Focillon's Theory of Evolution of Style

1. Experimental
2. Classical
3. Baroque
4. Mannerist

Post Modernism ( Jean-Francois Lyotard's Defination) 

--> conflicting, incoherent infomation/fragments which fits together on one interface (eg. KungFu Hustle)

--> hybridiztion

 

Stephen Chow's Humour Techniques 无厘头

1. Exaggeration
2. Subversion (unexpected)
3. Quotation (decontextualized text - quote from previous HK movies, advertisements, eg. Goddess of Mercy in 食神)

 

4) Feminist Theory (resisting patriachal system)

Liberal Feminism

--> man = woman (eg. communist/maoist movies)

Cultural Feminism

--> man != woman (eg. The Goddess, Xiu Xiu, Ju Dou --> show oppression of women - raise awareness)

Mannerist Feminism

--> Do away with gender classification, pple have right to do what they want

--> Gender is a social construct, design and implemented by organisation rather than merely "true"

Queer Theory

--> Make use of Mannerist ideologies to resist oppression to homosexuals, bisexuals, lebian & transexuals (eg. Formula 17)

 

5) Cultural Theory

--> Chinese diasporic culture (transnational chinese, eg. Return of Dragon, Comrades, Almost a Love Story 甜蜜蜜) 

--> Transnational films  

--> Purality of chinese culture (differences within the Chinese, eg.  甜蜜蜜)

--> Youth culture (why young people like to watch Infernal Affairs, Young & Dangerous?)

--> Binary (1 & 0) culture (good & bad, male & female, nothing in between - we laugh when we see effeminate male character) 

--> Sociopolitcal (effects of government & society, eg. Cut - censorship, Best Bet - gov policies on gambling)

--> Multiculturalism (Singapore films)

 

6) Psychoanalytical Theory

--> Oedipus complex - unconcious sexual desire of a child for parent of opp sex (eg. Days of Being Wild 阿飞正传)

--> Subconcious desire to indulge in love/sex (Vive L'amour 爱情万岁)

 

PS. This's my self-compiled notes of my film module - for my future reference