One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less tec...One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less technologically sophisticated race in order to exploit their natural resources. Driving the assault is a mining company hell-bent on improving its bottom line. The villain of Avatar is not a person, but those people who seek profit. To put it starkly, business is evil. But why has the entertainment business cast business as a heavy？ Hollywood has now made Immanuel Kant as the director of moral sentiment. Not, of course, directly, but rather the ghostwriter of Hollywood＇s ideas about morality. The works of Kant are not discussed or debated in the public arena, but their principles have influenced the way people think about what is just and good. The ideas of Kant have filtered into the contemporary discourse and are one of the key ingredients in the national dialogue over what it means to be moral. The categorical imperative holds that an action is moral only if it is free from calculation of reward or gain. To be truly, moral people must abandon all practical considerations of need or desire; they must be directed by pure good will alone. Business people can never measure up to Kant＇s standard. They always make choices based on cost and benefit. Their businesses would quickly go bankrupt, if they made decisions on good will rather than interest. Kant＇s principles have raised the moral standard so high that even the common inclination to seek one＇s own benefit is looked on with some mistrust. In Kantian-influenced movies, business people have come to play the evil antagonist; they seek gain instead of the good. How would Adam Smith, the father of economic rationality, respond to popularized Kantian morality？展开更多
It is fascinating to realize that even while Hollywood continually comes up with incredible special effects in films such as Avatar （2009）, the basic structure and development closely ＂follows＂ the guidelines for ...It is fascinating to realize that even while Hollywood continually comes up with incredible special effects in films such as Avatar （2009）, the basic structure and development closely ＂follows＂ the guidelines for drama and storytelling laid out by Aristotle in his The Poetics, written several thousand years ago. We are specifically speaking of three act （beginning, middle, and ending） structure, focusing more on plot than character, and the need for a final resolution （catharsis）. But throughout literary and cinematic history, not everyone has followed these rules. Ironically, we take a close look at the award-winning Greek director Theo Angelopoulos＇ Ulysse＇s Gaze （1995） staring Harvey Keitel, as an example of a very non-Aristotelian approach to filmmaking and storytelling. Angelopoulos＇ film is character rather than plot centered on the Harvey Keitel figure and the journey of the narrative can be broken down to between 8-10 acts, depending how you describe them. We discuss many of the standard American ＂how to write screenplay book＂ authors such as Syd Field, while bringing a variety of authors such as Lajos Egri （The Art of Dramatic Writing） who criticize both Aristotle＇s Poetics and the way it has been interpreted for centuries especially in Hollywood. We conclude that there is a middle ground as well, for while Casablanca （1942） has a clear three act structure, it does not give us a happy romantic ＂Hollywood＂ ending/resolution as Rick insists that Lisa leave with her husband.展开更多
文摘One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less technologically sophisticated race in order to exploit their natural resources. Driving the assault is a mining company hell-bent on improving its bottom line. The villain of Avatar is not a person, but those people who seek profit. To put it starkly, business is evil. But why has the entertainment business cast business as a heavy？ Hollywood has now made Immanuel Kant as the director of moral sentiment. Not, of course, directly, but rather the ghostwriter of Hollywood＇s ideas about morality. The works of Kant are not discussed or debated in the public arena, but their principles have influenced the way people think about what is just and good. The ideas of Kant have filtered into the contemporary discourse and are one of the key ingredients in the national dialogue over what it means to be moral. The categorical imperative holds that an action is moral only if it is free from calculation of reward or gain. To be truly, moral people must abandon all practical considerations of need or desire; they must be directed by pure good will alone. Business people can never measure up to Kant＇s standard. They always make choices based on cost and benefit. Their businesses would quickly go bankrupt, if they made decisions on good will rather than interest. Kant＇s principles have raised the moral standard so high that even the common inclination to seek one＇s own benefit is looked on with some mistrust. In Kantian-influenced movies, business people have come to play the evil antagonist; they seek gain instead of the good. How would Adam Smith, the father of economic rationality, respond to popularized Kantian morality？
文摘It is fascinating to realize that even while Hollywood continually comes up with incredible special effects in films such as Avatar （2009）, the basic structure and development closely ＂follows＂ the guidelines for drama and storytelling laid out by Aristotle in his The Poetics, written several thousand years ago. We are specifically speaking of three act （beginning, middle, and ending） structure, focusing more on plot than character, and the need for a final resolution （catharsis）. But throughout literary and cinematic history, not everyone has followed these rules. Ironically, we take a close look at the award-winning Greek director Theo Angelopoulos＇ Ulysse＇s Gaze （1995） staring Harvey Keitel, as an example of a very non-Aristotelian approach to filmmaking and storytelling. Angelopoulos＇ film is character rather than plot centered on the Harvey Keitel figure and the journey of the narrative can be broken down to between 8-10 acts, depending how you describe them. We discuss many of the standard American ＂how to write screenplay book＂ authors such as Syd Field, while bringing a variety of authors such as Lajos Egri （The Art of Dramatic Writing） who criticize both Aristotle＇s Poetics and the way it has been interpreted for centuries especially in Hollywood. We conclude that there is a middle ground as well, for while Casablanca （1942） has a clear three act structure, it does not give us a happy romantic ＂Hollywood＂ ending/resolution as Rick insists that Lisa leave with her husband.
