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  • Essay / Bellourian analysis applied to Chinatown

    Contrary to literary criticism, which has been discussed for several centuries, textual analysis of film texts has only recently appeared (Bellour 1975). However, considering the inconsistency of cinematic texts (it is difficult to express all cinematic elements at the same time such as dialogues, body and facial language, etc.), the question of how to analyze cinematic text arises. is posed (Stam 2000). This article will examine Bellour's methods of analyzing cinematic texts and apply them to the analysis of Chinatown, and discuss the limitations of Bellourian-style text analysis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayAccording to Bellour (1975), cinematic analysis focuses on specific textual structures rather than the cinematic system, which means that film analysis focuses on the analysis of film symbols and specific film form such as angles, camera movements, rather than the traditional emphasis on characters and plots (Metz 1975). Additionally, textual analysis involves close-up and shot-by-shot analysis. For example, Bellour (1974) analyzed the 12 plans of the Great Sleep from the perspective of six codes in the article Evidence and Codes. The first three specific cinematic codes include variations in shot scale; if the lens has moved; camera angles. There are three non-specific codes: the characters who appear in the shots; if they express themselves; the duration of these shots. Furthermore, the most specific code, the narrative elements, relies solely on the content of the texts. In Bellour's (1979) research, “repetition” is one of the most important elements in text analysis, and alternation is a specific form of repetition. There are three external “Ciné-Répétition” and three internal. The first two “external” are linked to the production and reception of the film. Bellour (1979) demonstrated that the first “internal” repetition, these repetitions associated with the “film itself”, occurs from one image to another (there are 24 images per second). Considering that a single cinematic frame can only show half of the static space of the entire space, the other lens must cover half of the missing space from previous shots. The continuity of the images on the film contributed to a complete and continuous field of view in the film. The second internal type is micro-repetition. It builds the secondary narrative unit (shots) into the main unit (segments) on the basis of continuous repetition. It is an opposing structure between two terms which develops by return one or both terms depending on the plots. Micro-repetition is also called alternation. The third is textual or macro repetition. It serves to explain the effect of rhyme which is the final integration of a certain number of elements, given by differential repetition (or alternation) from beginning to end or beginning and in the process of the story. The film's segments begin and end similarly but in opposite shot order. Therefore, it is also called repeat-resolve. Bellour's (1974) detailed analysis of one of the Big Sleep episodes describes not only how the narrative is produced when focus and focus are repeated and alternated, but also how it ends when the clip is finished. This segment began with the introduction of the two characters, alternately repeating the conversation. Finally, as they confess their love for each other, the clip returns to both roles. From the point of view of methodology, the third external type of repetition refers to themore limited logic of structure and psychoanalytic approaches: the last repetition is the repetition of the film itself. Referring to the research of Christian Metz and Thierry Kuntzel (1973), the fiction film aims to organize a scene in which the audience can experience the things that the characters experience in the cinema. The application of psychoanalysis in film focuses primarily on revealing the potential meaning of images on screen (Lapsley & Westlake 1988). For example, Bellour (1979) found that the content reflected in classic films is determined by social and historical phenomenon, based on the psychological implications of the massive presence of the Oedipus complex. In this form of expression, the extent to which a woman occupies a central position depends only on the height of position given to her by male desire. The structural analysis method starts from the narrative structure and analyzes story elements, involving plot structure, character function, etc. (Bellour 1975). However, Rodowick (1999) claimed that Bellourian textual analysis was based on a relationship of non-identity. A non-existent object whose original state can never be authenticated by an exact description, moreover, analyze the text using fictional methods. Therefore, the analysis of the film text is to some extent fictional. This is the reason why the cinematographic text is an inaccessible text. Chinatown (1974) The Chinatown clips will be analyzed from three angles: specific cinematographic symbols and three internal “Cine-Repetitions”. Furthermore, taking the Oedipus scenario as an example, let's analyze the segments of Chinatown by applying structural analysis and psychoanalysis methods. For the first internal “Ciné-Répétition”, fundamental to composing films, according to the research of Bellour (1975), each The second of films is composed of 24 closely related photographs as well as a set of images below. These eight frames represented a third of a second of screen time. Almost every image is copied from the previous one but with slight differences. By observing this group of images, we can conclude that filmmakers convert static images into dynamic video by quickly projecting coherent images. As an example, consider a five-minute segment with 26 shots of Chinatown. In this clip, Gittes interrogates Evelyn with a pair of glasses who he thought was Mr. Mulwray and discovers the truth that Evelyn was raped by her father and gave birth to a daughter through forced confession. This analysis involves five co-active cinematographic codes, which are the change in relationship between shots, if the lens moves, the main characters of each unit, if they express themselves in this unit, the duration of the shots and the elements of narration. The first two concern the particular codes which apply to all cinematographic productions; the last three are linked to the text itself, shaping the content of the text. As shown in the table below: Shot 1 begins with Gittes taking the glasses out of his suit pocket and questioning Evelyn about the truth. As Gittes gives the right to speak to Evelyn, shot 1 moves to shot 2. There are two major differences between the two shots: on the one hand, the main characters move from Gittes to Evelyn with the transfer of the right to speak; Second, the camera panned from the middle to the close-up for a clearer depiction of Evelyn's face. As the conversation progresses (the theme of the dialogue remains the same), shots 2 to 12 alternate between the two characters. These 11 alternative shots are based on the repetition of the main unit generating sub-story units (how Gittes confronted Evelyn) under the unit.