Intertextuality in Film

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1. Intertextuality in film

2. What is Intertextuality? If you're perusing the listings for this summer's big blockbusters, you might come to the conclusion that Hollywood is out of ideas due to the endless onslaught of remakes, reboots and sequels. You might be surprised to learn that even the most iconic and original films might have borrowed heavily from another source material. This is due, in part, to a little thing called intertextuality. Intertextuality is the point where two works of art overlap. In terms of film, it's where a movie overlaps with another work of art, whether that be another film, a work of literature, or another art form. Since no art is created in a vacuum, intertextuality occurs throughout most genres of art, not just film. Another way of thinking about intertextuality is the way in which works of art purposely or accidentally connect and intersect.

3. Deliberate Intertextuality Deliberate intertextuality occurs when an artist intentionally includes and/or refers to other art forms. In Jordan Peele's 2017 debut Get Out, the director uses subtle references to classic horror films to create an ominous atmosphere. For instance, while navigating a subdivision, a character says, ''Man, I feel like I'm in a hedge maze out here,'' referencing the hedge maze in The Shining. In another scene, a villainous character is seen strumming a ukulele, similar to the boy plucking the banjo in Deliverance.

4. Shrek is a well-known animation series of films, distributed by Dreamworks Pictures. In the film there is a lot of Intertextuality and references to characters from different Disney films. This Intertextuality makes the film more familiar to the audience especially the young children who would know these characters and these characters are used to intertwine with the story lines. The characters nature and personality are borrowed and transformed into a different take to make the connection with the character and the audience, for example Sleeping Beauty may not look like the Disney original but in Shrek she is always portrayed as tired, Rapunzel has the long hair, Snow White is accompanied with her seven dwarves, Cinderella wears glass shoes and the Ugly Sister is ugly. These intertextual references repeat in all the Shrek films to familiarize the characters with the audience. Disney princesses- Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and an Ugly Sister. Puss in Boots as the character Zorro. The Gingerbread man, from the children’s rhyme.

5. Allusion Allusion is common form of deliberate intertextuality where an artist references another work of art directly. Sometimes, allusions come in the form of brief references, like easter eggs that many directors leave in their movies for sharp-eyed fans. Disney included an easter egg in its animated feature, Moana, when the character, Sven, from its film Frozen appeared for a brief, flashing moment. Deeper, less obvious allusions can be found in other films, and are not always references to other movies; many directors use classic literature as inspiration. Clueless, for instance, is a fun, teen comedy about self-absorbed Cher from Beverly Hills trying to find her friend a boyfriend. Look a little deeper, however, and you'll see its characters and story-line are lifted directly from Jane Austen's classic novel Emma.

6. Pastiche Vs. Parody Pastiche is a deliberate recreation of the style of another period or another artist. Quentin Tarantino is known for his pastiche of other genres His film Kill Bill is a prime example: Uma Thurman’s character “The Bride” gets revenge in a series of elaborate fight scenes, borrowing heavily from Chinese Kung Fu films and cheap pulp novels. The Bride even wears Bruce Lee’s yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death throughout much of the first film. A Parody is a film that mocks through comedy other films often of a particular genre. Hot Fuzz is a recent British film that makes fun of the genre of cop action films . Another example is that of Vampires Suck which explicitly mocks the Twilight series.

7. Weaponized Intertextuality In a time when endless sequels, remakes, reboots, adaptations, shared universes and franchise-builders populate the Hollywood system, intertextuality is the new re-enforced norm in big-screen storytelling. It’s the silent first reveal of the Millennium Falcon seen in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” or the presentation of the red rose, alongside the words “Be Our Guest,” in the first trailer for the live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” just to name two recent examples. The emotion of the movement is felt from what we’ve seen and felt before, whisked back in our collective memories as they’re re-introduced in their modern format. These are now, as our narrator puts it, “objects, people or situations explicitly meant to trigger an emotional response.” So, it’s not merely intertextuality these days; it’s “weaponized intertextuality.” And that might be a problem, as filmmakers today are starting to use this more-and-more as “a dramatic substitute” for the real deal. And at worst, the results can be a little cheap, and disturbingly pretty empty.

8. But it’s not all that bad. But more importantly, when it’s done right, the use of intertextuality can add humor, drama and a connection with a viewer – you feel like you’re in on an inside joke. Take away the big-budget financial speculation, the setting-up-for-sequels, the cheap thrills of recognizing a character or image – and what you have left is a filmmaking tool for creating familiarity and instantly eliciting certain emotions. I will, for one, be more aware of the impact of this ‘weaponized intertextuality’ in my writing and not simply brush it off as a dirty trick used by Hollywood blockbusters. Because moments of familiarity is good, especially when the material is fresh and foreign.