Landscape Allegory in Cinema : From Wilderness to Wasteland

This Interdisciplinary Study Offers An Introduction To The Relatively Unexplored Area Of The Form Of Cinematic Space Referred To As The Landscape Of The Mind. Exploring The Psychological Use Of Natural Setting In Both Avant-garde And Mainstream Cinema, This Study Seeks To Understand How These Settings Serve As Outward Manifestations Of Characters' Inner Subjective States. David Melbye Traces Cultural Trajectories Of Landscape Depiction As Far Back As The Middle Ages In Painting And Literature To Nurture A Greater Awareness Of Visual Allegory In The Films Of The Silent Era Up Through The Present, Focusing Specifically On The Prolific Appearance Of Landscape Allegory In Films Of The 1960s And '70s. Introduction: Defining Landscape Allegory -- Landscape Depiction Before Cinema -- Spiritualized Landscapes Of The Nineteenth Century -- Advent Of Filming Landscape Allegory -- Depiction Of Landscape In Avant-garde Films -- Spiritual Wasteland Films -- Italian Wasteland Allegory -- Australian Outback Allegory -- Landscape Allegory In Hollywood -- River/jungle And Other Imperialist Allegories -- Landscape Allegory In Other Narrative Contexts -- Conclusion: Landscape Allegory Into The Future. David Melbye. Revised And Expanded Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--university Of Southern California, 2006. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction: Defining Landscape Allegory......Page 14 Pre-Cinematic Appearance of Landscape Allegory......Page 21 Landscape Allegory as an Avant-Garde Gesture......Page 24 Narrative Cinema’s Assimilation of Landscape Allegory......Page 27 Mainstream Allegories of Imperialist Politics......Page 29 Continuation of Landscape Allegory......Page 31 One: Landscape Depiction before Cinema......Page 34 Anthropocentric Landscape in the Middle Ages......Page 35 Classical Landscape in the Renaissance......Page 38 Landscape as Subject in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting......Page 40 The Influential Sunscapes of Claude Lorrain......Page 43 Neoclassical Landscape as Subject in the Eighteenth Century......Page 45 Two: Spiritualized Landscapes of the Nineteenth Century......Page 48 European Sublime Landscape......Page 50 American Sublime Landscape......Page 52 Landscape Sketches of Edgar Allan Poe......Page 55 Three: Advent of Filming Landscape Allegory......Page 60 Early Wilderness Photography......Page 61 Early Abstract Landscape Photography......Page 64 Early Cinematic Depiction of Landscape......Page 65 Brakhage’s Dog Star Man......Page 72 Confluence of Avant-Garde and Mainstream Cinema......Page 75 Enrico’s La rivière du hibou......Page 76 La rivière du hibou’s River Progression......Page 79 La rivière du hibou’s Overland Segment......Page 81 La rivière du hibou’s “Home” of the Avant-Garde......Page 82 The Western’s “Duel in the Sun” Allegory......Page 86 The Wasteland Informed by Space/Place Theory......Page 91 Jodorowsky’s El Topo......Page 94 Six: Italian Wasteland Allegory......Page 98 Antonioni’s Island Allegories......Page 100 Pasolini’s Mountain Allegories......Page 104 Desert Allegories: From Spaghetti Westerns to Zabriskie Point......Page 106 Seven: Australian Outback Allegory......Page 112 Roeg’s Walkabout......Page 113 Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock......Page 116 Eight: Landscape Allegory in Hollywood......Page 124 The Western Megalomaniac versus the Third World Landscape......Page 125 Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia......Page 126 Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King......Page 129 Coppola’s Apocalypse Now......Page 131 Herzog’s Aguirre: The Wrath of God......Page 136 Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo......Page 139 Boorman’s Deliverance......Page 141 Friedkin’s Sorcerer......Page 143 Futureworld Landscapes: Planet of the Apes, Zardoz, and 2001: A Space Odyssey......Page 145 Reversal of Landscape Allegory......Page 148 Ten: Landscape Allegory in Other Narrative Contexts......Page 152 Landscape in Noir Films......Page 153 High Sierra......Page 154 Treasure of the Sierra Madre......Page 155 Landscape in Hitchcock Films......Page 157 Spellbound......Page 158 Vertigo......Page 159 Landscape in Road Films......Page 161 Easy Rider......Page 162 Vanishing Point......Page 163 Landscape Allegory as a Critical Discourse......Page 164 Conclusion: Landscape Allegory into the Future......Page 166 Landscape Allegory Returns to Avant-Garde Origins......Page 167 Landscape Allegory in Recent Hollywood Films......Page 169 Landscape Allegory in Asian Cinema......Page 172 The Human Mind as Macroscopic Space......Page 174 Appendix: Chronology of Landscape Allegory......Page 176 Notes......Page 196 Bibliography......Page 202 Index......Page 210 This study seeks to understand the form of cinematic space referred to as 'the landscape of the mind,' in which natural, outdoor settings serve as outward manifestations of characters' inner subjective states.