Assignment 1

1. The Discipline of D.E. and Mala Noche have many similar aspects.  Most obviously, both are in black and white. Both use low key lighting and include close ups of various household objects, such as the pot of boiling water in Mala Noche and the spilt milk in Discipline of D.E.  Also, which may be caused by the time these were made, characters in them wear clothing with similar patterns. In contrast, Discipline of D.E. has voice over narration, whereas Mala Noche does not.  Also, Mala Noche uses a few canted angles, and Discipline of D.E. does not.  

2. Mala Noche's narrative structure is basically classical Hollywood style, but with a twist.  It does contain two lines of action, like most Hollywood films, which would be a heterosexual love story and some other type of action.  Mala Noche's main plot is about the main character's sexual desire for Johnny, with the second line of action being his relationship to Papas progressing.  Homosexuality is virtually never seen in classical Hollywood.  This film also keeps continuous time like most Hollywood narratives.  

3.  By choosing a particular style or method of doing things, and doing it repetitively and consistently in all of your work, you are recognized a unique and individual author.  Those that stray far from what is considered the average are especially unique and stylized, because they are distinguishable from all other artists.

4. 1. Creation of alter egos: The author creates a character that speaks for the author, or places a minority character in the lead role to convey his or her feelings about the issue at hand.

2. Silence: When the minority figure cannot fight anymore, his silence acts as speech.

3. Repetition: This is a tool used for parody, and mimicry marks rebellion and resistance to the norm.

4. Recombination: Authors rewrite well-known formulas to give a different slant on the already-in-place standards.

5. Inversion: Acknowledging how a particular subject is generally addressed, and then reacting to it in the way that is opposite from the norm.

6. Accentuation: Accenting a certain symbol to try to control or comment on its customary meaning.

5. Staiger says that critics think Van Sant modernizes Shakespeare, and uses allusions to comment on the ever-present homosexual undertones of Shakespeare's work.  Van Sant said that he uses these allusions to create episodes, linking together the story as a whole.  Staiger says that Van Sant's comments explain his use of intertextual references as "glue" to link his stories together.

6. Van Sant uses intertextual references to show common things with an ironic tone, with the "strangeness of referencing... that queers the situation in unexpected ways" (Straiger).  With his post-gay stance, he reminds his audience that he is not gay first, there are many other aspects about himself and his films, not just homosexuality.  So he uses intertextual references to push his idea that yes, his characters may be gay, but what's most important about them is such and such.

7. Staiger argues that ironical repetition is Van Sant's foundational authorial tactic because all of his films are similar to and resemble other films.  The greatest argument for this is Finding Forrester, which is practically a remake of his film Good Will Hunting, and he did a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. He also alludes to his other films within his films.

8. In Hitchcock's Psycho, he casted Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, who was highly suspected of being gay, whereas Van Sant casted Vince Vaughn, who is known to be heterosexual, and emphasizes his heterosexuality in the film, which goes against expectations.  Also, he used Anne Heche, who is known to be a lesbian, and makes her the object of desire to Vince Vaughn, which is ironic because we know she has no interest in him, or his gender.