Laurent Jullier: Questions of Post-Modernist Cinema

Maria Gołębiewska

Abstract

Gołębiewska presents French film expert Laurent Jullier’s views included in his book L’écran post-moderne: Un cinéma de l’allusion et du feu d’artifice of 1997. He describes the complexity and multitude of phenomena related to post-modern cinema and its involvement in the audio-visual culture. A substantial portion of the argument is dedicated to post-modern criticism and the viewer. Jullier’s key issue is: how does post-modern cinema function within that culture, in the audio-visuality which has dominated post-modern culture and distinguishes it from modernism? Taking into account the contemporary development of technology and primacy of audiovisuality in today’s culture, Jullier considers post-modernism to be the stylistic key in film analysis, the style characterized by: 1. processing of figures that are part of all areas of culture, 2. processing of classic and popular figures and 3. transfer of classic or modern figures into a new context of „strong” non-verbal „experiences”. Discussing individual cases of post-modern stylistics, Jullier focuses on the phenomenon of film-show (Lucas’s and Spielberg’s productions), makes references to an increased importance of technology in post-modern films and analyses its influence on viewers’ perception of the world and themselves. Two types of post-modern cinema are distinguished: 1. the cinema of allusion to the tradition of portrayal and 2. the cinema of special effects. In Jullier’s opinion, technology does basically influence stylistic changes in contemporary cinema. When he writes of post-mo­dern cinema, he concentrates on stylistic changes and the style-determining elements. A substan­tial portion of the book is dedicated to the issue of the exhaustion of the classic narrative and the ways plot in post-modern films copes with the problem. Jullier’s argument closes with analyses of post-modern audiovisuality, including Star Wars and Big Brother kit, ad spots and videoclips. The article closes with the question of an influence of illustration techniques created in films-shows on post-modern audiovisuality in general.