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Fielding in The Mighty Boosh (see case study below) epitomises this
postmodern construct, Ridley Scotts Blade Runner offers the narrative of a
science fiction text while wrapping the film in terms of visual iconography and
mise-en-scene within the traditions of film noir. Minority Report is a
postmodern copy of Blade Runner (itself a copy of the novel Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep). Films lend themselves to a discussion of the
postmodern perhaps more than other texts pre millennium angst is explored
in films like The Matrix, American Beauty, Fight Club and Being John
Malcovich with narratives involving men going through portholes into a
parallel universe, notions of identity and the self explored with the ultimate in
self referential Being John Malcovich actually starring John Malcovich - the
iconic poster for the film is littered with hundreds of masks of the actor. It
would be a mistake to say anything strange and not following convention is
postmodern but audiences could be forgiven for making this assumption. With
film texts in comparison with art, a narrative is more often than not apparent.
Surrealism and Modernity have nothing to do postmodernity but also often
defy the process of classification and have no obvious narrative structure with,
like postmodernism style and form dominant over content.
Postmodernity is more pluralistic with the role that language plays seen as
being crucial to understanding the concept (see Old Greggs strange
The Mighty Boosh is unique, The Mighty Boosh is surreal, The Mighty
Boosh is apparently postmodern. Intertextual references are frequently made
to The Pythons, Frank Zappa, Mr Benn (clear drug connotations) and there
is a style and form over content and substance agenda The Mighty Boosh
and Noel Fieldings incarnations look, and sound interesting. There is,
however, some structure with a basic narrative premise being that in most
episodes Howard and Vince invariably embark on some sort of adventure
which gets them into trouble which leaves them in need of rescuing, often by
Naboo. Sometimes they get themselves out of it but more often not after
meeting odd characters such as Old Gregg and The Crack Fox. This
underpinning narrative premise gives the programme some sort of form and
structure that arguably challenges its postmodern classification. However,
escaping from Monkey Hell (Series 1) using hair gel does literally suggest a
postmodern aesthetic that is more interested in surface textures.
Developed from stage shows and a radio series (like so much BBC comedy)
the series has been broadcast on the BBC since 1998 with the niche digital
channel BBC3 being its comfortable home. Originated and written by Noel
Fielding and Julian Barratt Wikipedia interestingly identifies the subjects it
explores as Surrealism, Fashion Victims, ElectroPonce and Fantasy
(perhaps a suggestion of editing by the writers). The Boosh achieved an
audience of 1 million for its first episode and has a loyal target audience who
would happily accept the label of Cult TV. It is produced for the BBC by Steve
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A Cock and Bull Story plays with metatextual levels depicting scenes from
the novel itself and fictionalised behind the scenes footage of the adaptation
process but also suggests a deep loathing and mistrust for British Films
obsession with adapting the 18th and 19th century novel into film. Produced
by Baby Cow Productions and BBC Film the screenplay was developed by
Frank Cottrell Boyce Boyce is a highly educated Oxford graduate with a
Doctorate in English who wrote criticism for the magazine, Living Marxism
while Steve Coogans production company, Baby Cow have a reputation for
producing texts which challenge the relationship between text and audience.
A Cock and Bull Story stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and has notable
performances from Keeley Hawes, Shirley Henderson, Stephen Fry but also
Gillian Anderson playing herself, drawing on audiences understanding of her
iconic role in the X-Files as agent Dana Scully. Michael Nymans avant garde
soundtrack gives the film a fragmented underpinning which ensures any
expectations of the genre conventions of period drama are frequently
disturbed.
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A Cock and Bull Story is a postmodern film within a film with Steve Coogan
and Rob Brydon playing themselves (as egotistical actors) on set during the
film adaptation of Sternes metafictional novel Tristram Shandy. While
Shandy is about literary failure the film takes the form of failing to make the
film of the failed autobiography. The introspective approach combined with
pastiche, deliberate lack of narrative direction, genre implosion and focus on
the self labels A Cock and Bull Story a postmodern text. Even Nymans
musical score is not an original composition making intertextual references to
a number of films including The Draughtsmans Contract, Barry Lyndon
but also to Fellinis 8 , itself a film within a film. Critics have argued that the
intention of Boyce, Coogan et al was to originate a postmodern template
loaded with clever literary, filmic and intertextual references and to these ends
have suggested it lacks value. The film is just tub thumping, pretentious and
riding on the coat tails of the postmodern in the same way that Vic Reeves
and Bob Mortimer were just trying too hard to be surreal. Reeves and
Mortimer worked with limited production values but A Cock and Bull Story
reflects significant investment to achieve the production values of a period
drama (costume, set design and location) at just under 3 million.
Coogan and Brydons secondary persona and their dry, acerbic wit are a key
audience appeal and are set in direct binary opposition to the stereotypical
representations found in 18th/19th century period drama Alan Partridge is in
the 18th century with odd pieces to camera (direct address) and Rob Brydon
does impressions of Alan Partridge to anchor these self referential
representations. Coogan frequently responds with his familiar Partridge
exclamation A Ha!.The intertextual references continue with Brydon also
effecting impressions of Al Pacino and also referencing a range of texts
including Robin Hood and Cold Mountain. A complete lack of narrative form
is apparent and time and space are also subverted to ensure that although
the mise-en-scene encodes the visual iconography of period drama, aural
signifiers challenge this representation Radio 4 is playing while Coogan is
driving through the English countryside. Time itself physically freezes with
notions of the past and the present unclear.
The title of A Cock a Bull Story itself takes a dismissive view of the original
Shandy novel but also perhaps the predictable narratives contained within
period dramas. Period Dramas are seen as prestigious, high production value
critically acclaimed texts with an audience that buy into the aspirational
representations Coogan and Brydon unceremoniously pick this apart with
deep irreverence and present an alternative representation which is simply,
and crucially on the surface funny.
Pulp Fiction
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