University of East London

SCHOOL OF THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL

SCIENCES

MA Film, Video and New Screen Media

____________________________
MSM519: Psychoanalysis and Cinema
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Module Guide 2009-10

SEMESTER B

UNIT CODE: MSM519

2004-5

TITLE: Psychoanalysis and Cinema

Teaching Arrangements
Tel Ext

Room No

E-Mail Address

Unit Leader

Prof. Haim Bresheeth

X2758

LD3206

H.Breseeth@uel.ac.uk

Tutor

Dr. Anat Pick

2749

LD2240

A.Pick@uel.ac.uk

Tutor

Prof. Yosefa Loshitzky

2795

LD2310

Y.Loshitzky@uel.ac.uk

Assessment
Assessment

Weighting

CW1

Critical Analysis

30%

CW2

Essay

70%

Length
1200
words
4000
words

Due Date

Date
variable
December
18th, 2009

Timetable:
Lecture/Screenings: Thursday, 14:00-17:00 Room LD2255

tutorials: to be arranged individually

Office hours:
Prof. Haim Bresheeth
Dr. Anat Pick
Prof. Yosefa Loshitzky

Thursday 13:30 - 14:30

Deadline

Jan 5th,
2010

Summary of Teaching Programme

Wk Date

Session

Staff

1* Sept30th Introductiontoseriestherelationshipbetween
psychoanalysisandthecinema
th
3* Oct12

HB

IntroductionFreudandInterpretationofDreams
(1900):TheJourneyBackwards:childhoodwounds
remainwithus

HB

Oct19th

TheGaze:Power,Gender,Sexuality,Violence

AP

OedipusComplex/InfantilesexualityinFreud

HB

Oct26th

Nov2nd

FemalesexualityinFreud

HB

Nov9th

Mother/DaughterrelationshipinFreud

HB

Nov16th Fetishismandvoyeurisminthecinema

AP

Nov23rd Fantasy/Phantasyinthecinema:TheArchaic
Mother

HB

10 Nov30th TheAuthoritarianpersonalityReich,Frommand
Marcuse

HB

11 Dec7th

HB

Lacan:TheMirrorPhase

12 Dec14th PsychoanalysisandPostcolonialTheory:Theother
inBertoluccisCinema

YL

Please note: The First Lecture is on a Wednesday, all the rest are on
Mondays!Pleasealsonotenolectureinweek2.
HB Haim Bresheeth
AP Anat Pick
YL Yosefa Loshitzky

Psychoanalysis and the cinema - some notes on a meandering history

Introduction:
This Module deals with the complex and fraught relationships between
Psychoanalytical theory and film theory. While the common view is that this
hasstartedinthe1970swiththegrowthofwomenStudies,therealstarting
pointis asearlyas 1915,withthefirsttheoreticalworkinEnglishabout the
youngartform,beingpublishedbyapsychoanalyst,HugoMunsterberg1.The
great interest in psychoanalysis during the period has contributed to this
combinationoftopics,thoughFreudhimselfseemstohavelittleinterestinthe
cinema. The module deals with the development and use of psychoanalytical
film theory, and its contribution to our understanding of modern cinema.
Apart from covering the range of Freudian concepts which have contributed
towardsfilmtheory,wewillcovertheworkofsomeofFreudsfollowers,such
as Lacan and Reich, in applying psychoanalytic readings to a range of
films/genres.

The incredible coincidence of the birth of both traditions at practically the

same time Lumire and Melis in 1895, with Freud and Breuer publishing
Studies in Hysteria in the same year. The book is widely considered as the
beginningofPsychoanalysis,andwhilethisbeginningissomewhatnominal,
soisthatofthecinema...itisclearthatbothareasstartdevelopingatthesame
time. In terms of developmental history they could not be compared ever,
obviously.Itiswhenonelooksattheareasofkinshipbetweenthetwoareas
whenasenseofanimportantandformativerelationshipemerges.

Someobviousconnections:

botharebasedonthedarkroomandarelaxedpoiseofthesubject
inbothcasesthesubjectisnotincontrol,oratleast,notintotalcontrol
oftheperformancewhichisunveiledbeforethem
bothuseanonconceptual,visuallybasedlanguage,withgreat
similaritiesbetweentheoperativemodesofexpression
scenesorepisodesarethebasicunitsofbothsystems
inbothsystems,thevisibleandapparentisonlyoneleveloftheir
structureofmeaning,withotherlayersplayingadecisiverole;this
meansthatbothrequiredecoding.
bothsystemsuseconventionsofakind,andemploysystematicuseof
linguisticexpressiveelements

1. Munsterberg, H The Photoplay: A Psychological Study (originally published by D. Appleton, New York, 1916),
republished as The Film: A Psychological Study, New York, Dover, 1970
4

 bothsystemsusecertaindistortionsofknownrealityandrequire
measuresofsuspensionofdisbelief
bothsystemsarefundamentallydealingwithorderingchaos.Whilethe
orderachievedbythecinemaseemsmoreorderly(sometimes...)thisis
alsoaresultofasystemofconventions(realism).
bothsystemsrelyonexteriordataandknowledgeinordertodecode
theirmessages
identificationiscrucialinboth.Thisshouldnotbeconfusedwiththe
simplefactthatthedreamingsubjectisnormallyalsoacharacter,if
sometimesaveryminorone,indreams,asopposedtofilmwherethisis
neverthecase;identificationmachineryismorecomplexthanthat.
Oneisalsostruckbyother,lessobviouslinksbetweenthetwo.Indescribing
theirdreams,peopleoftenusethetermcinematic(or,moreoften,...itwas
justlikeafilm...)whileindescribingpartsoffilms,theyeasilycallthem
dreamlike.Thelinksbetweenbothareasareeitheraresultofaseriesof
coincidences,orelse,theyaredeeplysignificant.Ishalltakeherthelatter
view,oneadheredtobymostscholarsofeitherareanowadays.
TheobviousareaofgreatcontactistheUnconscious.Itisclearthatlikemost
ofartproducts,filmdoesnotmainlyoperateontheconceptual,rationaland
linguisticlevel,butmoreonthevisual,emotional,libidinalandvoyeuristic
levels.HenceitdependsonandemploysthemainenginesofUnconscious
processes.Neithercanthanimpactoffilmbeexplainedotherwise.Manyofthe
mechanismsoftheUnconsciousareemployedinnarrativeandevennon
narrativefilm:

Repetitionandloopingthiswellknowndreamelementisquite
athomeinfilmnarrative
Thecliffhangingofdreamsisquiteidenticaltothatofcinema.
Disjointedtimespacecontinuum
UseofCUsanddetailedviewstohighlightpoints
Nonlinearmanipulationoftime
Parallelediting
Useofthegazeanditslibidinalpotential
Oedipalsourcesofbothmentaldevelopmentandnarrative
structures

Thosearebutfewoftheusualtricksofthecinematictrade,widelyusedinthe
filmindustryofallcultures.Itisawidelyagreedjudgementthatsilentcinema
wasmoreuniversal.Thiswasindeednotbecausepeoplecouldreadthefew
intertitlesintheirownlanguage,butduetoadecisivelackthelackofspoken
language,andthesupremereignofthevisual.Inthat,silentcinemawaseven
closertocertainaspectsoftheUnconscious,whichafterall,speakthemost
universallanguageofall.
5

Generalpoints
Theearlyconscioususeofpsychoanalyticalconceptsinmainstreamcinemawasthe
somewhatcrudeinstancesofHitchcock,Tournerandothersemployingaplotwhich
includedpsychoanalyticalmaterialeitherintheplotlineorcharacterisation(orboth)while
thestorywasstilltoldintheusualmanner.Ataboutthesameperiod,andapparently
withoutconnection,psychoanalyticalterminologyandmethodologyisbeingusedinliterary
theoryforthefirsttime.ThiswasinvariablybasedonFreudforaysintothisarea2,which
havespannedalargepartofhislatework,andincludedmanyreferences,aswellasgivinga
methodforthisuseofpsychoanalysisforliteraryanalysis.Thisrepresentedamovefrom
thetextassupremetothepsycheandpersonalityoftheauthor,ascanbegleanedfrom
analysinghis/hercharactersasifthecritichasturnedanalyst.Thisnewrelationshiptothe
text,ofanalyst/analysandratherthanreader/texthasinvolvedalsothetreatmentof
literarycharactersbeingtreatedaslivingpersons,ahighlysuspecttheoreticalleap.While
thismethodishardlyusedinthesamemannerbycurrentscholars,itprovidedan
importantpartofthedevelopmentofthediscoursebetweenpsychoanalyticalandcritical
writing.
Thissameoutdatedcriticalmodeisblamedasstillbeingusedbyfeminists(anargument
madebyBrooks,forone,andagreedtobyEAnnKaplan,withsomequalifications)andis
foundeitherlackingornecessaryevil,dependingontheinclinationofthewriter.Inthe
lattercase,thisisjustifiedbytheneedoffeministcritiquetoemployanarrayofmethods
whichwilldecode,deconstructanddisarmpatriarchalvehiclesofanalysis,byshowing
themtobeideologicalandskewed.
Thisisacrucialpoint.Bythattime,feministcriticswereclearlyshowingtheproblematic
facetsofthepsychoanalyticaldiscourse,bothascureandasascientificmethod;the
constructionofthefemalesubject,andhersexualityandpowerrelationships,throughthe
imagesystemofpatriarchywasseenasareasontobeextracarefulintheuseof
Psychoanalysisasacriticaltool,ifnotareasontoavoiditaltogether.Thisisdoublycrucial,
asitisnotjustpsychoanalysiswhichhascontributedtothesubjugationofwomenthrough
therecreatingofpowerrelationsofpatriarchy,butmoreimportantly,filmthroughitslong
historyhasexcelledatthesametask.LatercriticssuchasMulveyandothers,have
reconstitutedthisuseforfeminists,bystrippingitoftheuniversalscientificclaims,and
insteadallowingitasanotherrepresentationoftheorderoftheFatherandthePhallus,but
thenusingitsmethodsandfindingsagainstthegrainofitsideologicalfoundations.Hence
Mulveycanclaim,inareworkingofherVisualPleasuresandNarrativeCinemaarticle,
thatthestructuringofthefemaleviewingsubjectthroughdominantclassicalrealisttextis
alsoempoweringwhileitdoesforceamaledominatedpositiononwomenviewers,italso
revivingthatrepressedhalfofhersexualitywhichpatriarchyhasquashedinchildhood.
ThisisausefulemploymentoftheLacanianupdatingofFreudianPsychoanalysis,withthe
bisexualityastheearlysexualstage,withthegenitalsexualitybeingenforcedbythe
socialisingofthechildbypatriarchy.
ThisproblematicstageoftheuseofPsychoanalysisintheserviceofliterarycriticismhas
ledtowhatEAnnKaplanhascalledtheScreenParadigm,andwhichisusuallytermed
Lacanianfilmtheory.Kaplanarguesverypersuasivelythatthetermisamisnomer:

Acomplicatedmixtureofvariouskindsofthoughtsemiotics,poststructuralism,
RussianFormalism,feminism,aBrechtianpoliticsofmodernismAlthusserian
2

. As in his essays on Creative Writing and Day Dreaming and Family Romances and other studies of specific
artists and authors from the classics.
6

Marxism,FreudianandLacanianpsychoanalysisproducedasetofapproaches
withinacircumscribedframeintheinfluentialBritishfilmjournal,Screen.3

ThisratheridiosyncraticmixturehasalsoinfluencedtheUSAfilmstudiesscene,claims
Kaplan,withonegreatdifferencetheMarxist/Althusserianelementwastotallydropped
duetotheverydifferentsensibilitiesoftheUSAacademicscene,withitslackofinterestand
understandingofMarxistdiscourse,anditsratherconservativeoutlookbythe1980s.This
hasproducedanotherhybridofamethod,wheretheimportanceoftheprocessof
spectatorshipisdifferentlystructuredthanintheEuropeancontext.Heretheconsumption
elementwasstronger,thesubjectoftheearliersystem,withitsarrayoflinksand
dependenciesontheISA/superstructure,hasnowturnedintoasomewhatfreerconsuming
agent,whosesexualityisconstructedbytextualrelationships,butwhosesocialrealities
seemtobeimmunetothetextualexchangedangers.
Thebriefoutlinehereishopefullyaccurateenoughtoshowoneaspectsofthetheoretical
structuresused,namely,thatmanyofthepieceswerenotdesignedordestinedtoserveas
applicationtools,butrather,theywereintendedpurelyastheoriesaboutrelationships
amongthediversebodiesoflanguageordiscoursesthanmethodsthataimtoshowwhatis
goingoninatext.4
Thisleavesthefieldinsomethingofanimpasse.Therearecurrentlyanumberofdirections
inwhichPsychoanalysisisbeingusedimaginativelytodevelopfurtherourunderstanding
offilm,itsstructuresandtheconstructionofsubjects.Oneoftheseistheworkdoneon
fantasy,themasqueradeandtheGrotesque.Thisworkisheavilydependenton
Psychoanalysisanditscurrentstate.Anotheristhecontinuingworkonthepositioningof
thesubjecttheprocessesofspectatorship,empowermentandthepotentialitiesand
dangersofsubversivereadings.Theworkonmelodramaisanimportantpartofthiseffort.
Thetensionstodayseemtobealmostthesameones,butthesolutionsmoreremote,and
moredifficult.Thepowerofthepatriarchalsystemtoposition,reshapeandrecyclealmost
endlesslyeveryoppositionandsubversionofitsruleismenacinglyclearer.The
disappearancefrompublicdiscourseofanimportantsetofmoderniststrategiesisalso
addingtotheproblemsofthosewhowish,followingMarxsmaxim,nottojustexplain
realities,butalsochangethem.

. Kaplan, E Ann - Psychoanalysis and Cinema, p. 8

. Kaplan, E Ann - Psychoanalysis and Cinema, p. 15

7

Programmeandtimetableweeklydetails

Please note: All entries marked PFL refer to the Penguin Freud Library,
the popular edition of Freuds writings, easily available in all libraries
andmostbookshops.

1.IntroductionI:PsychoanalysisandCinema

ThislectureexaminesbothFreudsrudimentsofdreamtheory,andtheuseofthedreamin
the cinema. The various mechanisms of the dream, the Freudian dreamwork
condensation,displacement,therecurrenceofsymbols,aswellasthedreammaterials,will
beexaminedinrelationshiptocinematicdreams,butalsototheconceptofthecinemaitself
asthesocializeddreammachine.

Films:DowntotheCellar(JanSvankmajer,Czechoslovakia,1982)12minutes

8(FedericoFellini,Italy,1963)Extracts

Reading:
Freud, S. The Interpretation of Dreams. PFL Volume 4: Chapters IIIV (1991
edition)pp.169245(NotinModuleReader)

3. Introduction II Introduction Freud and Interpretation of Dreams

(1900):TheJourneyBackwards:childhoodwoundsremainwithus

Thislecturepresentstheverybeginningsoftheuseofdreamsinthecinema,andusesone
ofthemostfamousfilmsbasedarounddreams:BergmansWildStrawberries.Inanalyzing
thefilm,wewillbefollowingBergmansowninterestinFreud,andhiscarefulconstruction
ofwhatcouldbeconsideredaFreudiantextaprocedurehereturnstolaterinhiswork.

Films:WildStrawberries(Bergman,Sweden1957)90minutes

Reading:
Freud, S. The Interpretation of Dreams. PFL Volume 4: Chapters V and VI
(1991edition)pp.247650(NotinModuleReader)

4.TheGaze:Power,Gender,Sexuality,Violence

Thislecturepresentsthepainfulconnectionsbetweensexuality,voyeurismandviolencein
acinematiccontext.Thatthevisualarts,especiallyfilmandtelevision,arethemainformsof
representationofviolenceweareexposedto,isafactwedonotgiveasecondthoughtto
nowadays.Thisisofcourseindicativeofhownormalizedthisexperiencehasbecomeinthe
modern world, and the deepseated needs this graphic representation seems to build on.
Wewillexamineoneofthekeycinematictexts,HitchcocksPyscho,inordertodetermine
thepsychoanalyticallayeringperformedinsuchatext.

Films:Psycho(Hitchcock,USA,1960)Extracts

Reading:
Creed. B. The Castrating Mother: Psycho in The Monstrous Feminine: Film,
FeminismandPsychoanalysis.Routledge,London1993.pp.139160.

5.OedipusComplex/InfantilesexualityinFreud

TheOedipuscomplexisacornerstoneofFreudstheory,andservesasalynchpinformuch
ofhislaterwork.Thecinematictreatmentofthemythandcomplexisnorlimitedtofilms
dealing directly with the Oedipus narrative, of course; however, we have chosen the
cinematicretellingofthismythinPasolinisfilmEdipoRE,asitdoesbothitdealswiththe
myth, with Freuds ideas, but also with Pasolinis childhood, thus it is a work in a real
Freudianvein.

Films:EdipoRe(PierPaoloPasolini,Italy,1968)Extracts

Reading:
Freud,S.TheDissolutionoftheOedipusComplexinPFLVol.7pp.313323

6.FemalesexualityinFreud

FemalesexualityisprobablythesubjectwhichexercisedFreudsmindmorethananyother,
and also one which spans his creative life, in an attempt to illuminate one of the more
complex areas of sociocultural life. Freuds work on feminine sexuality has created more
problemsthatitpurportedtoresolve,buthasalsosuggestedwaysforusofthinkingabout
Woman/women in cinematic representation. Freuds work has been extended and
reinterpreted by Lacan and others, providing a range of possible readings, which we will
encounterinthislecture.WewillconcentrateonakeycinematictextbyPabst,andexamine
thehistoricizedreadingsoffemalesexualinthisfilm,asacasestudyofthefemmefatalein
thecinema.

Films:PandorasBox(G.W.Pabst,Germany,1929)Extracts

Reading:
Freud,S.FemaleSexuality.PFLVol.7,(1991edition)pp.367392

Lacan, J Feminine Sexuality. W.W. Norton, New York, 1985. Edited by Juliet
MitchellandJacquelineRose.(notincludedinReader)

Creed, B. Medusas Head: The Vagina Dentata and Freudian Theory in The
Monstrous Feminine: Film, Feminism and Psychoanalysis. Routledge, London
1993.pp.105121

Doane,M.A.TheEroticBarter:PandorasBox,inFemmesFatales:Feminism,
FilmTheory,Psychoanalysis.Routledge,London1991.pp.142161.

7.Mother/DaughterrelationshipinFreud

Thetwocomplexandformativerelationshipsofthechild,arethosewithbothparents.The
more painful of the two in terms of the young female child is, according to Freud, the
mother/daughter relationship. We have chosen an established key cinematic text, Now,
Voyager, in order to examine the parameters of the Freudian interpretation of the
9

relationship,andformappingthecinematicpotentialofsuchastrongrelationship,bothas
adestructivedynamic,andasasupportiveone.

Films:NowVoyager(IrvingRapper,USA,1942)117minutes.Extracts

Reading:
Britton,A.ANewServitude:BetteDavis,Now,VoyagerandtheRadicalismof
theWomansFilminCineactionVolume26/27,1993,pp.3259.

8.Fetishismandvoyeurisminthecinema

Thislectureexaminesthetheoreticalworkonvoyeurism,sexualityandrepresentationina
cinematic setting, through a close reading of Hitchcocks Rear Window. The relationship
between Freuds models of masculine and feminine behavioral patterns, and their
projection onto asexual arena, as well as onto a cinematic mapping of male and female
representations,iswhatisattheheartofthislecture,andthisweeksprogramme.Mulveys
article,nowpartofthecanonictextsoffilmstudies,willbelookedatinthecontextofher
later work, in examining to what extent current understanding is dependent both on
Freudsconcepts,andMulveystext.

Films:RearWindow(AlfredHitchcock,USA1954)Extracts

Reading:
Mulvey, L. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema in Visual and Other
Pleasures,MacMillan,London1979.

Dadoun, R. Fetishism in the Horror Film in Donald James (ed) Fantasy and
theCinema,BFI,London,1989.pp.3691

9.Fantasy/Phantasyinthecinema:TheArchaicMother

Thislecturepresentstheverycomplextopicofthemotherinfantasy/phantasytexts.The
archetypalfigureofthearchaicmotherisexaminedthroughaseriesofcinematictexts,in
this case the Alien series of films, in order to map the development in mother
representations through a single cinematic prism. By examining examples from the four
textsoftheseriestodate,anargumentwillemergeofthehistoricalfigureofmotherhoodin
thelaterdecadesofthe20thcentury.

Films:
Alien(RidleyScott,USA/UK,1980)Extracts

Aliens(JamesCameron,USA,1986)Extracts

Alien3(DavidFincher,USA,1992)Extracts

Alien:Resurrection(JeanPiereJeunet,USA,1998)Extracts

Reading:
Creed,B.HorrorandtheArchaicMother:AlieninTheMonstrousFeminine:
Film,FeminismandPsychoanalysis.Routledge,London1993.pp.1630

10.Lacan:TheMirrorPhase

10

Of all Lacan concepts, the Mirror Stage (phase) seems to have been the most influential,
bothgenerallyandonfilmandotherrepresentationalartforms.Thisweekwewillexamine
the concept, first developed in a short lecture on the topic, and will look at some of the
cinematic used and abuses it has been put to. This is important not just as part of the
formativechildpsychology,butbeyondasacentralconceptofgeneralidentityformation,
andthatishowwewillbeframingit.

Films:CelineandJulieGoBoating(JacquesRivette,France1974)200minutes.Thewhole
filmwillbescreened.

Reading:
Lacan,J.TheMirrorStageasformativeofthefunctionoftheIasrevealedin
psychoanalyticexperienceinEcrits,Norton,NewYork,1976.pp.17

11.TheAuthoritarianpersonalityReich,FrommandMarcuse

Of all Freuds disciples, the most extravagant, farreaching and radical was probably
Wilhelm Reich. His theoretical treatise on sexuality and its social roles The Sexual
Revolution, was a required reading during the 1960s, with its liberalizing of sexual
relationsinthewest.MakavejevsfilmoffersasearingreadingofReichswork,aswellasa
social critique of its abuses and misunderstandings. The film is also unique in its
combinationofgenresandcinematicprocedures,comingclosetoamodelcinematicdream
whichcouldhavebeenprojectedbyFreudhimself.

Films:W.R. Mysteries of the Organism (Duan Makavejev, Yugoslavia/USA, 1971) 84

minutes.Thewholefilmwillbescreened.

Reading:
Reich,W.TheSexualRevolution,VisionPress,London1951

12. Psychoanalysis and Postcolonial Theory: The other in Bertoluccis

Cinema

BertoluccihasaclearfascinationwithFreudinmanyofhisfilm,similartothefascinationof
hiscinematicmentor,Pasolini.InBesiegedhehastransgressedfromthepsychoanalytical
tothepolitical/postcolonial,ashedidinotherfilms,beforeandafterthisone.Thisisalso
similartotheattitudesonanotherofhismentors,Godard.Inthislecture,wewillexamine
the gulf between the progressive intentions and the regressive qualities of the cinematic
representationofmaleandfemalesexuality,repression,memory,raceandidentity,notto
mentionthe1stand3rdworlds.

Films:
Besieged(BernardoBertolucci,Italy,2001)Extracts

Reading:
Loshitzky,Y.TheQuestfortheOther:BertoluccisTheLastEmperorandThe
Sheltering Sky in The Radical Faces of Godard and Bertolucci, Wayne State
UniversityPress,Detroit,1995.pp.100134

Loshitzky,Y.AfterthoughtsonMulveysVisualPleasureintheAgeofCultural
Studies in Elihu Katz et al (eds) Cannonic Texts in Media Research, Polity
Press,Cambridge,2003.pp.248259
11

ReadingList:

Bowie,M
Lacan.HarvardUniversityPress,Cambs.Mass.1991
Creed,B

TheMonstrousFeminine:Film,FeminismandPsychoanalysis.Routledge,
London1993

Doane,M.A.TheEroticBarter:PandorasBox,inFemmesFatales:Feminism,FilmTheory,
Psychoanalysis.Routledge,London1991
Donald,J(ed)FantasyandtheCinema.BFI,London1989,andinitespecially:

Penley,CTimeTravel,PrimalSceneandtheCriticalDistopia

Freud,S

AnOutlineofPsychoAnalysis.inStandardEditionVol.23,pp139208

Freud,S

BeyondthePleasurePrinciple.StandardEditionVol.18,pp164

Freud,S

FemaleSexuality.StandardEditionVol.21,pp221246

Freud,S

Fetishism.StandardEditionVol.21,pp147158

Freud,S

IntroductoryLecturesonPsychoAnalysis.StandardEditionVol.16

Freud,S

MedusasHead.StandardEditionVol.18,pp273274

Freud,S

NewIntroductoryLecturesonPsychoanalysis.PFLVol.2,PFL,London1991

Freud,S

TheInfantileGenitalOrganisation.StandardEditionVol.19,pp141148

Freud,S

TheUncanny.StandardEditionVol.17,pp217252

Freud,S.

TheUnconscious.inPFLVol.11,London1991.pp.159222

Freud,S

TotemandTaboo.StandardEditionVol.13

Freud,S

OnSexuality.PFLVol.7London1987

Freud,S

TheInterpretationofDreams.StandardEditionVols4&5

Fromm,E

EscapefromFreedom.AvonBooks,NewYork,1965

Grosz,E

JacquesLacan:AFeministIntroduction.Routledge,London1990

Kaplan,EA Psychoanalysis&Cinema.Routledge/AFI,London,1990
Kristeva,J

PowersofHorror:AnEssayonAbjection.ColumbiaUniv.Press,NY1982

Kuhn,A

Cinema,CensorshipandSexuality.Routledge,London1988

Kuhn,A

Women'sPictures:FeminismandtheCinema.Routledge&KeganPaul,London
1982

Lacan,J

Ecrits.Norton,NY1976

Lacan,J

TheFourFudamentalConceptsofPsychoAnalysis.WWNorton,NewYork
1981

Loshitzky, Y. The Quest for the Other: Bertoluccis The Last Emperor and The Sheltering
Sky in The Radical Faces of Godard and Bertolucci, Wayne State University
Press,Detroit,1995.pp.100134
12

Loshitzky,Y.AfterthoughtsonMulveysVisualPleasureintheAgeofCulturalStudiesin
Elihu Katz et al (eds) Cannonic Texts in Media Research, Polity Press,
Cambridge,2003.pp.248259

Maine,J

WomanattheKeyhole:FeminismandWomensCinema.IndiananUniversity
Press,
Blommington,
USA1990

Metz,C

TheImaginarySignifier:PsychoanalysisandtheCinema.IndianaUniv.Press

USA1982

Mitchell,J

PsychoAnalysisandFeminism:Freud,Reich,LaingandWomen.Macmillan,
NY/London1982

Mulvey,L

VisualandOtherPleasures;McMillan,London1989

Reich,W

TheSexualRevolution.VisionPress,London1951

Silverman,K TheAccousticMirror:TheFemaleVoiceinPsychoanalysisandtheCinema.
Bloomington,IndianaUnivPress,1988
Stacey,J

HollywoodMemories.ScreenVol35#4(Winter1994)London1994

Stern,L

FeminismandCinemaExchanges.Screen,Vol20#3/4(Winter1979)pp
89106

White,M

Women,MemoryandSerialMelodrama.ScreenVol35#4(Winter1994)
London1994

ReccomendedfurtherReading:

Brooks,P

TheIdeaofPsychoanalyticLiterayCriticism;inRimmonKenan,S(ed)
DiscourseinPsychoanalysisandLiterature.Methuen,London1987

Commoli,JLMachinesoftheVisible.indeLauretis,T&Heath,S(eds)TheCinematic
Apparatus;St.Martin'sPress,NY1980
Cook,P

StarSigninScreen,Vol20#3/4(Winter1979)pp8088

Felman,S(ed)LiteratureandPsychoanalysis:TheQuestionofReading:Otherwise.John
HopkinsPress,US1982
Gabbard,GOPsychiatryandtheCinema.UniversityofChicagoPress,US1987
Jameson,F

ThePoliticalUnconscious:NarrativeasaSociallySymbolicAct.Cornell
UniversityPress,Itacha,1982

Kristeva,J

RevolutioninPoeticLanguageinTorilMoi(ed)TheKristevaReader.
Blackwell,
Oxford1989

Lacan,J

Poe'sPurloinedLetterinFrenchYaleStudies#48,FrenchFreud,1973

Lacan,J

SomeReflectionsontheEgo.inInternationalJournalofPsychoanalysis#24,
pp1117

Marcuse,H OneDimensionalMan.Routledge,London1991
13

Metz,C

TheFictionFilmanditsSpectator:AMetapsychologicalStudy.inHakKyung
Chai,T(ed)Apparatus.TanamPress,NY1980

Mitchell,J&Rose,J(eds)FeminineSexuality:JacquesLacanandtheecolefreudienne.WW
Norton,NewYork,1985
Mulvey,L

FetishismandCuriosity.IndianaUniversityPress,Bloomington/BFI,London
1996

Rycroft,C

ACriticalDictionaryofPsychoanalysis.PenguinBooks,London1972

SmithJ&Kerrigan,W(eds)ImagesinOurSouls:Cavell,PsychoanalysisandCinema.John
HopkinsUniversityPress,1988
Wright,E

FeminismandPsychoanalysis:ACriticalDictionary.Blackwell,USA1992

Andthefollowingjournals:

NewFormations#23

LacanandLove,CambridgeUniversityPress/Lawrence&
Wishart,London1994

ScreenReader

TheSexualSubject,Routledge,London1992

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Aims:
1. To critically examine psychoanalytical theoretical input into film theory in a historical
context.
2.Tointerrogateandmobilisedifferenttheoreticalapproachestotheanalysisoffilmtexts
intheframeworkofpsychoanalyticalconcepts.
3.Toundertakedetailedanalysisofspecificfilmtextsandgenresandrecurrentmotifsasto
determinetheinterrelationshipbetweencinematicandpsychoanalytictheories.

LearningOutcomes:
1.Tohaveacriticalunderstandingofsomeofthemajorissuesandquestionsarisingfrom
the historical use of psychoanalytical discourse, themes and terminology in analysing and
classifyingcinematictexts,andbeabletoassesstheirrelationshiptowidercontemporary
culturalissues,suchassuchastheunderstandingofidentityformation,sexismandracism.
2. To be able to assess various elements of the cinematic discourse, such as identity
formation, subject positioning, recurrent themes, or sexual identity, as relating and being
fedbypsychoanalyticperspectives.
3.Theabilitytodiscussandappraisesomeofthekeytheoreticalapproachestothestudyof
filmfromapsychoanalyticperspective.
4. To be able to undertake close analysis of cultural and media forms, texts and events
withinapsychoanalyticcontext.

Content:
The module begins by introducing and undertaking a critical examination of Freuds
InterpretationofDreams,andtheideasinherentinthistext,whichlaterwillcontributeto
thebuildingofthevariousmodelsoftheUnconscious.Byexaminingtherepresentationof
dreams in a number of key cinematic texts, we will look at the development of the
relationshipbetweendreamsrepresentedinthecinema,andthecinemaitselfrepresented
asthedreammachineperse.

The second section reexamines different Freadian models which have contributed to the
developmentoffilmtheory.WewillbelookingatmodelsoftheUnconscious,theOedipus
complex and its development in Freuds oeuvre, as well as in cinematic representation.
Sexuality and repression will be examined through looking at a variety of theoretical
approaches Mulvey, De Lauretis, Silverman and others, and using key cinematic text to
illustratepoints.Thesectionisroundedbyacloselookattheconnectionsbetweensexual
identity, voyeurism and violence, both in Freud, and in subsequent theorists of film who
dependonelementsofhiswork.Aspecialplacewillbegiventotheexaminationofhorror,
soastocontextualiseourfindings.

The final section examines some of the work of followers of Freud, which has affected or
inflectedoncinematictheoryand/orcinematiccreativity.Theworkofpsychoanalystssuch
as Lacan, Reich, Klein and Fromm, as well as cultural and film theorists such as Kristeva,
Creed, Penley, and Wood will be introduced in connection to some recent key cinematic
texts,soastotryandevaluatethecurrentvalueofpsychoanalyticconceptsinthecontinued
developmentoffilmstudies

Assessment:
Coursework1(CW1):Seminarpresentationandwrittenpaper
(2000words)(40%ofoverallmodulegrade)
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Variable handin dates for written paper within 1 week of seminar presentation.
Datestobepublishedinconsultationwiththegroup.

Coursework2(CW2):Essay(4000wordsofoverallmodulegrade)(60%)
HandinDeadlineDate:Tuesday,January5th,2010

All coursework should be handedin to the Student Enquires Desk (SED) by the deadline
date by 4pm, with appropriate cover sheet. See SED submission guidelines. You should
submittwocopiesofeachcoursework.Ifyouareunabletosubmitbythedeadlinedate
you have to submit Extenuating Circumstances to the University. See Extenuating
CircumstancesproceduresintheMAStudentHandbookandUniversitywebsite.

CW1:SeminarPresentationandWrittenPaper(40%)
Allstudentsarerequiredtodoaverbalpresentation(or'paper')onatopicrelatedtothe
thematic,conceptualandhistoricalworkofthemodule.Papersshouldshowevidenceofa
critical understanding of the relevant theoretical literature and will normally include an
analysisofaspecificscene,filmoragroupoffilms,selectedbythestudent.Furthercriteria
are spelled out in the student handbook. Students are advised to discuss their choice of
topicandapproachwithamemberoftheteachingteamduringthefirstweeksoftheterm.

Papers will be presented at seminars during the second half of the course. Presentations
shouldlastforabouttenminutesandmayincludeslides,OHPsorvideoexcerpts.Theywill
be followed by at least 10 minutes of question and discussion time with staff and other
students.Speakersareexpectedtobeeffectivecommunicators,sopresentationskills(such
as clarity of exposition, delivery, use of visual aids and dialogue with listeners) will be
evaluatedaswellascontent.

The presentation coursework will consist of two copies of the paper and any additional
materialsuchasvisualaidsandappendices.Thetotalsubmittedcourseworkwillnormally
be2,000wordsandmustbehandedin,withacoversheet,totheSchoolsstudentenquiry
desk(SED).

Thepresentationandwriteupwillbeassessed.Thetotalcourseworkwillbeassessedby
twomembersofthemoduleteam.

Students are entitled to about one hour of tutorial advice for the module and should take
advantage of this time to discuss appropriate readings, seminar presentations and essay
drafts.Studentsareresponsibleformakingappointmentswithtutors.

CW2:Essay(60%)
Essaytitleswillbroadlyaddressthethemesofthecourse.AlistofEssayquestionswillbe
handedoutduringthethirdweek,butstudentsmaysettheirowntitlesaslongastheseare
approved by the Module Leader. They may draw on texts already used for seminar
presentationsandmayaddressthesamebroadtopicbutessaysshouldnotduplicatework
submitted and assessed either on this module or elsewhere on the MA programme.
Studentsshouldconsultoneoftheteachingteambeforefinalisinganessaytopic.

Students are expected to show a critical understanding of the theoretical and historical
issuesassociatedwiththeessayquestionsand,whereappropriate,toapplythemtospecific
instancesoftheirchoice.
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EssaysatMAlevelarenormallyexpectedtodemonstrate(asappropriate):
knowledgeandappropriateuseofrelevanttheoreticalandhistoricalliterature
abilitytoanalyseargumentsandconcepts
Abilityforvisualanalysisoffilmsandphotographs,basedonthemethodsintroducedon
theModule
independentreadingandbibliographicalresearch
useofappropriateresearchmethods
abilitytoanalyserelevanttexts
abilitytodevelopacoherentargument
appropriateuseofevidence
independentcriticalthought
skillintheorganisationandpresentationofideasandinwrittenexpression
satisfactorypresentation

Studentsareurgedtofamiliarisethemselveswiththeassessmentregulationssetoutinthe
student handbook. Particular care should be taken to adhere to the conventions of
academicreferencingandtoavoidplagiarism.Definitionsofplagiarismarespelledout
inthehandbook.NonnativeEnglishspeakersmaywishtoconsulttheUELStudySkillsunit
aboutpossibleassistancewithfinaldrafts.Pleasenotethatduetothewideavailabilityof
articles on the Web, plagiarism has become a major problem, but also is much easier to
detect.Incaseofanydoubt,consultyourtutors.
TheEssayshouldmakeuseofawidevarietyoftextualsourcesandreferences,themajority
of which must be print references, and should include no less than fifteen bibliographical
sources. The Bibliography should be followed by a Filmography, outlining the production
detailsofallfilmtextsreferredtowithintheEssay.Pleasetakegreatcaretomakesurethat
yourcitationsandbibliographyaredoneproperlyandaccurately,inastandardformat.

Theessayshouldbeabout4,000words.Twocopiesmustbehandedinwithacoversheet
tothestudentenquiriesdesk(SED).

Assessmentcriteria:
Knowledge & Understanding: of topic; range and relevance of sources;
applyingknowledgetomakeanargument
Analysis&LogicalDevelopment:essaystructure;coherencyorargument;use
ofsources
Synthesis/Creativity&Independent/OriginalThought:integratingmaterials/
sources;originality;useofexamples
Presentation:writingstyle;propercitationofsources;grammar&spelling

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