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evidently designed to push the boundaries of cinematic representations of eroticism in art
cinema, but in affective, cognitive and intellectual terms, any viewer arousal may be
accompanied by unease. In Tango, this is quite intentional, whereas in The Dreamers the
sensation is generated by a perception that the articulation of the eroticism is more
attributable to directorial self-indulgence than to the youngsters' supposed aspiration to
sexual liberation. This defect in the film's structure can also be traced to an insufficient
development of the notion of the viewers' 'pro-attitude' towards the characters (Carroll,
1999: 31-32). In general, despite the repeated use of shots in The Dreamers that accentuate
facial feedback and bodily posture, techniques that generate some viewer attachment to the
protagonists, no allegiance is ultimately elicited; in the case of Partner and Tango even the
level of recognition outlined by Murray Smith, the phase during which viewers identify
plausible human behavioural traits in screen characters, is inhibited (M. Smith, 1995: 82-83).
In Partner the nature of character representation is too abstract, and in Tango, the
bewildering nature of Paul's personality makes any viewer engagement with the character
virtually impossible.
References
Branigan, E. (1992) Narrative Comprehension and Film, London and New York: Routledge.
Carroll, N. (1999) 'Film, Emotion and Genre', in Plantinga, C. and Smith, G. (ed.)
Passionate Views, Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press
Smith, M. (1995) Engaging Characters, Oxford: Oxford University Press
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