Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
proximity as Caterina licks honey off her son may elicit unease, as it depicts a scenario where the characters' roles are more akin to those of adult sexual fetishism than to those of parent and child. Affectively, the film's recurring juxtapositions of inappropriate intimacy and insensitive detachment are set in motion, with a harmonious middle ground permanently out ofreach. Transient empathic phenomena In contrast to Caterina, Joe is a character with whom viewers might experience partial cognitive identification, in so far as they recognize a lack of interpersonal relations and a desire for social acceptance as causing his unhappiness. This brings occasional empathic phenomena, generated by viewers 'using mental models and schemata from everyday psychology 7 that allow them to simulate 'emotions in identification with an agent of fiction' (Grodal, 1997: 87). This frequently occurs during Joe's fruitless attempts to obtain his mother's attention, and his solitude in Rome, hi this context, the concept of the disorientation of individuals who find themselves in artificial environments created by/for other people - stylized, insular habitats which induce alienation - is a recurrent theme in Bertolucci's work. It spans films ranging from The Spider s Strategem, in which Athos Magnani junior is drawn into an elaborate mise-en-scene created by the inhabitants of Tara, to The Last Emperor, which portrays Pu Yi's malaise in the Forbidden City, and it re-emerges in Bertolucci's later films as protagonists such as Shandurai and Matthew experience disorientation in the secluded, disquieting environments constructed by others in Besieged and The Dreamers, hi La luna, Joe's disorientation leads him to drug addiction, whereas the extent of the emotional distance between mother and son is emphasized during his birthday party, where Caterina appears to be the only person unaware of Joe's feelings and situation. However, this fleeting empathy with Joe is problematized by the incestuous attraction between him and his mother, behaviour which is not articulated visually or thematically to elicit emotional involvement or 280
even understanding from viewers and which, cognitively, does not find narrative justification within the film's scheme. If we return, however, to the earlier reading of the narrative in an autobiographical perspective, some sense can perhaps be conferred on it, at least if credibility is given to the notion of Bertolucci, consciously or otherwise, portraying through Joe his own disastrous naivete in craving the attention of America and its audiences, whose allure and self-centredness is perfectly embodied by Caterina's character. Problematic alignment and the absence of allegiance For mainstream viewers, the occasional empathic phenomena originating from Joe's solitude are too infrequent to create an attachment to the character and therefore enable a convincing treatment of a controversial narrative theme like incest. Several elements cause this effect: the viewer's alignment is split almost equally between Caterina and Joe as a consequence of Bertolucci attempting to create a balanced representation of their mutual pain. The number of POV shots from Joe's perspective, plus reaction shots, is limited, and this reduces his subjectivity in favour of an objective narration. The outcome of this technique is that Caterina's responsibility for the family crisis is lessened, and Bertolucci's depiction of her smiling amiability appears to be an attempt to redeem her inability to understand Joe's affective needs. This perspective implies that Bertolucci is occupying an objective position between the protagonists, a position that marks the point where the director and viewer's evaluations of the unfolding action may diverge. Spectators are less likely to sideline their sense of mature responsibility, to embrace the poetic idealization and volatility of the egocentric Caterina. This position whereby the viewer's sympathies are not marshalled against Caterina and what she represents, again supports the interpretation that despite the fate of 1900 in America, Bertolucci was finding a way of expressing his personal, unresolved feelings for America and its audiences. 281
- Page 233 and 234: the Forbidden City. This, combined
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- Page 239 and 240: In addition, the presence of a hist
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- Page 289 and 290: That this sequence was written, pro
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- Page 293 and 294: on different types of meat. The bar
- Page 295 and 296: was considered to be Bertolucci's r
- Page 297 and 298: Hope, W. (2006) Giuseppe Tornatore,
- Page 299 and 300: of their 'elder sisters'. In a broa
- Page 301 and 302: she slowly changes position. Both s
- Page 303 and 304: evolve (M. Smith, 1995: 84-85). The
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- Page 315 and 316: L 'assedio I Besieged: A Cognitive
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- Page 319 and 320: elongings, and his silent, secretiv
- Page 321 and 322: individuals like Shandurai in Italy
- Page 323 and 324: other' as opposed to the individual
- Page 325 and 326: (Loshitsky, 2010: 90-93) via argume
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even understanding from viewers and which, cognitively, does not find narrative justification<br />
within the film's scheme. If we return, however, to the earlier reading <strong>of</strong> the narrative in an<br />
autobiographical perspective, some sense can perhaps be conferred on it, at least if credibility<br />
is given to the notion <strong>of</strong> Bertolucci, consciously or otherwise, portraying through Joe his own<br />
disastrous naivete in craving the attention <strong>of</strong> America and its audiences, whose allure and<br />
self-centredness is perfectly embodied by Caterina's character.<br />
Problematic alignment and the absence <strong>of</strong> allegiance<br />
For mainstream viewers, the occasional empathic phenomena originating from Joe's solitude<br />
are too infrequent to create an attachment to the character and therefore enable a convincing<br />
treatment <strong>of</strong> a controversial narrative theme like incest. Several elements cause this effect: the<br />
viewer's alignment is split almost equally between Caterina and Joe as a consequence <strong>of</strong><br />
Bertolucci attempting to create a balanced representation <strong>of</strong> their mutual pain. The number <strong>of</strong><br />
POV shots from Joe's perspective, plus reaction shots, is limited, and this reduces his<br />
subjectivity in favour <strong>of</strong> an objective narration. The outcome <strong>of</strong> this technique is that<br />
Caterina's responsibility for the family crisis is lessened, and Bertolucci's depiction <strong>of</strong> her<br />
smiling amiability appears to be an attempt to redeem her inability to understand Joe's<br />
affective needs. This perspective implies that Bertolucci is occupying an objective position<br />
between the protagonists, a position that marks the point where the director and viewer's<br />
evaluations <strong>of</strong> the unfolding action may diverge. Spectators are less likely to sideline their<br />
sense <strong>of</strong> mature responsibility, to embrace the poetic idealization and volatility <strong>of</strong> the<br />
egocentric Caterina. This position whereby the viewer's sympathies are not marshalled<br />
against Caterina and what she represents, again supports the interpretation that despite the<br />
fate <strong>of</strong> 1900 in America, Bertolucci was finding a way <strong>of</strong> expressing his personal, unresolved<br />
feelings for America and its audiences.<br />
281
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