General Questions

Question 1

Dom Cobb

Answer 1

Leonardo DiCaprio

Question 2

Arthur

Answer 2

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Question 3

Ariadne

Answer 3

Elliot Page

Question 4

Eames

Answer 4

Tom Hardy

Question 5

Yusuf

Answer 5

Dileep Rao

Question 6

Saito

Answer 6

Ken Watanbe

Question 7

Robert Fischer

Answer 7

Cillian Murphy

Question 8

Mal

Answer 8

Marion Cotillard

Question 9

When was Inception released?

Answer 9

2010

Question 10

What genre is Inception?

Answer 10

action, thriller, heist

Question 11

What is noticeable about the films visual style and it’s impact on the spectator?

Answer 11

Paris flipping itself shows the power of dreams: reminds the spectator it isn’t real life (active spectatorship)

Question 12

How do you respond to the subplot of Cobb’s conflict with his wife, Mal?

Answer 12

• his feelings are conflicted, he wants to stay with her but knows he can’t
• battling to try and keep her memory alive
• we only see her as a projection of Cobb’s subconscious, adds moral ambiguity to her character

Question 13

What are themes of identity in Inception?

Answer 13

• Mal plays a forefront in double identity and mistake identity
• loses grip of reality and abandoned Cobb as a result of his own actions
• she isn’t real in the film, only a projection of Cobb’s subconscious which gives her a false portrayal of an antagonist
• Mal’s failure to see reality is what makes Cobb unable to accept reality

Question 14

How important is CGI to the success of the film?

Answer 14

very important, it emphases how powerfully dreams can be altered and also emphasises the action aspect of the film (eg the explosions)

Question 15

How is masculinity represented in the film?

Answer 15

• Cobb: ‘flawed hero’, his guilt is personified by Mal. despite being a masculine hero in some ways he is also vulnerable and in need of support
• Fischer also portrayed as a male character left with trauma due to the relationship with his father.
• male characters all take traditional roles (businessmen, bodyguards, thieves, soldiers)
• sons and fathers’ relationships are also foregrounded
• could argue that many of these are part of Fischer’s subconscious, so reflect his values and lifestyle
• in ‘reality’ the men mostly behave in stereotypically heroic and masculine ways (driving fast cars, shooting bad guys, fist-fighting in zero gravity)
• offers a very patriarchal view of the world.
• Cobb is a vulnerable, psychologically damaged individual, and not someone a male spectator (according to Mulvey) would ‘narcissistically identify’ with

Question 16

How is femininity represented in the film?

Answer 16

• Mal’s costume, hair and make-up is styled on the femme fatales of the film noir genre
• BUT neither she or Ariadne are ever sexualised.
• not presented as available sexually or dressed in revealing or provocative styles
• also vital characters in the plot: Mal is the main villain, and ariadne not only a key team member, she saves Cobb (and Fischer) in the end by journeying to limbo with Cobb.
• means they are not ‘voyeuristically objectified’ in the way Mulvey suggests.
• we never get to see the ‘real’ Mal: she is either a memory, a reconstruction, or a vengeful projection of Cobb’s guilt. “an emotional magnet” - Roger Ebert
• could be seen as a comment about the way images of femininity are constructed in the media, and how ‘accurate’ these images are.
• Ariadne might not even exist at all, but Cobb may have created a character to represent his conscience who is female, clever and non sexualised
• salvation and destruction are both female in Cobb’s world

Question 17

How might a spectator react to Cobb?

Answer 17

allegiance, we sympathise with his desire to return to his children OR recognition as he is Leonardo DiCaprio

Question 18

How might a spectator react to Fischer?

Answer 18

recognition, we may feel pity due to the false idea of his fathers love OR alignment, some people may relate to his family issues

Question 19

How might a spectator react to Eames?

Answer 19

allegiance, helps us to understand the dream world

Question 20

How might a spectator react to Ariadne?

Answer 20

alignment, tells us the story

Question 21

How might a spectator react to Mal?

Answer 21

recognition, initially manipulated into thinking she’s an antagonist