Spectatorship Flashcards
What suggests that Nolan’s goal for Inception was active spectatorship?
he refused to provide definitive answerd about the ending in the interviews that preceded
Why do some spectators feel as if they were FORCED to align with Cobb?
because of the forceful positioning techniques
Why might an active spectator dislike Cobb?
because important information about what he does for a living, who he works for, and the consequences of his actions were glossed over in favour of far from unique Hollywood action scenes.
ethics were ignored
What might some spectators suggest about the forceful allegiance with Cobb through micro elements?
it was a form of inception itself, turned us into passive spectators. a form of mind rape.
What is an active oppositional reading of Inception?
the ethical considerations of the heist were given very little screen time
Some examples that prove Inception’s target was active spectatorship
- open ending
- multi layered narrative with various dream levels
- so many characters
- information dumped on us fast
Critical approach of Inception as an allegory of filmmaking
- Cobb = director
- Ariadne = screenwriter
- Arthur = producer
- Saito = corporate money man who has no clue what the whole thing is about but insists on going along
- Eames = the performer
Critical approach of Inception as an allegory of mental health
Cobb: PTSD - haunted by projection of Mal. bought on by trauma of her suicide. visions of his children - symbolises his regret, his last memory weren’t their faces
Eames: DID - can portray another person just by observing them. loses himself in the process. hard to tell who the ‘real’ him is
Arthur: OCD - always dressed well, hair always in place. distressed when making a mistake
Mal: depression - in limbo for 50 years and when she comes back to the real world she is convinced it’s not real. decides to “wake up” by suicide
