I thought I would share parts of my thesis on here, full thesis is linked to here. Maybe some people could find it useful and help any of you in your research. Also any feed back would be greatly appreciated.
In July 2012 a fourteen minute
video entitled Innocence of Muslims (Nakoula:2012) was uploaded to YouTube. The
relatively low-budget film was poorly dubbed in Arabic with what were regarded
as anti-Islamic slurs, causing a global controversy resulting in the death of
75 people. It also prompted a wide variety of responses from different
governments; Pakistani minister Ghulam Ahmad
Bilour offered a reward for the death
of the film’s producer and the American Government requested YouTube assess
whether the video could be removed from their site. Critics noted that the video was constructed
to be inflammatory that it emphasised that films are ‘still associated with an
idea- the idea of America’s global power and prestige’ (Guardian, 2010). Ironically,
across the Atlantic the Westboro Baptist church continued to use the funerals
(and subsequent news coverage) of soldiers that died fighting in wars against a
religiously motivated force in the Middle East as a platform to promote homophobia
and their fundamentalist beliefs. What I
found interesting was it appeared that an ideological war was being waged using
the media and it had a lot to do with religion.
The rebuttal to this cross media warfare came in the form of
film. In particular Four Lions (Chris
Morris, 2010) presented a refreshing break from the constant barrage of
anti-Islamic rhetoric (Labidi,2010) this proved a controversial film because of
its light-hearted approach to home grown terrorism and its aims of deconstructing
fear. Kevin Smiths appeared to do the opposite, exploring the evolution of
American Christian Fundamentalism to extremism in Red State (Kevin Smith, 2011).
As social commentary these films
express a need to engage in discourse about religious extremism that might
otherwise be left to the one dimensional news portrayal.
This thesis
uses a semiotic analysis of the two afore mentioned films to argue that
religious extremism is represented in film with relation to factual media
representations and as such provides a varied portrayal.
The first chapter
positions the research within the context of representation, religion in film
and controversial film and satire, the reason for this is the lack of primary
research done specifically in religious extremism and more so in direct
representation of religious people (extreme or not) within in film.
The second
chapter addresses methodological approach outlining the uses and limitations of
a semiotic analysis and how the use of Barthes deconstruction of myth and the film
language of Christian Metz has been utilized in this research. It indicates and
explores previous research that has used a similar method to analyse film and
highlights the uses and limitations of semiotic analysis.
After examining
the background theory I present the findings of a semiotic analysis of Four
Lions. It is broken down into three sub chapters regarding iconography,
rhetorical devices and the deconstruction of otherness. Here the use of Barthes
construction of myth table is used analyse the visual and audible association
that link Muslims with terrorism; the following sections address how the
director Morris challenges the rhetoric developed by news sensationalism in a
social realist setting.
The forth
chapter presents the findings of RedState
using the analysis method outline above. It initially outlines the case for
the films relation to the WestBoro Baptists church. Referring again to Barthes method, it assess
the link between demographic and fundamentalism. It concludes that Smith has used generic horror conventions and
stereotypes to reinforce rural America and its practice of religious fundamentalism
as an alien and backward practice that has the ability (as experienced in the
film) to use the Bible as a foundation for exacting ‘justified’ murder. Again
the research suggests these references are laced with intertextuality to real
world representations portrayed in the news.
The fifth
chapter is a comparison of the findings on the two films; comparing and
contrasting the noted successes or failures. This chapter also expands on the
other issues touched upon in the films. Namely that both films comment on wider
socio-political issues suggesting that religious extremism is not a singular or
isolated event in our society but part of a bigger chain of events.
To conclude, I
suggest that religious extremism is an area that needs to be represented in
film and in particular in satire. Outlined in the films I analysed, is not a
black and white subject area and representations are complex. Furthermore the
research in this area, although limited, is developing. A round up on the
literature on religion in film and its practical uses and finally it addresses
my own conclusive opinion.
