Abstract
In this second of two articles, one film each by directors Panos Cosmatos and Steven Spielberg will be analysed and compared in order to examine the different ways in which filmic iconography is used visually and narratively to represent nostalgia and/or retro-aesthetics. The theoretical frame of reference that will be adopted for this comparison relates to the discussion and analysis of the different aspects of nostalgia, its interrelatedness with retro-aesthetics, and the different ways in which filmic iconography relates both to mediated content and stylistic devices, as all of these were discussed extensively in part one. The working definition of Sabine Sielke, that identifies “nostalgia as an affective mode of perception that aligns imagined time-spaces, mediated in retro aesthetics, with processes of commodification”, and the notion that all nostalgia is retro, but not all retro is nostalgic, remain central tenets of the argument to be presented here.
In a number of interviews Panos Cosmatos has expressed his views on nostalgia, with specific reference to the meaning it has for the films he has made. His reference to “poisoned nostalgia” already indicates an ambivalent attitude towards nostalgia, in that its dangers are admitted in the wake of a self-reflective engagement with the past and its cultural artefacts. His debut film, Beyond the black rainbow, is considered by many commentators to have attempted a nostalgic reproduction or reimagining of a specific type of film from the late 1970s and 1980s. In the analysis of Beyond the black rainbow the attempt will be made to demonstrate how Cosmatos uses iconography not to replicate films from the past in order to evoke a nostalgic affect from the viewer, but rather to use stylistic conventions as retro-aesthetic effects in order to elicit a more cerebral approach towards both the (filmic) tradition and the past, and its potential nostalgic effects.
It is indicated that the use of iconography in Beyond the black rainbow relates mostly to the application of stylistic and narrative conventions, and less to the use of content (as the latter was interpreted by Erwin Panofsky (1972)). Cosmatos’s film has many allusions to cult films from the 1980s, as is confirmed by the director himself in a number of interviews. The references in his film are mainly to cinematographic elements pertaining to the use of film grain, lens flares, colours, etc., but he also makes use of a number of conventional narrative structures typical of the films from this era. The caveat is, however, that the juxtaposition of many of these narrative conventions has a jarring effect, as if cohesion in the development of the linear plot is lacking. The result is the presence of many allusions and references that in the first instance might seem to be attempts at a nostalgic revisitation, but because of their singularly alienating effect, do not necessarily evoke the presumed nostalgic affects, but rather prompt reflection on the nature of their use.
A notion of self-reflection follows in its wake, and it is especially the implied self-reflection of the viewer watching the film that becomes one of the most important motifs of the visual text. The visual focus on eyes, the doubling of images, dialogue referring to characters being watched, characters watching a variety of screens, etc. foreground the relation of the viewer to the viewed object through the mediation of the latter – and by implication also the viewer and his or her relation as spectator to Cosmatos’s film. The work of Vera Dika is used here to interpret the effects that this distancing relation (because self-awareness- and self-reflection-inducing) entail for the viewer. She identifies a critical potential that could invoke a critical historical consciousness that might counter some of the more pessimistic views Fredric Jameson has regarding nostalgia in film. The last point in the discussion of Beyond the black rainbow relates to the use of elements of slow cinema, which again makes the viewer aware of his or her position of spectatorship and therefore aligns with Deka’s position. The logical conclusion regarding Cosmatos’s use of iconography in his film is that these elements are applied in alignment with the understanding of retro-aesthetics as presented in this study, and not with the notion of nostalgia as such.
Steven Spielberg has confirmed his “most intimate relationship with nostalgia” in interviews, subscribing to a very positive appreciation of its value. He considers this as one of the reasons he was attracted to a project to adapt Ready player one, a youth novel by Ernest Cline, for a film. As a science fiction narrative set in the year 2045, the film is a dystopian portrayal of an America where most of the citizens escape into a virtual world populated by iconic avatars from the 1980s, thereby evoking in a very strict way Panofsky’s conceptualisation of iconography as relating to content, not stylistic form. Yet the film is also steeped in a Spielbergian ideolect of convention, as it uses recurring narrative arcs and motifs from his extensive oeuvre. On average, however, most of the interest has been focused on deciphering the various Easter eggs in the film, i.e. references to content from films, television series, comics, video games and other forms of popular culture from the era. Commentators have indicated that nostalgia represents one of the most important themes of Spielberg’s film – the moral of his story being that nostalgia and appreciation for the past are important, but should also be managed and not become a hindrance to engage with present and potential future challenges.
Despite this moral, there seems to be a discrepancy in Spielberg’s film: The very spectacular indulgence in nostalgic references belies the warning articulated at the end of the film. And keeping in mind the ways in which the film perpetuates a commodification of nostalgia, it seems as if the film belies a true reflective and self-reflective engagement with nostalgia. The critical potential of the viewer who becomes aware that nostalgic impulses can be transmuted into an awareness of the dynamics of retro-aesthetics seems to be neutralised by the way Spielberg presents his story. In effect Ready player one is more weighted towards nostalgia by focusing more on the iconography of content than the iconography of style or form.
In conclusion, a comparison of Cosmatos’s and Spielberg’s films is made: Where Beyond the black rainbow uses mainly stylistic iconography, Ready player one uses iconography of content. And whereas the former uses different ways to create critical awareness of nostalgia and therefore elicits a knowledge of retro-effects by foregrounding the position of the viewer, the latter seems to indulge the viewer in an uncritical experience of nostalgia. It is indicated, however, that with reference both to the films specifically and to the film medium in general, the role of the viewer remains paramount: He or she and his or her frame of reference will determine whether the iconography will be understood against its background of convention, and by implication be able to evoke feelings of nostalgia, or not.
Keywords: Panos Cosmatos; film; iconography; nostalgia; retro; retro-aesthetics; Steven Spielberg; style and content; 1980s
- The photo on this article’s featured image was created by Jeremy Yap and obtained from Unsplash.