| Ideas in Action: Film Theory in Film Criticism explores the question of whether film theory plays a role in the journalistic practice of film criticism. That exploration is meant to bridge the gap between theory and practice, between the mostly academic world of aesthetic theory and the world of popular culture, exemplified in films and critical responses to those films.; To accomplish this, this thesis first offers an overview of several dominant movements in film theory: formalism, realism, auteur theory, genre theory, structuralism and semiology, postmodernism, feminism and psychoanalytical film theory. It then looks for elements of those theories in narrative analysis of several texts by critics at two magazines, a newspaper, and two weeklies.; Elements of film theory exist in those texts. Some, such as auteur theory and genre theory, provide critical perspectives that frame the writing. Other elements---including the self-reflexivity of postmodernism and several key components of psychoanalytical theory, among others---are present as well, to varying degrees. It is hoped that this research will provide a base for future master's candidates who are interested in exploring this prevalent yet often overlooked segment of journalism. |
