Cycnos | Volume 28.2 - Le cinéma américain face à ses mythes : une foi incrédule | De la machine hollywoodienne

Résumé :

The story-telling, syntax and editing habits of the Hollywood classic film rely on the recurrence of a ternary rhythm. The Hollywood iconography also alternates three types of images : the situation image (the actor/character being then shown in his/her surroundings), the action image (where dialogue or gesture or both allow the story to move forward) and the iconic image (a fantastical, meditative or compassionate halt on one actor/character). The very core of the Hollywood star system may be enclosed in this third type of image, which transforms an actor/character into something closer to myth. Relying on conscious or unconscious memories of the basic myths, religions or the history of art, the iconic image has enabled Hollywood to transcend some senses of cultural identity in order to gain access to a universal meaning, which may have been its ambition since the beginning.

Mots-clés : Hollywood classic film, icon, myth, star system, universal meaning

Date de publication : 2015-12-04