12 research outputs found
Le gore, modalité virale du cinéma hollywoodien
Ă partir dâune sĂ©rie de films post-hollywoodiens qui font de lâirruption de lâabject un motif privilĂ©giĂ©, cet article se propose de mettre en Ă©vidence lâexistence dâune modalitĂ© « virale » qui, se propageant Ă partir dâun film souche (The Masque of the Red Death de Roger Corman, sorti en 1964), allait infiltrer et contaminer nombre de films Ă venir. Afin dâĂ©clairer lâĂ©mergence de cette modalitĂ©, lâauteur revient dans un premier temps sur la logique socioculturelle de dĂ©contamination amenĂ©e par le puritanisme et sur les thĂšses dĂ©veloppĂ©es par Jean Baudrillard sur lâapparition de virus dans un milieu aseptisĂ©. La modalitĂ© virale est ainsi prĂ©sentĂ©e comme le symptĂŽme dâune culture qui, Ă force dâĂ©liminer les « souillures », gĂ©nĂšre ses propres pathologies. Dans un deuxiĂšme temps, cette modalitĂ© virale est saisie dans sa dimension mĂ©taphorique, comme reflet des soubresauts sociopolitiques qui Ă©branlent lâAmĂ©rique des sixties. Ă partir de thĂšses de RenĂ© Girard, lâapparition du virus dans le cadre du cinĂ©ma amĂ©ricain est apprĂ©hendĂ©e dans sa dimension dĂ©mystificatrice. Au terme de ce travail, il sâagit de voir en quoi cette modalitĂ© peut ĂȘtre envisagĂ©e comme une pathologie typiquement filmique. Le film dâhorreur « viral » enregistrerait, en effet, la lutte entre un virus et le corps filmique dans lequel il se dĂ©veloppe.Through an examination of a series of post-Hollywood films whose explosion of the abject is a central concern, this article sets out to demonstrate the existence of a âviralâ cinema which, developing out of a founding strain (Roger Cormanâs 1964 film The Masque of the Red Death), came to infiltrate and contaminate a number of films. In order to place this cinemaâs emergence in a theoretical context, the author initially examines the socio-cultural logic of decontamination driven by puritanism, and Jean Baudrillardâs theses on the appearances of viruses in asepticized environments, demonstrating how the viral is a symptom of a culture which, in the course of removing âimpurities,â generates its own pathologies. The viral is then examined metaphorically, as the reflection of the socio-political upheavals of the 1960s in North America. The demystifying dimension of the emergence of the viral in American cinema is then discussed using the theses of RenĂ© Girard. By the end of the essay, the viral is shown to be a typically cinematic pathology : the âviralâ horror film depicts the struggle between a virus and the cinematic body in which it develops
Massacres and masquerades : Edgar Poe's « Hop-Frog » (1849) and the American Horror Film (1964-1984)
Le slasher est un sous-genre du film d'horreur reposant sur une figure de tueur masquĂ© punissant en apparence la sexualitĂ© adolescente. TrĂšs populaire auprĂšs du public adolescent de 1978 Ă 1984, il serait, selon de nombreux critiques, une expression de sadisme « gratuit ». Cependant, toute production culturelle possĂšde une lĂ©gitimitĂ© qui peut lui ĂȘtre confĂ©rĂ©e en trouvant une clĂ© de lecture adĂ©quate. Cette clĂ© est selon-nous un archĂ©type culturel que nous nommons foolkiller, et qui figure une victime marginale sanctionnant les actes irresponsables mettant en danger les membres les plus faibles de la communautĂ©. Cet archĂ©type convoque l'imaginaire mĂ©diĂ©val du charivari, un rite de justice folklorique punissant les manquements Ă la morale. Pour parvenir Ă cette rĂ©fĂ©rence, il est nĂ©cessaire de montrer que le slasher a masquĂ© un genre plus large qui gravite autour d'une victime humiliĂ©e se vengeant de ses persĂ©cuteurs et qui inclue des films comme Willard (1971), Carrie (1976), ou encore Fade to Black (1980). Or, on peut trouver une formulation prototypique de cette histoire dans Hop-Frog (1849), une nouvelle d'Edgar Poe racontant la vengeance d'un bouffon difforme persĂ©cutĂ© par un roi sadique. Nous envisageons cette nouvelle comme un artefact prototypique de l'archĂ©type culturel du foolkiller dont le genre masquĂ© par le slasher est une expression contemporaine. L'Ă©tude de cette nouvelle et de ses rĂ©fĂ©rences culturelles permet de comprendre le fonctionnement de l'archĂ©type et son apparition en rĂ©ponse Ă une crise sacrificielle au sens oĂč l'entend RenĂ© Girard. Une crise du mĂȘme genre est repĂ©rable dans la culture amĂ©ricaine des annĂ©es 1970, ce qui explique la rĂ©surgence de l'archĂ©type Ă cette pĂ©riode.The slasher movie is a horror film sub-genre featuring a masked killer supposedly punishing teenage sexuality. Extremely popular among teens from 1978 to 1984, it is generally discarded by serious critics as a spectacle of gratuitous violence. However, the genre can be granted some legitimacy once it is seen as a contemporary form of a cultural archetype which we call "foolkiller". This archetype revolves around a freak avenging its own humiliation at the hands of bullies and punishing irresponsible acts endangering the weakest people in a community. Culturally speaking, this archetype has roots in the medieval practice of "rough music", a masked demonstration organized to humiliate some wrongdoer and to punish moral transgressions in the community. In order to access this cultural reference, it is necessary to show that the attention given the slasher film has concealed the existence of another genre, comprising slasher films but also movies such as Willard (1971), Carrie (1976), and Fade to Black (1980), whose protagonist is a victim avenging its persecution. This plot can also be found in "Hop-Frog", a short-story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1849. It tells the story of a jester dwarf bullied by a cruel king. We argue that this tale is a prototypical artifact of the foolkiller archetype, which also informs the genre concealed by the slasher film. The cultural frame of this short story enables us to understand how the archetype functions and its relationship to what RenĂ© Girard calls a "sacrificial crisis". Such a crisis is at work within 1970's American culture, which explains why the archetype reappears during this time.The slasher movie is a horror film sub-genre featuring a masked killer supposedly punishing teenage sexuality. Extremely popular among teens from 1978 to 1984, it is generally discarded by serious critics as a spectacle of gratuitous violence. However, the genre can be granted some legitimacy once it is seen as a contemporary form of a cultural archetype which we call "foolkiller". This archetype revolves around a freak avenging its own humiliation at the hands of bullies and punishing irresponsible acts endangering the weakest people in a community. Culturally speaking, this archetype has roots in the medieval practice of ârough musicâ, a masked demonstration organized to humiliate some wrongdoer and to punish moral transgressions in the community. In order to access this cultural reference, it is necessary to show that the attention given the slasher film has concealed the existence of another genre, comprising slasher films but also movies such as Willard (1971), Carrie (1976), and Fade to Black (1980), whose protagonist is a victim avenging its persecution. This plot can also be found in "Hop-Frog", a short-story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1849. It tells the story of a jester dwarf bullied by a cruel king. We argue that this tale is a prototypical artifact of the foolkiller archetype, which also informs the genre concealed by the slasher film. The cultural frame of this short story enables us to understand how the archetype functions and its relationship to what RenĂ© Girard calls a "sacrificial crisis". Such a crisis is at work within 1970's American culture, which explains why the archetype reappears during this time
La lettre volée : le cas étrange de Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde au cinéma
Avant de quitter la maison, le notaire sâarrĂȘta pour Ă©changer quelques mots avec Poole.â Ă propos, lui dit-il, on a apportĂ© une lettre aujourdâhui. Quelle figure avait le messager ?Mais Poole fut catĂ©gorique : le facteur seul avait apportĂ© quelque chose ;» et il nâa remis que des imprimĂ©s », ajouta-t-il. Ă cette nouvelle, le visiteur, en sâĂ©loignant, sentit renaĂźtre ses craintes. DâĂ©vidence, la lettre Ă©tait arrivĂ©e par la porte du laboratoire ; peut-ĂȘtre mĂȘme avait-elle Ă©tĂ© Ă©crite dans le cab..
Screening A Christmas Carol (Dickens, 1843): Adaptation as Completion
This paper investigates cinema and televisionâs peculiar âlove storyâ with Charles Dickensâs A Christmas Carol (1843). Indeed, the story of Scroogeâs life-changing encounter with the Christmas Spirits has been adapted, revised, condensed, retold, and modernized on screen more than any other work of English or American literature. Why is cinema so attracted to this particular piece? Although the mythic quality of the tale partly explains its persistence over the years, I believe that the interest exerted by the Carol on the film medium has a lot to do with the spectacular apparatus (a series of highly realistic images projected to Scrooge) displayed by the Christmas Spirits to redeem the old miser. For what is the Carol if not a text about a characterâs personal cinematic experience? The tale contains âtechniquesâ that would only be developed in cinema, as if Dickens was writing a story to be told by a medium not yet available in the Victorian age. As a consequence, turning the Carol into a movie is to not only âadaptâ it in the traditional sense of the word, but to literally complete it (in the sense of achieving what Dickens had started) and fulfill its potential, which may explain the satisfying nature of watching a film adaptation of Carol, regardless of the inner quality of the film itself
Texte et image Ă l'Ă©poque victorienne
This 64th issue of Cahiers victoriens et Ă©douardiens, initially published in October 2006 was simply entitled âText and Image in the Victorian Eraâ. The volume is composed of eleven articles. They deal with societal or literary subjects as is mostly the case for this journal. Cultural and social questions are tackled in essays devoted to the re-presentation of the bourgeoisie in the satirical publication Punch, Thackerayâs diary of his travel across Egypt and the relationship between heroines of sensational novels such as Lady Audleyâs Secret and the fashion world. Others deal with the articulation between literary text and image (whether it be through cinema, simulacra or illustrations), examining Coppolaâs adaptation of Dracula, the tension between realism and romance in this proto-cinematic tale A Christmas Carol, or the close collaboration between George MacDonald and his illustrator Arthur Hughes. In other articles, a more theoretical approach to word and image studies is proposed, in order to explore the new picturesque in Dickens, the confrontation between reality and appearances in Dorian Gray or the ambiguities relating to point of view in Tess. Ce volume 64 des Cahiers victoriens et Ă©douardiens, publiĂ© en octobre 2006 a Ă©tĂ© sobrement intitulĂ© « Texte et Image Ă lâĂ©poque victorienne ». Il est composĂ© de 11 articles et dâune recension. Ils abordent soit un pan civilisationnel soit un pan littĂ©raire comme cela est traditionnellement le cas pour les CVE. Les aspects culturels sont Ă©tudiĂ©s dans la reprĂ©sentation de la bourgeoisie dans le journal satirique Punch, le journal de bord de Thackeray au pays des harems et les hĂ©roĂŻnes sensationnalistes en relation avec le monde de la mode. Dâautres articles travaillent sur lâarticulation entre texte et image, notamment sur lâadaptation par F. F. Coppola de Dracula, sur le proto-cinĂ©matographique dans A Christmas Carol ou bien encore sur la collaboration entre lâillustrateur Arthur Hughes et les textes de George MacDonald. Dâautres enfin, abordent des sujets plus thĂ©oriques, comme le pittoresque chez Dickens, la confrontation entre le rĂ©el et le semblant dans Dorian Gray ou les ambiguĂŻtĂ©s du point de vue dans Tess
Genres et enjeux de légitimation
International audienceLe troisiĂšme numĂ©ro de la revue "Ă lâĂ©preuve" souhaite interroger la complexitĂ© de la notion de « genre » sans se limiter aux seuls aspects poĂ©tiques de la question : quels sont les traits dĂ©finitoires dâun genre ? Les modĂšles gĂ©nĂ©riques Ă©laborĂ©s par la thĂ©orie sont-ils opĂ©ratoires lorsque nous les confrontons Ă la diversitĂ© foisonnante des produits culturels ? Sâil sâagit lĂ de deux questionnements certes incontournables sur la notion, la formulation de la thĂ©matique du numĂ©ro invite Ă©galement Ă accorder une importance particuliĂšre aux implications idĂ©ologiques et axiologiques du geste dâĂ©tiquetage gĂ©nĂ©rique. Car lâassociation dâun objet culturel et dâun genre ne vise pas toujours Ă une fin exclusivement descriptive mais dissimule souvent une intention prescriptive. Classifier revient parfois non simplement Ă dĂ©partager mais Ă©galement Ă Ă©tablir une hiĂ©rarchie entre les « grands » et les « petits » genres. Ainsi comme le rappelait Pierre Bourdieu tout effort de taxinomie nâest jamais totalement Ă©tranger Ă une certaine violence symbolique : "Mettre des formes, câest donner Ă une action ou Ă un discours la forme qui est reconnue comme convenable, lĂ©gitime, approuvĂ©e, câest-Ă -dire une forme telle que lâon peut produire publiquement, Ă la face de tous, une volontĂ© ou une pratique qui, prĂ©sentĂ©e autrement, serait inacceptable". Les articles rĂ©unis dans ce numĂ©ro proposent chacun un Ă©clairage diffĂ©rent sur lâensemble de ces enjeux formels et idĂ©ologiques de la notion dans des domaines variĂ©s
New Perspectives on Film Adaptations of 19thâCentury Novels and Short Stories
Le succĂšs des fictions du XIXe siĂšcle auprĂšs des professionnels du cinĂ©ma nâest plus Ă dĂ©montrer et les raisons en sont bien connues. Quelques mots suffiront Ă les Ă©voquer : popularitĂ©, patrimoine, profits, adaptations thĂ©Ăątrales, aspects prĂ©- et proto-cinĂ©matographiques, importance des illustrations, quĂȘte de respectabilitĂ© du mĂ©dium filmique. Linda Hutcheon suggĂšre cependant que lâadaptation ne doit pas chercher la fidĂ©litĂ© Ă lâĆuvre source, que toute adaptation est rĂ©pĂ©tition sans duplication et câest ce que le recueil dâarticles proposĂ© ici sâattache Ă dĂ©montrer. Les contributions se concentrent autour des thĂ©ories du genre, la dĂ©(re)contextualisation, la contamination, la consolation, autant de nouvelles maniĂšres dâaborder le principe mĂȘme de lâadaptation filmique. Les classiques de la littĂ©rature du XIXe siĂšcle seront donc Ă lâhonneur (Austen, Dickens, BrontĂ«, Forster) mais aussi des Ćuvres lĂ©gĂšrement moins connues (G. Du Maurier, Saki) ou des genres rĂ©putĂ©s moins nobles comme le âpenny dreadfulâ. 19th-centurynovels and short stories have always been successful with the professionals of cinema. Many reasons can be invoked in so many keywords: popularity, heritage, financial profits, theatrical adaptations, pre-cinematic aspects, illustrations, filmâs quest for respectability. However Linda Hutcheon suggests that adaptation is repetition without replication and this is what this collection of articles will be dealing with. The contributions gathered here focus on the newly acquired type of gender relationships, on de(re)contextualization, and on the âcontaminationâ of a TV series by classic gothic stories, or the function of a background score and a colour scheme. Adaptations of classics of 19thâcentury literature (Austen, Dickens, BrontĂ«, Forster) but also lesser-known novels (G. Du Maurier, Saki) as well as the penny dreadful are approached in a new, innovative way
De lâestime au cadastre en Europe. Le Moyen Ăge
LancĂ©e depuis quelques annĂ©es, lâambitieuse enquĂȘte sur lâĂ©volution qui a lentement transformĂ© lâEurope mĂ©diterranĂ©enne des estimes en Europe des cadastres, est arrivĂ©e Ă son terme avec la publication de trois ouvrages sur le Moyen Ăge, lâĂ©poque moderne et la pĂ©riode contemporaine. Dans ce premier volume, vingt-neuf des meilleurs spĂ©cialistes français et Ă©trangers sâinterrogent sur le vaste mouvement qui, de la fin du XIIe siĂšcle Ă lâaube de la Renaissance, a conduit villes, princes et Ă©tats du pourtour mĂ©diterranĂ©en Ă recenser de maniĂšre systĂ©matique les hommes, leurs terres, leurs maisons et leurs avoirs. Ils en recherchent les origines profondĂ©ment ancrĂ©es dans les permanences dâune romanitĂ© tenace, scrutent les savoirs de ceux qui ont prĂ©sidĂ© Ă la rĂ©daction de ces livres dâestimes, compoix et « cadastres » dâune infinie variĂ©tĂ© dont ils suivent la longue genĂšse, analysent les typologies complexes et tentent de comprendre la subtile construction. Recenser, situer, dĂ©limiter et estimer en vue de saisir la relation de lâhomme Ă la richesse et Ă lâespace, voilĂ bien la mission assignĂ©e Ă ces extimatores qui devaient devenir les hommes du cadastre, comme leurs livres dâestimes sont devenus le cadastre. Ce document dont la mission nâest autre que dâinscrire le droit dans la mĂ©moire de la terre et dâen peser la valeur, avant de la dessiner dans ses moindres contours
Lettres de cinéma
ConsidĂ©rĂ©e comme un problĂšme de mise en scĂšne, la lettre au cinĂ©ma est un motif propice Ă stimuler lâimagination des cinĂ©astes. Quâelle soit le motif privilĂ©giĂ© dâun cinĂ©aste comme Max Ophuls ou dâun genre comme le mĂ©lodrame hollywoodien, lâobjet de documentaires Ă la gloire du General Post Office britannique ou lâoccasion de poĂšmes chez Tony Harrison, envoyĂ©e de façon anonyme dans la TreiziĂšme lettre, perdue dans Retour Ă Cold Mountain ou dĂ©chirĂ©e dans Sueurs froides, la lettre se rĂ©vĂšle un agent dramatique Ă part entiĂšre. Jouant des Ă©carts spatiotemporels permettant toutes sortes de circulations spatiales ou signifiantes, elle instaure un mode de communication spĂ©cifique au sein du film mais aussi avec le spectateur. Si lâadaptation de rĂ©cits Ă©pistolaires Ă lâĂ©cran reste une gageure, certains cinĂ©astes nâhĂ©sitent pas Ă concevoir leur film comme une lettre adressĂ©e Ă lâabsent, que ce soit le pĂšre dĂ©funt chez Nathaniel Kahn, Dieu chez Neil Jordan ou le futur spectateur chez Jonas Mekas. LâĂ©criture Ă©pistolaire rejoint ici celle du journal intime, toutes deux centrĂ©es sur lâĂ©criture de soi dans le moment prĂ©sent. De la missive insĂ©rĂ©e dans le film au film conçu comme lettre, les articles de ce recueil proposent donc une exploration de lâĂ©criture Ă©pistolaire Ă lâĂ©cran dans le domaine du cinĂ©ma anglophone, jusquâĂ la signature et autres inscriptions du nom propre, clĂŽture de lâidentitĂ© et du courrier
Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research
Background
The ClavienâDindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the ClavienâDindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Methods
This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using ClavienâDindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs.
Results
A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using ClavienâDindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59).
Conclusion
Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally