Landscape Allegory in Cinema

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1 Landscape Allegory in Cinema

2 Landscape Allegory in Cinema From Wilderness to Wasteland David Melbye

3 LANDSCAPE ALLEGORY IN CINEMA Copyright David Melbye, Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition All rights reserved. First published in 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States a division of St. Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number , of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Melbye, David Landscape allegory in cinema : from wilderness to wasteland / David Melbye. p. cm. 1. Landscape in motion pictures. I. Title. PN L29M dc A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: July

4 For My Parents: Ann Davis Melbye and Roy Wilbur Melbye

5 Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction: Defining Landscape Allegory 1 Pre-Cinematic Appearance of Landscape Allegory 8 Landscape Allegory as an Avant-Garde Gesture 11 Narrative Cinema s Assimilation of Landscape Allegory 14 Mainstream Allegories of Imperialist Politics 16 Continuation of Landscape Allegory 18 One Landscape Depiction before Cinema 21 Anthropocentric Landscape in the Middle Ages 22 Classical Landscape in the Renaissance 25 Landscape as Subject in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting 27 The Influential Sunscapes of Claude Lorrain 30 Neoclassical Landscape as Subject in the Eighteenth Century 32 Two Spiritualized Landscapes of the Nineteenth Century 35 European Sublime Landscape 37 American Sublime Landscape 39 Landscape Sketches of Edgar Allan Poe 42 Three Advent of Filming Landscape Allegory 47 Early Wilderness Photography 48 Early Abstract Landscape Photography 51 Early Cinematic Depiction of Landscape 52 Four Depiction of Landscape in Avant-Garde Films 59 Brakhage s Dog Star Man 59 Confluence of Avant-Garde and Mainstream Cinema 62 Enrico s La rivière du hibou 63 La rivière du hibou s River Progression 66 La rivière du hibou s Overland Segment 68 La rivière du hibou s Home of the Avant-Garde 69

6 viii Contents Five Spiritual Wasteland Films 73 The Western s Duel in the Sun Allegory 73 The Wasteland Informed by Space/Place Theory 78 Jodorowsky s El Topo 81 Six Italian Wasteland Allegory 85 Antonioni s Island Allegories 87 Pasolini s Mountain Allegories 91 Desert Allegories: From Spaghetti Westerns to Zabriskie Point 93 Seven Australian Outback Allegory 99 Roeg s Walkabout 100 Weir s Picnic at Hanging Rock 103 Eight Landscape Allegory in Hollywood 111 The Western Megalomaniac versus the Third World Landscape 112 Lean s Lawrence of Arabia 113 Huston s The Man Who Would Be King 116 Coppola s Apocalypse Now 118 Nine River/Jungle and Other Imperialist Allegories 123 Herzog s Aguirre: The Wrath of God 123 Herzog s Fitzcarraldo 126 Boorman s Deliverance 128 Friedkin s Sorcerer 130 Futureworld Landscapes: Planet of the Apes, Zardoz, and 2001: A Space Odyssey 132 Reversal of Landscape Allegory 135 Ten Landscape Allegory in Other Narrative Contexts 139 Landscape in Noir Films 140 High Sierra 141 Treasure of the Sierra Madre 142 Landscape in Hitchcock Films 144 Spellbound 145 Vertigo 146 Landscape in Road Films 148 Easy Rider 149 Vanishing Point 150 Landscape Allegory as a Critical Discourse 151

7 Contents ix Conclusion: Landscape Allegory into the Future 153 Landscape Allegory Returns to Avant-Garde Origins 154 Landscape Allegory in Recent Hollywood Films 156 Landscape Allegory in Asian Cinema 159 The Human Mind as Macroscopic Space 161 Appendix: Chronology of Landscape Allegory 163 Notes 183 Bibliography 189 Index 197

8 Acknowledgments This study is an accumulation of interests reaching back as far as high school, where my senior thesis paper was on Edgar Allan Poe. I eventually became familiar with his landscape sketches in courses I took during my undergraduate years at University of California San Diego, and, in at least one of these courses, I recall how much I appreciated seeing corollary nineteenth century American paintings, which the professor provided in class. I also took courses on European and American Art History, which introduced me to the sublime and other landscape movements. And I first came into contact with allegory in courses on Chaucer and Medieval Literature, as well as in courses for a minor I pursued in Classical Studies. I wish I could thank all the professors I came across in my youth who in their own way contributed to my discovery of landscape and allegory. In my early years as a graduate student at California State University Los Angeles, I found the opportunity to devote particular attention to Poe s landscape sketches. A research paper I did on this topic, in turn, contributed content to this book. I am deeply appreciative of one professor in particular, John Cleman, who demonstrated an uncommon passion for topics covered in his seminars. He gave his time generously out of class as well to exchange ideas and grapple with the complexities of Poe s prose. His encouragement stayed with me through the years, well beyond my brief time there in completing a Masters degree in English Literature. Finally, during my time as a doctoral student at University of Southern California, I developed relationships with a number of professors who would inspire me to rein in my broad interest in landscapeoriented art, literature, and cinema. Before he left to teach at New York University, Dana Polan was my committee chair and offered me much guidance over the years in approaching my research to the general topic of landscape in cinema. Like John Cleman, he gave his time generously and always showed a great enthusiasm for my focus. Marsha Kinder, a longtime leader of the department, was also very encouraging, and, at one point, was able to facilitate my inclusion in an exclusive seminar on allegory, held at the Getter Center. Leo

9 xii Acknowledgments Braudy, the outside member of my dissertation committee, offered me invaluable help in compiling the most important studies on landscape within the broader Humanities, not to mention the worthy attention he gave to my evolving drafts. Anne Friedberg, also on my committee, provided the most rigorous notes for improvement on my drafts something I appreciate more in hindsight. Despite the caring attention of so many brilliant minds, I could not have gotten through the writing phase of my dissertation without Akira Lippit, who was willing to take on my project despite an extremely pressured deadline. As my chair, he provided the insight and encouragement I needed to complete my study. The process of revising and expanding my dissertation for publication was grueling, but immensely rewarding. I could not have done it without the help my longtime friend Damon Pipitone, who, serving as my copy editor, brought so much clarity to my work as well as contributed worthy ideas for untried approaches. And I deeply appreciate the insights and film suggestions of my close friend Andrew Syder, who was at USC with me. Robert Folkenflik s review for Palgrave was also particularly helpful in guiding my revisions. Lastly, I am indebted to my friend Ruley Espiritu for giving his time generously in the design of this book s cover art.

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