Though
addressed in Anglo-Saxon
studies since the 1970s with diversified
approaches ranging from auteurist perspectives, readings as a feminist
sub-genre to diachronic studies, francophone research on the melodrama
genre
has been very fragmentary and predominantly thematic.
The study of melodrama’s stylistic
construction has not been taken up, several isolated initiatives
notwithstanding.
This situation to some extent reflects preconceived notions of the
genre, but
also the absence of a coherent definition.
Misunderstood,
minimalized and dismissed since its cinema débuts,
the term became
pejoratively applied to a “melodramatic mode” that limited the genre to
those
films that manipulated the emotions of the public.
There also is a problem with the multiple and
sometimes contradictory usages of the word, resulting in a veritable
semantic
gulf. The first
sense of the term
connects elaborate spectacle and feeling, confrontations with moral
issues and
rhetorical figures of excess; later usage highlights the psychology of
sacrifice and pathos. Confusion
also
stems from the fact that the term might refer both to the effects
produced on
the spectators and the means by which the effects are produced. While the sources of
Classic Theatrical
Melodrama are delimited and defined, those of film melodrama, by
contrast, are
diverse. Theoreticians
attribute the
origins variously to Greek tragedy, the sentimental bourgeois novel,
Italian
opera or Victorian theatrical melodrama.
Approaches to melodrama in current publishing, conferences and festivals are almost exclusively based on monographic studies and retrospectives. These privileged approaches are not conducive to developing new lines of research. Furthermore, when film melodrama itself is addressed, it is envisioned within very narrow limits, notably those set by emblematic directors in the genre. The goal of this international conference is to open the field to new historical perspectives, to revisit the most viable ones, and to calibrate those lines of theory with theories of cognition and emotion, philosophical investigations of suffering and pathos, the mythic dimensions of the genre, etc.
Suggested
proposals
1. Diachronic perspectives
and historical revisits
Terminology: Reconsider the melodrama
genre; Sidestep
pejorative uses of the term.
Theory: Survey a panorama of
theoretical studies of
melodrama already in use and demonstrate their efficacy or limitations.
Expanding the field: Expand the discipline and establish new perspectives relating to published work on the topic. Avoid as much as possible studies
of
abundantly examined auteurs such as Douglas Sirk, Frank Borzage, etc….
2. Transcultural/ethnographic
approaches
Decompartmentalizing
geographic frontiers: Get outside of
European and American contexts as the only frames of reference. Sketch case studies
(production, authorship,
films) from other continents (
National
characteristics: Are there
recurring national characteristics related to the genre or may one cite
principles of a common style (that is, is there a Hollywood/European
style)?
Revisiting
and extending contemporary melodrama:
Questions of current melodrama
performance; taking up specific contemporary films relating to other
genres and
sub-genres.
3. Multidisciplinary approach
Connections
to and relationships
with other arts
(stage, opera, literature,
choreography…): An
opportunity to
redefine systematically the topoï
of the genre with an
interdisciplinary dimension and artistic pluralism. Aim to avoid jargon
and
stereotypes, and instead of just going back to theater and literature,
find new
synergies with opera, music and, once again, painting.
Connections
to and relationships with other media and formats
(television,
installations, multimedia works, etc.):
Establish the contemporary issues of melodrama in these
other formats.
4. Reception
Theoretical
perspectives: Open up the field
to cognitive theories of emotion, philosophical inquiry into pathos,
the mythic
dimensions of the genre, etc.
Impact
on
spectatorial reception: What is the
impact of the transition between High and Low Melodrama on spectatorial
reception? How may
we redefine spectatorial reception according to the category of
melodrama? At the
same time, re-examine the accepted
idea of the melodrama spectator and the misreading by certain
non-Anglo-Saxon
critiques (that is, reception defined as a function of the kind of
emotional
response that is unleashed).
General
notes
Each subcategory will
consider general studies of the field as well as studies of directors,
periods
or particular films.
Presentations
will be 30
minutes long, including film clips, slides or other AV support. Proposals must be
submitted before