Detecting the myth : an application of C. G. Jung's analytical psychology to film analysis

Abstract

This thesis applies the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung to the study of films. The thesis is in three parts. Part One forms an introduction to the theory of analytical psychology and makes the initial links to film theory. Part Two involves the development of a model for systematically applying the theory and Part Three is a detailed analysis of one film. Part One: In Chapter One Jung's theories about conscious behaviour are explored, some initial points of contact are made with film analysis, and a variety of films are used to illustrate the relevance of the theory. Chapter Two finds areas of correspondance between Jung's theories of the unconscious and film theory. This is a bridging of what had previously been regarded as separate critical traditions. Chapter Three is a detailed analysis of Tightrope (Dir. R. Tuggle, Warner Brothers, 1984) which demonstrates the applicability of analytical psychology n the analysis of films. Part Two: Chapter Four presents more theory about the nature of archetypes, and from this a model is derived. This model enables the central tenets of analytical psychology to be used for the analysis of films. This is demonstrated in Chapter Five which is an analysis of the detective film Blade Runner (Dir. R. Scott, Columbia, 1982). Chapter Six explores the function of the symbol in film, especially how it relates to the development of the narrative and to the psychological growth of the film's central characters. Chapter Seven is the last of the theoretical chapters and indicates how the individuation process can be applied to films. The figures of the shadow and the femme fatale are regarded as having a particular generic and cultural importance. Part Three: The remaining chapters are a detailed examination of Trancers (Dir. C. Band, Lexyen Productions, 1984), in which the model established in Chapter Four is used to facilitate the analysis of the film. This reveals that beneath the visual and narrative surface of the film there exists a series of mythological and psychological structures. Ultimately the film is regarded as an expression of collective latent unconscious psychological needs.