Cultural maps and cultural codes: Approaching filmic text
The Dust of Time by Angelopoulos
This course is designed to encourage students to think how their cultural maps and their
ability to interpret cultural codes contribute to the production of meaning(s) and the
students’ understanding of reality. Studying films and filmic texts can be a stimulating and
informative way to learn how interpretations are constructed in a range of fields, as well as
how significatory systems and interpretative codes mediate between perceivers and
producers in all kinds of texts.
Because they generally contain spoken dialogues, films rely on verbal language as well as
visual codes. The process of decoding the meanings of filmic texts involves the interaction of
visual, linguistic and cultural codes which are often dependent on the perceivers’ prior
knowledge. In addition, there is a whole network of contextual factors that play part when
‘reading’ and interpreting a filmic text. It is of particular importance to consider the way in
which context has been used to shed light on the film. Simply to juxtapose a text with a
context is not to have completed the task of interpretation because context cannot
absolutely guarantee or determine meaning. What it can do, however, is suggest certain
interpretative possibilities and probabilities.
Angelopoulos’s films are packed with strong historical and political content. His characters
act more as symbols and ideas, than anything else. In the Dust of Time, with a storyline that
is anything but linear, Angelopoulos’s use of coded iconic messages is a clear example of the
way the massive forces of history (or even destiny) have shaped, moved and determined
the human being during the last 50-60 years, as well as the place of individuals on the huge
canvas of time amidst collectivity.
The morning lecture will focus on the theoretical aspects of the course while during the
workshop the participants will have the opportunity not only to discuss and interpret the
cultural codes of the film but also to learn ways of incorporating this learning process to
their fields of scientific interests.
Objectives:
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Explain the difference between denotative and connotative meaning
•
Identify the three basic messages of filmic texts: linguistic, coded iconic, non-coded
iconic
•
Consider the differences and similarities involved in the interpretation of filmic and
written texts
•
Appreciate the importance of context and cultural codes in the construction of
meaning
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course students should be able to:
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Explain the role of context and cultural codes in the interpretation of filmic texts
•
Discuss the significance of the most typical relationships between visual images and
dialogues
•
Discuss the assumptions involved in contextual approaches to interpretation
•
Describe the most important distinctions between written and filmic texts