From Affliction to Empathy: Melodrama and Mental Illness in Recent Films from Australia and New Zealand
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From Affliction to Empathy: Melodrama and Mental Illness in Recent Films from Australia and New Zealand Fincina Elizabeth Hopgood Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2006 School of Art History, Cinema, Classics and Archaeology Faculty of Arts The University of Melbourne Produced on archival quality paper Abstract The subject matter of mental illness has fascinated artists and writers for centuries. Filmmakers have responded in diverse and innovative ways to the artistic challenge of portraying mental illness. In this thesis, I focus on the representations of mental illness in six recent films from Australia and New Zealand: Sweetie (Jane Campion, 1989), An Angel at My Table (Campion, 1990), Bad Boy Bubby (Rolf de Heer, 1993), Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994), Angel Baby (Michael Rymer, 1995) and Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996). In each film, the protagonist is diagnosed, or treated by others, as mentally ill. Mental illness is portrayed as an affliction which the protagonist struggles to overcome. I argue that these films cultivate a relationship of empathy between the mentally ill character and the spectator. Whereas the related emotion of sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone, empathy involves feeling with that person; in other words, rather than feel for these mentally ill characters, we are invited to feel like they do. In order to elicit empathy from the spectator, these Australian and New Zealand films employ the stylistic devices and narrative themes of the melodramatic mode. In this thesis, I introduce the concept of ‘the melodrama of affliction’, which is defined by four features of melodramatic style and theme: the externalisation of the protagonist’s internal state; the critical engagement with stereotypes; moral legibility; and the family home as a site of conflict and trauma. I identify each of these features with reference to the theories of melodrama scholars and a range of examples from silent and classical Hollywood melodramas, before closely analysing their function in one or more of the Australian and New Zealand films under investigation. Each of these four features contributes to the melodrama of affliction’s emotional appeal; in particular, the development of the spectator’s empathy towards the protagonist. The melodrama of affliction offers an artistic solution to the challenge of portraying mental illness on film. These Australian and New Zealand films illustrate melodrama’s ability to secure our emotional identification with the afflicted protagonist. The effect of this empathic relationship is to bring the spectator closer to the experience of living with mental illness – a challenging and confronting position for most viewers. While the majority of mainstream, narrative films portray mentally ill characters as people to be feared or laughed at, the melodrama of affliction insists upon the shared humanity of the mad and the sane. The melodrama of affliction places the spectator in the protagonist’s shoes (metaphorically speaking) so that we may share the sensations and emotions experienced by the afflicted character. These films harness the emotional appeal of melodrama to invoke an empathic response in viewers towards their mentally ill protagonists. I argue that, by calling upon us to empathise with the mentally ill character, the melodrama of affliction bridges the gap between the mentally ill and the mentally well, and thereby demonstrates the power of melodrama’s emotional affect. i Declaration This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD, (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, (iii) the thesis is less than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. iii Acknowledgements Like any long-term, life-changing project, this thesis has been a journey, and one that I would have not completed without the wisdom, guidance and support of trail- blazers and fellow travellers along the way. Dr Mark Nicholls, my Principal Supervisor, has played a crucial role in this process. As a sounding board for my ideas and as a constructive critic of my writing, he has never ceased to pose challenging questions. In seeking answers to these questions, I have become a better researcher and writer. For pushing me to realise the full potential of this project, I am forever grateful to him. Associate Professor Jeanette Hoorn, my Associate Supervisor, has been a warm and generous supporter of my nascent academic career right from the start. I have particularly appreciated her enthusiasm for my work in the later stages, when my own was dwindling. I have benefited from the kind words and advice of the academic staff of the Cinema Studies Program in the School of Art History, Cinema, Classics and Archaeology: Professor Barbara Creed, Associate Professor Angela Ndalianis, Dr Felicity Colman and Dr Wendy Haslem. For their friendly assistance, I would like to thank Jane Brown and Vanessa Cloney in the Elisabeth Murdoch Slide Library, Sharon Harding and Ishara Wishart in the Postgraduate Office, and June McBeth and Dr Lisa Mansfield in Administration. My postgraduate colleagues – in particular, Dr Djoymi Baker, Mehmet Mehmet, Dr Polona Petek, and Diana Sandars – have been tremendously supportive and encouraging over the years, and their companionship has helped to make this long journey less lonely and much more enjoyable. Friends and staff in other departments at the University of Melbourne have each contributed to the realisation of this project through their wise counsel and emotional support: Dr Toby Bell, Simon Clews, Graeme Counsel, Jim Dangaris, Jo Downes, Dr Jeanette Fyffe, Julienne Kinna, Catriona Ridland, Dr Emma Rush, and Yvette Wilson. I especially want to thank my students and colleagues at Ormond College, the place which nurtured this thesis and its writer for so many years, in particular Professor Hugh Collins, Dr Linda Kouvaras, and Dr Richard Ward. This research project would not have been possible without the support of an Australian Postgraduate Award. In addition, this thesis benefited greatly from a research trip to Portugal and the United Kingdom in 2003, which was financially supported by the Melbourne Scholarships Office, the Faculty of Arts, and the School of Art History, Cinema, Classics and Archaeology. For their time and assistance on this research trip, I thank Dr David Callahan, Dr Ian Conrich, Scarth Flett, Dr Zoë Laidlaw, Dr Jonathan Rayner, and the staff at the British Film Institute library. Over the past five years, I have been sustained by the love and care of my close friends and members of my extended family: the Hopgoods, the Thorns, and the v Horsfalls. To my parents, Gay and Alan, thankyou for always being there – you are my rock. To my brother, Sam, and my sister-in-law, Dannii, thanks for your friendship – you always cheer me up. And to my husband, Christian Thorn – you have been my coach, my tech support, my devil’s advocate and my best friend. My heartfelt appreciation, for your patience with this project and your faith in me, is beyond words. I am looking forward to our next ‘journey’ together. For Christian & Jackson vi Table of Contents Introduction Bridging the gap: Using melodrama to cultivate empathy ....................1 The portrayal of mental illness in film...................................................7 Empathy and melodrama’s emotional affect ......................................11 Empathising with madness ...................................................................18 Diagnosing the melodrama of affliction: overview of chapters .......20 Chapter 1 Creating a Cinema of Empathy: Externalising the internal................27 The sights and sounds of subjective cinema .......................................28 Expressionistic “acting out”: gesture and the performing body......32 The body of the text ................................................................................36 Reading style as psychology..................................................................41 Chapter 2 Breakdown, Delusion, Delirium: The melodrama of affliction as hysterical text ..........................................................................................47 Performing madness in Shine ................................................................47 Empathising with the irrational in Angel Baby ....................................56 Delirious visions in Heavenly Creatures ................................................61 Chapter 3 Challenging the Boundary between Self and Other: The critical engagement with stereotypes ..............................................................71 Stereotypes of mental illness in popular culture ................................72 Stereotypes in melodrama .....................................................................74 Fear and fascination: The ambivalence of the stereotype..................77 Stereotypes in the melodrama of affliction..........................................80 Emotional involvement and pathos .....................................................81 Chapter 4 Unravelling the Myths of Madness: Deconstructing social and medical discourses in An Angel at My Table ....................................85 “I’ve got schizophrenia”: Pathologising difference............................87 Playing the part of the mad writer .......................................................92 Overcoming the affliction of stereotype ..............................................97