The Films of Peter Weir
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THE CINEMATIC MYSTICAL GAZE: The films of Peter Weir RICHARD JAMES LEONARD Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2003 Cinema Studies Program School of Fine Arts, Classical Studies and Archaeology The University of Melbourne Abstract Peter Weir is one of Australia’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful directors. Ever since Weir’s feature film debut with The Cars that Ate Paris in 1974, his work has been explored for unifying themes. Scholars have analysed his films from many perspectives: the establishment of identification and identity especially through binary oppositions in the diegesis;1 the creation of an oneiric atmosphere as a way of exploiting the spectator’s dream experience;2 a clash of value systems;3 the ambiguous nature of narrative structure and character motivations leading to the creation of a sense of wonder;4 the experience of the protagonist placed in a foreign culture wherein conflict arises from social clashes and personal misunderstandings;5 and at the particular ways his films adapt generic codes in service of a discernible ideological agenda.6 To the best of my knowledge there has been no study of the mystical element of Weir’s work in relation to the construction of a cinematic mystical gaze or act of spectatorship. Within a culture defined by its secularity and a national cinema marked by quirky comedies and social realism, almost all of Weir’s films have been described as mystical, arcane or interested in metaphysics. Such an observation could warrant no further investigation if it is held that this critical commentary is but hyperbole in its attempt to grasp what constitutes a Peter Weir film. If, however, language constructs meaning, then the recurrence of references to Weir’s mysticism needs to be taken seriously to see what effect this might have exerted on the nature and structure of the Weir text. I will argue that the major consequence of Weir’s fascination with the mystical has been the construction of a mystical mode of spectatorship. Furthermore, because other directors and films have been described in similar ways this study opens up a discussion about whether these observations about 1 Blonski A, Propositions on the Films of Peter Weir and his Place in Contemporary Australian Cinema, Unpublished minor thesis, Master of Arts (Preliminary), Melbourne, Australia: Monash University, February 1983, pp. 75-77. 2 Haltof J M, Film and Dream: the Films of Peter Weir, Major thesis, Master of Arts, Adelaide, Australia: Flinders University, 1988, pp. 122ff. 3 McMullen W, A Rhetorical Analysis of Peter Weir’s Witness, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University, 1989, pp. 3ff. 4 Corum E, Tantalizing Ambiguity: the Cinema of Peter Weir, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kansas City, Missouri: University of Kansas, 1990, p. 170. 5 Haltof J M, Film and Dream: the Films of Peter Weir, 1988, pp. 4ff. 6 Rayner J, The Films of Peter Weir, London: Cassell, 1998, pp. 2-18. 2 the mystical qualities in the viewing experience hold importance for other filmmakers, and theories of the gaze in the cinema. 3 Declaration This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work except where indicated in the preface; (ii) due acknowledgment 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, footnotes, filmography, bibliographies. Signed ………………………. Richard Leonard 4 Preface Combined with my own arguments and the development of my own method in outlining the mystical gaze, this thesis locates, reviews, analyses and utilises a variety of different forms of evidence: visual/textual evidence; empirical and technical evidence; the evidence of primary sources; and the evidence of secondary sources. In every case where the observations, judgements or arguments are not my own the authority for them is cited in the text or the footnotes. The research for this thesis and its writing has not been carried out in collaboration with anyone else. This research has not been submitted for the purpose of obtaining any other degree or award, and has not previously been published in any other journal or book. All quotes from the Bible are from the The New Revised Standard Version, B Metzger (ed.), Iowa Falls, Iowa: World Bible Publishers, 1989. Some of the works I will quote in this thesis are gender exclusive. Rather than regularly refer to [sic], the reader can presume that in each case I am directly and accurately quoting the original text and am aware of its gender presumptions. 5 Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge Associate Professor Barbara Creed for her outstanding supervision of this research project. Her interest in my work, extensive knowledge and attention to detail has enabled me to both complete the writing of the dissertation, and enjoy the process. I also acknowledge the Australian Province of the Society of Jesus whose support and encouragement has enabled me to undertake this degree. I am grateful to Aysen Mustafa and the staff at the library of the Australian Film Institute whose unfailing assistance and courtesy were important. I thank the Jesuits and University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts through its TRIPS scheme. Scholarships from both groups enabled me to do the final writing of my thesis within UCLA’s Theater, Film and Television School. Finally I acknowledge the generosity and forebearance of the Jesuit Communities at Park Drive, Melbourne, and Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles who sustained me during my PhD programme. While I take responsibility for the final text, I am very grateful to Christopher Willcock and Paul Fyfe who helped me with the proofreading. 6 Table of Contents Abstract: p. 2 Declaration: p. 4 Preface: p. 5 Acknowledgments: p. 6 Table of Contents: p. 7 Introduction: pp. 8-11 Chapter 1: Literature Survey pp. 12-72 Chapter 2: The Mystical Gaze pp. 73-123 Chapter 3: The Unseen Gaze: Religion, Mysticism and Film pp. 124-161 Chapter 4: Defining the Codes within the Mystical Gaze pp. 162-185 Chapter 5: Picnic at Hanging Rock pp. 186-218 Chapter 6: Gallipoli pp. 219-245 Chapter 7: Witness pp. 246-284 Conclusions: pp. 285-288 Filmography: pp. 289-291 Bibliography: pp. 292-336 7 Introduction In this thesis I will argue that in his films Peter Weir constructs and deploys what is most accurately described as a “mystical gaze” and that this gaze constitutes one of the most important but neglected forms of spectatorship in the cinema. I will demonstrate that other authors on Weir’s work have failed to explore the nature of the cinematic mystical experience. I will argue that the mystical gaze leads the spectator to contemplate his or her place in a larger frame of reference where physical laws count for less and a relationship with a metaphysical and, often, a meta- ethical world, is taken seriously. Either in the short or long term this leads the spectator to a new consciousness of his or her surroundings, ideologies and moral imperatives. The mystical gaze transforms the spectator’s awareness, suggests that there are realities beyond his or her sight, and that the cinema is one way to contemplate and encounter this Otherness, especially in western countries where religious collectives now play a lesser role than they have historically in providing a context for a mystical encounter. I will purposely use a capitalised version of Otherness to name what mystics and spectators have described as their encounter with Otherness. I am not arguing that cinema spectatorship is the same as a mystical experience, just that participants report the occurrence as a meeting with Otherness. By an encounter with Otherness I mean that a film (intentionally or otherwise) has the power to lift the viewer out of his or her daily, mundane world to encounter the mystical world, its belief patterns, ethical systems or personal and social mythologies which transcend the everyday. Chapter One will survey and critically engage with the literature from critical reviews and commentaries in the press, theses and academic publications to establish that every one of Weir’s films has been described, in varying degrees, as mystical, spiritual or attending to the metaphysical. I will not attempt to address all the publications about Weir in the last 29 years. I will address all the theses and academic works, but even then I will approach them, and other commentaries, seeking to establish that mysticism and Otherness have been key elements in critical appraisals of Peter Weir’s films, but that the significance of this in relation to the deployment of a mystical gaze has not been theorised or even fully appreciated. To this end it is necessary to address the reception of Weir’s films by the popular press for three reasons. This public commentary requires analysis, especially in charting the way his 8 mysticism was spoken of, applauded or dismissed from 1974 – 2002. Initially Peter Weir received little critical attention from the academic film community and most commentary on his films was in the press, where critics and journalists began to notice his mystical and metaphysical predilections. It also has a direct bearing on the nature of what academics would try to name as the essential elements of a Peter Weir film and how and why this mystical element was present. Second, a critical discussion of Weir’s reception by the popular press recognises an important feature of Weir’s devotion to the cinema as one of the most popular entertainment venues in western countries. Weir has always been interested in mass-market cinema and he has been, as I will outline, suspicious of the academy.