A Critical Film Analysis of Representation of People with Disabilities in M
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ABSTRACT A CRITICAL FILM ANALYSIS OF REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN FILMS The purpose of this study was to examine the entire directorial catalogue of the director M. Night Shyamalan and provide a content analysis incorporating anti-inclusion ideology and his themes, as well as perspectives involving people with disabilities. The films examined in this study were all written and directorial works by Shyamalan that had a national cinematic release. The researcher examined each of these films and used content analysis to examine the behaviors and actions of the characters as well as the overall narrative of each story. The films were examined using the different analytical themes of (a) anti-inclusion, (b) danger presented by a person with disabilities to others, and (c) danger presented by a person with disabilities toward society. The current study found that over half of Shyamalan’s films had characters with disabilities portrayed as dangerous to others or society. There also was a significant number, half of his films, that had an anti-inclusion theme. These themes can be observed in other films and throughout the horror genre, using the parameters in the study, in order to create more critical content analysis and foster meaningful conversations regarding representation of people with disability in film. Jacob Miller May 2019 A CRITICAL FILM ANALYSIS OF REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN FILMS by Jacob Miller A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Special Education in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development California State University, Fresno May 2019 APPROVED For the Department of Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education: We, the undersigned, certify that the thesis of the following student meets the required standards of scholarship, format, and style of the university and the student's graduate degree program for the awarding of the master's degree. Jacob Miller Thesis Author William Garnett (Chair) Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education Dana Powell Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education Robert Maldonado Philosophy For the University Graduate Committee: Dean, Division of Graduate Studies AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS X I grant permission for the reproduction of this thesis in part or in its entirety without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provides proper acknowledgment of authorship. Permission to reproduce this thesis in part or in its entirety must be obtained from me. Signature of thesis author: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my thesis advisor William Garnett of Kremen School of Education at Fresno State University. Your constant support and encouragement made me feel like there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish. The wisdom and strength you provided was invaluable and I found myself striving in ways I didn’t think I was capable, I appreciate you. I would also like to thank the experts who were involved as second and third readers for this project: Dr. Dana Powell and Dr. Robert Maldonado. Dana has shown me kindness and patience on every step of this journey and I appreciate all you did. Robert walked me from Biblical times through Middle Earth and out to the other end. I wouldn’t have made this journey without you as my guide. Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my family. Heather, Grace, Silas, Logan, Lemlem, this is the end of something big and we all did this together. I appreciate the generosity that all of you have shown. Melissa Couret, your support was invaluable and your help along the way made the experience that much more meaningful. Thank you. Jacob Miller TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 M. Night Shyamalan: Representation of People with Disabilities and Anti- Inclusion Themes ............................................................................................ 1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...................................................................... 8 Society’s Relationship with Disability ........................................................................ 8 Society’s Relationship with Film .............................................................................. 12 Representation of Disability in Horror and Film ...................................................... 20 Summary ................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 3: METHODS ................................................................................................ 25 Participant ................................................................................................................. 25 Definitions ................................................................................................................. 25 Instruments ................................................................................................................ 25 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF SELECTED THEMES ................. 34 Character with Disabilities as a Harm to Others ....................................................... 34 Character with Disabilities as a Harm to Community/Society ................................. 34 Anti-Inclusion Themes .............................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 37 Harm to Others or Community/Society .................................................................... 37 Anti-Inclusion Themes .............................................................................................. 43 Further Discussion .................................................................................................... 46 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 49 vi vi Page Future Research ........................................................................................................ 50 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 52 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Occurrences of harm to others by people with disabilities in films by M. Night Shyamalan. ............................................................................................. 35 Figure 2. Occurrences of harm to community/society by people with disabilities in films by M. Night Shyamalan. ......................................................................... 35 Figure 3. Occurrences of anti-inclusion themes in the films of M. Night Shyamalan. .... 36 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION M. Night Shyamalan: Representation of People with Disabilities and Anti-Inclusion Themes This study provides a content analysis of a selected group of films by M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan consistently incorporates themes around people with disabilities. These themes come in three areas: danger presented by people with disability towards others, danger presented by people with disabilities towards society, and an overall narrative theme of harm from inclusion as it relates to society as a whole. By focusing on the films of Shyamalan, these themes were analyzed and a conclusion regarding themes in his films were drawn. The importance of film and its impact on how we view all sorts of marginalized groups is far too often forgotten. It can be seen over and over again how impactful media, and film in general, can be on exactly how we view all sorts of people groups. The influence of film on altering public perceptions of “others” has been evident from Nazi propaganda films to Birth of a Nation (Griffith, 1915). In addition, how we manage all sorts of moral questions and ethical situations can be viewed over and over again inside film and media, not to mention how art historically has been a reflection of society at virtually every level. From our shared fears and hopes to our shared concerns and fantasies, art and film have continually been one of the most impactful ways to view our cultural values. The horror and science fiction genres of film are a seemingly endless catalog. As for horror specifically, much can be gleaned about the shared fears of a society, from the fear of being left alone and vulnerable as in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960), to the fear of the unknown in films such as Poltergeist (Hooper, 1982) and Paranormal Activity (Peli, 2007). Our culture is saturated with the everlasting images and stories from films in the horror genre; from hockey masks to a simple flickering light, the 2 2 horror genre has painted how we react and interact with the environment and people we are surrounded by every day. There is very little question that film has an enormous influence on our perceptions of all kinds. The use of people with disabilities is present in this