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Transnational Monsters: Navigating Identity and Intertextuality in the Films of Guillermo Del Toro

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Transnational Monsters: Navigating Identity and Intertextuality in the Films of Guillermo Del Toro Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-20-2015 12:00 AM Transnational Monsters: Navigating Identity and Intertextuality in the Films of Guillermo del Toro Sean M. Volk The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Constanza Burucua The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Film Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Sean M. Volk 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Volk, Sean M., "Transnational Monsters: Navigating Identity and Intertextuality in the Films of Guillermo del Toro" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3045. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3045 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRANSNATIONAL MONSTERS: NAVIGATING IDENTITY AND INTERTEXTUALITY IN THE FILMS OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO MONOGRAPH by Sean Volk Graduate Program in Film Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Sean Volk 2015 Abstract This thesis examines representations of monstrosity in the films of Guillermo del Toro. Throughout his oeuvre, he has consistently explored the complex relationship between humans and monsters. Using the concepts of transnational cinema and intertextuality to frame the analysis, the monster will be read in relation to its engagement with references to other texts and the narrative and industrial implications of nations and borders. The eight films directed by del Toro will be analyzed to trace the evolving depiction of the monster while also considering the shifting national contexts of production. From the intimate narratives of his early films to the blockbuster spectacles of his most recent releases, this study suggests that monstrosity functions as a tool to critique the cultural and political contexts of the narrative and, also, to comment on the industrial realities surrounding production. Keywords Guillermo del Toro, monster, monstrosity, transnational cinema, intertextuality, industry, blockbusters, international co-production, nation, pastiche, quotation, reference, auteur, Mexico, the United States, Spain ii Acknowledgments It is with tremendous appreciation and respect that I first wish to thank Dr. Constanza Burucua, my supervisor. Your dedication, encouragement and belief has had such an impact on me. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with you and to receive your guidance and support. Thank you for your advice, feedback and mentorship. To the Film Studies Department at Western, I am so fortunate to have been provided this wonderful experience. Thank you to Dr. Janina Falkowska, Dr. Paul Coates, and Dr. Chris Gittings for your kindness and instruction. Thank you to Jennifer Tramble for your patience and help from admission to thesis submission. To Alex Brundige and Ryan Stam, it was wonderful working alongside you in the program. I am grateful to have friends so willing to explore ideas and talk about movies. To my friend Page Dalton, your authenticity and compassion are an inspiration to me. Our conversations were a constant source of joy and motivation during this program. To my Canadian Family, I am so lucky to have met Joanna Smith and to have worked through this process with her. Your friendship has shaped this experience. Thank you to Joanna, Courtney, Graham, Christine, Wally and Doreen for so generously welcoming me into your homes and teaching me about Canada. To my mom and dad, Larry and Rebecca Volk, your love and support have made all of this possible. Your passion for film has inspired my own and I am so grateful to have such loving, thoughtful, hardworking and talented parents. Whether it was proofreading, talking through ideas, long conversations on the phone or offering Netflix recommendations, you were, and are, always there for me. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. 6 1 The Discourses and Cultural Contexts of Monsters: Situating Scholarship on Transnational Cinema, Intertextuality and Monstrosity in relation to del Toro ............ 6 1.1 Transnational Cinema ............................................................................................. 6 1.1.1 The Nation on Film ..................................................................................... 7 1.1.2 Defining the Transnational ......................................................................... 8 1.1.3 Situating the Transnational in Film Studies ................................................ 9 1.1.4 Refining Definitions.................................................................................... 9 1.2 Intertextuality ........................................................................................................ 10 1.2.1 Spoken Language, Literature and the Origins of Intertextuality .............. 11 1.2.2 Contemporary Scholarship on Intertextuality ........................................... 12 1.2.3 The Intertextual as Transnational .............................................................. 13 1.3 Monstrosity ........................................................................................................... 14 1.3.1 Defining Monstrosity ................................................................................ 14 1.3.2 Monsters of Myth, Religion and History .................................................. 15 1.3.3 Monstrosity and Cultural Studies ............................................................. 17 1.3.4 Studying the Cinematic Monster: Genre, Culture and Psychoanalysis .... 19 1.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................................... 21 2 Familiar Monsters: Intimate Narratives and Intertextuality in Cronos, Mimic and The Devil’s Backbone ......................................................................................................... 21 iv 2.1 Cronos: The Familial Vampire ............................................................................. 22 2.1.1 On the Uncanny and Fear ......................................................................... 22 2.1.2 The Vampire as Grandfather ..................................................................... 24 2.2 Mimic and the Fear of Replacement ..................................................................... 28 2.2.1 Evolution and Literary Adaptation ........................................................... 29 2.2.2 Identity and Replacement in Science Fiction............................................ 31 2.2.3 Replacement in an Industrial Context ....................................................... 32 2.3 Personal Loss and Ghostly Presence in The Devil’s Backbone ............................ 34 2.3.1 Del Toro’s Pastiche of Giallo Fantastico ................................................. 34 2.3.2 Haunted Settings in Horror ....................................................................... 37 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 39 Chapter 3 ........................................................................................................................... 41 3 National Monsters: National Identity and Systems of Authority in Blade II, Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth ..................................................................................................... 41 3.1 Blade II and the Vampire Nation .......................................................................... 42 3.1.1 A Nation without Borders ......................................................................... 43 3.1.2 Intertextuality and the Reaper Vampire .................................................... 46 3.2 Authorship, Interdimensional Borders and American Identity in Hellboy ........... 47 3.2.1 The Intertextual Origins of Hellboy .......................................................... 48 3.2.2 The Monster and the American Government ............................................ 50 3.3 Pan’s Labyrinth and the Transnational Contexts of Fairy Tales .......................... 53 3.3.1 Conventions of Fairy Tales in Representations of History ....................... 53 3.3.2 Identifying Monsters across Historical Contexts ...................................... 55 3.4 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................
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