MasarykUniversityinBrno FacultyofArts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Vendula Pšeničková SexualDeviationsinRecentCanadianCinema:David Cronenberg's Crash andLynneStopkewich's Kissed B.A. Major Thesis Supervisor: doc.PhDr.TomášPospíšil,Dr . 2008 2 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. ……………………………………. VendulaPšeničková 3 Acknowledgements:Iwouldliketothankmysupervisor,doc.PhDr.TomášPospíšil,Dr.forhis helpandpatience.IamalsogratefultoKristýnaBrejšová aMiladaBurianováfortheirsupport. 4 TableofContents 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..5 2. TheTopicofSexualityinCanadianFilms……………………………………………8 3. Directors…………………………………………………………………………………9 3.1. DavidCronenberg………………………………………………………………....9 3.2. LynneStopkewich………………………………………………………………....11 4. Crash…………………………………………………………………………………….12 4.1. Synopsis…………………………………………………………………………….12 4.2. Production………………………………………………………………………….14 4.3. Response……………………………………………………………………………16 5. Kissed ………………………………………………………………………………….17 5.1.Synopsis…………………………………………………………………………….17 5.2.Production ……………………………………………………………………..…..18 5.3.Response…………………………………………………………………………....20 6.CinematicTechniques…………………………………………………………………..20 6.1. Crash …………………………………………………………………………………..20 6.2. Kissed ……………………………………………………………………………….....24 7.Motifs………………………………………………………………………………….....29 7.1.SocialRelations……………………………………………………………………….29 7.2.SexualDeviations……………………………………………………………………..30 7.3.Rituals………………………………………………………………………………....33 7.4.SexandDeath………………………………………………………………………...35 8.ReasonsforPicturingofSexualDeviationsinRecent English-CanadianFilms...….38 9.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….....40 WorksCited…………………………………………………………………………………..42 5 1. Introduction TheEnglishCanadianfilmindustryisnotascommerciallysuccessfulor popularas the HollywoodfilmindustryintheUSA.Canadiansstruggledfor alongtimetoestablishtheirown nationalcinemaintheshadowoftheAmericanone. UnlikeinGreatBritain,Germanyor theUSAinthe1920s,inCanadathestatefailedto adoptanylegislationthatwouldsupportthedevelopmentof Canadianfeature-film production. Althoughthereweresomegovernment-establishedinstitutionssupportingCanadiannationalfilm productionliketheExhibitsandPublicityBureaufoundedin1918(after 1923calledtheCanadian GovernmentMotionPictureBureau),whichwaslater in1941absorbedbythe NationalFilm Board,theseinstitutions emphasizedthe productionofdocumentaryfilms promotingtourismand tradeoverthe productionoffeaturefilms.Moreover,thegrowingHollywoodfilmindustrytook controlover thedistributionandexhibitionsysteminCanadaand,byprovidingitsownfilmsleft almostnospacefordistributionandexhibitionofCanadianindependents (Gittings78-79). Thisdifficultsituationdidnotchangeuntil the1967whentheCanadianFilm Development Corporation(theCDF,whichlater becameTelefilmCanada)wasestablishedinorder toinvestin theCanadianfeaturefilmindustry.HowevertheCFDC managedtostimulatethe productionof featurefilms,becauseof theUS monopolyontheCanadiantheatricaldistribution,theycouldnot have beenseenbyCanadianaudiences.AsGittingsremarks,anewtaxshelter legislationwas introducedinthelate1970sinorder tosecuredistributionandexhibition, butit ledonlytofocusing ontheAmericanmarket,thereforemakingfilmsforAmericanaudience,whichmeantrepressing theCanadianspiritinthem.Inthe1980s becauseofthenewcontent regulationforCanadian televisioncompanies,theyprovidedmore broadcastingtimeforCanadianfeaturefilms.In1984 this“shifttowardstelevisionproductionandthe increasinglycloserelationshipshared bytelevision andfilmarereflectedintherenamingoftheCFDCasTelefilmCanada”(Gittings98).Another optionforCanadianFilms“tocircumventtheUS monopolyondistributionandgainaccess tonew markets”is acoproduction(Gittings99).TodayCanadahastreatieswith44countriesandmany 6 successfulCanadianfilmswerecoproduced: Map of the Human Heart (VincentWard, Canada/Australia/France/UnitedKingdom/UnitedStates1992), Zero Patient (JohnGreyson, Canada/UnitedKingdom1993),and The Red Violin (FrancoisGirard,Canada/Italy/United Kingdom/UnitedStates 1998)amongmanymore(Gittings100). AsGittings furthersuggeststhecompanythathasagreatshareonthe commercialviability ofCanadiancinemainaninternationalextentisAllianceAtlanticwhichforexampleenabled productionanddistributionoffilms byAtomEgoyanandDavidCronenberg(100). Despiteall thestateor privatefundingandcriticalsuccesstherestillisobviouslynot much pointforCanadianfilmmakersintryingtocompetewithHollywoodproductionof featurefilmsas farthecommercialsuccessandpopularityareconcerned.CanadiandirectorLynne Stopkewich commentsonthisfact: TheAmericansare like anolder brotherwhois blondanddrivesaconvertibleandweare likeadarkhairedreclusesittingintheatticwritingstrange poetry.Weliveinaharsher climate;the populationisalotsmaller.We[filmmakers] wanttoshowtheothersideof whatit isliketolivehere,notthe tourist propaganda.(qtd.inMacnab) Asaresult,Canadianfilmmakers,whowantedtomakelarge budgetfilms,hadtoworkin, orat leastcooperatewithHollywoodlike,NormanJewison,JamesCameronorIvanReitmanand theothers,whostayedinCanada,oftentendtoopposethe“classicalHollywoodnarrativestyle” by makingtheirfilmsdistinct(Vanderburgh). ThestrongpointofCanadianfeature filmsistheiroriginality,andquality.Therefore Canadiancontemporaryfilmmakershaveaninclinationtodealwithmarginal topics andexperiment withstyleintheirfilms. Althoughit isdifficulttosortout the workofcontemporaryEnglishCanadianfilmmakers, there aresomethemesandfeatures whichbecametypicalforEnglishCanadianfilms.Amongthese topics are roadtrips,dysfunctional relationships,breakingof various taboos,catastrophicvisionsof 7 technologicaldevelopmentandalsothetopicofvarioussexualdeviations likesadomasochism, incest,necrophilia,pedophiliaorsexualabuse. Thesis Inthis thesisIconcentrateonthetopicofthesexualdeviationsincontemporaryCanadian films.BecauseIcannotdealwithall Canadianfilmsdepictingsome formofsexuallydeviant behavior evermade,Ihavetoselecttworecent Canadianfilmsaskeystudies. Eventually,Ichosetwofilms,bothreleasedin1996andbothpicturingthecharactershaving adeviantrelationtosex.Oneofthemisadebutfeature andtheotheroneismade byan experiencedfilmmaker. ThefirstfilmIhavechosenis Kissed , directedbytheyoungTorontiandirectorLynne Stopkewich. Kissed isStopkewich’s debut.Thefilmis basedontheshort storybyBarbaraGowdy “WeSoSeldomLookonLove”aboutyoungSandra,whoisanecrophiliac. Thesecondfilm,called Crash ,wasdirectedbyDavidCronenberg,whohadintheyearof releaseofthisfilm beenanactivefilmmakerforalreadythirtyyearsandCrash washistwenty-first film.AswellasStopkewich’s Kissed Cronenberg’s Crash is basedonanovel.Thenovelwas writtenbyJamesBallardandisaboutagroupof peoplewhoareobsessedwithcar accidentsand whoareonlyabletobecomesexuallyarousedbythefantasiesabout beinginvolvedinthecar crashes. Ianalyzethecinematictechniquesused,comparethedifferentwaysinwhichsexual deviationsaredepictedinthemandfinallyoffersome possibleexplanationsfortheCanadian directors'tendencytodealwiththetopicofsexualdeviations. 8 2. The Topic of Sexuality in Recent English Canadian Films DavidClandfieldbelievesthat thefirstunconventionalsexuallytransgressiveEnglish Canadianfilmsemergedintheuniversitybackgroundin1960s: Theundergroundfilmsofthe periodoftendistinguishedthemselvesfrom the mainstream bybreakingsexual taboosandranafoulof provincialCensor Boards.Filmmakersinthistraditiondidnotservetheapprenticeshipwitheither the NFBorCBC.Theywerenot particularlyshapedbycontemporarytrendsin documentaryandsoughttomakelow-budgetfeatures astheirfirstworks.(100 101) Therewere severalcentersofactivitythroughoutCanada: inToronto,Vancouverandin Hamilton.DavidCronenbergalsostartedhiscareerinthis periodat theUniversityof Toronto wherehemadehisfirsttwoshortfeatures Transfer (1966)and From the Drain (1967) (Clandfield101). Later inthe 1970seventhemainstreamfilmsstarteddealingwithhumansexualitylike Outrageous (1977) , or In Praise of Older Women (1978),byRobertLantosandalsotheearlyfilms byDavidCronenberg.TheyfirstcausedahugeshockforconservativeCanadianaudience,butat thesametimeopenedthewayfor moreliberalattitudeofCanadianaudiencetowardsthe picturing ofsexonscreen.Monkcommentsonthis: “From asocietythatwascompletelyclosedonthe subjectofsex,wewereslowlyopeningupandlettingall thosewilysexualdemonsloose”(124). AnotherwayofdemystifyingsexonscreeninCanadawasthroughdocumentswhich“dealt withthingsthatshouldnot bedone” (Monk124).Amongsuchdocumentswere Sexual Abuse-The Family Sexual Abuse of Children: A Time for Caring and Feeling Yes, Feeling No ,BonnieSher Klein's Not a Love Story abouttheworldof prostitutesandexoticdancers,PegCampbell’s Street Kids ,Aerlyn Weissman'sandLynneFernie's Forbidden Love aboutlesbians , PenolopeBuitenhui's Tokyo Girls hostessesinJapanhotelsandMarkAsbar's Two Brides and a Scalpel: Diary of a Lesbian Marriage aboutacross-genderedmanwhowantstomarryalesbianwoman(Monk124). 9 Withmoreliberal attitudesofCanadianaudience towardssexonscreen,thetopicofvarious sexualdeviationshasgraduallybecome presentinCanadianfiction,too. Katherine Monkreckonsthat theturningpointcamein1994,whentheCanadianfilmsatthe annualTorontoInternationalFilmFestivalwere mostlyaboutsexandits differentforms.Like,for example, Eclipse , directedbyJeremyPodeswa,whichis aboutthesexuallivesof peoplelivingin Torontoat thetimeofsolareclipse,and Super 8 ½ byBruceLaBruceabouta pornstar.TheAward forBestCanadianFirstFeatureFilmwaswonby Exotica directedbyAtomEgoyan,afilmabouta manwhodevelopedobsessive relationshipwithastripper afterhisdaughter'sdeath(125). Finally,twoyearslater,in1996,bothCronenberg's