MANIFESTATIONS OF POWER AND RESISTENCE: AN EXPLORATION OF QUENTIN TARANTINO'S DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012) AND STEVE MCQUEEN'S 12 YEARS A SLAVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2078-9785/1768Keywords:
Film, power, resistance, Django Unchained, 12 Years a SlaveAbstract
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This article explores the manifestations of power and resistance in films using Django Unchained (2012), directed by Quentin Tarantino, and 12 Years a Slave (2013), directed by Steve McQueen, as case studies. The research findings suggest that films are texts and terrains that are used to address class structures politically, socially, economically and culturally. Dominant classes use film to produce and reproduce ideologies of power and resistance. The films under scrutiny reflect an aspect of control, whereby conservative superior classes exercise the power to mistreat those who are viewed as ‘second-class citizens’. The argument of this article is that film images are mirrors of the ‘real’ world, where ideological domination is either achieved or resisted. The article deploys eclectic theories like semiotics, Marxism, critical discourse analysis, language interpretation and thematic analysis to analyse the selected films. It is hoped that the approach of these theories will help to investigate the manifestations of power and resistance in films
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References
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Accepted 2016-11-18
Published 2017-03-27
