Schizoanalysis, spectacle and the Spaghetti Western

Martin-Jones, D. (2008) Schizoanalysis, spectacle and the Spaghetti Western. In: Buchanan, I. and MacCormack, P. (eds.) Deleuze and the Schizoanalysis of Cinema. Continuum: London, UK, pp. 75-88. ISBN 9781847061287

Abstract

This chapter uses the notion of the cinematic spectacle to explore some of the potential benefits and limitations of a schizoanalysis of cinema. The argument is illustrated using one of the most famous spaghetti westerns of all time, Sergio Corbucci’s Django (1966). Initially the chapter examines the growing importance of the role of spectacle in academic writing on cinema, culminating in a brief introduction to the two most relevant works for this chapter: Rosie Thomas’s seminal piece on popular Indian cinema (1985), and Tom Gunning’s influential reconsideration of early silent cinema (1989). In light of these developments, focusing on recent reconsiderations of the spaghetti western illustrates how a greater, contextualised understanding of the mode of production and consumption of the cinematic spectacle can inform discussions of a schizoanalysis of cinema. It will be seen that, as all films belong to a complex assemblage, of industry, aesthetic, context and reception, a multi-faceted schizoanalysis of cinema depends on a number of external factors beyond the purely formal.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Martin-Jones, Professor David
• Authors: Martin-Jones, D.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Publisher: Continuum
• ISBN: 9781847061287