Cinematic Quests for Identity

Whether embodied in literature, theater, or film, an enduring theme of many artistic works has been the protagonists search for identity. Such quests are typically psychological or spiritual journeys and depicted on the screen in a variety of manifestationsendeavors embarked upon to address an emotional trauma or to overcome an obstacle in the heros life. Using Jean Cocteaus La Belle et La Bte as a leitmotif, these pursuits are discussed by author Maria Garcia as encounters with the Beast. At the end of their quests, heroes are reborn into their new identities, while the Beast disappears, transforms, or dies. In Cinematic Quests for Identity: The Heros Encounter with the Beast, Garcia examines the cinematic conventions of the male and female search for individuation across several genres. After discussing La Belle et La Bte, the author looks at a number of films including three iconic male journeysThe Picture of Dorian Gray, The Searchers, and The Deer Hunter. Additional chapters focus on The Silence of the Lambs, Bringing Up Baby, The Lady Eve, The Secret of Roan Inish, The Natural, and Moneyball. The book concludes with a consideration of the three fairy tale films by Catherine BreillatFat Girl, Bluebeard, and The Sleeping Beautyand the female characters in several Robert Bresson films, including The Trial of Joan of Arc. Providing a unique and original perspective on films throughout the world, this provocative book draws upon Jungian thought, as well as several literary traditions including fairy tales, epic poetry, and Greek and Celtic mythology. Aimed at scholars of film and film theory, Cinematic Quests for Identity will also appeal to movie fans interested in a deeper understanding of films that explore a characters struggle to live a conscious life.