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Space and structure in Nicolas Roeg's Don't look now and Brian De Palma's Dressed to kill

Author

Peter Joseph Raleigh, University of the Pacific

Date of Award

1990

Document Type

Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Graduate Studies

First Advisor

Diane M. Borden

First Committee Member

Louis H. Leiter

Second Committee Member

Robert T. Knighton

Abstract

This study will focus on confined, negative space, the claustrum, in its varied manifestations, and on ascents and descents within both the cities themselves and the specific buildings which house these claustra. By definition, the claustrum signifies psychological and often physical confinement. In both films, the major characters are restricted by claustra which simultaneously reflect their psychological conditions or stages of development and also confine them physically. Both Roeg and De Palma are keenly aware of how to manipulate the spectator’s own fears of claustra and exploit them to the full in all of their films.

This analysis deals with the aesthetics of space interpreted towards psychological ends: the malevolent space of the claustrophobic nightmare, rather than the positive space of the felicias dream. One model of positive psychological space can be found in Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space (1964). His essential comments on enclosed spaces - especially on the diametric opposition of garret and cellar - and his insights into the nature of the city and its influence on its inhabitants are briefly examined and then inverted to provide a starting point for this study.

Pages

46

Recommended Citation

Raleigh, Peter Joseph. (1990). Space and structure in Nicolas Roeg's Don't look now and Brian De Palma's Dressed to kill. University of the Pacific, Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2196