Degree Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2006
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
Abstract
Though Gus Van Sanfs best known films-My Own Private Idaho and Good Will Hunting-have earned critical acclaim and commercial success, the focus of this thesis is a trilogy of films made in the first decade of the twenty first century. Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days form a stylistic trilogy that replaces conventional filmmaking's emphasis on plot and character development in the construction of film narrative with a minimalist style of cinematography that defies viewer expectations. Working against the tradition of a plot constructed around a psychologically motivated, causal chain of events, Van Sant instead offers very little in terms of conflict and other readily identifiable components of generic plot including character motivation. Though Elephant won the best picture and best director awards at the Cannes Film Festival, these three films have been either largely ignored or heavily criticized as miserable failures.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-6134
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu
Copyright Owner
Matthew John Alberhasky
Copyright Date
2006
Language
en
Date Available
June 21, 2013
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Alberhasky, Matthew John, "Minimalism and art-cinema narration in Gus Van Sant's Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days" (2006). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 117.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/117
Included in
American Film Studies Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons
