Escapism Through Fantasy

ESCAPISMTHROUGH

THE FANTASY CINEMA

Jane Wan

Escapsim through the Fantasy Cinema

Escapism

through

the Fantasy Cinema

By

JANE WAN

BAGD Stage 3 Dissertation


Content

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE - ESCAPISM- Our Hierarchy of Needs

- What is Escapism? - Why and how do we practise escapism

- Reality verses Imaginary - Summary of Escapists and Escapism

PART TWO - FANTASY FILMS- What Fantasy means to me

- Fantasy Films- The More factor and Magic in Fantasy Film

- Watching films as an example of passive escapism- Media as Escapist Products-Self Esteem and Escapism

PART THREE - CASE STUDY- Escapism in Lord of the Rings 2001, 2002, 2003

PART FOUR - PERSONAL VIEW-The animation to show personal escape

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY


t Introduction t

I am writing my thesis on Escapism in the content of fantasy films, that is how escapism is expressed or achieved through making and watching fan-tasy films.

The two key parts are ‘Escapism’ and ‘Fantasy Films’. I will talk about the two individually and look at the relationship between the two. For Escapism, it is essential to look at the concept of the ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ to fully un-derstand Escapism being one of the human needs. I will talk about the dif-ferent means of escape and how they are achieved, in a more psychological angle. It is also argued that escapism is negative when an individual cannot accept reality, and for an individual with low self-esteem, practising escapism makes him or her even more reluctant to accept reality.

The next section is an introduction to fantasy films, what classifies a fantasy film and why am I and ‘fans’ of fantasy fascinated by this type of films. One important reason fantasy films become popular is its escapist quality. This is the main focal point of my dissertation. I will look at how escapism and fantasy films correlate to each other.

To help explain ‘escapism through fantasy films’, I have included a case study of well-known fantasy film Lord of the Rings (2001-2003), adaption of philosopher J. R. R. Tolkien, to analyse how escapism is expressed in this particular high fantasy film.

Since escapism is a very personal form of emotional escape, I have done a short animation that illustrates my personal experience of escape in a fan-tasy content and I would like to introduce it in the last section of the essay.

To conclude, I will analyse critisms of fantasy films. And to add on what I mentioned earlier about escapism critisized as negative, I will look at the negative impacts of escapism and when people become too drown in fan-tasy that they become reluctant to accept reality, anazlyse criticisms from intellectuals and say where I stand with this issue.


ESCAPISM


t Our Hierarchy of Needs t

I am bringing in the hierarchy of needs because I think it is explains the need of escapism and where it stands in regards to human needs. The hier-archy of needs is proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation (http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm. A Theory of Human Motivation, A. H. Maslow (1943) Originally Pub-lished in Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.). It is a theory in psychology that represents his observation of human needs, with the more primitive needs at the bottom.

(Alan Chapman, Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs. http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm)

The pyramid shows forming the base are our basic physiological needs like food drink and sleep. Rising towards the top are more optional things that makes our life more fulfilling rather than the simple case of survival. And only when basic needs are achieved that we can allow ourselves to ‘travel’ up the levels.

Self Acutualization is comparatively a newer concept in human brain devel-opment that relates to things like entertainment, creativity and self-expres-sions. Humans need beautiful imagery and something aesthetically pleasing or luxurious to go through Self Acutalization. I am particularly focusing on this level of the pyrimid because this is the catagory where escapism falls in.

‘Self Actualization’ was first used by Kurt Goldstein in 1940. It is defined as ‘a basic force which drives the person forward and onwards.’ (George Norwood . http://www.deepermind.com/20maslow.htm) Goldstein refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming

Furthermore, the meaning of the need for self-actualization is stated in Maslow’s ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’. ‘ Even if all these needs are satisfied, we may still often (if not always) expect that a new discontent and restlessness will soon develop, unless the individual is doing what he is fitted for. A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization. (http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motiva-tion.htm.)

Andrew Evan argues that ‘realistic people would regard aesthetic needs and self- actualisation as fanciful luxuries, and art itself as escapist ‘. Also he points out that ‘Needs are not the same as motivations. Some of our motiva-tions are perverse, a situation made worse by consumer society that makes products available that can have negative effects on our well-being. ( A. Ev-ans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Stimulation in our Media World, p.66) The one is in fact true and these will be the people who do not enjoy fantasy. I support Maslow’s theory as I think everyone has a creative person-ality and needs for improvement and fulfillment. As long as we are aware of what we are doing. Watching films is a healthy means of escapism as long as we know when to stop and to accept that we’re in reality.

Our Hierarchy of Needs


t What is Escapism? t

I have only discovered this term Escapism, or ‘escapist’, not long ago be-fore I decided on what to do for my thesis. Even though we understand, from the pyramid of the hierarchy of needs, that everyone needs to seek relief for reality from time to time, there seem to have no real underpinning in philosophy or psychology for Escapism.

‘Escapism’ from the definitions in dictionaries:

Oxford Dictionary: ‘The seeking of distraction from reality by engaging in entertainment or fantasy.’ (http://www.Askxford.com)

Dictionary.com: ‘The avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in en-tertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc.’ (http://www.dic-tionary.com)

We might not have noticed, but we are practising escapism from time to time. Yi- Fu Tuan, author of Escapism, sums up the generally held attitude to escapsim ‘Escapism, I will argue, is human- and inescapable’. ( A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Stimulation in our Media World, p.73)Common examples of Escapism includes oversleeping, eating, surfing the internet, alcoholism etc. The tendency to want to escape from reality is born-for and willing initiated by the individual, and the concept of Escapism is very personal. There are different reasons and ways to escape for different people. People see escapism as ‘a way of getting to part of their brain that is most happy and relaxed.’ ( A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Stimulation in our Media World, p.55)

It is important is understand the difference between escape and escapism, as Andrew Evans points out. ‘Escape a lot of time refers to running away from danger, when the situation is life-threatening.’ ( A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Stimulation in our Media World, p.68)Escapism is a kind of escape but is usually referred to an emotional es-cape and when physical escape is impossible and is usually temporary. From the chart of the hierarchy of needs, escape will be towards the bot-tom where it is essential for self-protection. Only when we have achieved our basic needs that we have time for Escapism and Entertainment. In other words, we have a choice of whether to participate in escapism. It is not like we would die from not participating in escapism, unlike other basic needs stated at the bottom of the chart.

It should be remembered that what we think we want on the ego-pleasing level is not always what we want or need on a higher spiritual level, so when we think we are achieving escape it may only be an illusion of hap-piness. We need to accept that escapism is temporary.

What is Escapism?


t Why and how do we practise escapism t

The following is my interpretation of the flow of Escapsism. Escape im-plies going from somewhere we do not want to be to somewhere we do. And between them is a means of escape.

EscapismNon-desirable Place ----> Method/Means of Escape ----> Desirable Place

Non desirable Place. All non desirable places can be rounded up in one word- reality. Many escapists are emotionally or physically ill and therefore seek relief. Reasons for escape can simply be boredom, pressure at work. ‘As a job value, a predictable routine is usually rated very low by most people, and lowest by a large margin in artists and creatives’ (A. Evans. 2001.The Virtual Life, Escapism and Simulation in our media world. p.54).

As Yi-Fi Tuan puts it, escapism is ‘one means of not facing facts’. (Amazon review. www.amazon.com) One of the reasons why we enjoy escapism is because there is a lack or responsibility, and this lack of responsibility when we engage in escapist activities make us happy and relaxed.Escapism is con-nected to free choice, activities we are in control of, whereas in work we normally take orders and directions from others. Escapism also introduced the concept of entertainment (from the Dictionary.com definition of Es-capism. www.dictionary.com), when for most of the time we can sit back and relax to enjoy a performance or anything that affords pleasure.

Means of Escape. As mentioned above, actions like eating or over-sleeping could be considered as means of escape, when they are performed to break away from reality and stress. Entertainment is a common method because it gives us pleasure while we remain passive and relaxed, bearing no responsi-bility. It is also worth mentioning the difference between active and passive pursuits. Shopping, drinking, play games are active pursuits because it in-volves participation. Watching films, daydreaming, listening to music are on the other hand passive as the individual is receiving and not participating.

Desirable Place. If escapism involves escaping from reality, a desirable place will be the opposite of reality, which is often an imagined place or a tem-porary feeling of happiness. Andrew Evans puts escapism as ‘resorting to fantasy’. (A. Evans. 2001.The Virtual Life, Escapism and Simulation in our media world. p.96). The place could be a state which the individual is drunk. The place could be the feeling of satisfaction, when one wins a game. The place could be somewhere in time, the past, future. The place could be a lux-urious palace. It is usually somewhere that makes the individual feels happy to be in or visually fascinating, e.g., scenes in horror films.

Why and how do we practise escapism


t A Summary of Escapists and Escapism t

To make things clearer, I have summed up the characteristics of escapists and escapism from my research and the earlier part of the essay.

Escapists- are sometimes passive- want to escape from responsibility- are sometimes adventurous and creative

Escapism- brings an individual to the happiness part of the brain- is an ability that is born-for- takes a lesser priority compared to basic survival needs like eat and sleep- is different from escape- is optional but willingly practised by the individual- is active or passive- is temporary


FANTASY FILMS


t What Fantasy means to me t

I have always been a fan of fantasy, expressed in any form of art. These include movies, paintings, literature, TV games and many more. I had not at-tempted to answer why I enjoy fantasy until I started working and research-ing for this project. And of course my like for fantasy motivated me to write my thesis on the topic. So, asking myself why I like fantasy, I have come up with four main reasons-

Curiosity, Desire for an improved-self, Desire for a better life,And appreciation for other people’s imagination

Curiosity involves the idea that we are seeing something that is impossible in real life and therefore we get interested and wants to find out more or perhaps get involved. ‘What if I can?’ We like to imagine what might hap-pen if fantasy becomes real. This idea relates closely to appreciation for other people’s imagination. Often we get amazed by imaginative ideas, not only do we want to find out more, we appreciate the creativity. Fantasy is all about creation, creating elements that do not exist in real life. One of the reason why J. K. Rowling became so famous with her Harry Potter series is because she has created interesting and well-modelled characters and story that involves magical elements and adventures. I find it hard to stop reading, and when I finish, I think ‘the author is really creative and thus successful’. A creator of fantasy must be an escapist in the heart.

A lot of fantasy concepts are derived from dissatisfaction of the present life, in the other words, fantasy expresses our cravings for improvement. The ability to fly makes it easy to travel. The ability to travel through time gives us a chance to correct past mistakes or foresee the future. Most heros are portrayed to be strong, undefeated and respected by people. The Princess is always rich, beautiful and desired. There is magical power that prevents us from aging or even dying and thus obtain forever youth. All these are

examples to show how creators of fantasy want to achieve in real life, or want us to experience in the virtual world. And these are positive reasons for why we like fantasy.

Escapism and fantasy can correlate in both ways. They can have an cause-and-effect relationship where people desires to practise escapism and they seek fantasy as a method. Or, they can start with watching a film or reading a book and find themselves getting more and more into the story and relieved from pressure. I got interested in the relationship between the two because I want to learn more about the psychological side of why people turn to fan-tasy for relief, how is it achieved, how effective and how positive is escapism achieved through fantasy.

What Fantasy means to me


t Fantasy Films t

Fairy Tales, Myths have been around for a long, long time. Films are often made based on fantasy stories and literature, but what does fantasy film im-ply and how is it different to other genre in films?

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings and a professor of philology at Oxford, said ‘when metaphysics and myth are out of fashion, the believer seeks other modes of expression. Fantasy creates a secondary reality, which is not a suspension of belief but belief in a self-consistent secondary world. Fantasy is an act of enchantment in which humans are sub-creators imitat-ing the universal creator.’ (http://www.tolkien-online.com)

‘All cinema is fantasy’, wrote Sable Jak, on the first page of his book. (Writ-ing the Fantasy Film, XV Foreword). ‘ It is a perfect medium for revealing inner and outer worlds, no matter how strange and different they are from ours.’

I agree to a large extent. Yet it is essential to understand that there is a dif-ferent degree of fantasy in films. Some fantasy films are categorized as fantasy and they include popular high fantasy films like Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) and The Chronicles of Narnia (2005, 2008) , which involve highly developed fantasy worlds and characters. Other films might be cat-egorized as horror or action but have elements of fantasy.

The term Sci-fi/ Fantasy was born after fantasy stories is published in sci-ence Fiction magazines in the late 1800s. There is a huge element of fantasy in science fiction yet the latter is slightly different as it involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. So strictly speaking, if we refer to Fantasy as a genre, it really refers to High Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery films.

For the purpose of my thesis, I am just refering to fantasy- imaginary- as an element in film and how it relates to escapism. All films are fantasy to a

certain degree because it is not real. And people enjoy watching films be-cause they like to get away from reality.

Fantasy Films


t The More factor and Magic in Fantasy Films t

No matter if it is a High Fantasy film or a film with fantasy elements, fantasy has always got the ‘more’ factor. (Sable Jak. 2004. Writing the Fantasy Film, p. 3) Heros are more heroic, nobles are more noble, the bad guys are uglier. Even in nature, the grass seems greener, the water clearer, the ocean wider and the snow whiter. The exaggerated scenery makes human feel small and curious. You go in the cinema and sit back, not knowing what will happen next on the screen.

One of the characteristics of escape films is danger. What happens in film is usually more dramatic than it would be in real life. Also, there are cer-tain situations that involve the frustration of being unable to escape. This contradicts with what I mentioned earlier about the difference between es-capism and escape. We are bought into a life-threatening situation in films, where characters need real escape, but we are only practising escapism by watching films.

In fantasy, not only the ‘more’ factor applies, impossible often exists. It relies on organic magic. A spell is spoken, a wand is waved to fabricate something out of thin air. Strange happenings occur for no scientifically provable rea-son. There are beasties, faeries, talking animals. It is also what distinguishes the fantasy genre from science fiction, while the latter relies on scientific means to create something fantastic.

Dark Fantasy/Horror films like Dracula and Frankinstein covers the sub-ject of dark arts (vampire), death and afterlife. Watching movie is a way to experience death without commitment. Some people who like dark fantasy or horror films simply like violence or horrific images. They would not get involved in fights or even murder in real life. Watching films fulfills their curiosity. The concept of infinity was wonderfully caught in the initial scene of Star Wars, as well as the end of Time Bandits and various other space movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Films like Back to the Future (1985) and The Time Machine (1960) made traveling through time visually possible.

Fantasy films fulfills children dreams. In Peter Pan (1953), people who live in Neverland will not grow up. As we age, life gets more complicated. Watching films like Peter Pan gives us a imaginary experience of living like a child.

The More factor and Magic in Fantasy Films


t Watching films as an example of passive escapism t

So, is living in reality the goal of human beings? With reality being the main reason for escapism, mentioned earlier on, the answer to the previous ques-tion might be a no.

Professor Lister Matheson, director of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop, Michigan State University, with regards to why people like fantasy, said ‘There are various reasons, depending on the kind of person involved. Some like fantasy simply for its escapist quality- they can forget their own lives for a while and live in a different world and even body.’ (Writing the Fantasy Film, p.20)

Darragh Metzger, author of the Fantasy Novels: The Strawberry Roan and The Traids of Tir Na n-Og series said ‘We lose a little of our self-control when we get involved in a good Fantasy story. Things that we shut off or deny in ourselves in our day-to-day lives wake and live within us when we are touched by well-done Fantasy.’ (Writing the Fantasy Film, p.21)

Many escapists, other than seeking for escape from real life, are adventurers. Linda Seger, Ph. D, script consultant on the Neverending Story, said ‘ fan-tasy appeals to the most positive, the most hopeful , and the most adventur-ous part of our selves. It deals with our sense of wonder, and to our feeling for the possible.’ (Writing the Fantasy Film, p. 19)

Darrah Metzger, said ‘A good fantasy film should capture the audience’s emotions just as any other good film, while removing certain ‘rules’ of reali-ty that make the audience feel safe. Good Fantasy should stretch the bounds of reality and still make the audience believe in it.’ (Writing the Fantasy Film, p.184) While we sit comfortably on a chair, a fantasy film allows us to feel as if we have supernatural powers, are fighting heroic battles and marrying royals. In the mental moment as if there is a virtual escape. Yet, the films relate to us as a lot of emotions are experienced- fear, love, revenge. Basic

human values and issues are being addressed in Fantasy, but without all the humdrum events of ‘real’ life in modern times. It is a ‘stripped-down’ ver-sion of reality, and reduced to big and important issues like honor heroism, duty, elemental and spiritual forces in the universe”, as Sable Jak, author of

Writing the Fantasy Film calls it. Fantasy often takes the good and evil theme. Apart from addressing film watchers as passive escapists, watching films is often a solitary activity. We may watch the same film, or watch a film with other people. Yet what we interpret, take in or feel is very personal. James Donald, author of Fantasy and the Cinema, said ‘One can escape into a world of imagination and come from it refreshed with new understanding. One can expand limited experiences into broad ones. One can escape into saccharine sentimentality of into fantasies which exaggerate existing fears.’ (Fantasy and the Cinema, p.3) Interesting is the fact that author Andrew Evans mentioned a lot of escapists being individuals who are low on self esteem. He said ‘escapist us blocked individual who has ample talent and intelligence but is afraid to use it.’ They are therefore fascinated by ideas like power and victory which are often expressed in fantasy.

How far does the audience accept fantasy being just fantasy? Conflicting what author Yi-Fu Tuan says about human being ‘an animal who is congeni-tally indisposed to accept reality as it is’ (Escapism) , people who engage in films have accept that what they see is unrealistic and temporary.

Like Sable Jak addresses, ‘The viewer readily accepts shifting points of view (cuts), the manipulation of perspective , and a world that lives within the constraints of a frame, a flat screen as a window to what appears to be a three-dimensional world.’ (Writing and Fantasy Film, XV Foreword) No matter how much the audience enjoys fantasy, they have accepted that it is imaginary. And this once again proves the temporarily quality of escapism.

Perhaps I could be biased because I like fantasy. There are people who think fantasy is a waste of time. Yet, it is essential to understand that Fantasy de-rives from reality. It is not as disconnected to reality as one may think it is just because of its unrealistic nature. Like I pointed out above, many

Watching Films as an exmaple of Passive Escapism


fantasy characters are created with human emotions. Fantasy is made up by humans and partly made up for a reason, for escapism from an unpleasant, unfulfilled life. It is not just nonsense day dreams, is it a way how writers, painters or film makers communicate, and how they suggest that life can be improved. These ‘creators’ are escapists themselves.

t Media as Escapist Products t

What I mean by escapist products are things produced by the society to satisfy people’s escaping needs. There is always money involved in produc-tion. Production does a budget, and people pay for the product. Films are examples of escapist products, so are theatre, books, toys, cigerettes. Any product that is designed to make an indivual happy or relieve from sress.

‘If the real world seems petty and humdrum, then Hollywood could be counted on to take us to the opposite extreme- big, bigger, biggest.’ (A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Simulation in our media world, p.111.) Like it is mentioned above, fantasy is about exaggeration. ‘Holly-wood has been known as the dream factory, a cultural industry, dynamic of desire.’ (James Donald . 1989. Fantasy and the Cinema, p.3) As early as periods like he Great Depression, people simply relied on Hollywood to create dramatic fantasies, like Grand Hotel, which shows girls fanning out in swimming pools like elaborate flowers.

The media is a potential hotbed of escapism, given that there is a certain fanbase for fantasy. Creative artists are escapist themselves therefore for most of the time they know what would please the fantasy audience. Script-writers, producers, directors are able to tackle people’s constant need of escapism to produce something that suits the public’s taste.

What I find fascinating about films is it involves a process of creation of a fantasy world that is brought to the audience visually and audibly. Watch-ing films is an experience of entering someone else’s imagination, seeing what he or she sees, hearing what he or she hears, appreciating the creativ-ity, and understanding there are other people who enjoy watching films as a method of escapism. The often over-the-top storyline is supported by amazing character, costume and set design. Sound and music help a lot in creating a fantastical atmosphere. And there are these post production and special effects.

Media as Escapist Products


t Self Esteem and Escapismt

‘The escapist is a ‘blocked individual, one who has ample talent and intel-ligence but is afraid to use it’. (A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Simulation in our media world, p.96.) The repressed person dreams of acting out fantasies but may be unable to do so in reality. In this case, escap-ism is not healthy for the individual at all.

Escapism is on one level a symptom of stressful lives in the society. It may say more about the society than individual. The availability of ‘ready-made’ activities would act as a ‘cure’, especially for people who watch fantasy for the first time.


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CASE STUDY- LORD OF THE RING

t Escapism in Lord of the Rings 2001, 2002, 2003 t

I am using Lord of the Rings as a case study of how escapism is achieved through fantasy films. It is one of the best high fantasy films ever made and one of my favourite films.

Lord of the Rings is orginally an epic high fantasy novel written by Eng-lish philologist J. R. R. Tolkien. in 1937 and published in 1937 and 1949. Three films adaptions are made in years 2001, 2002 and 2003. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_rings ) The film series is known as ‘a groundbreaking epic of good versus evil, extraordinary heroes, wondrous creatures and dark armies of terror.’ (http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/lord_of_the_rings_the_fellowship_of_the_ring/)

I am going to investigate the characteristics of the film in relation to what fantasy films are generally conceived as, and lastly how elements of the film provokes escapism.

Escapsim is achieved when one gets captured into the film. Personally, for this film, I think there are two keys elements that draw the audience into the film. The first one is imagination and the impossible made possible that fascinates us. Secondly, it is the human nature and feelings expressed in the characters that we tend to relate to ourselves and thus move us.


t Imagination t

A few elements come under ‘imagination’.

MissionThe whole story starts with a mission- to destroy a ring in the moutains of Mordor. It sets off a journey for a group of different beings, which

formed the Fellowship of the Ring. Stories in fantasy films are often about completing missions, and missions bring about adventures. Also, missions are clear to the audience. Escapsim is a passive activity, but the audience

have actually ‘participated’ in the film or the mission by following the story.

Richly Developed Environment

Lord of the Rings is a very good example for richly developed environ-ment. The story happens in Middle Earth. And as the story goes, we are in-troduced to places like Shire (where the hobbits live), Rivendell (the elven kingdom), Mordor (where the ring has to be taken to to be destroyed) , the city of Rohan, Gondor etc. Each place is special, has their own buildings, has their own people who lead their own way of life.

Also, what I find common in high fantasy films is there are a lot of natu-ral environment- mountain, sea, caves, forest. A lot of shots in Lord of the Rings are far shots around the high moutains, when the characters are travling. A very important thing fantasy films often do, and we tend to not realise, is they suggest a feel of space. When we get stressed or upset, we often want to retreat to a place that is spacious and uncrowded. A lot of scenes in Lord of the Rings show the vast nature that make the audience feel that they can almost reside in it. It suggests a feeling of freedom.

Places are a mixture of imagination and reality. There are made up lands but we are famillar with historical cities and the idea of castles and king-ship.

Characters

It has elves, dwarves and hobbits, but they are not pretty, tinselly or quaint as in the works of Enid Blyton or Walt Disney. Each group is portrayed in detail, with its own well-defined language, psychology and culture. They are more realistic, in fact, than many people allegedly from ‘real life’ portrayed in modern fiction and films. (http://www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/articles/tolkien.html)

Again, charcacters are a mixture between imagination and reality. Many are supernatural beings but they express human-like feelings. The elves for ex-ample do not die naturally. They have special eyes that can see in a distance and they are good with bow and arrows. Gandalf is a great wizard and he is always surrounded by a sorce of light that symbolizes power. Aragorn is a human who is the hero’s hero. He is very incredibly brave, intelligent and calm. He becomes the King of Gondor in the last movie. The hobbits are halflings (creatures half the size of human). They look small but apart from that I think they are the most near-human beings in the film. Gollum is a monster-looking creature who is once a hobbit. The power of the ring turns him into a strange looking thing and gives him split personalities - good and evil. The good side of him wants to help Frodo (the main hobbit who is the ring bearer) complete the mission. The evil side of him wants to steal the ring.

All characters are portrayed to have very human characters and feelings. Themes of love, hate, jealously, friendship are covered from time to time throughout the film. This is discussed in the next chapter.


Language, Music and Costume

Language and Music are partly there to set the mood. The film is adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel and thus the script is made of a lot of old Eng-lish. A lot of it is very poetic. ‘Cold be heart and hand and bone. Cold be travelers far from home.’ ‘They do not see what lies ahead. When sun has failed and moon is dead,’ reads Gollum in ‘The Two Towers’ (37:17) One might not understand straight away what he says, but metaphors and poetry do help set the atmosphere for historial and fantasy scenes, giving it a very mythical and mysterious taste. In the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, the narrator began telling the story by saying ‘The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings...’ Old languages also suggests a difference in time that is quite long ago from the modern world.

The elves have their own evlish language and it is heard spoken throughout the film.

Music is a very strong element in Lord of the Rings that ties the story to-gether and helps set the mood. This is a huge factor that distinguishes the movie from the book. The music is very operatic. It suggests moments of sadness, love, danger, intensity etc.

Costumes have the simillar effect to the old language which helps to tell the time and space that the story is happening in. They help with escapsim in the sense that they are something seldom worn in modern days. The costumes also give character to the characters. Aragon’s armour and sword suggess-battles, lordship, Gandalf ’s robe suggests power and hope, whereas Frodo in his normal hobbit clothes suggests he is ordinary and it makes the audi-ence doubt his ability to complete the mission.

Colours and Special Effects

A lot of post production work is often done in high fantasy and sci-fi films. Colours are tinted heavily to make the scenes look far from reality, and beautiful. Special effects are applied to turn the impossible to pos-sible- trees moving in Fangorn Forest, dead people soaked in the swamp, fire and smoke effect. Even during filming, a lot of characters, like the orcs, have special theatrical make-up, something that we would seldom see in our daily life.

Battle Scenes

We are famillar with battle scenes from historical films, but not battle scenes that involve elvish warriors and gigantic elephants.


t Human tAs I have discussed earlier on, fantasy is not just about made-up fantasies. It is often mixed with reality, feelings that human expresses. In the film series, we can easily adapt oursevles into the characters because they have true feel-ings that we can relate to. They have simple survival needs like eat and sleep (nearly everything that is in the pyramid of the hierarchy of needs). They experience physical pain. Frodo’s ring constantly gives him. The characters have human traits and are involved in human dilemmas.

The adventure is filled with feelings of danger, something that we can never avoid in reality. ‘“The Fellowship of the Ring” evokes a tangible sense of danger as Frodo the hobbit sets out on his quest to destory the all-powerful one ring.’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/12/11/lord_of_the_rings_fellowship_of_the_ring_2001_review.shtml)

Temptation. Back in the story of Adam and Eve, ‘temptation’ as a human weakness is introduced. Tempation is a theme that is centered in Lord of the Rings, and keeps the story flowing. The ring needs to be detroyed be-cause it is evil and everyone wants to possess it because of the power that it has. Even Gandalf claims that he is tempted by the ring.

Love and jealously are two other important themes in Lord of the Rings. There is love between lovers. The love between Aragorn and Arwen illus-trates cross- boundary love between human and elves. Love keeps the fel-lowship of the ring (beings involved in the quest to destory the ring) strong. Here I am referring to love between different beings- elves and dwarfs, and brotherly love among the hobbits. Jealousy derives from love and this is very understandable as a natural human behaviour.


(Pictures from New Line Cinema Production, Inc. http://www.newline.com )

Richly developed environment. Picture of Gondor

Characters from left, Elf Legolas, Wizard Gandalf, Heroic Warrior Aragorn


(Pictures from New Line Cinema Production, Inc. http://www.newline.com )

Battle scenes

Hobbits in danger

PERSONAL VIEW- THE ANIMATION


t Introduction of the Animation t

My visual piece is a heavily narrated fantasy experience and my personal view of how escapism is expressed in fantasy, therefore I am introducing the piece in the essay. It is an imaginative story centering me as the escapist. I want my audience to experience what I am experiencing, thus I animated it in a first-person’s angle like they are seeing all these fantasy things in front of them. The piece covers a few themes that people come across in real life. Themes includeDesireLustLoveDeathObstaclesEscaping for lifeLosing things

THE SCENES The scenes are what the audience will come to see as the animation runs. The Followings are the highlights of each scene.

The CinemaThe Confusion of Reality and Imagination. The first scene is set in the cin-ema. There is a turning point where reality is swapped with imagination. Reality, which we assume we are seeing, is suddenly captured by the cinema screen. At this point, we are carried out of the cinema and we enter the imaginative world.

The DummiesThe fact that everyone else is dead in the cinema shows that ‘she’ has arrived at a different world and she is all alone.

The TunnelAt this point, she drops into the tunnel and is being taken to another dimen-sion. This is the tunnel that takes us further away from reality.

Introduction of the Animation

(pictures)


(pictures)The OceanThe tunnel brings us to the ocean. The deep ocean represents freedom. Imagination gives us the ‘ability’ to survive in water and it is almost com-mon sense to see people swimming in the ocean in fantasy. The shark ap-proaching her represents danger.

The AngelHe puts her out of the water. He is in the form of a statue but he has life. He represents sexual fantasy and love. He rescued the girl. He is the only romantic element in the piece.

The Floating CorpsesThey float across the ocean. They represent death and horror that, ironi-cally, we face in real life and often escape from.

The Mermaids They appear and take the angel away from the girl. Their appearance repre-sents jealousy and hate. The angel being taken away represents lost love.

The UnicornI need to include the unicorn because I like it very much. It is pure, white, supernatural and has a running speed that is abnormally fast.

The ForestIt represents another dimension that is mysterious and far of reach. The girl becomes a fairy which is tiny in comparison to the forest.

The GiantIt represents danger and, due to the massive size, an unbeatable power. She is swallowed by the it.

The CinemaThe audience is lead back to the cinema, reality and the original space be-fore escapism took place, where the original her stands up and applauds.

Introduction of the Animation


t Conclusion t

Not everyone is a ‘fan’ of fantasy. Why do some people not like fantasy at all?

‘For some. because they lack imagination. Some of us don’t like to see what we keep smothered and hidden from ourselves in our unconscious minds’. (Sable Jak. 2004. Writing the Fantasy Film, p.21)

Everyone needs ecapism. As quoted in the previous chapters, ‘Escapism’ ‘is human- and inescapable’. ( A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Stimulation in our Media World, p.73) One might not enjoy escapist films, but will find other means to escape. On the other hand, I think everyone has a creative personality but some may be too scared to express it. And for those who only lives in reality, he usually ends up living a stressful life.

Fantasy contrasts with a traditional Marxist denunciation of Hollywood dreams as delusion and false consciousness- ‘an ideological force to dope the workers’, as British film maker Ralph Bond puts it in the 1930s. Fantasy is known as the ‘new opium of people’. Marxist literary and cultural criticFredic Jameso in the 1970s suggests ‘Fantasy does manipulate its audience to some extent, but it can only do so if they offer something in return. And that is a particular form of wish fulfilment, the projection of an optical illu-sion of social harmony.’ Also, Films could make consumers more dissatis-fied and frustrated than the reality they are trying to escape from, contradict-ing the fact that films are meant to give people a time to relax and recharge from stressful lifes.

Responding to self-actualization being ‘a basic force which drives the per-son forward and onwards.’ (George Norwood . http://www.deepermind.com/20maslow.htm), people who have had escaped from watching fantasy films would have to stop and return to reality eventually. The time that peo-ple takes to watch the films acts as a time to relax and forget about reality or a remedy and a time to recharge. If people can achieve escapism from

watching fantasy films, is Fantasy not offering something in return? What’s more? Fantasy often have good morals. Good and evil is a common theme, as seen in Lord of the Rings. I think as long as Fantasy improves people with new insights, it is doing something in return.

Travling through time and living in a different dimension is made possible. Yet, when we ask ourselves, perhaps our goal is just to experience being in a different space for an hour or so. Personally, I think people who live solely in imagination or are reluctant in accepting reality is bad. Escapism is only healthy when the individual knows when to start, and most importantly, to stop.

The ‘creative’ aspect of fantasy is often challenged. One might not like fan-tasy and argue, ‘ fantasy is about imagination but fantasy films tend to look alike and all these fantasy creatures have a standard look. A unicorn will always look a unicorn, the hero will always be the hero and will always win. How can people find fantasy fascinating?

I agree to a certain extent. I like to see creation in films, something that I have never come across. Yet, like Michael Heim, lecturer in Humanities of the University of California, said, ‘Fantasy is not the kind of magic that forces others under the spell of the magician. Fantasy is rather an agreed partnership in enchantment, a shared space of delight in which imagination probes heights and depths.’ (A. Evans. 2001. The Virtual Life, Escapism and Simulation in our media world) Even though escapism is often practised as a solitary activity, it is nice to be seeing imaginary creatures that everybody knows, and knowing that other people also like fantasy, and need escape as much as you do. ‘Seeing what people see’ is a pleasure. Most people do not believe in Father Christmas, but everyone knows who he is and stereotypes him as an old man with white beard and a red Christmas outfit. It is nice knowing other people like him and rejoice over Christmas as much as you do.


t Bibliography t

Book Reference

1. Escapism. Yi-Fu Tuan. Johns Hopkins University Press. 2000.

2. Writing the Fantasy Film: Heroes and Journeys in Alternate Realities. Sable Jak. Michael Wiese Productions, 2004

3. This Virtual Life: Escapism and Simulation in Our Media World. Andrew Evans. Fu-sion Press, 2001

4. Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, Burgess Michael, Greenwood Press, 2003.

5. Reel People, Finding Ourselves in the Movies, Howard M. Gluss, Ph.D., Scott Edward Smith, Keylight Company, 2002

6. The Force of Fantasy. Ethel S. Persons. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1996

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy. Brian Subley. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2002

8. The Influence of Imagination: Essays on Science Fiction and Fantasy As Agents of Social Change. Lee Easton. McFarland & Company , 2008

9. Science-fiction & Fantasy Cinema: Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & the Supernatural. John Howard Reid, Lulu.com. 2007

10. The Dictionary of Imaginary Places. Alberto Manguel, Gianni Guadalupi. Harcourt, 2000

11. Building Sci-Fi Moviescapes: The Science Behind the Fiction, Matt Hanson, Focal Press, 2005

12. State of the Fantastic: Studies in the Theory and Practice of Fantastic Literature and Film. Nicholas Ruddick. Greenwood Press, 1992

13. Virtual Worlds,B Woolley. Blackwell Pub, 1992

14. Virtual Realism. Michael Heim, Oxford University Press, USA. 1998

15. Digital Delirium. Arthur Kroker, Marilouise Kroker, Palgrave Macmillan, 1997

16. The Formations of Fantasy. Victor Burgin. New York, Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1986

17. Fantasy and the Cinema. James Donald. London, British Film Institude,1989

18. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. H.W. Fowler & F.G. Fowler, Oxford University Press, UK, 2004 - Definition of Escapism

Web Reference

http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm

1. http://artsandmedia.com/ - articles on arts an media psychology

2. http://imdb.com/ - Film database

3. http://www.flickfilosopher.com/ - film reviews

4. http://mheim.com/ - Writings on virtual worlds

5. http://www.filmsite.org/fantasyfilms3.html

6. http://www.businessball.com/ - Abraham Maslow’s chart of the Hierarchy of Needs

7. http://www.tolkien-online.com/ - quote from Tolkien

8. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/ - Lord of the Ring review

9. http:// www.randomhouse.com/ - Definition of Escapism

10. http://www.newline.com/ - New Line Cinema Production, Inc. Pictures


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Escapism Through Fantasy