Weissmann and Truman Burbank - Jan Svankmajer and Peter Weir's Film Protagonists Enslaved by Creations Cover Image

Weissmann i Truman Burbank – zniewoleni przez wytwory protagoniści filmów Jana Švankmajera i Petera Weira
Weissmann and Truman Burbank - Jan Svankmajer and Peter Weir's Film Protagonists Enslaved by Creations

Author(s): Bogusław Zmudziński
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts
Published by: Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Svankmajer Jan; Weir Peter

Summary/Abstract: Zmudziński’s article deals with the film portrayal of the relation between the human subject and his creations (products). The author focuses on opposing cultural phenomena: on the one hand he considers the work of the surrealist Jan Švankmajer, and on the other he considers the practice of product placement in feature films. The problem of the relationship between humans and their products, and the impact of the feedback coming from the artificial environment, is illustrated through the analysis of two films: Švankmajer’s "Picnic with Weissmann" and Peter Weir’s "Truman Show". The protagonists are Weissmann and Truman, while their antagonists are man-made objects of everyday use. The comparison of the two films allows us to highlight the similarities between the subject-object relations, that lead to the enslavement of people by their products. This in turn challenges human subjectivity.

  • Issue Year: 2011
  • Issue No: 74
  • Page Range: 108-119
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish