Phyllis, Cora, Laura, Gilda... Woman as an Object in Film Noir

Phyllis, Cora, Laura, Gilda... Kobieta jako przedmiot w filmie noir

Author(s): Patrycja Włodek / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: film noir; femme fatale; feminism

Is a woman in film noir the subject or the object of the film? Given the complexity of film noir, found for example in the plurality of storyline patters, types of characters – both male and female, it is not easy to give a straightforward answer to this question. The analysis of four films ("Double Indemnity", "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Gilda", "Laura"), in which the screen presence of the heroines is defined not just through their place in the storyline and the use of erotic imagery, but also through the presence of meaningful objects (bracelet, lipstick, glove), suggests that there were certain strategies employed by Hollywood. These strategies were the result of the atmosphere of the times in which the films were made. It was in this context that the film makers wanted to create a strong and independent femme fatale and place her within social context, which the femme fatale found unacceptable. Many of the actresses that played femmes fatales gained status of a movie icon. Their expressiveness was such, that it was not possible to forget their subversive and rebellious character.

“Beaten Men”. Masculinity in Cinema of Central and Eastern Europe

(“Pokonani mężczyźni”. O męskości w kinie Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej

Author(s): Dagmara Rode / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: masculinity; gender studies; Mazierska Ewa

Dagmara Rode’s book review of Ewa Mazierska’s "Masculinities in Polish, Czech and Slovak Cinema: Black Peters and Men of Marble" (2008). In her book Mazierska offers a well argued reading of chosen aspects of Polish, Czech, and Slovak films, pointing out the changes in representations of masculinity that took place due to political, economic and social transformations. The book is addressed to an English speaking audience, who will find in this volume a number of interesting details and arguments dealing with contexts and films they might not be particularly familiar with. However Polish readers will also find this book useful, as it deals with a topic neglected in Polish film studies, namely masculinity and its representations.

EIDÔLON: From Object Poems to Objects in Film

Od wiersza o rzeczy do rzeczy w filmie

Author(s): Rafał Koschany / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: object; philosophy of film

The material world and in particular objects are a focus of great interest in anthropology, sociology, historiography, archeology and literature studies. And so in turn Koschany considers how objects and the material world are understood and analysed in film studies. One of the possibilities is the interdisciplinary comparative reflection upon the function and the ways of being of objects in film and literature. Koschany considers the example of object poems (Ding-Gedicht) and their film equivalent. The starting point in this comparison is to distinguish “normal” objects (that are always subordinate in relation to subjects) from objects (things) that are of equal rank to men, understood in accordance to the framework provided by Kant, Husserl or Heidegger (hence the frequent references to philosophy). In the article two methods dealing with the analysis of things in poems and films are considered: the semiotic and the phenomenological. The author also considers the example of the word “Rosebud”, spoken by Citizen Kane, and its particular relation with another object – a child’s sleigh.

Of Things and People in Jean Renoir's "La grande illusion"

O rzeczach i ludziach w "Towarzyszach broni" Jeana Renoira

Author(s): Elżbieta Ostrowska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Renoir Jean

The author deals with the dialectic of material presence and absence in the many representations of reality in Jean Renoir’s "La grande illusion" (1937), in which the subject, through is substantiveness accentuated by long shots with depth of field, at the same time indicates the absence of something or someone else. The author argues that the dialectic of material presence and absence disturbs and undermines the stability of categories of gender and national identity. Similarly the category of film realism is destabilized.

Comments to the Exhibition "Does Time Exist? Piotr Kamler's Films and Installations"

Glosa do wystawy "Czy czas istnieje? Prezentacja utworów filmowych i przestrzennych Piotra Kamlera"

Author(s): Joanna Spalińska-Mazur / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Kamler Piotr

In his most recent project, Kamler returns to the problem of time. He enables us to experience time of art through the direct experience of regular linear series ("Telemann" /2011/) and dynamic cycles that change in response to various stimuli ("Continu-discontinu" 2010 /2011/). He draws a connection between these “permanent projections” to movement frozen in art installations. This is an original understanding of the return to art contemplation in analogy to music. Through the exploration of analogies between the art forms, Kamler overcomes his old pessimism regarding the medium of animation. Trying to answer the question posed in the title of the exhibition, he enters the territory of music, as he believes that time can be tamed not just (or not only) through the repetition of the myth of beginning (as he argued in "Chronopolis" /1977-1982/) but also through the paradox of music.

The Spirit of the Machine: Robert Bresson

Duch maszyny: Robert Bresson

Author(s): Andrzej Zalewski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Bresson Robert

Most of what has been written about the work of Robert Bresson concentrates on the spiritual aspect of his work. This article on the other hand focuses on something completely different: on the mechanistic and material layer of Bresson’s images, on the deeply rooted materiality of things. Whether this layer disturbs the metaphysical significance of the work, or strengthens it, is open to discussion. According to Zalewski this layer is an autonomous one, that deserves a separate analysis, beginning of which is presented in this article.

The Magical Beginnings of Cinema

Magiczne początki kina

Author(s): Marcin Giżycki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: film history

This article has been inspired by two events: the exhibition of Werner Nekes’s collection of pre-cinematic devises organized in conjunction with The New Horizons Festival in Wrocław, Poland (July-August, 2011), and the publication of the special issue of "Animation: An Interdiscipinary Journal" (July 2011) devoted to Pre- and Early Cinema. According to the editors of the issue, André Gaudreault and Philippe Gautier, the notorious question “who invented cinema” – Edison or the Lumiere brothers – is irrelevant, since cinema is a socio-cultural phenomenon that cannot be thought as “invented”. It emerged alongside the institutionalization of film around 1910. Thus early film, so called “cinema of attractions”, has more to do with pre-cinematic shows and devises like magic lanterns, etc., than fully developed entertainment of the later era. The author of this article, after presenting a short history of magic lanterns and their impact on selected poets, writers and filmmakers (e.g. Bergman and Starewicz), argues that linking the birth of cinema to the institutionalization of the medium obscures another important question: What constitutes film as a work of art? Polish filmmaker, philosopher, and writer Stefan Themerson also agreed in his essay of 1937 "The Urge to Create Visions" that the invention of the cinematograph had nothing to do with the inception of cinema but for him the latter was actually a much wider and older concept connected to the eternal human quest for all kinds of moving spectacles.

The Madness of the Ordinary - the Ordinary Madness. Francis Ford Copolla'a "Rumble Fish"

Szaleństwo zwyczajności – zwyczajność szaleństwa. "Rumble Fish" Francisa Forda Coppoli

Author(s): Krzysztof Lipka / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Coppola Francis Ford

The film "Rumble Fish" (1983) centers on the relationship between two brothers – younger brother Rusty James, and the older, Motorcycle Boy. Both are trapped within the hopelessness of the suburbia. Rusty is looking for meaning in life, whilst the colour blind and more experienced Motorcycle Boy understands better the drama of freedom and necessity. The situation of the characters is represented through a play on symbolic things. The most important contradictions are reflected through the contrast between black and white picture and colourful fish in an aquarium. The scope of the symbols employed in the film is very wide: animals, both living and stuffed, clocks, a snooker game, motorcycle. Similarly the form is saturated with symbolism – film editing, images, light, moments of colour, metonimic treatment of the image. As a result, in this apparently simple film, one is dealing with a matter woven out of symbolic motifs of exceptional ethical focus.

Coloured Threads. "The Stitches Speak"

Kolorowe wątki. "Opowieści kutchańskich haftów"

Author(s): Sławomir Sikora / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Sabnani Nina

A twelve minute, animated film The "Stitches Speak" (Nina Sabnani, 2009) deals with the issue of the convergence of voice, narration, and fabric as the products of a person with the person’s life history. Animated fabrics speak with the voices of their makers. This charming film that gained recognition on many film festivals, perfectly intertwines the two levels of narrative (image and word), allowing the viewer at the same time to enter the means of perceiving and speaking of the women of the Kutch region. As Judy Frater, an anthropologist engaged in the making of the film notes: "We can see how they speak about their work". The animation of the fabric is an interesting way of realistically “describing” and presenting this phenomenon.

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

Weissmann i Truman Burbank – zniewoleni przez wytwory protagoniści filmów Jana Švankmajera i Petera Weira

Author(s): Bogusław Zmudziński / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Svankmajer Jan; Weir Peter

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.

Coded Mind Maps. Mobility of Things in Michel Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Zakodowane mapy umyslu. Mobilność rzeczy w filmie Michela Gondry’ego "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Author(s): Joanna Spalińska-Mazur / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Gondry Michel

Things have the power to induce a memory, even one that has shriveled or has been apparently erased. Images-objects code mind maps in their fullest and perfect form, and their mobility is the result of the employment of the free will, that evolves through the discovery of consecutive stages of freedom of the awakening mind. Meaningful things, that accumulate the memory of events, and that serve as triggers of hidden energy of mind and induce traces of powerful emotional experiences play an important role in the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) by Michel Gondry. The director tries to convince the viewer, that the erasure of memories as it is carried out in his film by the Lacuna Inc, that is the erasure based on mind maps of the patient, does not guarantee getting rid of the memories for ever, as there remain traces that are induced independently of the person’s will.

"You Never Know in Film..." - Teresa Roszkowska's Battle for a Film Frame

"W filmie to nigdy nie wiadomo..." Teresy Roszkowskiej bitwy o kadr

Author(s): Joanna Stacewicz-Podlipska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 74/2011

Keywords: Roszkowska Teresa; set design

Teresa Roszkowska (1904-1992), was a talented painter and a first Polish woman to be a stage and set designer. Her adventure with film begun in 1938, when she debuted as a costume designer in Józef Lejtes’ production "Kościuszko at Racławice". Because of her specific predilections and clearly defined preferences she quickly found her niche on the market, specializing in the art design for costume films and musical comedies. In film, as in the theatre, she was very careful in choosing her repertoire and collaborators, engaging in only those projects, which fully met her tastes and expectations. The deciding factor was a deep, artistic understanding with the director. Roszkowska was able to reach this kind of understanding only with Józef Lejtes, Aleksander Ford and Jerzy Zarzycki. Their sensitivity to the visual aspect of the film and a certain “picturesqueness” of the frame and their knowledge of the history of art led to the creation of three creative tandems.

The Analysis of Research on Internet Marketing

The Analysis of Research on Internet Marketing

Author(s): Vida Davidavičienė,Jolanta Sabaitytė / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2014

Keywords: Internet marketing; Internet marketing environment; communication; Internet marketing research areas

The targeted development of internet marketing faces the dynamic environment and its alterations that occur both – in business terms and conditions and in the use of e­tools and applicable concepts. The growing importance of internet marketing is indicated by a growth in e­markets, an increasing number of new generation consumers, investments of organizations in e­based decisions, a strong interest of scientists representing different fields as well as by widening the base of knowledge related to the above introduced phenomenon. Despite a continuously increasing amount of scientific literature on Internet marketing, this area of research is still at the initial stage. The article is aimed at analysing the fields of ongoing researches into Internet marketing and at identifying the areas required for deeper examination. The article has applied for the methods such as a comparative analysis and summary of scientific literature, information comparison and techniques for grouping and the graphical visualization of information.

Reflection of Bratislava Retail Network in Selected Aspects of Consumer Behaviour

Reflection of Bratislava Retail Network in Selected Aspects of Consumer Behaviour

Author(s): Pavol Kita,Marta Grossmanová / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2014

Keywords: attractiveness of retail stores; accessibility; retail network; consumer behaviour

The paper analyses the evolution of the retail network of the capital city of Slovakia Bratislava affecting buying behavior and lifestyle of its consumers. From the marketing point of view, it characterizes the current retail network in Bratislava and presents the main trends in the development of retail stores in Bratislava. It shows, on the one hand, how the importance of consumer behaviour rise in the decline economic prosperity during last years, while on the other hand, how the concentration in retail declines the chances for success of small independant food retail stores during last recent years. The authors used methodes, e. g. multidimentional scaling, GIS, for testing assesses the significance of these changes on the sample involving 11.389 repondents interviewed. The paper presents the results of research project VEGA No. 1/0039/11 Geographical Information System as a Source of Strategic Innovation of Enterprise from the Point of View of Strengthening its Competitiveness.

Model for Measuring the Entrepreneurship of the Population

Model for Measuring the Entrepreneurship of the Population

Author(s): Šarūnė Beinoraitė,Rolandas Drejeris / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2014

Keywords: criteria; entrepreneurship; model; multi­criteria evaluation; population

Population entrepreneurship is an important factor in the progress of economic development. This paper proposes a model of entrepreneurship measurement for comparing the level of entrepreneurship. The model consists of two main components, including criteria for the selection and determination of entrepreneurship by adapting the multi­criteria evaluation method TOPSIS. The most important criteria for identifying entrepreneurship cover the dynamics of the unemployment rate, the population of personal characteristics, geographical location, broadband Internet penetration per 1000 inhabitants, issued business licenses per thousand population, competitiveness, innovation, registered enterprises per thousand population, the promotion of a entrepreneurship program, the average wage level, the number of loans taken for business per thousand population, the number of bankrupt enterprises per thousand population, the level of education, the subscription of newspapers and magazines on business.

A System of Indicators for Evaluating the Motivation of Employees for Work in Telecommunication Enterprises

A System of Indicators for Evaluating the Motivation of Employees for Work in Telecommunication Enterprises

Author(s): Anželika Kiselevskaja,Ilona Skačkauskienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2014

Keywords: employee motivation for work; evaluation; method; indicator

The article examines the main problem dealing with the evaluation of the motivation level of employees for work in telecommunication enterprises. The paper considers motivation factors taken into account for the purpose of establishing the general motivation level of the employee. The article describes the classification of the presented factors and determines their significance. SAW method has been used for creating a system of indicators for evaluating the level of motivation.

Assessment of the Factors Affecting the Efficiency of the Knowledge Identification Process in the Sector of Information Technology

Assessment of the Factors Affecting the Efficiency of the Knowledge Identification Process in the Sector of Information Technology

Author(s): Jurgita Raudeliūnienė,Eglė Jaskytė / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2014

Keywords: knowledge identification; efficiency; factors; evaluation

The factors influencing the knowledge identification process are changing in a dynamic environment along with their evaluation methods that are controversially considered in scientific literature and practice. This paper examines the issue concerning the assessment of the factors affecting the efficiency of the knowledge identification process. Different authors suggest varying interpretations and approaches to the factors affecting the efficiency of the knowledge identification process. Therefore, an issue of how to assess and what approach reflects and conveys reality more accurately and comprehensively emerges. These questions are investigated combining approaches developed by different scientists to the aspects assessing the factors affecting the knowledge identification process. The paper is aimed at determining the factors affecting the efficiency of the knowledge identification process in the sector of information technology, which could lead to assumptions about assessing the efficiency of the knowledge identification process. In order to determine and assess the factors influencing the efficiency of the knowledge identification process, survey and expert evaluation methods have been applied.

Restaurant Market in Kazakhstan: A Portrait in Comparison with the US Market

Restaurant Market in Kazakhstan: A Portrait in Comparison with the US Market

Author(s): Temirkhan Mukhambetov,Farida Yerdavletova / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2014

Keywords: restaurant services market; comparison method; restaurants management; customer preferences of restaurants; restaurant staff motivation

Market for restaurant services is one of the leading providers in terms of employment, scope of provided services and impact on the quality of life. At the same time, it remains as one of the closed and unexplored markets in terms of analysis of its problems and emerging trends. The aim of this article is a comprehensive analysis of industries in Kazakhstan by comparing it to the US market of restaurant industry. Furthermore, to improve management efficiency in restaurants, a research was conducted on behavioral differences of customers and level of management in restaurant industry, giving few recommendations on the use of management models.

GAME AND PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

IGRA I FILOZOFIJA JEZIKA

Author(s): Zdravko Kordić / Language(s): Croatian / Issue: 11-12/2011

Schiller je estetičko područje poistovjetio s igrom, a to je zapravo antropološko područje. Često se igra pogrješno i ograničeno tumači. Igra se nerijetko smatrala rasterećenjem preobilne snage u ljudskome organizmu. Igra i ljepota idu ruku pod ruku.

PSYCHOANALYTIC READING OF READING

PSIHOANALITIČKO ČITANJE ČITANJA

Author(s): Dragana Vučić / Language(s): Croatian / Issue: 11-12/2011

Osim psihoanalitičkoga čitanja nekoga književnoga teksta, psihoanalitički se može razmotriti sam čin čitanja. Psihoanalitičko čitanje čitanja ima više aspekata, a u ovome će tekstu biti obuhvaćena tri međusobno prožimajuća koja se odnose na narcizam, empatiju i identifikaciju čitatelja u procesualnome ispreplitanju iskustva čitateljskoga „ja“ i drugoga, odnosno kroz uspostavljanje značenja u dijalogu čitatelja s tekstom.