From Titanic to Star Wars : a Derridean deconstructive analysis of the minimization of violence in the 25 top grossing films of all-time

Abstract

This thesis examines how representations of violence are minimized in the narratives of Hollywood blockbuster films. I analyzed the 25 top grossing films of all-time, worldwide, as of July 2003 to demonstrate whether and how they use a variety of strategies to potentially minimize a viewer's perception of the violence they contain. My analysis is framed by poststructuralism, specifically informed by Derridean deconstruction. Following Derrida's suggestions for deconstructing texts, I take this analysis beyond merely counting the number of incidents of violence, as more traditional content analyses do, to provide my own reading and interpretation of the different meanings of violence represented in the film narratives. My analysis revealed four strategies of minimization being employed within the selected film texts: legitimizing violence by portraying the aggressor as having a "legitimate" motive (i.e., self-defense); camouflaging violence by portraying the violence with humorous undertones; justifying violence by representing the violence as a conflict between good and evil; and disguising violence by representing the violence with a low level of graphicness. My research demonstrates the importance of critically analyzing and deconstructing the complex and differing meanings of violence represented in film, representations that are shown to be hidden and minimized through the use of these strategies.