Cinema and Its Discontents

<p> The ultimate aim of drama is to expose the soul of Character. Dramatists achieve this objective by employing a specific type of conflict known as dialectic a concept woven throughout Western thinking and--from Homer to 21st century cinema--the basis of all dramatic characters. This study details the history of dialectical thought from Plato to Jung before turning its focus to the development of character in a century of filmmaking. From Chaplin's <I>Tramp</I> to <I>Taxi Driver</I>'s Travis Bickle it examines more than two dozen cinematic characters governed by dialectic--torn between life and death opposing desires moralities and wills their sense of self threatened by others.</p>