Introduction

Existentialism – ideas and themes

Film Noir in relation to TV Noir

What is TV Noir

The Prisoner, The Sopranos, Miami Vice

Learning Outcome 3 – analyse and critically reflect upon popular texts

Assignment: detailed analysis of a series of programming in relation to existentialism, or television generally in relation to existentialism

1Barbara Mitra

Existentialism

Sartre, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche

Relate to the outside world through our feelings

Which may be love, joy or nausea, anxiety

Awareness of existence of oneself

And what is not oneself

Choice is key

Defined by what we do and what we choose to commit to

Authentic/inauthentic

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Two existentialist approaches

3

Kierkegaard

• Aesthetic – man governed by

his sense, impulses & emotions.

• Ethical – accepts moral

standards and obligations

which become fixed point of

life

• Takes responsibility for

themselves

• Obligations based on reason

Sartre

• Meaning/purpose in life is a

product of the individual

choices

• Nothing valuable about core

principles of western culture

(liberty, equality, freedom of

speech & belief

• Commitment to a way of life

is something we must do for

ourselvesBarbara Mitra

Film Noir and TV Noir

Film noir – themes and styles

◦ Crime, violence, crises, death

◦ Themes related to existentialist

philosophy

◦ Alienation, ambivalence, ambiguity,

angst

TV noir

◦ Ambiguity in terms of morals

◦ Series finale may have narrative closure

4Barbara Mitra

TV Noir

Noir =dark

Moral ambiguity

Moral standing of main characters is in

doubt

Selfhood explored

Descartes – active, thinking entity

Hume – self is fictitious

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The Prisoner

Focus on selfhood

What does it mean to be a person?

Villagers conform to the village (inauthentic)

Foucault

◦ Not free to create our own unique self identity

◦ techniques to control prisoners = hierarchical

observations, normalisation, examination

◦ We cannot create our own self unique identity

The Village is a metaphor for society

Number 6 cannot achieve freedom.

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Miami Vice

Despite the colours used it still has a noir

focus

Explores human condition and absurdity of

human existence

Dilemmas and paradoxes of freedom and

personal identity

Accept responsibility for who you are and

what you do and then take action (Sartre)

Crockett and Tubbs in the final series, toss

away their badges

◦ A moment of existential recognition

7Barbara Mitra

Sopranos Sopranos

◦ Nihilism, nothing matters not even oneself

◦ Tony Soprano- attitude to life

◦ Despair, dread, hopelessness

Tony Soprano -inhabits a world of

collapsing values

Therapy represents his struggle to combat

nihilism

He substitutes psychology for ethics

He continues to feel lost amid the moral

wasteland

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Other programmes

Breaking Bad

Dexter

Doctor Who

Red Dwarf

I am sure there are others you can

think of ?

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Summary

Awareness of existence of oneself

Choice is important – authentic/inauthentic

TV Noir – themes that are found in film noir

The Prisoner

◦ What it means to be a person

The Sopranos

◦ Nihilism

Miami Vice

◦ Dilemmas regarding personal freedom and identity

10Barbara Mitra

References

Blumenau, R. (2005) Philosophy and Living, Exeter,

Imprint Academic.

Lane, P. (2001) The existentialism condition of

television crime drama. Journal of Popular Culture.

Vol. 34(4), pp. 137-152.

Sanders, S. and Skoble, A. (2008) The philosophy of

TV Noir, Kentucky. The University Press of Kentucky

(EBOOK)

(several chapters in the above book relate to

television and existentialism)

11Barbara Mitra