Moral authority in French and American cinema about the family

Marion Suzanne Bermondy, Purdue University

Abstract

Through the observation of American and French films about the family, this study demonstrates that mainstream American cinema regularly asserts strong moral responsibilities while French cinema often avoids moral assessments and tends to question moral values. Horror, science fiction and fantastic narratives--three genres virtually non-existent in French cinema--are often used in American cinema to comment on the family crisis in a metaphorical manner, and provide a moralistic commentary on adults' moral responsibilities in society. These genres strongly reflect the point of view of American cinema on family values and ethics. In other popular genres like comedy and melodrama the treatments of divorce and separation, incest and adultery reveal divergent perspectives about ethics in the family as reflected in American and French cinema. American remakes of French family films also show divergent moral concepts through the alterations made to the French originals. Finally, the contrasting narrative tactics used in American and French film endings reveal different ethical expectations of viewers in these two cultures. The overall study reveals that American films are closer to traditional moral tales than their French counterparts which instead provide a more detached look at society in regard to its ethical conduct. American popular films also take for granted that family values are vital in preserving society's moral order while French cinema tends to undermine the importance of family life, and sometimes reject its social and moral validity.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Hart, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Comparative literature|Motion Pictures|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology

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