Popular Culture and Identity--Ethnic, National and Personal

CalendarCalendar

by Atom Egoyanby Atom Egoyan

Outline

Introduction Egoyan and Armenia Calendar and Armenia

Text Analysis Questions Calendar vs. Three Cultural Positions Photographs and Videos –”Fortress” of Identity Trauma and Responses –1. Defense; 2. Openne

ss; 3. Silence; 4. Ritual of Healing. The Ending and Boundaries of Different Kinds

Atom Egoyan: Films with Armenian Connections

Of Armenian descent, Born in Cairo, raised in BC, Canada.

Next of Kin (1984) : A bored young Canadian, while receiving experimental "video therapy", discovers tapes of an Armenian family who are missing a son. The young man assumes the identity of the long-lost boy, and is readily adopted by this new "family".

The Adjuster (1991) : There are two sisters from Armenia who have to burn pictures of the past and forget about them.

The other films: displacement in a city, dysfunction of families, rituals of

remembering and survival, etc.

Atom Egoyan, Calendar & Ararat

Calendar (1993) – personal and yet fictitious—focused on three persons; historic images. Budget: only 8,000 US dollars.

Ararat (2002)-- “Home”-coming in two senses:

1. 1) Making a “Canadian” film after the two international projects: Felicia’s Journey (shot in Britain and Ireland, 1999); Krapp’s Last Tape (Beckett on Film series); 2) dealing with a crucial part of Armenian history.

2. More ‘personally’ and emotionally embodied, less cerebral.

Calendar An Armenian-Canadian photographer gets

estranged from his wife, who is closer to Armenian culture, during their trip to Armenia, and then, back in Toronto, he needs to find a way to face this sad memory.

Main Components & Products of Popular Culture: 12 calendar images put back in “his-story.” 3 characters positions: knowing a place

through living there, interacting with people there, and thru’ photo-taking and asking questions. (Language as a medium or obstacle)

2 plotlines 1) Photo-taking + video-recording; 2) video-watching, answering machine, songs, “dating”(?)

Armenia – not just churches

Before their visit: For Egoyan – just calend

ar images. For Arsinee – great civiliz

ation. Electricity and gasoline r

are, guerilla and political upheaval.

Calendar: Basic Questions

What do you think about the three characters (the photographer, the guide and the photographer’s wife)? What has happened to the three of them? e.g. chap 3

What do you think of the women in the present time? Why do they keep making phone calls in foreign languages? e.g. beginning of chap 9

Calendar vs. Three Cultural Positions

Calendar – photography as an art form, a commodity for propaganda to attract tourists, for daily consumption to mark the passing of time.

Photographer– artistically involved, emotionally and culturally alienated. stays behind the camera all the time; cares a lot about the photo qualities.

(asks the two to step aside for him to take photos.)

Calendar vs. Three Cultural Positions (2)

Photographer–Watches the development of his wife’s involvement with the guide, and becomes defensive. e.g. Chap 5: watches his wife’s

body; chap 6: 23:05 –2 mins and

54 secs; chap 6 – confrontation 1—asks if he wants more money; Chap 7: 34:30; 35-45 –defensive and lonely; chap 11 –asks what his intentions are.)

Calendar vs. Three Cultural Positions (2)

Wife: emotionally involved with both and with the land, invites the photographer. e.g. running with the flock of sheep; chap 9: sin

gs with a group of shepherd, talks a lot with the guide

Guide: a nativist introducing and protecting his culture Asks if he should do more research, if the place i

s just one of his projects Chap 7: 34:30; 35-45; Thinks their children should come to Armenia --

chap 8 chap 9: not knowing all about history)

Photographs and Videos: “Fortress” of Identities & Memories

1. The photographer and his adoptive child – a photo and a video:

Chap 8 44:44: What do you think? Is he a good father? Is he using her?

Photo and Video –a form of caring, but not an intimate kind.

Uses her as a spy. Welcomes her to Canada when it is not quite possible.

Photographs and Videos: “Fortress” of Identities & Memories

Images: Chap 5: 26:04 Chap 10 54:55 – 58 What do you think?

–protection isolation contrived and hurting.

Video wound back and forth –gain and loss repeated

An old man talking about the relics of the church. – a self-protection which is futile

Identity: Vulnerability & Silence Facing the man means

allowing himself to be vulnerable.

Chap 11: Passport and KGB agent –the photographer allows himself to be examined

Failure of Communication

Dating as a Ritual of Healing Starting with an embarrass

ing one, then it becomes a self-imposed ritual

Sexy foreign women (speaking in Arabic, Italian, German, Hebrew ) going to make a phone call upon the signal of wine-pouring.

From Lack of Communication To writing & “communication” (speaking to the

women but not to his wife) Chap 10 – artificiality of the ritual exposed; Chap 11 -- You can put down the phone now; talks

about his ethnic past and Canadian identity. Chap 12 – communication?

Identity and Boundaries