Explain how certain types of media can be defined as postmodern

One text that can be defined at postmodern is Drive. There are a number of aspects of the film that can be considered postmodern, the location, characters, music and genre.

The main character, The Driver or The Kid, is a mix between a hero and a villain. He works as a getaway driver for criminals, which is shown in the first scene. He doesn’t assist in their crimes only drives. He can be considered a hero of this story as most of his actions are to help other. He meets Irene and her son Benicio, who live next door. They become the only bright spot in The Driver’s life, something worth changing for. His relationship with Irene is very slow, innocent and almost childlike. There is very little contact within their relationship, the only physical contact being when they hold hands in the car and the kiss in the elevator. There is also deletion of general dialogue and sexual attraction within their relationship. The Driver has very little dialogue throughout the film and small changes in his facial expressions say the things he doesn’t. The lack of sexual attraction is an odd feature of this film as there is a well-known cast and in a similar film there might be more physical contact within the relationship.

The Driver could also be considered a villain as in the second half of the film he kills 6 people. Four of these could be considered self-defence and a number of them where to protect Irene and Benicio. Some may consider him a psychopath however I believe he is acting out to try and be a better person for Irene. When he meets them they become a big part of his life and near the end of the film he calls Irene and tells her she and Benicio were the best thing that happened to him. I think that although some deaths could have been avoided, most were unavoidable or needed to protect himself, Irene and Benicio. I think this makes the film postmodern as usually there is a clear difference between the hero and the villain, whereas here there is no clear definition.

This film is a mix of a number of genres. It is mainly a crime film, though it doesn’t include much police involvement and focuses mainly on the ‘bad guys’. It could be considered that there are no ‘good guys’ in the film however I think for part of the film at least, The Driver could be considered a hero as he tried to change for Irene and Benicio. It is also partially an action film as there is a car chase and near the end of the film there are a number of fights between The Driver and the ‘bad guys’. There is an element of romance between The Driver and Irene, however their relationship is very slow moving and could be considered non-existent. There is very little physical contact which would be considered odd in any other romantic film.

There is an element of Neo Noir in Drive as it includes a number of similar characters to this genre. In this film we are on the side of the ‘bad guys’ such as The Driver. He is considered the ‘Tough Guy’ of the film, Cook and Shannon are the ‘Fall guys’ the most likely to die. There are villains, Nino and Cook, and ‘The Boss’, Bernie. Irene is the ‘Femme Fatale’, the girl the hero or tough guys is after and Blanche is the other (good) woman, the distraction, deterring the hero from his mission. This film could also be considered as a psychological/thriller film as it includes a lot of violence and fights throughout. The number of different genres this film could be makes it postmodern as it includes a number of different features of different genres, straying outside the boundaries of a normal crime film, which is the main genre of this film. It deletes certain parts from the genre, the involvement of police, a clear cut ‘good guy’ and changes the focus to the ‘villains’. There is a very narrow focus onto a small number of characters in a self-contained world and there is no involvement of the general public as there often is in crime or action films.

The location of the film could also be considered postmodern as it is set in L.A. however it seems to be s hyperreal version of the city. It is deserted and empty, the only scene with a number of other people being in the first scene, where The Driver hides amongst crowds leaving a sports game. There is a distinct lack or people throughout the rest of the film. The city itself could be considered a character in itself or relating to The Driver. It mirrors his quiet and empty character as he has very little backstory and limited dialogue. It is hard to distinguish a time setting for the film as there is no indication of a time period other than the use of mobile phones that suggest the past few years. This could be considered as postmodern as it is not set in a definite time setting or place as although the city resembles L.A. the lack of people suggests otherwise. This links to the hyper reality of the setting as the world seems self-contained, focused on a small number of individuals with no external involvement.

The music of this film is overall very similar. Throughout the film the use of 80’s disco/electro music gives it a retro feel and links the whole film together. However one song, towards the end of the film stands out as completely different. O My Love is a song used near the end of the film, beginning as The Driver finds Shannon dead in the garage and ending as he rams Nino’s car off the road. Although many would suggest that this song has no reason to be in the film to believe it does. The lyrics are the crucial part of the song as they link to The Driver and his struggles throughout the film. There are a number of references to light and dark which links very strongly to the idea that The Driver is battling to be a better man for Irene and himself all through the film. He was in a dark place and when he met Irene and Benicio they became a huge part of his life, the only bright spot, something he wants to live for. I think this is a huge link between him and the lyrics of the song as the main storyline is his fight to change and how things work out to stop him doing so. It shows how he has tried hard to change and how he has lost the fight, circumstances leading to his situation and the death of multiple people. He knows that the only way out it to kill Nino, to be free of the mess he made. This is why he kills Bernie and Nino, he wants to get rid of the money and keep Irene safe and uninvolved. I think the music can be considered postmodern as there is a steady use of disco/electro music until this song which seems almost like a Disney song. The film uses different songs from different genres and this song in particular is so separate from the hard, brutal violence of the rest of the film that make it stand out and makes this part of the film so significant.

I think Drive is a postmodern film as it uses a number of different features from different genres within it, in the music, location and characters. It is hard to classify as one specific genre as it includes things from so many different ones.

Another example of a text that could be considered postmodern is Django Unchained. This film includes a number of intertextual references to other existing texts. The main reference being to the original Django film. Franco Nero, who played the original Django, made an appearance in the film, meeting and talking to Django, making reference to his name (the D is silent). There is also a number of references to other existing texts within the costumes of the characters. The Blue Boy outfit, worn by Django when he becomes a free man is from The Blue Boy painting by Gainsborough. The green jacket and cowboy hat is a copy of Little Joe’s outfit from the cowboy TV show, Bonanza.

Django Unchained could be considered a Western however the main part of the plot is set in the South and there are scenes set in the mountains, these reference The Great Silence. There are no cowboys in the film and the main heroes are non-American, a German and an African-American. This is unusual as part of a Western as usually the hero is a white American. There are a number of links to other films such as The Great Silence, Django, Birth of a Nation and The Searchers. There are also a few elements of parody such as the KKK scene, where there is confusion and disarray amongst the group over their masks. There is also some over acting within the film, some of the actors such as Stephan and other black slave characters seem quite over the top or exaggerated. This can be considered a parody of older Westerns as the over exaggeration of certain characteristics such as loyalty to their masters makes fun of the way black characters were portrayed as this probably wasn’t the case at the time.