To what degree does postmodernism influence the work of Edgar Wright?
To what degree does postmodernism influence the work of Edgar Wright?
By Jordan Saward
Key Focus:
This essay will explore the extent to which postmodernism, as an aesthetic within film, provides for ‘irony, pastiche and parody’ (Constable 2015: 2) within, specifically, the films of Edgar Wright. In order to investigate my research question, I will focus on three main texts: Shaun of the Dead by (Edgar Wright, 2004, UK: Universal Pictures), Hot Fuzz by (Edgar Wright, 2007, UK: Universal Pictures) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright, 2010, USA: Universal Pictures), which will allow for a detailed exploration of distinctive postmodern aesthetics, whilst contrasting each film to provide theoretical examples of postmodernism being used for the specific purpose of comedy. The essay will discuss theories that display the exploration of how, and to what extent, does the audience respond to allusion.
This essay will explore the extent to which postmodernism, as an aesthetic within film, provides for ‘irony, pastiche and parody’ (Constable 2015: 2) within, specifically, the films of Edgar Wright. In order to investigate my research question, I will focus on three main texts: Shaun of the Dead by (Edgar Wright, 2004, UK: Universal Pictures), Hot Fuzz by (Edgar Wright, 2007, UK: Universal Pictures) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright, 2010, USA: Universal Pictures), which will allow for a detailed exploration of distinctive postmodern aesthetics, whilst contrasting each film to provide theoretical examples of postmodernism being used for the specific purpose of comedy. The essay will discuss theories that display the exploration of how, and to what extent, does the audience respond to allusion.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Centred around the tribulations of an everyman named Shaun as he tries to turn his life around by winning back his girlfriend all with the milieu of a zombie apocalypse.
The key issues explored within the text involves the concept of change. Shaun is dumped by Liz for maintaining a banal routine. This routine is disrupted by the circumstances they find themselves in. The circumstances cause death of those close, subsequently strengthening the relationship between Shaun and Liz.
Scattered with intertextual pastiche and parody, Shaun of the Dead translates the aforementioned themes through its slick and heavily stylised editing and cinematography.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Hot Fuzz follows the trials of police officer, Nicholas Angel as he is honourably dismissed from greater London in exchange for his services in the countryside.
The key issues identified within this text includes parody against farce, justice against evil and youth versus the elderly.
Also scattered with intertextual pastiche and parody, Hot Fuzz translates the aforementioned issues through its heavily stylised appearance.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film about a 22-year-old bass guitarist who falls in love with an Amazon delivery girl, unknowingly having to defeat her seven evil exes in the process of being in a relationship with her.
The key issues explored within this text include that of males versus males in order for a female prize, relationships, the value of true love and self-dedication.
Again scattered with intertextual pastiche and parody, the hyper stylised video game like aesthetic is indicative of its postmodern portrayal.
Catherine Constable
More specifically within her book, ‘Postmodernism and Film: Rethinking Hollywood's Aesthestics (Short Cuts)’ (2015). Catherine Constable explores many opinions from, but not limited to, Baudrillard, Jameson and Hutcheon on the subject of postmodernism and nihilistic and affirmative postmodernisms.
On the topic of Linda Williams’ equation of the post-classical the post-modern, she describes postmodern theory as ‘[presenting] the world as a text, one that is constantly constructed and reconstructed through competing discourses’ (2015: 27).
Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson's concept of "pastiche" contrasts to Linda Hutcheon's interpretation of postmodern parody. Jameson argues that the ‘most significant features or practices in postmodernism today is pastiche [It involves] the imitation or, better still the mimicry of other styles’ (1982: 2).
Linda Hutcheon
Focusing on the aesthetic rather than the socio-historic aspects of postmodernism suggested by Jameson, Hutcheon's model is less dystopic than Baudrillard's and Jameson's. Although Hutcheon strikes differences between other theorists, she still considers parody of all forms (intertextual, pastiche, ironic quotation etc.) postmodern.
Jean Baudrillard
'According to Baudrillard, what has happened in postmodern culture is that our society has become so reliant on models and maps that we have lost all contact with the real world that preceded the map.' (Felluga, 2015). He believes that 'it is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real' (1991: 2).
Hypothesis/Research Question/s (aims of research):
The aim of my research is to determine the extent and significance to which postmodernism influences the work of Edgar Wright. My research will discuss postmodernism as a critical approach as well as the aesthetics Wright employs to reflect postmodernism. To do this, I will be focusing on three key primary texts (aforementioned as being Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). I will also refer to secondary texts including but not limited to Guardian reviews (2004, 2007, 2010), ‘Postmodernism and Film: Rethinking Hollywood's Aesthestics (Short Cuts)’ by Catherine Constable (2015), ‘A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction’ and 'The Politics of Postmodernism' by Linda Hutcheon (1988, 1989) and 'Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism' by Fredric Jameson (1991).
A Discussion of Key Ideas, Texts and Secondary Research:
Before we can find if Edgar Wright has a certain postmodern aesthetic, we need to understand what a postmodern aesthetic in cinema actually is. On multiple occasions, the process of bricolage is mentioned to be postmodern. The act by which traditional art forms are given new, often subversive, meaning and context; a sort of mashup of existing thoughts and ideas in order to form something new. This extends to the postmodern use of pastiche; a self-referential, tongue-in-cheek rehash. Films that use this most famously include Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) as a quirky tribute to Hollywood crime serials and 'Pulp' magazines, Kill Bill, Vol 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003) as a hybrid between Hong Kong action flicks and spaghetti westerns, Scream (Wes Craven, 1996) as a slasher where the victims knowingly play out clichés and Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) as a low brow, third order simulacra that is a pastiche of other pastiches. Another motif that forms a postmodern aesthetic is the use of flattening of affect to suggest a emotionless and dark life being the affect of different aspect such as media, substances and technology. Other themes of postmodernism include hyperreality (created reality are often more authentic or desirable than real life), time bending, altered states, more human than human and the disruption of a linear narrative.
Now that we know the feature of a postmodern aesthetic we can see to what extent Wright employs said aesthetic. In his 2004 film, Shaun of the Dead.
Fig.1 - ‘Figment’ by Simon Park plays during the opening credits. Used most famously during the airport sequence in Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978), this homage expresses a certain intertextuality with the film of the same genre.
Shaun of the Dead is a British ‘cheerful horror comedy’ (Guardian, 2004). Employing pastiche and parodist intertextuality, we are introduced to the character of Shaun in a head-on shot alongside The Specials’ Ghost Town, which is, ironically, indicative of Shaun’s demeanour resembling that of an ‘apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living’. The use of retrospective British insecurities to foreshadow film events is symbolic of postmodernism as they ‘foreground the techniques of storytelling’ [as well as allude] to reference previous stories’ (Degli—Esposti, 1998: 4). Postmodernism refers to when previous paradigms are deconstructed in order to create something new, such as the deconstruction of specific interpretations used in post-classical film all in an attempt to draw attention to the fact you are a spectator to a film, reverse-engineer narrative and make you aware of encoded 'meanings'. So in this example, Edgar Wright employs the postmodern by using contemporary British culture to tell a story.
Fig. 2 - Again, imitating George A. Romero’s past work. Edgar Wright has Shaun walk past a radio reporting that a space probe named Omega 6 entered the atmosphere and broke over a heavily populated area. Alluding to The Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) where a probe breaks up in the atmosphere causing the dead to return to life.
Being wholly original with its intertextuality, Shaun of the Dead and by extension, Edgar Wright can be “positioned as exemplary purveyors of postmodern pastiche, which is defined as ‘rummaging through the styles of the past for usable images’” (Constable, 2015: 69). Defined as a form of homage which is accomplished through imitation, the rise of pastiche is attributed to the ‘increasing tendency […] for films to base themselves on other films’ (Booker, 2007: 90). But it is the Shaun of the Dead Guardian review that suggests otherwise; ‘The spoof genre is usually so tricky but this brings it off’. It proposes that Shaun of the Dead was a spoof or rather a parody instead of being of pastiche. A parody being defined as adopting the guise of mannerisms, style or appearance of a work, to reveals its inherent ridiculousness. Furthermore, Jameson’s characterisations of ‘post-modern’ pastiche states ‘pastiche [as being a] blank parody, parody that has lost its sense of humor’ (Margaret, 1991: 69). Jameson interprets pastiche as being 'the cannibalization of all the styles of the past, the play of random stylistic allusion, and in general what Henri Lefebvre has called the increasing primacy of the 'neo'' (1991: 18). Regardless of intricacies, Wright’s work as a director and a screenwriter definitely employ postmodern values; but to what degree?
Fig. 3 - Shaun of the Dead foreshadows its plot through clever splicing/editing of British television. Shaun changes channels to reveal a distressing message. The use of British television as an expositional device is an example of intertextuality across UK media.
Edgar Wright frequently expresses his love for An American Werewolf in London (Landis, 1981), stating in an interview that it ‘was way ahead of its time as a postmodern film, taking its own inspiration from the Abbott and Costello horror films and the Bob Hope films’ (Elder, 2011: 2). With both Abbott and Costello and Bob Hope being staples of classical horror, it reinforces the paradigm of postmodernism reflecting that of old. Coincidentally, or perhaps incidentally, the alliance between Bud Abbott and Lou Costello parallels the association between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost initiated by Wright. This association emphasised by the number of pieces they have collaborated in.
Fig. 4 - This fondness for John Landis is indicated by the subtle reference on ‘Mary’s’ name tag suggesting that she works at a supermarket named ‘Landis’.
Wright explains that ‘the tone of it very much influenced Shaun of the Dead. One of the things that we made as a rule for ourselves in Shaun of the Dead is that—with very few exceptions—all the humor came from the reactions and the context. And nobody said anything in dialogue that they wouldn’t be able to come up with on the spot’ (2011: 5) and ‘I think [… it feels] very real is that the reactions of all the characters—even though they’re kind of incredulous sometimes—they feel kinda real. The comedy helps the realism of the piece, if that makes sense’ (2011: 6). Wright imitates Landis’ work to replicate a certain hyperreality that Baudrillard attributes to the narrative of the decline and fall of cinema; ‘its trajectory from the most fantastic to the most realistic and hyperrealistic’ (1994: 46). His fondness to the film is also demonstrated with similarities in the first ‘medicine cabinet’ scene with Simon Pegg and Peter Serafinowicz, as confirmed in the film DVD's ‘Zomb-O-Meter’. Nonetheless, both Shaun of the Dead and An American Werewolf in London exhibit the key aesthetic features to portray them as being postmodern; those being an ‘overt stylisation, self-consciousness and a celebration of artifice’ (Bordwell, 2006: 188-9) this suggests that postmodernism isn't just vapid intertextual references but a tribute. Showing that Wright can, indeed, employ a postmodern aesthetic even if it is just to celebrate one of his favourite films.
There is also a certain ‘more human than human’ aspect to Shaun of the Dead. The film’s resolve has humans contentedly living with the undead; which being postmodern, upsets the mainstream conventions of narrative structure and characterisation and thus destroying the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Evident in the way Shaun keeps his ‘zombified’ friend in the shed and occasionally plays video games with him. Again, showing that Wright can employ the postmodern for storytelling sake.
Marxist and theoretical critic, Fredric Jameson believes postmodernism is merely a cultural dominant driven by contemporary capitalism. He quotes the postmodern condition as being 'a new kind of flatness, of depthlessness, a new kind of superficiality in the most literal sense' (1991: 9). Painting a 'dystopian picture of the present, which he associates, in particular, with a loss of our connection to history' (Felluga, 2015), Jameson believes art such as Shaun of the Dead has lost its historical reality where it is solely representing 'ideas and stereotypes about the past' (2001: 79), he believes the hypothesis that postmodernism is, indeed, just empty intertextual references. Whereas Linda Hutcheon believes, although 'inextricably related' (1989: 26), Jameson intentionally confuses 'postmodernism' with 'postmodernity'; the latter associated with "the designation of a social and philosophical period or 'condition'" (1989: 23) rather than cultural expressions including 'film' (1989: 1) associated by the former.
Hutcheon believes, like many other critics, postmodernism (as such portrayed within Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is made up of elements not limited to 'an increasing reliance on technologies that separate us from other people and the natural world, thus feeding into our sense of atomism and unease; an emphasis on flat, spatial representations (screens, statistics, ads) that serve to sever us from our former sense of temporality and history; and a culture increasingly dominated by simulacra (computer images, commercial advertising, Hollywood idealizations, commercial mass reproduction, televisuality, and technological replications of all stripes), thus contributing to our sense of separation from the real' (Felluga, 2015). In summary, Hutcheon's approach to postmodernism suggests that it is not the recycling of dead styles like Jameson would argue, rather it allows artists to reflect a society where media is force-fed. I think Wright took this literally for Shaun of the Dead and created a reality where zombies are abundant; and then at the end, exploited for terrestrial spectacle.
It is argued by Jameson that 'in such a world of pastiche, we lose our connection to history, which gets turned into a series of styles and superseded genres, or simulacra: "The new spatial logic of the simulacrum can now be expected to have a momentous effect on what used to be historical time"' (Felluga, 2015); this may be the case with postmodernism, but hyper-realised, cherry picked genres, or simulacra benefit the self-reflexive intention of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Edgar Wright, I believe, purposefully reflects simulacra within his filmography to both celebrate the very same 'ideas and stereotypes about the past' (Jameson, 2001: 79) Jameson attributes to 'flatness [and] depthlessness' (1991: 9) and award audiences with modernist nostalgia.
Significantly influencing the aesthetic of the film, postmodernism blurs the line between the audience of Shaun of the Dead, and the film. Avoiding obnoxious parody from the likes of the Scary Movie franchise, Shaun of the Dead manages to owe the horror classics homage so much so that it becomes a classic in the timeless sense itself.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Hot Fuzz follows the trials of police officer, Nicholas Angel as he is honourably dismissed from greater London in exchange for his services in the countryside.
The key issues identified within this text includes parody against farce, justice against evil and youth versus the elderly.
Also scattered with intertextual pastiche and parody, Hot Fuzz translates the aforementioned issues through its heavily stylised appearance.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film about a 22-year-old bass guitarist who falls in love with an Amazon delivery girl, unknowingly having to defeat her seven evil exes in the process of being in a relationship with her.
The key issues explored within this text include that of males versus males in order for a female prize, relationships, the value of true love and self-dedication.
Again scattered with intertextual pastiche and parody, the hyper stylised video game like aesthetic is indicative of its postmodern portrayal.
Catherine Constable
More specifically within her book, ‘Postmodernism and Film: Rethinking Hollywood's Aesthestics (Short Cuts)’ (2015). Catherine Constable explores many opinions from, but not limited to, Baudrillard, Jameson and Hutcheon on the subject of postmodernism and nihilistic and affirmative postmodernisms.
On the topic of Linda Williams’ equation of the post-classical the post-modern, she describes postmodern theory as ‘[presenting] the world as a text, one that is constantly constructed and reconstructed through competing discourses’ (2015: 27).
Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson's concept of "pastiche" contrasts to Linda Hutcheon's interpretation of postmodern parody. Jameson argues that the ‘most significant features or practices in postmodernism today is pastiche [It involves] the imitation or, better still the mimicry of other styles’ (1982: 2).
Linda Hutcheon
Focusing on the aesthetic rather than the socio-historic aspects of postmodernism suggested by Jameson, Hutcheon's model is less dystopic than Baudrillard's and Jameson's. Although Hutcheon strikes differences between other theorists, she still considers parody of all forms (intertextual, pastiche, ironic quotation etc.) postmodern.
Jean Baudrillard
'According to Baudrillard, what has happened in postmodern culture is that our society has become so reliant on models and maps that we have lost all contact with the real world that preceded the map.' (Felluga, 2015). He believes that 'it is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real' (1991: 2).
Hypothesis/Research Question/s (aims of research):
The aim of my research is to determine the extent and significance to which postmodernism influences the work of Edgar Wright. My research will discuss postmodernism as a critical approach as well as the aesthetics Wright employs to reflect postmodernism. To do this, I will be focusing on three key primary texts (aforementioned as being Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). I will also refer to secondary texts including but not limited to Guardian reviews (2004, 2007, 2010), ‘Postmodernism and Film: Rethinking Hollywood's Aesthestics (Short Cuts)’ by Catherine Constable (2015), ‘A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction’ and 'The Politics of Postmodernism' by Linda Hutcheon (1988, 1989) and 'Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism' by Fredric Jameson (1991).
A Discussion of Key Ideas, Texts and Secondary Research:
Before we can find if Edgar Wright has a certain postmodern aesthetic, we need to understand what a postmodern aesthetic in cinema actually is. On multiple occasions, the process of bricolage is mentioned to be postmodern. The act by which traditional art forms are given new, often subversive, meaning and context; a sort of mashup of existing thoughts and ideas in order to form something new. This extends to the postmodern use of pastiche; a self-referential, tongue-in-cheek rehash. Films that use this most famously include Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) as a quirky tribute to Hollywood crime serials and 'Pulp' magazines, Kill Bill, Vol 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003) as a hybrid between Hong Kong action flicks and spaghetti westerns, Scream (Wes Craven, 1996) as a slasher where the victims knowingly play out clichés and Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) as a low brow, third order simulacra that is a pastiche of other pastiches. Another motif that forms a postmodern aesthetic is the use of flattening of affect to suggest a emotionless and dark life being the affect of different aspect such as media, substances and technology. Other themes of postmodernism include hyperreality (created reality are often more authentic or desirable than real life), time bending, altered states, more human than human and the disruption of a linear narrative.
Now that we know the feature of a postmodern aesthetic we can see to what extent Wright employs said aesthetic. In his 2004 film, Shaun of the Dead.
Fig.1 - ‘Figment’ by Simon Park plays during the opening credits. Used most famously during the airport sequence in Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978), this homage expresses a certain intertextuality with the film of the same genre.
Shaun of the Dead is a British ‘cheerful horror comedy’ (Guardian, 2004). Employing pastiche and parodist intertextuality, we are introduced to the character of Shaun in a head-on shot alongside The Specials’ Ghost Town, which is, ironically, indicative of Shaun’s demeanour resembling that of an ‘apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living’. The use of retrospective British insecurities to foreshadow film events is symbolic of postmodernism as they ‘foreground the techniques of storytelling’ [as well as allude] to reference previous stories’ (Degli—Esposti, 1998: 4). Postmodernism refers to when previous paradigms are deconstructed in order to create something new, such as the deconstruction of specific interpretations used in post-classical film all in an attempt to draw attention to the fact you are a spectator to a film, reverse-engineer narrative and make you aware of encoded 'meanings'. So in this example, Edgar Wright employs the postmodern by using contemporary British culture to tell a story.
Fig. 2 - Again, imitating George A. Romero’s past work. Edgar Wright has Shaun walk past a radio reporting that a space probe named Omega 6 entered the atmosphere and broke over a heavily populated area. Alluding to The Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) where a probe breaks up in the atmosphere causing the dead to return to life.
Being wholly original with its intertextuality, Shaun of the Dead and by extension, Edgar Wright can be “positioned as exemplary purveyors of postmodern pastiche, which is defined as ‘rummaging through the styles of the past for usable images’” (Constable, 2015: 69). Defined as a form of homage which is accomplished through imitation, the rise of pastiche is attributed to the ‘increasing tendency […] for films to base themselves on other films’ (Booker, 2007: 90). But it is the Shaun of the Dead Guardian review that suggests otherwise; ‘The spoof genre is usually so tricky but this brings it off’. It proposes that Shaun of the Dead was a spoof or rather a parody instead of being of pastiche. A parody being defined as adopting the guise of mannerisms, style or appearance of a work, to reveals its inherent ridiculousness. Furthermore, Jameson’s characterisations of ‘post-modern’ pastiche states ‘pastiche [as being a] blank parody, parody that has lost its sense of humor’ (Margaret, 1991: 69). Jameson interprets pastiche as being 'the cannibalization of all the styles of the past, the play of random stylistic allusion, and in general what Henri Lefebvre has called the increasing primacy of the 'neo'' (1991: 18). Regardless of intricacies, Wright’s work as a director and a screenwriter definitely employ postmodern values; but to what degree?
Fig. 3 - Shaun of the Dead foreshadows its plot through clever splicing/editing of British television. Shaun changes channels to reveal a distressing message. The use of British television as an expositional device is an example of intertextuality across UK media.
Edgar Wright frequently expresses his love for An American Werewolf in London (Landis, 1981), stating in an interview that it ‘was way ahead of its time as a postmodern film, taking its own inspiration from the Abbott and Costello horror films and the Bob Hope films’ (Elder, 2011: 2). With both Abbott and Costello and Bob Hope being staples of classical horror, it reinforces the paradigm of postmodernism reflecting that of old. Coincidentally, or perhaps incidentally, the alliance between Bud Abbott and Lou Costello parallels the association between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost initiated by Wright. This association emphasised by the number of pieces they have collaborated in.
Fig. 4 - This fondness for John Landis is indicated by the subtle reference on ‘Mary’s’ name tag suggesting that she works at a supermarket named ‘Landis’.
Wright explains that ‘the tone of it very much influenced Shaun of the Dead. One of the things that we made as a rule for ourselves in Shaun of the Dead is that—with very few exceptions—all the humor came from the reactions and the context. And nobody said anything in dialogue that they wouldn’t be able to come up with on the spot’ (2011: 5) and ‘I think [… it feels] very real is that the reactions of all the characters—even though they’re kind of incredulous sometimes—they feel kinda real. The comedy helps the realism of the piece, if that makes sense’ (2011: 6). Wright imitates Landis’ work to replicate a certain hyperreality that Baudrillard attributes to the narrative of the decline and fall of cinema; ‘its trajectory from the most fantastic to the most realistic and hyperrealistic’ (1994: 46). His fondness to the film is also demonstrated with similarities in the first ‘medicine cabinet’ scene with Simon Pegg and Peter Serafinowicz, as confirmed in the film DVD's ‘Zomb-O-Meter’. Nonetheless, both Shaun of the Dead and An American Werewolf in London exhibit the key aesthetic features to portray them as being postmodern; those being an ‘overt stylisation, self-consciousness and a celebration of artifice’ (Bordwell, 2006: 188-9) this suggests that postmodernism isn't just vapid intertextual references but a tribute. Showing that Wright can, indeed, employ a postmodern aesthetic even if it is just to celebrate one of his favourite films.
There is also a certain ‘more human than human’ aspect to Shaun of the Dead. The film’s resolve has humans contentedly living with the undead; which being postmodern, upsets the mainstream conventions of narrative structure and characterisation and thus destroying the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Evident in the way Shaun keeps his ‘zombified’ friend in the shed and occasionally plays video games with him. Again, showing that Wright can employ the postmodern for storytelling sake.
Marxist and theoretical critic, Fredric Jameson believes postmodernism is merely a cultural dominant driven by contemporary capitalism. He quotes the postmodern condition as being 'a new kind of flatness, of depthlessness, a new kind of superficiality in the most literal sense' (1991: 9). Painting a 'dystopian picture of the present, which he associates, in particular, with a loss of our connection to history' (Felluga, 2015), Jameson believes art such as Shaun of the Dead has lost its historical reality where it is solely representing 'ideas and stereotypes about the past' (2001: 79), he believes the hypothesis that postmodernism is, indeed, just empty intertextual references. Whereas Linda Hutcheon believes, although 'inextricably related' (1989: 26), Jameson intentionally confuses 'postmodernism' with 'postmodernity'; the latter associated with "the designation of a social and philosophical period or 'condition'" (1989: 23) rather than cultural expressions including 'film' (1989: 1) associated by the former.
Hutcheon believes, like many other critics, postmodernism (as such portrayed within Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is made up of elements not limited to 'an increasing reliance on technologies that separate us from other people and the natural world, thus feeding into our sense of atomism and unease; an emphasis on flat, spatial representations (screens, statistics, ads) that serve to sever us from our former sense of temporality and history; and a culture increasingly dominated by simulacra (computer images, commercial advertising, Hollywood idealizations, commercial mass reproduction, televisuality, and technological replications of all stripes), thus contributing to our sense of separation from the real' (Felluga, 2015). In summary, Hutcheon's approach to postmodernism suggests that it is not the recycling of dead styles like Jameson would argue, rather it allows artists to reflect a society where media is force-fed. I think Wright took this literally for Shaun of the Dead and created a reality where zombies are abundant; and then at the end, exploited for terrestrial spectacle.
It is argued by Jameson that 'in such a world of pastiche, we lose our connection to history, which gets turned into a series of styles and superseded genres, or simulacra: "The new spatial logic of the simulacrum can now be expected to have a momentous effect on what used to be historical time"' (Felluga, 2015); this may be the case with postmodernism, but hyper-realised, cherry picked genres, or simulacra benefit the self-reflexive intention of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Edgar Wright, I believe, purposefully reflects simulacra within his filmography to both celebrate the very same 'ideas and stereotypes about the past' (Jameson, 2001: 79) Jameson attributes to 'flatness [and] depthlessness' (1991: 9) and award audiences with modernist nostalgia.
Significantly influencing the aesthetic of the film, postmodernism blurs the line between the audience of Shaun of the Dead, and the film. Avoiding obnoxious parody from the likes of the Scary Movie franchise, Shaun of the Dead manages to owe the horror classics homage so much so that it becomes a classic in the timeless sense itself.
Hot Fuzz is the second film in the ‘Cornetto trilogy’ thus portraying a blue wrapper in association with the police force. As apposed to Shaun of the Dead which depicted a red wrapper in association with horror cinema. Hot Fuzz maintains a hybrid between genres; it appears to adopt an action comedy style with thriller and modern slasher elements; ‘Hot Fuzz tackles, […] crucially, two movie genres’ (Guardian, 2007). It is not necessarily interpreted, however, as being '‘cinematic stew’ or a magpie collection or ragbag of references' (Constable, 2015: 30) in the way postmodern allusionism is often viewed. Both Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead illustrate conventional characteristics as they follow a clear linear narrative unlike some postmodern films such as Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994). Maintaining an asynchronous narrative, Pulp Fiction is arguably the epitome of postmodern aesthetic with its sheer quantity of pop culture intertextuality. But Hot Fuzz is not without pastiche nor parody, and does demonstrate distinct postmodern self-reflexivity.
Fig. 5 - Breaking the boundary between the audience and the film, Nicholas Angel shows the camera his ID and badge directly. This self-conscious instance is typical in maintaining a postmodern aesthetic.
Edgar Wright’s editing aesthetic is synonymous with jarring, Darren Aronofsky-esque hit-hop montages. And, arguably, this style works best in Hot Fuzz; as a pastiche of the fast-paced, traditional cop serials of old. For example, the opening scene where Nicholas Angel is narrating a personal statement of himself. Nevertheless, postmodernism is important in subverting archaic conventions, and in this case, brings humour through, both, parody (that paradoxically enacts both change and cultural continuity (Hutcheon, 1989: 26)) and pastiche.
Frederic Jameson attributes postmodernism to have been retrospectively influenced by the dispersion 'high' and 'low' culture with postmodernism having, 'in fact, been fascinated precisely by this whole 'degraded' landscape of schlock and kitsch, of TV series and Reader's Digest culture, of advertising and motels, of the late show and the grade-B Hollywood film, of so-called paraliterature, with its airport paperback categories of the gothic and the romance, the popular biography, the murder mystery, and the science fiction or fantasy novel: materials they no long simply 'quote,' as a Joyce or a Mahler might have done, but incorporate into their very substance' (1991: 2). Schlock meaning trash and kitsch being 'one of that great army of 'trashy' objects, made of plaster of Paris or some such imitation material: that gallery of cheap junk' (Baudrillard, 1998: 109-10), this approach can be applied to both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz as purposefully resembling a kitsch of cliché, farce and absurdity popularised by low budget cult horror and crime drama. In this respect, Edgar Wright is exploiting the postmodern condition to construct nostalgia and tribute.
Parody, as represented in both Edgar Wright's 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, upsets all accepted beliefs and ideologies, it cites a convention and makes fun of it, and so is postmodern. Linda Hutcheon explains, 'Parody—often called ironic quotation, pastiche, appropriation, or intertextuality—is usually considered central to postmodernism, both by its detractors and its defenders.' (1989: 93), this means that however nihilistic the approach is. all theorists can agree that parody and so Wright's directorial aesthetic in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is postmodern. On-the-one-hand, Fredric Jameson believes postmodern parody as being a 'symptom of the age, one way in which we have lost our connection to the past and to effective political critique' (Felluga, 2015). Hutcheon, on-the-other-hand, disagrees; 'through a double process of installing and ironizing, parody signals how present representations come from past ones and what ideological consequences derive from both continuity and difference' (1989: 93). Regardless of parody being a symptom of the age or being a representation of the past, Jameson and Hutcheon's models both align with parody being an element of postmodernism.
Jean Baudrillard's vision is, similarly to Jameson, rather dystopic. Also seeing a disconnection from 'real' and a loss of historic reference over the decades, Baudrillard proposes that through mediatization, history is forgotten so future retrospectives are simulated and hyperreal. Although nihilistic, this theory does extend to Hot Fuzz. The hyperreal simulations of the police force are sourced from decades of mediatization and are reinforced, or perhaps made fun of, by the film's melodramatic action scenes. Similarly, Baudrillard's hyperreal theory can also be applied to Shaun of the Dead in the way that reality is replaced with a simulacra. The world Edgar Wright created for Shaun of the Dead joins a certain mundane reality with antique horror motifs that collapses the division between real and simulation. For that reason, Baudrillard's views can be accepted in relation to Edgar Wright's filmography.
An online module on Linda Hutcheon states that 'parody de-doxifies, [...] it unsettles all doxa, all accepted beliefs and ideologies. Rather than see this ironic stance as "some infinite regress into textuality". Hutcheon values the resistance in such postmodern works to totalizing solutions to society's contradictions; she values postmodernism's willingness to question all ideological positions, all claims to ultimate truth.' (Felluga, 2015). This theoretical approach suggests that postmodernism is not the recycling or re-quoting of other texts, and instead an aesthetic that allows artists to reflect the reality of a living in a media consumed society.
Fig. 6 - Self-referential in the way Danny Butterman’s DVD collection gives him knowledge of popular action film cliché, mirroring that of Edgar Wright and the audience; '[Danny] has a vast DVD library of these films, and passionately yearns for the muscular simplicity of American cops with their lock'n'load approach to taking down the bad guys.' (Guardian, 2007). Hot Fuzz subverts popular stereotypes brought on by intertextual references for most of the film, and conforms to them towards the end where both Point Break and Bad Boys II are referenced during act two and act three.
Continuing the postmodern paradigm of disconnected characters, alienation from environment and distrust of authority, Hot Fuzz succeeds in manufacturing a narrative that undermines cultural convention. For example, the lead, Nicholas Angel is forced into leaving the metropolitan police because of his exceptional police work, and to move to the countryside which is apparently void of any criminal activity. His abnormal work ethic disconnects him from those around him and the suspicious goings-on leads him to distrust authority; the NWA. This paradigm is portrayed in Shaun of the Dead also; Shaun is disconnected from his surroundings, even staring blindly into space in the first shot. His disconnection from reality subsequently becomes the reason for the breakup between him and Liz. The alienation from the environment is emphasised by the introduction of the zombies.
A flattening of affect is experienced by both spectators and by Nicholas Angel. Describing a person’s detachment and lack of emotional reactivity, flattening of affect, as a postmodern motif, occurs when one is desensitised to certain stimuli. Having a knowledge of film cliché requires viewing of numerous narratives which can then desensitise one to them, and perhaps produce a hyperrealistic effect; such as ‘all police officers being action heroes’. Hot Fuzz, in this instance, deals with our culture’s authoritarian insistences, and the neglect of human companionship in an attempt to be occupationally exceeding; Nicholas Angel is obsessed with his job and is constantly working.
Fig. 7 - The camera rotates around Angel and Butterman in a shot resembling that from Bad Boys II.
The opposition of the protagonist is the NWA; a hood wearing, cult like ensemble. Receiving a archetypal horror motif in a unlikely country setting, Hot Fuzz, upsets, yet homages, the convention and in doing so reinforces the pastiche aesthetic Wright is known for and as this Guardian review quotes; 'The irony is that he is the unwitting prisoner of quite another kind of crime genre: without knowing it, poor Danny [Butterman] is living inside an English Gothic celluloid nightmare like Straw Dogs or The Wicker Man' (Guardian, 2007).
Edgar Wright makes use of a punctuated equilibrium towards act three as Angel returns and wages war with the twisted members of the NWA. Described as a ‘tipping point’ or ‘singularity’, the postmodern motif documents a sporadic period of great change. Hot Fuzz, in its third act, mends the relationship between Angel and Butterman, cleans the evil townsfolk, mends the conflict between Angel and the metropolitan police, Angel choosing to stay in Stamford indicates a positive change in morals, illustrates a meaningful end to the villain thus establishing a resolve.
Edgar Wright’s films, and by extension postmodernism ‘denaturalize[s] some of the dominant features of our way of life; to point out that those entities that we unthinkingly experience as natural […] are in fact ‘cultural’; made by us, not given to us (Hutcheon, 1989: 2). Postmodernism guarantees that we have control, that we no longer have to conform to classical archetypes or paradigms. Edgar Wright exercises this artistic liberty with his overt-stylisation of nonconformist, pastiche and parodist narratives to great effect; so much so that Hot Fuzz would not be the film it is today without this direction.
Similarly to Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World crosses boundaries between different film genres. Sustaining a bricolage between action, romance, comedy and fantasy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World shows that film is no longer of one pure genre, thus portraying a postmodern aesthetic. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World encompasses themes of comic and video game aesthetic within a ‘quest’ like narrative, which is indicative of video game culture.
Based on existing graphic novels, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is pre-sold and so already has an established audience. Its comic book origin embodies an overall ‘comic’ aesthetic that is evident in Wright’s stylised transitions and iconography. For example, throughout the entire film, onomatopoeia is scattered across scenes, similar to the conventions enforced by graphic novels. The film also captured the likeness of retro video games, such as with the ‘1up’ and coins synonymous with the Mario video game franchise; and the ‘VS’, beat-em-up style fight referencing Street Fight and Mortal Kombat. The film was also released alongside a video game tie-in that loosely follows the story of the graphics novels, continuing the comic/retro aesthetic from the film. And so in its intertextuality and blurred boundaries, it is postmodern. As Wright reveals in an interview; "I'm a lapsed gamer," Wright nods. "Between eight and 16, I was crazy into computer games, so this film made me feel pretty nostalgic'" (Guardian, 2010).
The fight scenes, and by extension the film, appears especially hyperreal as it portrays a simulacrum – a representation based on a representation. For instance, the second ex, Lucas Lee embodies a famous film star making a fictitious film within the film. Thus being an example of modernism and post-modernism overlapping; postmodern for referencing pop culture and modern for referencing mainstream culture that realises modernist values. This is emphasised by the film’s own publisher; ‘Universal’ being referenced as its fanfare is played as Lucas Lee leaves his Winnebago, reflecting the films self-conscious nature. This concoction of style is, as Dominic Strinati argues, "Media images [encouraging] superficiality rather than substance, cynicism rather than belief, the thirst forconstant change rather than security of stable traditions, the desires of the moment rather than the truths of history" (Strinati, 1992). This pessimistic approach suggests that Wright's efforts to remove reality and include hyperreality, especially within Hot Fuzz, is a response to cultural behaviour to rebel against what people think is real. In this instance, the removal of reality is a conscious stylistic decision that homages to both comic, video game and superhero motifs. Nonetheless, the deviation from reality pioneered by modern film, from a stylistic point of view is admirable as a postmodern aesthetic.
The hyperreality aspect in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World extends beyond mere video game intertextuality as the world the characters inhabit resembles a video game the same way the narrative does; Wright doesn't attempt to create a reality but instead depicts life in this world as media text in the form of a video game. Which may very well be why the film is entitled 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' because Scott is, in a way, against a video game. Scores, 1ups, Power ups, seven evil exes etc. don't inhabit the real world, so Jameson and Baudrillard would argue that this is the loss of the real, but thats not the point; creative media isn't meant to regurgitate historical fact. It's naïve to think that art forms should exclusively base themselves on the first representation, in the same way the first representation of homosexuality was very negative but now it is not, it doesn't mean we should still be portraying that first representation. It's evident that without the video game aesthetic and the postmodern attributes, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would just be another rom-com.
However, from a financial point of view, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World underperformed. Reaching a loss of over $50 million at the box office, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World saw difficulty in finding a principle audience. Possible reasons for such a loss range from those being over the age of 30 not understanding or caring for the bohemian narrative, or those under the age of 30 not understanding the parody nor pastiche. Hutcheon quotes; 'parody, [...] uses its historical memory, its aesthetic introversion, to signal that this kind of self-reflexive discourse is always inextricably bound to social discourse' (Hutcheon, 1988: 35) meaning that spectators are required to have a knowledge of film in order to understand overt or subtle references and pastiche. This is where Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and postmodernism in general fails. Audiences are either too young to understand the parody, or too old to care. The film is often too clever for the majority audience to fully appreciate so it is appreciated at face value. Jean-François Lyotard supports this theoretical approach, believing that knowledge has become a commodity as well as a means of empowerment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a contemporary media spectator uses a wealth of different types of literacies in order to read the postmodern film texts that are Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Ranging from antique horror such as Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978), classic crime thrillers such as Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967) and The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971) and a retrogaming, comic book style brought by passé Nintendo and Sega consoles and Marvel graphic novels. As Constable states 'It is clear that silent cinema and studio-era cinema offer films that abound in intertextual references [such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World], including works of literature, plays, media interviews, magazines, as well as other films' (2015: 120). The proliferation of the postmodern involves 'intersect[ion] and interact[ion] with the film's narrative and characterisation, underscoring or undermining it, or telling yet another story' (ibid.). The conceptualisations of postmodernism theorised by Linda Hutcheon, Fredric Jameson and Jean Baudrillard all manage to define a postmodern paradigm, albeit in a paradoxical manner. Contradiction plays a largely central role within Hutcheon's analysis: 'postmodernism is a fundamentally contradictory enterprise: its art forms (and its theory) at once use and abuse, install then destabilize convention in parodic ways, self-consciously and, of course, to their critical or ironic rereading of the art of the past' (1988: 23). The disparity between postmodern characteristics makes it difficult to accurately distinguish it, but where all critics share similar views is with pastiche, parody and simulation being synonymous with postmodernism. This must mean that Edgar Wright's films are, indeed, postmodern, and to a admirable degree.
Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World are quintessential examples that oppose Jameson's view that 'all that is left is to imitate dead styles, to speak through the masks and with the voices of the styles in the imaginary museum' (1998: 7); this is evident by the three Guardian reviews reviewing each film four stars out of five and Rotten Tomatoes giving Shaun of the Dead 92%, Hot Fuzz 91% and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 81%. Jameson's model does, however, apply to postmodern remakes: Point Break (Ericson Core, 2015) - 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Magnificent Seven (Antoine Fuqua, 2016) - 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and Ben-Hur (Timur Bekmambetov, 2016) - 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. These films tried to speak 'through the masks and with the voices' (ibid.) of their authentic counterparts and were critically shamed for doing so. What sets Wright's filmography apart from contemporary remakes, is that Wright's films aren't remakes, they are influenced by those before it. Throughout his filmography, Edgar Wright has manufactured a kind of 'pentalogy of popular culture'. Wright's 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy represents popular filmic culture, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was made as a response to retro culture (comic books and video games), also writing the screenplay for The Adventures of Tin-Tin (Steven Spielberg, 2011) to challenge and adapt the genre conventions of animation from a comic. It will be interesting to see if Wright's use of postmodernism alongside his unique aesthetic pays off with his latest film, Baby Driver (Edgar Wright, 2017) coming later this year.
Filmography
An American Werewolf in London. Directed by John Landis. United Kingdom: PolyGram Pictures, 1981.
Baby Driver. Directed by Edgar Wright. Performed by Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey. UK: TriStar Pictures, 2017.
Bad Boys II. Directed by Michael Bay. Performed by Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. USA: Columbia Pictures, 2003.
Ben-Hur. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Performed by Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell. USA: Paramount Pictures, 2016.
Dawn of the Dead. Directed by George A. Romero. United States: United Film Distribution Company, 1978.
Hot Fuzz. Directed by Edgar Wright. Performed by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. United Kingdom: Universal Pictures, 2007.
Kill Bill. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Performed by Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu. United States: Miramax, 2004.
Night of the Living Dead. Directed by George A. Romero. United States: The Walter Reade Organization, 1968.
Point Blank. Directed by John Boorman. Performed by Lee Marvin. USA: MGM, 1967.
Point Break. Directed by Kathyn Bigelow. Performed by Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. USA: Columbia Pictures, 1991.
Point Break. Directed by Ericson Core. Performed by Édgar Ramírez and Luke Bracey. USA: Warner Bros., 2015.
Pulp Fiction. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Performed by Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. United States: Miramax, 1994.
Scary Movie. Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. Performed by Anna Faris and Shannon Elizabeth. United States: Miramax, 2000.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Directed by Edgar Wright. Performed by Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. United Kingdom: Universal Pictures, 2011.
Scream. Directed by Wes Craven. Performed by Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox. United States: Dimension Films, 1996.
Shaun of the Dead. Directed by Edgar Wright. Performed by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. United Kingdom: Universal Pictures, 2004.
The Adventures of Tin-Tin. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Performed by Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis. USA: Paramount Pictures, 2011.
The French Connection. Directed by William Friedkin. Performed by Gene Hackman. USA: 20th Century Fox, 1971.
The Magnificent Seven. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Performed by Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. USA: MGM, 2016.
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