Hyperlink cinema

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia


Hyperlink cinema is a style of filmmaking characterised by complex or multilinear narrative structures with multiple characters under one unifying theme.

History[edit]

The term was coined by author Alissa Quart, who used the term in her review of the film Happy Endings (2005) for the film journal Film Comment in 2005.[1] Film critic Roger Ebert popularized the term when reviewing the film Syriana in 2005.[2] These films are not hypermedia and do not have actual hyperlinks, but are multilinear in a more metaphorical sense.

In describing Happy Endings, Quart considers captions acting as footnotes and split screen as elements of hyperlink cinema and notes the influence of the World Wide Web and multitasking.[1] Playing with time and characters' personal history, plot twists, interwoven storylines between multiple characters, jumping between the beginning and end (flashback and flashforward) are also elements.[1] Ebert further described hyperlink cinema as films where the characters or action reside in separate stories, but a connection or influence between those disparate stories is slowly revealed to the audience; illustrated in Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu's films Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), and Babel (2006).[2][3]

Quart suggests that director Robert Altman created the structure for the genre and demonstrated its usefulness for combining interlocking stories in his films Nashville (1975) and Short Cuts (1993).[4] However, his work was predated by several films, including Satyajit Ray's Kanchenjunga (1962),[5] Federico Fellini's Amarcord (1973),[6] and Ritwik Ghatak's Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1973),[7] all of which use a narrative structure based on multiple characters.

Quart also mentions the television series 24 and discusses Alan Rudolph's film Welcome to L.A. (1976) as an early prototype.[1] Crash (2004) is an example of the genre,[8] as are Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000), Fernando Meirelles's City of God (2002), Stephen Gaghan's Syriana (2005) and Rodrigo Garcia's Nine Lives (2005).

The style is also used in video games. French video game company Quantic Dream has produced games, such as Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, with hyperlink cinema style storytelling, and the style has also influenced role-playing games such as Suikoden III (2001) and Octopath Traveler (2018).

Analysis[edit]

The hyperlink cinema narrative and story structure can be compared to social science's spatial analysis. As described by Edward Soja and Costis Hadjimichalis spatial analysis examines the "'horizontal experience' of human life, the spatial dimension of individual behavior and social relations, as opposed to the 'vertical experience' of history, tradition, and biography."[9] English critic John Berger notes for the novel that "it is scarcely any longer possible to tell a straight story sequentially unfolding in time" for "we are too aware of what is continually traversing the story line laterally."[9]

An academic analysis of hyperlink cinema appeared in the journal ‘’Critical Studies in Media Communication,’’ and referred to the films as Global Network Films. Narine's study examines the films Traffic (2000), Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Beyond Borders (2003), Crash (2004; released 2005), Syriana (2005), Babel (2006) and others, citing network theorist Manuel Castells and philosophers Michel Foucault and Slavoj Žižek. The study suggests that the films are network narratives that map the network society and the new connections citizens experience in the age of globalization.[10]

Alberto Toscano and Jeff Kinkle have argued that one popular form of hyperlink cinema constitutes a contemporary form of it-narrative, an 18th- and 19th-century genre of fiction written from the imagined perspective of objects as they move between owners and social environments.[11] In these films, they argue, "the narrative link is the characters' relation to the film's product of choice, whether it be guns, cocaine, oil, or Nile perch."[11]

Examples[edit]

Films[edit]

Main category: Hyperlink films

Video games[edit]

Directors associated with hyperlink cinema[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Quart, Alissa (July–August 2005). "Networked". Film Comment. 41 (4): 48–5. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Ebert, Roger (December 9, 2005). "Syriana". Reviews. rogerebert.com. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ebert, Roger (September 22, 2007). "Babel". Reviews. rogerebert.com. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  4. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2006). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 100. ISBN 0-7407-6157-9
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Kanchenjungha". AMC. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 "20 Great Examples of Hyperlink Cinema Every Film Buff Must Watch". Taste of Cinema. September 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ghatak, Ritwik (2000). Rows and Rows of Fences: Ritwik Ghatak on Cinema. Ritwik Memorial & Trust Seagull Books. pp. ix & 134–36. ISBN 81-7046-178-2.
  8. ↑ Willmore, Alison (February 23, 2009). ""Crossing Over" and Hyperlink Cinema". IFC. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Soja, Edward W.; Hadjimichalis, Costis (1979). "Between Geographical Materialism and Spatial Fetishism: Some Observations on the Development of Marxist Spatial Analysis". Antipode. 17 (2–3): 59–67. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8330.1985.tb00334.x.
  10. ↑ Narine, Neil (2010). "Global Trauma and the Cinematic Network Society". Critical Studies in Media Communication. 27 (3): 209–234. doi:10.1080/15295030903583556. S2CID 143671583.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Toscano, Alberto; Kinkle, Jeff (2015). Cartographies of the Absolute. Zero Books. p. 192.
  12. ↑ "Hyperlink Film". Flickchart.
  13. ↑ "The Best Hyperlink Films of the 1930s". Flickchart.
  14. ↑ Newman, Michael Z. (2011). Indie: An American Film Culture. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231513524 – via Google Books.
  15. ↑ "The Best Hyperlink Films of the 1960s". Flickchart.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Özguc, Agah. Bütün Filmleriyle Yilmaz Güney (in Türkçe).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 "Top 10 Greatest Films of 'Hyperlink Cinema'". moviebabble.com. March 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Best Hyperlink Films of the 1980s". Flickchart.
  19. ↑ "It's a Sad and Beautiful World: Music From the Films of Jim Jarmusch". A Perfect Prescription. March 15, 2016.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 "The Best Hyperlink Films of the 1990s". Flickchart.
  21. ↑ Kipp, Jeremiah (August 12, 2008). "Before the Rain Film Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  22. ↑ Ebert, Roger (March 11, 2009). "Exotica".
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Booker, M. Keith (2007). Postmodern Hollywood: What's New in Film and why it Makes Us Feel So Strange. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 12–21. ISBN 978-0-275-99900-1. Retrieved October 18, 2008 – via Google Books.
  24. ↑ Holden, Stephen (January 22, 1999). "'Playing By Heart': In a Cocktail of Romance, Different Flavors of Love". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  25. ↑ 25.00 25.01 25.02 25.03 25.04 25.05 25.06 25.07 25.08 25.09 25.10 25.11 "Hyperlink Cinema and the Prevalence of Intertwining Stories". The Artifice. January 17, 2017.
  26. ↑ "CODE INCONNU". Festival de Cannes.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Ebert, Roger (January 6, 2006). "Cape of Good Hope". Reviews. rogerebert.com. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  28. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 18, 2002). "Lantana". Reviews. rogerebert.com. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  29. ↑ Cochran, Dechlan (April 12, 2012). "11:14, an obscure gem of a movie (review)". D&CFilm.
  30. ↑ Barber, Nicholas (March 17, 2015). "Fragmentation games: the return of the portmanteau film". The Guardian.
  31. ↑ "The 15 Best Glenn Close Movie Performances". Taste of Cinema. March 8, 2019.
  32. ↑ Page, Matt (June 20, 2005). "Film Review: Sin City". Open Heaven Church. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  33. ↑ Jerslev, Anne (March 2012). "The post-perspectival: Screens and time in David Lynch's Inland Empire". Journal of Aesthetics and Culture.
  34. ↑ Ebert, Roger (April 27, 2006). "Look Both Ways". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  35. ↑ Singh, Anvita (November 11, 2020). "Revisiting Life in a Metro: A well-made anthology film". The Indian Express. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  36. ↑ Skinner, Marjorie (September 4, 2008). "The Celestial Prophecy : Living on The Edge of Heaven". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  37. ↑ Gandert, Sean (October 18, 2007). "Rendition". Paste. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  38. ↑ Holden, Stephen. "The Air I Breathe – Movie – Review". The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  39. ↑ Gupta, Shubra (August 23, 2008). "Mumbai Meri Jaan (Hindi)". Screen India. Archived from the original on August 26, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  40. ↑ Chang, Justin (February 21, 2008). "Vantage Point". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  41. ↑ Snider, Eric D. (February 16, 2010). "Portland Film Fest Review: Ajami". Cinematical. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  42. ↑ Anderson, Melissa (May 8, 2009). "Powder Blue Review". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  43. ↑ Hiscock, John (February 25, 2009). "Watchmen: the 'unfilmable' on screen". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  44. ↑ Perkis, Ed (May 17, 2016). "Watchmen Director's Cut Blu-ray Review". CinemaBlend. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  45. ↑ "REVIEW: Hereafter". Marshall and the Movies. November 4, 2010.
  46. ↑ "Revisiting Vedam: Probably the best Telugu film of recent times?". December 2, 2012. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014.
  47. ↑ Osenlund, R. Kurt (December 2, 2011). "Answers to Nothing". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  48. ↑ "Bombay March 12 Review". nowrunning.com. July 3, 2011. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011.
  49. ↑ Wickman, Forrest (September 9, 2011). "Steven Soderbergh's Contagion". Slate.
  50. ↑ LaSalle, Mick (October 25, 2012). "'Cloud Atlas' review: Baring your soul". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  51. ↑ Hachard, Thomas (April 7, 2013). "Disconnect". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  52. ↑ Devasundaram, Ashvin Immanuel (2016). India's New Independent Cinema: Rise of the Hybrid. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.
  53. ↑ Kermode, Mark (January 24, 2016). "The Big Short review – life with the Wall Street sharks". The Guardian.
  54. ↑ Subramanian, Anupama (July 17, 2016). "Sree-Regina film Maanagaram with a hyperlink narration". Deccan Chronicle.
  55. ↑ "Review : Odu Raja Odu -A black comedy that is watchable". Sify. August 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch (help)
  56. ↑ "Anthology films, hyperlink cinema, mise-en-scene: Filmy jargon, explained". The News Minute. December 11, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch Looks Like the Most Wes Anderson-y Film Yet". GQ. February 12, 2020.
  58. ↑ "Kasada Thapara Review: A Collection of Shorts Connected By a Hyperlinked Narrative". High on Films. August 30, 2021.
  59. ↑ "'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Review: It's Messy, and Glorious". NY Times. March 24, 2022.
  60. ↑ "Suikoden III in-depth review". IGN Boards. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  61. ↑ "Indigo Prophecy Review". GameSpot. September 21, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  62. ↑ "Interview: David Cage of Quantic Dream and Heavy Rain". Engadget. May 27, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  63. ↑ "Resident Evil 6 HD Remaster Review – Not Worth The Replay Value". gamingbolt.com. April 4, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  64. ↑ "Tips on how to save, or lose, all eight characters in Until Dawn". VentureBeat. August 31, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  65. ↑ "'Octopath Traveler' tells eight stories, and they're all forgettable". Digital Trends. July 18, 2018.
  66. ↑ "Detroit: Become Human Story and Ending Explained - Here's What Happened". NDTV Gadgets 360. May 28, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  67. ↑ Ray, Satyajit (2015). Prabandha Sangraha. Kolkata: Ananda Publishers. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-93-5040-553-6.
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 "20 Worst Hipster Movies of All Time". LA Weekly. July 17, 2014.

External links[edit]

Template:Film genres

Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We kindly request your support in maintaining the independence of Bharatpedia. As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on small donations to sustain our operations and provide free access to reliable information to the world. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to consider donating to our cause, as it would greatly aid us in our mission. Your contribution would demonstrate the importance of reliable and trustworthy knowledge to you and the world. Thank you.

Please select an option below or scan the QR code to donate
₹150 ₹500 ₹1,000 ₹2,000 ₹5,000 ₹10,000 Other


Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/index.php?title=Hyperlink_cinema&oldid=353838"