Topic > Analysis of Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock and Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Reflexivity and modern expressionReflexivity is defined as the circular relationship between cause and effect, in the sense that there is never a true cause or effect because they are interchangeable and cannot be defined. This theory of relationships is one of the defining aspects of expression in modern culture. We see elements of reflexivity in modern art, film and literature, particularly in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo and Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities. These two creations of modern culture explore their own themes regarding human nature, while simultaneously bringing to light how they express their themes through their respective mediums. This embodies the reflexive nature of every artistic conception: the medium and the content are in a circular relationship. Modern expression cannot be complete without reflexive tendencies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Before starting The Invisible Cities of Italo Calvino, you will notice that the chapters are in a somewhat confusing and disorganized order, but what alludes to us is that this means of organization was designed. Calvino uses the Fibonacci number, which serves not only as a method of organizing the chapters, but also as an introduction to the thematic material. The Fibonacci number sequence is formed because each number after the first two is the sum of the previous two; reflected in the chapters, we see that each chapter, its categories, and the thematic ideas presented, build on each other and become more complex, challenging, and allusive as the narrative progresses. Cities begin to blend together as the human experience is put to the test and we begin to follow the Fibonacci spiral towards an ending that creates an even more evocative reference to the golden ration of the Fibonacci sequence: there is no end to life, we live through time forces us and we can do nothing but continue living. The golden ration is life, it is what binds life that makes it live. Invisible Cities is a great example of modern expression with reflexivity, not only because of the organization of the fiction, but also because it transforms the narrative into an elusive version in prose and fiction. to communicate memories. With the format of a story in mind, we can easily see that Invisible Cities breaks the mold as Marco Polo tries to tell Kublai Khan about the cities of his empire through a new form of storytelling that approaches mystical realism and prose poetry. The idea that Marco Polo is creating a travelogue for Khan of his empires is very difficult to see in the histories of the cities themselves because he explains the cities by mixing physical characteristics with ideas of existence, not as a real guide of travel and explanation of the cities. For example, “Cities and Names 2” describes the city of Leandra as a city protected by deities of two different species, species of which bind the city itself which I have defined as two different definitions of time. As we explain the relationship between the two gods, we also come to recognize the physical characteristics of the city as they are seen through the eyes of each of the species of time. This magical realism that connects the real world and the ideas that create and constrain it, making them interchangeable. Now that we have concluded that the organization and means of telling Marco Polo's adventures are both reflective with the ideas they convey and that they both highlight the medium of storytelling and the medium itself, we can look at the actual content of the story. Since magical realism is used to convey each city, the real idea of ​​the city has already become fruitof the imagination because the city itself does not exist without the foundations on which it was built, but those foundations do not necessarily make the city what it is. “MagroCities 4” focuses on these ideas as we visit the city of Sophronia, the city of two half cities. One of the cities seems to be a carnival of fantasy and imagination, and the other, the harsh life of reality. The idea that that cities and the foundations on which they are built are interchangeable comes into play when Marco Polo informs us that the carnival is the permanent part of the city and that the city of reality is the half that uproots itself, moves and becomes part of the other half .-city.This means that reality and imagination are also two interchangeable ideas, creating a new unknown between where imagination and reality ends modern, we can now look to modern cinema for similar connections. Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo is, first and foremost, an example of mastery in the reflexivity between the plot and the process of making the film itself actual cinematography was labeled “pure cinema”. Now there are connections between the shots, the story and the characters. Understanding that the vertigo that grips our main character, Scottie, is crucial to understanding the film because the filming techniques show the severity of vertigo and acrophobia and allow us to see things as Scottie sees them. A prominent example of this is Madeline's death scene when Scottie chases Madeline up a spiral staircase and is forced to stop due to his acrophobia and dizziness. Every time Scottie stops on the steps to look down, the camera zooms out, creating the effect of vertigo, as Scottie would see. Each time he stops, the dizziness attacks get worse and worse until he is forced to stop out of fear, leaving Madeline to fall to her death. We also see correspondences between the dizziness and the plot of the story as Scottie follows Madeline in the car at the beginning of the film. With every turn along the winding, steep streets of San Francisco, we see the plot and setting begin to transform, portraying the complexities of the plot in dizzying visuals. Vertigo also employs several cinematic decisions by Alfred through Scottie's nightmare sequence that push his fears over the edge and drive him crazy. This dream sequence begins with flashes of blue that suggest a deep emotional issue for Scotties, followed by disturbing images of Carlotta's bouquet of flowers and Carlotta herself. It then shows Carlotta's grave and we see Scottie's face fall into the abyss surrounded by flashes of green and purple until Scottie's body falls towards the roof where Madeline committed suicide and then through it, falling into an endless white abyss . This visual representation of a dream is crucial to Scottie's character development, but also to our understanding of the effects of guilt. Now we have representations of dreams, creations of our imagination, that blur the lines between what is reality and what is creation, as Calvino did in Invisible Cities. Alfred Hitchcock also alludes to Fibonacci's ideas just as he makes dreams reappear. spiral in the unfolding of its plot and in its dizzying visual cues. We've already seen the use of the winding streets of San Francisco as a visual cue for dizziness, but we also get the appearance of spirals against the backdrop of the waves crashing majestically as Madeline and Scottie kiss. This is one of the few spirals that does not represent vertigo because it is more representative of the Fibonacci spiral. This spiral..