Archetypes on the American Screen: Heroes and Anti-Heroes
Within the American cinematic gestalt, we are continually offered portrayals of the individual redemptive journey. Filmmakers repeatedly portray versions of the hero and anti-hero. These figures have their roots in age-old mythological and religious characters, and are easily identifiable in the tra...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2004]
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| In: |
Journal of religion and popular culture
Year: 2004, Volume: 7, Issue: 1 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Within the American cinematic gestalt, we are continually offered portrayals of the individual redemptive journey. Filmmakers repeatedly portray versions of the hero and anti-hero. These figures have their roots in age-old mythological and religious characters, and are easily identifiable in the traditional Western and more recent Road Movies. This paper compares the mythic Odysseus and the Christian Testament's St. Paul in an examination of the cinematic use of the hero and anti-hero archetypes. In a majority of American films, Odysseus and Paul become one and the same, and the journey of redemption is blighted by blood, rather than illuminated by divine light. |
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| ISSN: | 1703-289X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and popular culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.7.1.001 |