An Introduction to Dreams on Film
"Our relationship to the physical screen in the theater as we watch any film owes much to our experience as nurtured infants and to our earliest dreams. Films in general seem both real and dreamlike because they appear to us in a way that activates the regressive experience of watching dreams on our psychic dream screens. - Robert Eberwein, Film and the Dream Screen"
There is a long tradition of filmmakers incorporating psychological elements when constructing their films, such as describing and analyzing dream-sequences of their main characters, which “are the key to understanding the meaning of a film” (Halpern 1). Freud describes these types of dream-sequences as “a whole set of dreams, carrying on for weeks or months [which] often rests on common ground, and is to be interpreted in its interrelations” (Freud 340-341).
These dream-sequences, like in Bergman's film, Wild Strawberries, enhance the quality we, as viewers, have to the screen. Similarly, in Hitchcock's film, Marnie, the interactiveness we have to film increases as we are pushed into the main character's inner emotional struggle. However each filmmaker tends to use their techniques, the result of an emotional ride will prove to be obvious. Leslie Halpern, a critic attempting to merge science and art together, furthers Robert Eberwein's theory of having films create an emotional impact unto the audience. She says that dream-sequences in films “can use state-of-the-art technology to produce awe-inspiring visions that give insight into the character, promote the story, and provide emotional impact" (Halpern, 5).
Furthermore, Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, is an undeniable influence on both filmmakers where both films incorporate his theories. The corresponding links will provide a thorough overview of both films and will show the connections to the psychology of dreams.
Read more:
An Introduction to Dreams on Film
Who are HITCH and BERG?
What is MARNIE about?
What is WILD STRAWBERRIES about?
So who is influencing HITCHBERG?
RED RED RED!
Is that you...Borg?
Think Psychoanalysis, Think Freud
Dream-work and Wild Strawberries
Concluding Thoughts, Works Cited, Suggested Reading, Image Credits, and About Me