Analyzes "The Deer Hunter" in terms of a psychological/ritual model of criticism. Argues that the rhetorical force of the film is explained by men's participation in rituals, such as deer hunting, which affect the patterns of psychological change they experience during and after war. (JMF)

Critiques three contemporary films, "Rocky IV,""Blade Runner," and "The Terminator." Constructs an evolving dystopian shadow myth that expresses the culture's repressed fears about its relationship to technology. Offers implications for the reinterpretation of the dystopian myth and for the conduct of other cultural…

Analyzes the symbols in the children's fantasy film, "E. T.," from the perspective of perennial philosophy. Concludes that "E. T." is an example of a rhetorical message that combines a vision of the eternal with a plea for a change in addressing contemporary fragmentation and separation. (PD)

Develops a social value model that reveals the relationship between film and social phenomena, and political processes. The model is used to demonstrate the nature of the political context that impinges on a film, such as "Rocky," and the specific exigence to which it is a response. (JMF)

A psychological/ritual model of criticism is used to examine the movie "The Deer Hunter" as a rhetorical event in which males undergo psychological change through their war and postwar experiences. The critical model depends on understanding a Jungian interpretation of the human psyche, the form and function of initiation rituals, and…

Discusses feminine symbolism in the American frontier myth as an evolving cultural/rhetorical manifestation of a developing archetypal process. Analyzes the films "Alien" and "Aliens," in which the lost feminine is encountered, found to be vengeful of exploitation of her domain, and then killed by a patriarchalized heroine. (SR)