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“Wrath of the Gods”. Routine and fantastic in the documentary film by Jon Gustafsson (2006)
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2022-2-91-107
Abstract
The article is aimed at studying the effect of the fantastic in a documentary: if it is possible, and what circumstances can influence its appearance. That issue is investigated in the context of the “fictional world”, the very presence and features of which serve as a sign of belonging to the genre of the fantastic. The article briefly examines the concept of “fictional world” and the specifics of the audience’s interaction with it. The main object of the analysis is the documentary “Wrath of the Gods” by the Icelandic director Jon Gustafsson, which is declared as “a documentary about filmmaking in extreme conditions”. It was edited from fragments of video footage shot during the filming of “Beowulf & Grendel” (2005), directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and based on a medieval epic poem. The filming process in Iceland in the fall of 2004 proved to be extremely difficult, and the article traces how the group members describe what is happening to them in expressions that form the discourse of the “pagan” or the discourse of the “miraculous” in general. In combination with the peculiarities of editing, this gives the film the right to be considered as a narrative, in which the fantastic becomes an integral part of the plot. The imaginary Iceland acquires the features characteristic of the fictional world of a fantastic story.
About the Author
A. V. TarasovaRussian Federation
Aleksandra V. Tarasova, Cand. of Sci. (History), associate professor
bld. 6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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Supplementary files
For citation: Tarasova A.V. “Wrath of the Gods”. Routine and fantastic in the documentary film by Jon Gustafsson (2006). RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2022;(2):91-107. https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2022-2-91-107
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