The Prison of Time: Stanley Kubrick, Adrian Lyne, Michael Bay and Quentin Tarantino

This book explores the "dominant time" of Stanley Kubrick, Adrian Lyles, Michael Bay, and Quentin Tarantino's films and the moments when this "ruling time" is disrupted, allowing us to forget the run toward the diegetic future or the past. It discusses the prison of time, which the film constructs and which the film itself constructs, and our role as spectators.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

We find ourselves ensnared within the confines of circadian rhythms, as well as the life reviews that unfold in a chronological and causative manner. For the majority of us, our lives are trajectories guided by goals we aspire to attain and bounded by the confines of birth and death. However, amidst the confines of our existence, we can still glimpse fleeting moments where the past, the future, and the passage of time seem to fade away. During these profound emotional experiences, we may burst into laughter, cry tears of joy, or be captivated by the beauty of art or simply by the gaze of another's eyes. Similarly, when we immerse ourselves in the world of film, the experience unfolds with a distinct beginning and end, as well as the interplay between screening and diegetic time, along with narrative and stylistic techniques, that establish a unique time within our own lives, governed by its own set of rules and exceptions. Through a close examination of the works of Stanley Kubrick, Adrian Lyne, Michael Bay, and Quentin Tarantino, this book delves into the overarching 'dominant time' present in their films and the moments when this temporal rule is momentarily disrupted, causing us to momentarily forget the trajectory towards the diegetic future—suspense—or the past—curiosity and surprise. It is within these very moments, as well as in our own lives, that the prison of time, which both constructs and is constructed by the film itself, begins to crumble, revealing our role as spectators and the profound connections we share with the cinematic masterpiece.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501380570