Definition of Intertextuality:
Intertextuality: The various ways media text references other media texts, often through the borrowing, modifying, or recycling of elements of those media texts. Types of Intertextuality: -1. Indirect Intertextuality: Indirect Intertextuality is when traces of other media can be found in a media text, but they are not explicit or necessarily even intentional. It acknowledges that every producer is inevitably going to be inspired by every piece of media they have ever seem. -2. Direct Intertextuality: Direct Intertextuality is when an explicit reference to a media text is made in another piece of media. The producers make these references intentionally, often to allow the audience to make connections between the two pieces of media for a reason. -3. Weaponized Intertextuality: Weaponized Intertextuality is a term coined by literary critic Harold Bloom that describes the intentional self-reference and fan service done by media texts. It often involves long-running media franchises making references back to its past history. Intertextuality Examples: -1.The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars: It is well known that Star Wars creator George Lucas was immensely influenced by Japanese samurai films (for example the Jedi are basically just Samurai). Lucas was especially influenced by the work of Japanese filmmaker Akira Korusawa. Specifically, Lucas took heavy inspiration from Korusawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, in terms of both the plot and look of his film. At the bottom of this post is a side-by-side comparison of a shot from The Hidden Fortress and a shot from Star Wars, and it is easy to see the similarities in both the framing of the shots, positioning of the characters, etc. This is likely an example of indirect intertextuality, because the shot in Star Wars is not an explicit reference to Korusawa’s film, but the influence is apparent. -2.You Only Live Twice and Austin Powers: The Austin Powers movies are complete parodies of the James Bond movies, especially the Sean Connery era films. An example can be found in the main villains from each franchise, pictured at the bottom of this post. Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies is a prime example of direct/deliberate intertextuality for the sake of parody, as he is a complete ripoff of the 007 villain Blofeld. Both characters share many similarities, like the scar on their faces, similar outfits, pet cats, and evil laughs. -3.The Matrix and Shrek: The Matrix was so influential when it released in 1999 that it inspired a wave of imitations and parodies throughout the 2000’s. An example of this can be found in the 2001 film Shrek, which is known for parodying and referencing other pieces of media. That movie features a parody of the scene in The Matrix where Trinity does a slow motion karate kick in the air, as the camera pans 360 degrees around her. This is an example of direct/deliberate intertextuality. Both the original and intertextual version are shown below.
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