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Is cinema ‘the most modern, technologically dependent and Western of all the arts' (1995) as David Parkinson seems to suggest? My thesis addresses and problematizes this often evoked misconception on the art of cinema, with the aim to offset, or if not slightly shift, the dominant perspective through which early cinema history is observed, by positing the analysis through Balkan “haptical lenses”, and tracing regional cultural traditions that pre-date first cinema projections. This study examines the specific geopolitical position of the Balkan space at the beginning of twentieth century and the multi-cultural identity of the communities that influence and shape the development of cinema in the region, through the contemporary prism of archives, preservation and cultural memory. The intermingling, contamination and fusion of artistic traditions from East and West resulted in a unique regional visual culture, to which, at the end of the nineteenth century, the arrival of cinema added yet another layer of expression. In the first part of the thesis I outline the theoretical framework and historical context of the region, and provide a close analysis of visual culture in its relation to the haptic. The second part focuses on the concepts of Balkanism, semi-colonialism and the gaze, which it addresses through an analysis of selected footage and images, produced by both foreign companies and local filmmakers, throughout the region. The third part is a study of local cinema pioneers, within the context of global filmmaking at the time, through the advent of modernity and self-reflection. Finally, a close reading of texts from newspapers, journals and books at the time provides the basis for an exploration of the arrival of cinema in the Balkans and its reception by local audiences. By building on phenomenological theory and visual culture in the Balkans and transnational studies, as well as combining theoretical and empirical evidence from both fields, this thesis establishes a strong theoretical and historical basis that can inform further research on film reception studies and embodied vision.

This thesis addresses aspects of Romanian society and cinema, by analyzing post-communist films through the perspective of marginality. The central hypothesis of this study refers to the ways in which films illustrate conditions of post-communist Romanian society, as they consider representations of the periphery through the angle of allegories of marginality. Following a long tradition, especially in literary studies, where it refers to the overt insertion of symbolic meanings, allegory refers in this study to a less noticeable delivery, by using a postmodern interpretation of the concept. This translates to detecting a latent meaning in films, by interpreting them in a broader context pertaining both to the film's circumstances (production, distribution and reception), and to the broader framework of the film's content. What connects post-communist Romanian films is a concern for matters of marginality, as they focus on dissensions in society, intergenerational conflicts, youth and limited opportunities of social movement, and the use of satire as a way of handling the bleak conditions of life. Aiming to provide a realistic representation of post-communist life, new wave Romanian films focus on the mundane reality of everyday life. The films discussed in this thesis expand beyond the scope of the new wave, and present a diversity of aesthetic approaches and relating perspectives on allegory—from distinct to obscure—defined by the contextual conditions of post-communism.

This project explores a curious facet of early cinema that has not been studied as yet: the relationship between Turkish modernity and the culture of spectatorship within the context of the late nineteenth century’s viewing habits along with the era of early and silent cinema in Istanbul. The aim of this project is to examine the evolution of viewing habits in Istanbul at a particular period in which a radical cultural transformation was experienced, namely from the 1890s to the 1930s, when the late Ottoman era with its pre-cinematic shows, the cinematograph, and silent films led to the early Turkish Republic and the end of silent cinema. In order to cover the shift in the reception of early cinema, this study makes use of revisionist works on early cinema and on modernity in Ottoman history. To this end, newspapers, novels, memoirs and consular trade records that formed the majority of the primary sources of this project are analyzed. The transformation of Istanbulite spectatorship was initially experienced through a rupture in the late nineteenth century created by the global flow of mechanical images. The cinematograph was viewed by a multi- ethnic public that was accustomed to seeing both traditional and other more widely recognized pre-cinematic shows such as the shadow play, public storytelling, dioramas, panoramas and magic lanterns. At first the early cinematograph displays were haphazard and parts of other shows. Yet, the international influence of the early cinema attracted a curiosity-driven public even if the same public was critical of the imperfect technology of the apparatus. With the outbreak of World War I, nationalist resistance played a role in the reception of popular European films, particularly Italian melodramas. The end of the war caused the demise of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic, after which, cinema started to be seen as an educational tool in the service of nation-building.

This thesis seeks to interpret the cinematic representations of Hong Kongers’ identity quest during a transitional state/stage related to the sovereignty transfer. The Handover transition considered is an ideological one, rather than the overnight polity change on the Handover day. This research approaches contemporary Hong Kong cinema on two fronts and the thesis is structured accordingly: Upon an initial review of the existing Hong Kong film scholarship in the Introduction, and its 1997-related allegorical readings, Part I sees new angles (previously undeveloped or underdeveloped) for researching Hong Kong films made during 1982-2002. Arguments are built along the ideas of Hong Kongers’ situational, diasporic consciousness, and transformed ‘Chineseness’ because Hong Kong has lacked a cultural/national centrality. This part of research is informed by the ideas of Jacques Derrida, Homi Bhabha and Stuart Hall, and the diasporic experiences of Ien Ang, Rey Chow and Ackbar Abbas. With these new research angles and references to the circumstances, Part II reads critically the text of eight Hong Kong films made during the Handover transition. In chronological order, they are Boat People (Hui, 1982), Song of the Exile (Hui, 1990), Days of Being Wild (Wong, 1990), Happy Together (Wong, 1997), Made in Hong Kong (Chan, 1997), Ordinary Heroes (Hui, 1999), Durian Durian (Chan, 2000), and Hollywood Hong Kong (Chan, 2002). They meet several criteria related to the undeveloped / underdeveloped areas in the existing Hong Kong film scholarship. Hamid Naficy’s ‘accented cinema’ paradigm gives the guidelines to the film analysis in Part II. This part shows that Hong Kongers’ self-transformation during transition is alterable, indeterminate, and interminable, due to the people’s situational, diasporic consciousness, and transformed ‘Chineseness’. This thesis thus contributes to Hong Kong cinema scholarship in interpreting films with new research angles, and generating new insights into this cinematic tradition and its wider context.

Exploration of the influence that politics may have on artists’ creativity has been undertaken by looking at selected works of Yugoslav film director Aleksandar Petrović. An attempt was made to identify thematic or stylistic motifs in his films that could be understood as reflections on the political context in which the work was made. One of the most common approaches to examine a work of one filmmaker, the auteur theory, has been modified into the theory of political auteur, to aid in identifying recurrent motifs and themes that artists introduce in their work as a reaction to the surrounding political reality. As Petrović worked in Yugoslavia during Socialism, this period was historicised in order to support the identification of ‘political motifs’ in his films. The period between 1965 and 1973 is taken as the focus of research, since it is known as the 'liberal hour', the period of great artistic and intellectual freedoms, during which Petrović directed four of his most significant films. Each of these four films is analysed in respective chapters, first by elaborating on the then current political background, and then by analysing the films’ narratives against it, and extrapolating thematic and stylistic motifs reflecting back on this background. Such exploration of art and politics has been undertaken with a view to emphasise consistent motifs in art works, not only to do with an artist’s personal interests, but also those that emerge as a result of imposing societal structures.

This study explores the media reception patterns and impact of celebrity culture on identity construction of Bangkok teenagers. The hypothesis is that audiences do not necessarily decode identical media messages in the same way as encoded. Bangkok teenagers with different ages and genders are likely to read texts regarding celebrities differently. Celebrities may not influence all teenage audiences to a significant degree and, for affected teenagers, the degree of influence may differ. Celebrities may act as good or as bad role models. This study employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods including (1) preliminary survey, (2) analysis of media content from quantitative and qualitative points of view, and (3) focus group discussions with different categories of Bangkok teenagers. These evolved around a selection of media items related to issues of fashion, substance abuse, and sexuality. The findings provided evidence that the meanings the young audiences derived from the celebrity coverage did not always coincide with those encoded by the media and that often alternative readings were generated alongside the preferred reading. Cultural ideologies and social environment were found to be the most significant factors impacting the text decoding. This investigation did not corroborate the popular belief that Bangkok teenagers were uncritical victims of media coverage. Data confirmed that they are critical and active media users and the extent to which their behavior is shaped by the media is relatively limited. Celebrity culture did not seem to influence Bangkok youth to an extent that can be regarded as socially harmful or culturally detrimental. On the contrary, it had certain positive effects in areas such as education, music, sports, and lifestyles. Peer groups were found to be more influential than celebrities in areas such as substance abuse and sexuality. This project makes contributions to the area of mass communication; audience reception and media effects in particular, and celebrity and youth culture studies.