نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 استادیار، دانشکده هنرهای دیجیتال، دانشگاه صداوسیما
2 کارشناسی ارشد سینما، دانشکده سینما تئاتر، دانشگاه هنر، تهران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
The subgenre of black comedy employs shocking and grotesque imagery to expose the absurdity and inherent destructiveness of human-constructed systems. Adopting a multidisciplinary theoretical framework that synthesizes philosophical, sociological, and psychoanalytic perspectives, the research investigates how McDonagh's distinctive visual style and narrative strategies construct a sophisticated black comedy aesthetic that simultaneously shocks, amuses, and provokes profound existential reflection. Key dimensions analyzed include violence and taboo subjects, or graphic yet humorous depictions of murder, automation and dehumanization, or mechanical, detached responses to trauma, the uncanny and the forbidden, or disruptions of normality, carnivalesque grotesque realism, or exaggerated bodily decay, disfigurement, monstrous and bizarre figures, or characters embodying moral or physical corruption, masks and false identities, mental and physical health struggles, death-centric narratives, or existential futility, and surrealism and absurdism, or illogical yet meaningful chaos. The study reveals that McDonagh’s films consistently visualize the iconography of black comedy through absurdism and existential meaninglessness, social alienation and rejection, unresolved or unhappy endings, and taboo subjects and death obsession. the study conducts an iconographic analysis of recurring visual motifs across McDonagh's oeuvre, identifying and categorizing the key pictorial elements that constitute his black comedy vocabulary. These motifs are organically reflected in the visual elements of his works and, through the use of masks, puppets, ghosts, and automaton-like behaviors, convey the concept of the uncanny to the audience. Additionally, the prominent presence of grotesque elements in these works is evident. The depiction of mutilated and deformed bodies on the verge of collapse starkly illustrates the contrast between life and death, beauty and ugliness, evoking conflicting emotions in the audience and creating a dual experience of pleasure and disgust. Elements of the carnivalesque are also visible in McDonagh's works, where social norms are subverted and transgressive behaviors are displayed, offering a temporary escape from the constraints of everyday life. Another noteworthy aspect in these films is the blurred boundaries between the human and the non-human. Animals such as dogs and donkeys not only play symbolic roles but also occasionally appear as creatures with human emotions, forming deep connections with the main characters. This approach, by erasing traditional boundaries between the animate and the inanimate, invites the audience to reconsider the definition of humanity and its place in the world. Finally, death, as one of the central themes of black comedy, plays a pivotal role in McDonagh's works. Using various rhetorical devices such as understatement, exaggeration, and hyperbole, he portrays issues like suicide, murder, and the display of corpses and death—not merely in a tragic light but as a source of black comedy and an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of life and human mortality. Through close readings of key sequences across all five films, the research shows how McDonagh's visual style evolves while maintaining core black comedy principles. The findings demonstrate McDonagh's systematic use of these elements, creating a distinctive visual identity in his films that validates the effectiveness of auteur-focused iconographic theory for analyzing black comedy in cinema.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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