Subtext in the dialogue in climax of a film as a directorial method for avoiding melodramatic clichés

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyse the presentation of melodramatic clichés in the genre structures of melodrama; to compare the climactic scenes of melodramas and to highlight the problem of melodramatic character of the dialogue in the climax of the film; to prove that the subtext is one of the tools to reduce the pathetic nature of melodrama. The research methodology. The study of directors' methods of avoiding melodramatic clichés in the dialogue in the climax of the film required a comprehensive application of art historical and cultural scientific methods. The following methods were used in the course of the research: systematic-analytical method (for studying and analysing the genre structures of melodramas), comparative method (for comparing the climaxes of genre and art-house melodramatic climaxes), and classification method (for generalising and systematising the findings). The scientific novelty lies in the attempt to comprehend the climax scenes of genre and author's art-house melodramas for the presence of melodramatic clichés, to typify clichéd dialogues and directorial methods to avoid them. Conclusions. In this study, the culminating scenes of melodramas were analysed, and melodramatic cliches were identified. Upon comparing these scenes, it was found that dialogue is one of the factors contributing to the stereotypical melodrama. Films without such cliches were proposed for analysis. The films of Paul Thomas Anderson were used as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of using dialogue with subtext, which is one of the tools to avoid excessive sentimentality in melodrama. It was concluded that the re-interpretation of other melodramatic cliches by directors is a promising direction for further research in the genre of melodrama.