Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences

Research Article
ISSN 1112-9867 Special Issue
Available online at http://www.jfas.info

CINEMA OF STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

S. F. Hejazi

Master of Arts, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Yazd branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd,
Iran

Published online: 15 February 2016

ABSTRACT
The present paper is about the characteristics of the stream of consciousness style in cinema and
it is based on the principles of the related technique in literature. This study aims to design the
theoretical principles of the stream of consciousness technique in cinema. To achieve this goal, in
the present analytical-descriptive study, the library and field method is used. From the results of
this study, we achieve a relatively complex structure of the stream of consciousness style in
cinema that crosses the border restrictions of the previous genres and it is rooted in the modern
cinema. It also expresses factors that can have different perceptions.
Key Words: cinema, stream of consciousness, subjective cinema.

Author Correspondence, e-mail: [email protected]

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jfas.v8i2s.504

INTRODUCTION
Any cinematic work, with different perceptions of its surrounding world, creates new realities
that are much wider than the scope of the events in a story. It depicts the events in such a way
that would fit within different temporal, spatial and narrative frameworks and it can lead to full
induction of the concepts. Sometimes in the film the author, in order to show the immeasurable
truth, creates the characters, the events and his totality in such a way that would subjectively and
physically astonish and involve the viewers. Also, the film refers to the infinite reality and its
subjective perspective in life, so that the events would happen around it and they will be recorded

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S. F. Hejazi et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 671-687 672

and thus, they would influence the entire process and make a different future. The aim of this
study is to analyze the characteristics of the stream of consciousness technique in film and to
study the fluidity of mind in this art media that is full of effective and productive elements and
thus to reach an understanding of the complex structure of film based on the stream of
consciousness technique.
The Creation and Development of Subjective Cinema in the World
In the golden age of cinema in Germany, Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s film, The Joyless Street (1925),
developed new means of expression to reflect the inner self based on the choice of the angles of
camera. By selecting the camera position, the director creates an unconscious preparation in the
spectator that a certain scene or character is interpreted based on his plan. His second film called
Secrets of a Soul (1926), translates the story of a subjectively ill person into cinematic language.
The film was produced under the observation of two followers of Freud, Dr. Hanns Sachs and Dr.
Karl Abrham. It was the first film that seriously placed psychoanalysis as its central theme. In
this work, visionary images and objects are full of emotional charge. In order to communicate
between objects and people, Pabst, creates cut and slashed shots. He also used dream symbols. In
fact, he perceived the camera as a surgical instrument and in this way he showed the concepts
behind the semblance. He showed all the subjective and emotional factors with effective, clear
and exaggerated cinematic images. Thus, film images will stay in the mind, long after the film is
finished. Then they enter the unconscious and are mixed with dreams (Knight, 2012).
After the sunset of the German cinema, in Russia the new cinema began its activity. Two of its
directors, Grigori Kozintzer and Leonid Trauberg, created a new cinematic expressionism that is
based on exaggerated gestures and strange filming angles that could successfully, express
emotional content of the scene.
All these new events result from the works of one of the filmmakers of pre-Russian revolution
era who did not take part in the immigration of 1917 and remained in Russia. He was none other
than Lev Kuleshov. Another director who was trained by him was Vsevolod I. Pudovkin who
placed much attention on the emotional contents of the shots. Pudovkin believed that cinema is a
means of visual expression and thus the perfect visual roads should be discovered so that in
addition to the story, the psychological characteristics would be transferred. According to him,
the emotional and inner status of the character is called pulp. In Pudovkin’s films, we face scenes
in which the character’s face is cut and his thoughts are shown. At that time, he was known as the
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best director who could reveal the characteristics of the heroes in the best way, since he knew
well how to get his audience to sympathize with the characters of the film. Pavlov discovered
Conditioned reflexes and Pudovkin did a lot of work with him and because of that more than
other filmmakers he was familiar with the nature of human reflections and reactions. In fact,
Pudovkin was influenced by Pavlov and Pabst was influenced by Freud and both depict separate
cinematic methods that have many common similarities (Knight, 2012).
Then in 1925, another director, Alexander Dovzhenko emerged in Soviet cinema. He made films
that were full of irony and metaphors and their meanings were not easily grasped by the common
man. He planned the unprecedented new film projects and continued the scenes in such a way
that a major theme would be pursued rather than a series of actions. For him the cinematic
expression was very important. Therefore, he presented his thoughts in the form of characters and
taking into account the primary sources, he tries to improve it and thus the film is full of
metaphorical images. The way that Dovzhenko takes, reminds us of great poetry. The
personification techniques can be seen in the film Arsenal (1929) by Dovzhenko. In his boiling
emotions and communication and evoking images occur. At that time the attention and audacity
of the directors in cutting has led to multi-temporality and simultaneity and thus the course linear
narrative in time and place is distorted (Ibid.).
After the world war, all of the cinemas especially in the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, and the
Soviet Union had declined. Only the French cinema would have little power and could be
renewed. In the French cinema there was an atmosphere of elegance and emotional expression
that attracted many artists who that not every emotional expression can be depicted through
language and other factors such as the environment is also important. In the continuation of this
process many story writers are also among the people who worked in the cinema and their serious
consideration in that time to use literature as a linking tool, leads to a connection between cinema
and literature (Ibid.).
Most of the innovations first come into existence through literature and although this bond had
existed before, after this event it was followed more seriously. In fact, in this period, the effects
of all the other arts on cinema become more intense. Other events that happened as continuing the
revitalization of the French cinema with the pioneers of the European cinema are a strong desire
to break away from conventional forms of film and to find an untapped world for the camera.
Thus diverse and new experiences occurred in the cinema like single or insubstantial films or
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using the camera like a brush painting and so on, that the scope of this description, is beyond the
present discussion.
Following these developments, all the recent movements in painting as Impressionism, Cubism,
Dadaism and Surrealism, have interfered in cinema. For example, the Impressionists have made
Louis Delluc their leader, since he believed that fiction is a kind of painting. The Smiling
Madame Beudet, is about the internal dialogue, monologue, of a woman and through that we can
see her imaginary worlds. In 1923, Man Ray presented the film, The Return to Reason, based on
Dadaists’ anarchy. Based on Dadaists’ law, he showed everything that he could and connected
them to each other. The presented discontinuity and chaos that result from the search or absurd
and astonishing things, all were important in shaping cinema of stream of consciousness. Fernand
Leger, who was one of the first Cubist painters, made an abstract film called Ballet Mécanique.
With the repetition of one shot, he created a strong desire in the audience that raises their physical
action (Knight, 2012).
Another movement emerged in cinema that was called Surrealism. Its most famous film is The
Golden Age. Their main objective that covered every aspect was to break the customs and to seek
the beauty of the world beyond the human intellect. One factor that attracted many filmmakers to
this school was presenting dream images. Reputation and familiarity with the teachings of
Sigmund Freud among other European intellectuals, between the two world wars, had created a
new language for describing the specifics of the unconscious. The spectators who were watching
the surrealistic films thought that they were sneaking into the inner and private turmoil of an
individual. In these films, they could influence the audience using dream and nightmare scenes. It
should be noted that although they did not have the passion and radicalism of the Dadaists,
Freud’s ideas had a strong root among them. The film Un Chien Andalouc (1929), by Luis
Bunuel and Salvador Dali, is strongly influenced by Freudian theories. They strongly avoid
reasonable and justified aspects and showed the imaginary and visionary dreams. In fact, they
created images that according to them were more real than the reality. The philosophy of many
artists in 1920-30 was art for art’s sake that was transformed with 1929 crash. The crash led
people to seek beautiful images and a dreamy world (Ibid.).
After the end of World War II, willingness to experiment and to test forms and methods and ideas
had increased, which led to new events. In the early decades of cinema, many techniques and
tricks grew and technical and artistic films were revived again. The presented films were
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concerned with technique and were strongly mixed with it. Thus the development of cinema had
increased dramatically. At this point, abstract films were continued which were followed by
intellectual films. These works were in fact, fiction films of the leading artists that were narrated
based on Freudian forms and allusions, that at the end of the third decade entered the cinema by
the surrealists. In these films, everything is a figure and the metaphors and images that create the
film are completely personal and private. These images will make the mind wander and the logic
slow. The purpose of most of them was shaking the viewer with sounds and images. It did not use
evocative images and actions. In fact, to describe the characteristics of a good film it is better to
say that the ratio of an intellectual film to a normal film is like the ratio of a text to poetry. This
means that in an intellectual film, similar to poetry, its transition and success completely depends
on the artist’s sensitivity and his ability to transfer his personal and private impressions (Ibid.).
Alain Resnais, one of the pioneers of modern cinema, after the end of World War II and his
participation in it, decided to pursue a movie career. He made a series of short films about art and
living artists but then tended to social and historical subjects. The climax of this type of his films
is Night and Fog (1955), which is one of the most influential films about the Holocaust and
concentration camps of Nazi Germany’s regime. Despite the heavy and shocking theme of the
film, he created an elegant and passionate work. With this film he showed that different contents
can be expressed with subtlety and sensitivity in cinema and he turned this feature or skill to his
special handwriting style in cinema. Resnais alongside Michelangelo Antonionie is known as one
of the creators of the language of modern cinema. With his first two films, Hiroshima Mon
Amour and Last Year at Marienbad, Alain Resnais, reconciled the cinema with the most
advanced and the most recent techniques of modern novel.
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959), is based on a novel by Marguerite Duras. Although the unfamiliar
language and confusing story of the film, puzzled the audience in its first premiere, but it opened
a new way for modern cinema. In his next film, Last Year at Marienbad, showed a more radical
approach to narrative. Alain Robbe-Grillet, one of the pioneers of the new novel, wrote its
screenplay and the film translated stream of consciousness in cinematic language.
With these two films, Resnais approached the narrative language of the cinema to the complex
function of the human mind, with all the fluctuations and this happened for the first time, fully
and knowingly in the history of western cinema. Perhaps even before this time there were some
references to these spaces, especially in the surrealistic works throughout history. But officially,
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the first film that approaches man’s complex thoughts was made and displayed by Resnais.
Because at that point he consciously tried to transform such spaces from modernist novels into
cinematic signs and display them in the film’s context. After him, to date, many similar works are
known to use the stream of consciousness technique. Perhaps the most familiar example in the
foreign cinema is The Others. The purpose of referring to this film is perhaps due to the large
number of its viewers.
After that, there was no effort to display man’s complicated thoughts in cinema, and because of
that this wave never turned into an official style and genre. Of course it should not be ignored that
there are many works around the world that have subjective strains or a few of the characteristics
of such cinematic perceptions that will be briefly explained.
Cinema of Stream of Consciousness
Different cinematic works at different periods are offered by many artists and each is received
based on its own stylistic features and characteristics. Due to its special stylistic characteristics, it
is possible to refer to a special cinematic style in the other arts or vice versa. Therefore, some
criteria are considered for every work, and a number of these techniques and methods are
technical elements such as lighting, editing, use of light, sound, music, frame picture, blurring the
image or multiple images and also systems which consider the function of the techniques are
taken into account in films. So, it can be concluded that the method of expression is very
important and it is called style. In fact, using the considered systems and logic in his work that
influences each other, the director distinguishes his film from other similar works. What we
understand is that the stream of consciousness is a special manner of expression for filmmakers,
since only a limited number of rules are introduced for each style and an unlimited number of
them remain unintroduced or unrealized.
Unlike the classical cinema in which narrative dominated other systems, especially the temporal
and spatial systems, in modern cinema, denying the reality is the issue; thus planning the rules as
final and definitive, if not impossible, is a very difficult task. It is true that in regard to cinematic
works, we face different genres, but there are works that cannot fit in any category. This means
that they are not limited to a certain border and with effort they have passed the restricted
borders. To a large extent, the stream of consciousness technique has invalidated the other genres.
But it has never turned into an independent genre. In fact, in this way, the process of formation
and evolution of the modern cinema could not be completed and it was fixed at a stage. Only in
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this way it can be said that with the entrance of the stream of consciousness in cinema, a new
type of works is presented that is the result of reconciliation between modern novels, especially
stream of consciousness stories with the cinema.
Since this method was first formed and recognized in literature, the first cinematic stream of
consciousness works were adaptation or cinematic translation of literary works. This ratio of
intersexuality that is shaped in a specific literary system and is placed in a cinematic system,
leads to a new experience in cinema that is rooted in European cinema and a bit in silent cinema
as well. Intersexual relations in the cinema are presented to reproduce the subject in image
format. What is important in cinema of stream of consciousness is the indirectness of this ratio.
This means that it sometimes relies on the structure of the text, narration . . . with other different
inferences. In this way, codes and systems are provided for the viewer does not have the same
implication and there are different unique perceptions for each individual who is subject to
experience.
Characteristics of Stream of Consciousness in Cinema
As mentioned before, this method does not adhere to any clear and specific rules. Nevertheless,
we will briefly analyze a number of factors and events that are present in every film and with
some manipulation they have been connected to stream of consciousness in cinema. It should be
noted that all the rules that we intend to describe, have been obtained through experisubjective
and field studies.
What should be noted in the beginning is that the film can be analyzed in terms of form, rhythm,
imagery and symbolism. Subjective images are represented with the image and rhythm in film,
using different methods. In the end, it is the director who decides to edit which part and to what
extent or to omit which materials from the story.
In cinema, signifiers are perceived in different ways. Since in cinema what is observed is what
was previously recorded and is like memory, so it should be stated that cinema, more than any
other media is dependent on sensory perception. It means that the signifier and the signified are
totally dependent on the imagination. Roland Barthes, in his paper “Leaving the Movie Theatre”,
mentions that at the end of the film we come out of the hypnotic state (Ahmadi, 2009). In fact,
this sentence is an emphasis on creating an amazing cinematic atmosphere that by entering it, in a
confined, lonely and dark place, fluidity enters our minds as if we have returned to the mysterious
world of before our birth.
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With the above descriptions, it is clear that the cinematographic work in any style and in any
genre, with its own characteristics, creates a slightly fluid space both physically and subjectively.
But what is of intense diversity at this stage is the fluidity of the mind that occurs more or less,
depending on the type of the presented film or genre.
What should be the first feature of the cinematic stream of consciousness is that, certainly, the
degree of challenging the mind and engaging it in this cinematic method is so vast that it can
proceed to the point of forgetting the physical location. In each film there are three different
systems of narrative logic, time and place; that one of them often dominates the other systems.
This is an issue that a lot of Russian formalists took notice of it. Therefore, we study these three
systems.
Narrative
In 1953, the act of storytelling entered the cinematic literature with writings of Etienne Svryv,
and it was used as the world of the story. Later, Christian Metz used the term in a broader sense.
The story in cinema is not the imitation of a pure and simple narrative speech that would turn into
the voice of the characters in film; it presents different concepts from the world of the story
(Ahmadi, 2009). This is similar to the formalists who tried to unite any cinematic scene with
poetic metonymy. Therefore, a foundation was established in cinema, that was more than
anything close to the language of the mind and these plans were linked with the adapted literary
statements. As mentioned before, in film, the story is narrated by different means. Unlike
literature which solely depends on one particular means of expression. For this reason, there are
many differences in cinematic and literary narration. The narrative in cinema does not just
depend on words, but images and sounds also carry the narrative. “Fluidity and camera
perception means a subjective experience from the past that is automated and mechanized”
(Feigel, 2012). In the cinema of stream of consciousness, this subjective experience creates
images that move the narrative forward.
The narrator in stream of consciousness films uses narrative techniques such as monologue,
soliloquy, omniscient point of view. But the listener is not present in the story. This means that he
is not present at the moment when the narrative is taking shape and similar to the audience who
are watching the film, he makes the narrative on par with the story. It cannot conclusively be said
that fluidity does not close the narrative or does not have an end. However, narrative does end but
finding its ending position in stream of consciousness technique is a bit difficult. In this type of
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cinema, narrative gets repeated more often and based on that it has many endings. But on the
surface, it seems that the narrative is moving forward and does not have an end. This
phenomenon, that is the incompleteness of narrative, gives the work an enigmatic and mysterious
effect and thus penetrates the mind of the audience and leads him to experience. It is clear that
narrative may not have an author but it certainly has a narrator.
Sequence and Plan
The smallest unit of narrative is called plan and between the plan and the whole film there is
sequence that is independent of the work and it creates the context of the film. In every sequence,
there is unity of time which must be obeyed but the unity of place is not an essential condition for
sequence (Ahmadi, 2009).From the above explanations, it can be understood that in cinema of
stream of consciousness, the sequences and plans are variable and they depend on the amount of
topics that are displayed. But the unity of time is not preserved. Since it moves the narrative
forward based on its fluidity, it loses its linear progress and the unities of time and place and it
will have different varieties. Therefore, cinema of stream of consciousness consists of a set of
short plans and sequences or a series without sequences or with plans that lack continuity.
It is possible that in the beginning, middle or ending of the film, here may be some repeated or
similar images. However, none of the images are similar and have been placed as an equivalent
for a narrative statement. Due to the time difference, although the subject remains the same but it
will keep some of its main features and it will lose the others. That is in every narrative
demonstration with the same image, depending on the purpose; it will highlight or fade some of
its characteristics. In this cinematic method, the appearance of the image remains the same,
however, considering the subject and the narrated images that have been developed before that
time, the audience’s mind will deal with it differently. For the audience, the scene will become a
suspicious, descriptive or even an interrogative one. In many films of stream of consciousness,
time will dominate the space and narrative logic and therefore all the above explanations will
occur.
Motivation
Motivation in cinema is a device that with its help the narrative can use the materials or lay out
the pieces and in this way it would justify the mode of expression. For example, if in a film a
flashback occurs, it may be because of different motivations such as psychological, target search,
romantic, self-identification . . . (Ahmadi, 2009). Stinton believes that every person or place that
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we know, can be seen, thought about, measured, they can be forgotten, loved, even they may be
followed or lost. Wright, in the continuation of his talk writes; “When there is a past, the mind
will act like a river and it will follow its course” (Stinton, 2010). In this way, the path will be
determined and motivation for action will begin and it will be formed. Along all these results, it
should be noted that any individual in his encounter with the art of stream of consciousness, can
regain what he receives and perhaps his perception may not have anything in common with the
others.
Plot and Story
Russian formalist critics believe that a story is a series of events in a narrative in which unities of
time and place will be observed. These unities will be formed based on cause and effect. The plot
is used for necessary stylistic factors in which the story is expressed and presented. Plot has
different patterns, such as temporal, which relies on what has occurred, return to the past or the
flashback (Lvtmn, 2011).
What is expressed in films of stream of consciousness is the fluidity and lack of linear
progression of time and narrative sequence. Thus the flashback technique or return to the past
will occur differently. Such information about the subject or character will be recounted by the
narrator and others will be presented through plans. After this, some of the information that is
stamped in our mind as a set takes us beyond the objective events of the story and they will
challenge the subjective inner life of the characters for us.
Therefore, the story in this type of film is the overall structure and the occurrence of any event. In
fact, the action of the plot in cinema of stream of consciousness is a lot and it will induce a more
dynamic flow. It should also be noted that in the plot, in addition to the narrative and fictional
elements, other elements such as titles, soundtracks, written words that explain time and place,
editing techniques, sound, etc. which are illustrative of the story, are also used. In this way, we
will succeed through plot, to reach the particular interrelations.
In the stream of consciousness technique in cinema, the plot is guided by the story. It is similar to
the time when the film is about an individual’s thoughts about an event and in the end the
audience learns that all were the character’s thoughts. But often in the cinema of stream of
consciousness, the plot is completed with the story. Since the story is unknown, the plot has a
seeking quality in the story. This relation between story and plot can occur in every film.
However, through style and method of expression, the author tries to reach the desired result. Of
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course, this does not mean that in this cinematic style the audience will shape the story and plot
based on his personal interpretations.
In general, there are three systems, narrative logic, time and space that link the story to the plot.
But in modern cinema, especially in cinema of stream of consciousness, that the method of
expression is the dominant and important element, it will eliminate the order and customary rules
and it will act in another way.
Narrative in Film
Narrator in Film
It was in the early 1940s, that in movies, especially in horror films, an external voice was used
for narration. It was a voice that was unfamiliar to the audience and played an omniscient role.
Unlike the classical period in which the narrative voice is first person, here the narrator is
completely unknown. In modern cinema, the presence of an external and unknown omniscient
voice creates a mysterious atmosphere (F.Dick, 2012).
Generally, in cinema we have two subjective viewpoints; first, displaying what the character sees
with his eyes and second, displaying what he thinks about which is narrated with the mind’s eye.
In the cinema of stream of consciousness, a look with the mind’s eye is very effective. This is
how the images and metaphorical spaces mark this importance. Here we encounter a set of
components that appear in different forms and they will show us the objective and subjective
realities of life without any sort of chronological order. Although it is the camera that narrates, in
this way we will go beyond it and will be rid of the mechanical interpretations of events and
themes.
Free Indirect Speech
In cinema, mostly we are dealing with indirect speech. In this form of expression, the predicate
may be the verbal subject, the speaker of the language, or someone else. This is similar to the
whisper of one of the characters with himself. In most of the New Wave films, this trend has led
to the movement towards the poetic cinema. In free indirect speech, the author’s life and
personality will influence not only the story of a character’s psychology, but it will also adopt his
language (Ahmadi, 2009). In cinema, a subjective view point occurs when the person takes part
in narration. The Free indirect subjective stream of consciousness technique in cinema is very
important since it provides this opportunity to look at the world indirectly rom a character’s
perspective. Of course, it is not a wise or logical view and it sounds asleep.
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The camera is the most important element that shows and makes possible the free indirect speech
and image. Its presence is similar to the presence of the narrator in the story. The camera has the
ability to see well and to see the world in the place of the character that is seen. In fact, the
camera goes beyond the objective vision and becomes subjective or mental. This is used in
modern cinema, and especially in cinema of stream of consciousness. Also in the works of some
artists, such as Andrei Tarkovsky, this phenomenon is one of the important characteristics of his
films. “Narrative is the camera’s eye to discover the natural and separate essence of thought”
(Feigel, 2012). It should be noted that if with this method there is an external sound or
commentary similar to Henry James or Gustave Flaubert’s novels, the narrative would be in the
first person singular. Nevertheless, sometimes the external sound would refer to me as someone
else, in this way the film is neither subjective nor objective, rather it is semi-subjective. In this
way the image is reflected by the camera (Ahmadi, 2009).
Time and Narrative
Textual Time
In every narrative, there are two times. For example, the novel that we read in three hours or the
film that we watch in one hundred minutes, etc. We find and receive all of them in their entirety.
This time is called textual reception time. But apart from textual reception time, every narrative
has another compact time within it that includes narrative time, time of incidents and actions.
This time is divided into two general categories: the first is the time of narrating the story and the
second is the time of narrating parts of the plot. The narrative time of the story is the considered
time of every events of the story. For example, if you see the film about the Iran-Iraq war, you
know when the beginning was and ending of the war and the film also refers to it. But the
narrative time of the plot, depending on the psychological and emotional modes of the character
is different (F.Dick, 2012).
In cinema of stream of consciousness, there is no reference to the time of the plot. In fact, time
becomes the most important question and ambiguity in film. This means that in order to portray
such phenomena, the audience does not realize the passage of time. Since time is not consistent
with narrative time. Between the time of plot and narrative time, with the loss of logical and wise
connections between them, mysterious relationships happen that lead to vague and secretive
spaces. In cinema of stream of consciousness, it is not possible to estimate time based on
narrative, unless it would be necessary to interpret it in detail. The space that we face in this type
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of cinema, leads the audience to analyze the meaning from personal perspective. It is possible to
state that this type of narrative is like a chronicle from the thoughts of the character that
accompany his memories with pieces from the past and the future.
This technique is used in Alain Resnais’s film, titled Last Year at Marienbad. This film is called
the time film or a film about time (Ahmadi, 2009, 276). This film, which is the first film made
by Resnais and is known as the translation of the cinematic stream of consciousness, the
dominant element is time not the narrative logic and location. Most of the films of stream of
consciousness, as already mentioned, are presented as expressions of character or object
especially through temporal metaphor.
Flashback and Flash-Forward
This technique is borrowed from literature and it is used as a tool by literary writers to begin the
narrative from the middle. It is used in many films that begin in the present and move to the past.
In movies, the flashback technique is used to clarify the plot and to refer to the memories of the
person. It uses different techniques such as fading the images, double image, wavy shaking of the
image and etc. The external voice is used to justify its reference to the past (Ahmadi, 2009).
Nevertheless, in cinema of stream of consciousness, the external voice is used to clarify the
position and the mental and psychological action of the characters. Using this method, the cinema
can show the thoughts of the character that he did not directly witness and to clarify the
complexities of narrative plot. Such narrative logic would generally collapse and the mind would
become a place in which narratives have more clarity.
This technique occurs using a slow fade out or fade in, dissolve, wipe or even a simple cut. In the
cinema of stream of consciousness, it is used as impersonal. That is, it is not used solely to recall
memories, but it mingles past and presents in the mind (F. Dick, 2012).And their most important
motivation for doing so is to force the audience to experience.
The clutter and dissociation of time in stream of consciousness films leads to psychological
action from the audience who watch the film. In fact, searching for the meaning does not mean
that the audience tries to find a connection between past, present and the future. However,
narrative in the cinema of stream of consciousness refers to the past and uses it for the
development of the character. In this way the filmmaker has managed to transcend the boundaries
of time and to approach the complex mechanisms of the human mind. Thus the image will be
associated with dream and it would be dreamlike, that is it would be beyond our consciousness.
S. F. Hejazi et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 671-687 684

But it will be placed in time which is the most extreme form of cinematic stream of
consciousness. Also based on the adapted story, the filmmaker may try to connect the past with
the present.
In cinema of stream of consciousness, the flash-forward technique is used to raise the expected
behavior from the character. In the end, it will show the moments that the mentally challenged
character has passed until he reaches the endings of every section of the narrative. Also it will
increase the incoherence and time reversals in the work that will lead to ambiguity and
mysteriousness of the space and it will demand the psychological behavior of the audience more
than ever.
All the mentioned cases, when examine with more attention, carry an important point. All the
possible events and phenomena can happen differently and this is the result of the mental
temptation of the filmmaker in relation to time.

CONCLUSION
Certainly, movies using the stream of consciousness style usually emerge with the skills of the
directors. The means of expression in cinema are image and sound that are used as a kind of
mental imagery and leads to a kind of imagery that has narrative structure. In this structure, the
audience is confronted with a narrative or story that somehow interprets reality. Although in
stream of consciousness works we cannot determine and ending for the plot since the events are
extracted from the mind and they may lead to judgment. This phenomenon is of great importance
in determining the meaning of the work and often due to the complexity and interrelatedness of
the theme or motif; it has the effect that the author is trying to convey a meaning is not in the
mind of the reader.
In cinematic works of stream of consciousness, dreaming is the prevalent feeling that can have
unconscious implications. However, its depiction is a difficult task. Thus the author tries to
remove the gaps and metaphorical images so that the temporal and spatial positions would not
complete each other like pieces of puzzles so as to prevent the audience to confront a linear
course. Nevertheless, this important fact is done to the extent that the necessary information for
the completion of narrative is not eroded and the author succeeds to reach his desired space. This
mixture creates a poetic, dreamlike and imaginative space. The arrangement and irregular
integration of these pieces are nothing more than the passing of everything from the disturbed
S. F. Hejazi et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 671-687 685

mind of the author- character that shows us the lack of discipline and logical sequence of events
and in this way we will get closer to the complexities of mind. Also the narrator tries to create an
atmosphere to gradually clarify the concepts and themes of narrative. This does not mean that he
will give us a final decision but he will simply provide sufficient information in relation to the
plot. It should be noted the mental works do not have specific, clear and obvious results and the
audience’s perceptions are quite unique and they reveal the results separately for each individual.
In fact, after presenting the information, narration would be the responsibility of the audience
who challenges the mind and creates new experiences.
Narrative, in stream of consciousness films, does not have a comprehensive narrative meaning
that all its components would work together, but by virtue of their passage from one mind, all
have a connection in their original nature. Not that they would have a linear process to display an
event in order to reach a conclusion. In fact, this lack of connection means plurality and
multiplicity of narration in the works which constantly begins and ends and sometimes it is
repeated. In these mental works, the disruption and destruction of the border between fiction and
reality and the breaking of time in order to create a different rhythm, occurs to convey a specific
message. But there is an order behind the whole plot. Sometimes the repetition of reality occurs
from several viewpoints. Thus the audience is confronted with a multifaceted work and the
question of uncertainty, is emphatically reminded.
In these films, the narrators are mostly first person and there are other viewpoints to carry the
narrative forward. The narrator in the face of events reaches an experience that would lead to
further experience. In fact, the narrator takes refuge in his inner world and in this way he tries to
escape the ravage conditions and the alienated feeling and in general everything that troubles
him. It is at this time that the author uses stream of consciousness, interior monologue, soliloquy
as his central narrative framework so as to reflect the inner psychological dimensions of the
characters.
In order to prevent having a tedious works of stream of consciousness, the act of narration is not
solely done by one person; however, this process is not certain. Some parts of narratives can be
added through different voices and all would get the audience to find a way in order to enter the
text. Sometimes multiple narratives would be presented simultaneously but eventually one of
them or a character within it would be the focus of attention that would highlight its own
S. F. Hejazi et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 671-687 686

margins. What should be noted is that a single narrative voice is never enough in this genre and
other elements are used to move the narrative forward.
What is certain is that in the works following a stream of consciousness technique, the narrative
or the story of the film will be formed with its ending or by presenting a whole story. In these
works, informing the audience about the dreams or the character’s personality will lead us to
psychological analysis and understanding of the film. Also in this cinematic style, there are no
certain signs to show the artificial nature of the film but the author uses all his skills to treat it as
real. This factor will be created by involving the audience and forcing him to recreate the work in
his mind, which is part of the characteristics of this style.
What is finally achieved is the modernistic nature of the stream of consciousness style which
becomes clearer with the uncertainties. In fact, the audience should be careful with the unveiling
of secrets, to achieve recognition. In this process, the epistemology of the audience and the
character are equal and therefore there may be reference to another world. In this moment when
the revelation of the mind is more than ever, the epistemology will turn to ontology, since we
should look at the world differently to enter a new and an unknown world. This is similar to a
moment of revelation or manifestation for the main character or the mental camera and it can be
like a spark that results from the analysis and judgment of the main character and his surrounding
issues.
Interpretations of these works are totally free. Although the author dominates the whole work,
there are interactions between the elements and the components and in this way the plot will
move forward. Thus, meaning in these works is very elusive and multidimensional and it is not
an established or known subject. This means that meaning is the result of a game like interaction
between the director and the audience and in this way an individual’s interference is important. A
major part of the stream of consciousness style in any medium, is created by the audience, and
that feature is of great importance; that is engaging the audience in creation and recreation of the
work that leads to multidimensional meaning and interpretation.
The story and the plot of the film have a metaphorical nature. Since the world that is described in
the story is the metaphor of another world that is known through experience. In works of stream
of consciousness, the gap between reality and imagination is removed and mostly the audience
does not understand that the text that he faces is imaginary or a perception of reality.
S. F. Hejazi et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 671-687 687

On the other hand, moving from the thoughts one or more character, and placing it in any text,
confronts us with different events. The author in the first place makes different subjective
perceptions; sometimes he mixes several genres together. This means that references from other
styles will be presented to the audience in the works of stream of consciousness style that would
lead to his confusion. The author believes that although stream of consciousness technique
belongs to the modern era, but also the characteristics of postmodernism will be found within it.
Perhaps this is because of its gradual formation and evolution over time so that the theorists can
reach a common consensus in regard to it.

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How to cite this article:

Hejazi F S. Cinema of stream of consciousness. J. Fundam. Appl. Sci., 2016, 8(2S), 671-687.