Witajcie w patafizyce! Oswajanie śmierci, prożnia imienia w „Soku z żuka” Tima Burtona
Welcome to Pataphysics! Taming of Death, Vacuum of the Proper Name in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice”

Summary/Abstract: In Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” (1988), as in all his movies, a lot is said about death, but death, according to the spirit of postmodernism, is approached here lightly and carelessly. Actually, there is no difference between death and life. For Burton, real death is something different – a state of stagnation and lethargy, a repetition of the same patterns of acting, all of which have been named “tautologies” here. To counteract them, the American director introduces the title character, who triggers off anarchy and decay, who incurs an avalanche of nonsense onto the movie world. This character goes so much beyond any schemes that there is not even a stable version of its name – sometimes it is “Beetlejuice”, another time “Betelgeuse”, however, there is no way to decide which of these versions is correct and final. At the same time, the narration is shaped accordingly, without any clear rules. This type of popular cinema, but entering the mainstream anyway, was called “the pataphysical cinema” by one of the authoresses writing about Burton (this term stemming from Pataphysics conceived of by Alfred Jarry).

• Details
• Contents