ABSTRACT
Definitions and different interpretations of theme. Theme as the truth a film embodies. How this is expressed through conflict, imagery, and visual language, and the journeys of the characters, Egri on theme as an abstract noun. This concept applied to Three Colors Blue, Rear Window. Theme as a combination of concepts, as conflicting concepts — in the case of Notorious. Articulation of theme through visual language. Thematic opposites in Notorious. Theme as issue. Theme as paradox — in Moonlight, Blue Valentine, The Wrestler. The thematic question — in Breaking Bad, American Honey. Theme emerging from the subconscious. Theme as precursor to story, as discovered through story. Theme as warning — Oedipus Rex, Burning. Theme encapsulated in a final image — Silence, Psycho. A theme as hard to express in words; the dangers of expressing theme thus. Themes of The Odyssey, Hamlet, Tree of Life, Mulholland Drive. Theme as mystery. Italo Calvino on folk tales and the honing of story.
