Karl Marx was a 19th century German philosopher who developed influential social and political theories about capitalism and class struggle. Some key aspects of Marxist theory discussed in the document are: - Society is divided into classes based on relationships to economic systems like capitalism. - Ideology perpetuates existing power structures by making them seem natural. - Works of art and media reflect the class interests of their time and can challenge or maintain the status quo. - Material conditions directly impact people's lives and analyzing these is important for understanding society and enacting positive change.

1. Marxist & Materialist
Film Theory

2. First some history…
Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a
German philosopher, economist,
political theorist, sociologist,
journalist and revolutionary
socialist. Born in Trier to a
middle-class family, Marx later
studied political economy and
Hegelian philosophy.

3. Overview of Karl’s Ideas
• Social Organisation - 3 Classes
- aristocracy
- bourgeoisie
- proletariat
• Capitalism & unequal distribution of wealth vs.
Socialism & equal distribution of wealth
• Materialist analysis: material conditions (housing,
work environment, education, health care, etc)
directly affects quality of life

4. Ideology
• Belief system, conscious or not,
that conflates holding a point of
view with knowing the truth
• Reality is not just the way it
appears to us (defined by our
ideologies), but is the way it
actually is
• Created societies and social
roles then appear
natural,“justifying” & perpetuating
economic relationships
More Marxist Ideas…

5. Ideology
• Perpetuated through literary,
political, religious, film texts,
through media, schools, etc.
• Participation maintained thru
production, representation &
reception
• Marx’s metaphor: Camera
Obscura is any tool that shows
class relations as they are
More Marxist Ideas…

6. Key Principles
1. Attention to material conditions & critical engagement needed
for positive social change
• Outrage at gross economic inequities
• Commodity fetishism: value in material objects not equal
labor + practical use but is superseded by some “magical”
value
• Value commodities more than humans and relationships
2. Traditional social structure classes built on oppression of
workers
• Small number of people possess too much wealth
• Extreme wealth is possible only thru exploitation & poverty

7. Key Principles
value
• Value commodities more than humans and relationships
2. Traditional social structure classes built on oppression of
workers
• Small number of people possess too much wealth
• Extreme wealth is possible only thru exploitation & poverty
3. Class conflict inevitable
• Hegemony: powerful social groups naturalise domination of
others thru discourse/
• Hegemony makes status quo seem natural and
unchallengeable
• Privileged oppressors’ “right to power”
• Proletariat accept conditions as inevitable or even deserved
4. Production & consumption of texts reflects class ideology
• Past 3 centuries mostly bourgeoisie interests reflected in
texts
• For over 120 years cinema texts (i.e. Hollywood film) have
done the same.
• Representations within texts reflect class ideologies
• Texts can challenge or maintain status quo (i.e. subversive
melodramas)

8. Number 1: The formalist theory about how films can
be made (and what they should do) using dialectic
montage (putting different things/conflicting things
together to make new meaning and show how the
world really is.
For the Purpose of our class, there are two
things that we mean by Marxist Film Theory:

9. And…
Number 2: Examining the “elements of film”
from a particular text for dialectical oppositions
to find meaning. Used now generally to identify
any power relationships or structures within a
moving image text.
For the Purpose of our class, there are two
things that we mean by Marxist Film Theory:

10. Put Theory into Practice for Reading Film Texts
• Analyse class identity of characters
• Character/Narrative points: How do the socio-economic
conditions account for attitudes, actions, hopes, fears?
• To what degree are characters products of their socio-
economic status?
• How are the characters empowered or entrapped by their
conditions?
• How does conflict among different classes play out?
• Other specific cultural elements at play?
• Film maker’s attitude?
• How does any of the above manifest in the formal elements
of film?