Intertextuality and Nostalgia is the new currency of mainstream cinema. But what the heck does it mean, and is this change of direction over the last few years a good or bad thing for cinema. Let’s take a look at that and its relationship to the Netflix show Stranger Things.
You might not know what Intertextuality is but I bet if you have seen any franchise movies over the last seven years you are going to be familiar with it by another name; perhaps easter eggs, references, fan service, homages. Intertextuality by definition is ‘the relationship between texts’, for example the appearance of the millennium falcon in Star Wars Episode VII, Sauron’s appearance in Dol Guldur during the The Hobbit films and the reveal of Bond’s Specter villain Blofeld. And if you are still unsure, take a look at this video comparing Pixar’s Toy Story and how they used Weaponized Intertextuality.
Now when I say if you’ve seen a franchise movie in the last seven years, that is not to say that Intertextuality didn’t exist before then. You can’t escape Intertextuality, it is as old as storytelling itself. It is how language functions. All language reaches back and is informed by what has come before it. But now there is a new form of Intertextuality born out of the endless series of remakes, sequels, prequel and shared universe. Where as before these typically pointed to genre conventions, the influences behind the text, or historical and cultural context, but in this new generation of films, the Intertextual manifests itself as objects, people or situations that trigger an emotional or nostalgic response in its captive audience. It’s a tool in the filmmakers arsenal that has coined the ‘Weaponized Intertextuality’ term. In fact I’d argue that it has become so powerful that companies will put more time and effort into that than the actual narrative of their films.
If you are thinking to yourself: ‘well, no actually Grant, intertextuality is always secondary to the story and is just a way of saying thank you to their fans’ then I would say ‘Dude, did you even watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of the Martha-club?’. Heck, a whole game was created and spread virally across the world just by tapping into Intertextuality, remember Pokemon Go? Yeah, they obviously didn’t skimp on the core features of the game.
I digress from that rant to bring you back to the subject of this blog post. Stranger Things takes us back to 1983 in the small quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana. When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, a mysteriously powerful girl and the boy’s friends must confront horrifying forces in order to save him. The Netflix’s original drama series quickly became one of the streaming services biggest hits of all time, with nearly 8.2 million people viewing it only 16 days after release.
Part of what made Stranger Things such a success is its Weaponized Intertextualization towards 70’s and 80’s movie. One film that is extremely noticeable as a reference throughout Stranger Things is Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The mysterious character of 11 or El for short appears and is taken in by the boys. She is being hunted by some kind of government organization for testing because she has powers beyond anyones understanding. However, the kids and El find a way to escape past these antagonists. Sound familiar? If that doesn’t sound like E.T enough, how about the fact that the boys are constantly riding around on their bicycles everywhere? In fact, take a look at these two scenes in which both characters are fleeing on bicycles from the organization trying to capture them.
And the references don’t stop there. Films such as Firestarter (1984), Alien (1979) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) all find a place within Stranger Things, take a look!
So how does all of this Weaponized Intertextuality contribute to the success of Stranger Things and why are the big wigs behind the film so keen to make this happen? You might have noticed that I have been talking about two very different aspects here. Well there are two kinds of Intertextuality in my mind; the obvious and the subtle. When Rey and Finn turn and run for the Millennium Falcon that is what I would call an obvious moment of Weaponized Intertextuality. It smacks us in the face and says “Hey, remember this old thing? From that old movie? Yeah! YEAH!” When we see these obvious moments we are hit with a kind of chill. In that split second everything you know about that object, person or name in question comes flooding back.
The subtle moment works a little bit different. As seen in the above video, a lot of these shots are almost like for like in their homage of movies from the 70’s and 80’s. But to the average viewer at home, hopefully engrossed in the story of Stranger Things, they aren’t going to stop and think oh that looked like such and such a shot from that movie. Rather, these shots will connect with us at a unconscious level. In the instance of Stranger Things, I feel it takes us back to movies from the 80’s because subconsciously we connect these shots with movies of that time period which happens to be when the series is set. We are subconiously reminded of that freaky alien hiding in the wheat field when the boys find El out in the woods. We are reminded of the Aliens lair when we see the government in the upside down.
And if that’s not it, then fuck it, why not just throw those shots in their because they are from other remembered classic films and having shots like those can’t be a bad thing right? Plus what director doesn’t want to be able to sit through their movie and gloat that their audience still hasn’t spotted all of the hidden easter eggs?
And why do the big cats love Intertextualization? MONEY! Why would the big cats love anything if it didn’t result in profit? The same reason we have franchises, sequel, prequels and shared universes. Because what has gone before and done well can be repeated and repeated till it is bled dry and shriveled. Using Intertextualization as a weapon for the production studios is a sure fire way of knowing what will and won’t be a financial success. If I make a new Spiderman movie and throw in little appearances of Tony Stark and make some references to other Marvel stuff then this is going to sell like hot cakes! (Lets face it, anything pounded out by Marvel will sell now just by stamping those big white letters over them).
In conclusion, Weaponized Intertextuality is neither a good or bad thing inheritantly, but rather like any tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal can be used to great or horrific effect. Whilst many have found the finite balance between effective narrative with a seasoning of Intertextuality, there are also films that overtip the balance. Netflix have so far been very deft at keeping this balance in check, not only with Stranger Things but also their Marvel properties and shows like Rick & Morty. Stranger Things knows what it wants to use its Intertextuality to convey and does so to marvelous effect. What are your thoughts?
Grant Snaith presents: 