CFP: The Disintegration of Imagination: Exploring Richard Kelly's Donnie
Darko - Director's Cut (08/22/06; NEMLA, 03/01/07-03/04/07)
 
 

NEMLA's 38th Annual Convention March 1-4, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland

A cult-favorite, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko (2001) was a
thought-provoking, sensitive triumph for this first-time
writer/director. Three years following its release, Kelly unveiled his
director's cut. Painfully bloated with an excess of information, Kelly
stunningly stripped this film of its previous "magic." Clearly, Kelly
had never heard the cliche "less is more." The new film fails on nearly
every level: in fact, even its revamped soundtrack is embarrassingly
amateurish. While many audience-members found this new release more
accessible, equally as many were horrified at its revealing nature:
nothing was left to the imagination. Why did Kelly elect to release
his original, uninspired vision to his fans? Was he "dumbing-down" a
complex, existential film simply to garner a larger audience? Are
there any redeeming qualities to this new release? Is there any
recovering from the damage this new release has caused? Moreover,
while this new-release reveals much about the director, it is also
reveals much about modern audiences. This panel will address both the
uncanny success of the original film (why did it appeal to
discriminating viewers?) and the grotesque director's cut (what does it
reveal about the current state of film-art? what does it reveal about
society?)
 
Please send proposals for this roundtable
discussion to Erica Joan Dymond at ejd3_at_lehigh.edu

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Received on Sat May 27 2006 - 13:27:06 EDT