Books by Sylvie Magerstaedt
TV Antiquity. Swords, sandals, blood and sand
TV antiquity explores representations of ancient Greece and Rome throughout television history. T... more TV antiquity explores representations of ancient Greece and Rome throughout television history. The first comprehensive overview of the 'swords and sandals' genre on the small screen, it argues that these shows offer a distinct perspective on the ancient world. The book traces the historic development of fictional representations of antiquity from the staged black-and-white shows of the 1950s and 1960s to the most recent digital spectacles. One of its key insights is that the structure of serial television is at times better suited to exploring the complex mythic and historic plots of antiquity. Featuring a range of case studies, from popular serials like I, Claudius (1976) and Rome (2005-8) to lesser known works like The Caesars (1968) and The Eagle of the Ninth (1976), the book illustrates how broader cultural, political and economic issues have over time influenced the representation of antiquity on television.
Body, Soul and Cyberspace in Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema
Body, Soul and Cyberspace explores how recent science-fiction cinema addresses questions about th... more Body, Soul and Cyberspace explores how recent science-fiction cinema addresses questions about the connections between body and soul, virtuality, and the ways in which we engage with spirituality in the digital age. The book investigates notions of love, life and death, taking an interdisciplinary approach by combining cinematic themes with religious, philosophical and ethical ideas. Magerstädt argues how even the most spectacle-driven mainstream films such as Avatar, The Matrix and Terminator can raise interesting and important questions about the human self and our interaction with the world. Apart from these well-known science fiction epics, her analysis also draws on recent works, such as Inception, The Thirteenth Floor, eXistenZ, Aeon Flux, Total Recall (2012), Transcendence and TRON: Legacy. These films stimulate an engaging discussion on what makes us human, the role memory plays in understanding ourselves, and how virtual realities challenge the moral concepts that govern human relationships.
Philosophy, Myth and Epic Cinema - Beyond Mere Illusions
Philosophy, Myth and Epic Cinema looks at the power of cinema in creating ideas that inspire our ... more Philosophy, Myth and Epic Cinema looks at the power of cinema in creating ideas that inspire our culture. Sylvie Magerstädt discusses the relationship between art, illusion and reality, a theme that has been part of philosophical debate for centuries. She argues that with the increase in use of digital technologies in modern cinema, this debate has entered a new phase. She discusses the notion of illusions as a system of stories and values that inspire a culture similar to other grand narratives, such as mythology or religion. Cinema thus becomes the postmodern ‘mythmaking machine’ par excellence in a world that finds it increasingly difficult to create unifying concepts and positive illusions that can inspire and give hope.
The author draws on the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, Siegfried Kracauer and Gilles Deleuze to demonstrate the relevance of continental philosophy to a reading of mainstream Hollywood cinema. The book argues that our longing for illusion is particularly strong in times of crisis, illustrated through an exploration of the recent revival of historic and epic myths in Hollywood cinema, including films such as Troy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Clash of the Titans.
Kultfilm und Zivilisationskritik
The essay discusses the Mad Max Trilogy from a socio-cultural point of view, looking at the portr... more The essay discusses the Mad Max Trilogy from a socio-cultural point of view, looking at the portrayal of the downfall and rebuilding of societal structures, developed throughout the 3 films in the series.
Conference Papers by Sylvie Magerstaedt
Finding the right balance between the larger socio-political events and the complex personal rela... more Finding the right balance between the larger socio-political events and the complex personal relationships and intrigues has always been a challenge for films and television programmes set during the times of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. One of the most caricatured (or simply ignored) figures of this period is Roman emperor Tiberius, who has generally been portrayed as a paranoid and deviant sociopath. The famous BBC show I, Claudius, for example, portrays him as a frivolous and depraved player in the family intrigues of the Augustan palace.
In contrast, the six-part British television show The Caesars (1968) offers an altogether more fascinating and unusual portrayal of the Roman emperor and his immediate successors. Unlike the soap-opera antics of the imperial family shown in I, Claudius, the focus of The Caesars is firmly on the complex political and social issues of the early Roman Empire. It shows Tiberius as a reluctant but shrewd politician, who is quite aware of the often impossible challenges of his role as ‘princeps’ – first citizen. As such, the series offers numerous insightful reflections on the role and fragility of republican values that still sound relevant for contemporary audiences. The promotional campaign for the show also linked it directly to the socio-political environment of the time, encouraging the audience to draw parallels between ancient and modern power-politics. My paper aims to review this programme and will aim to demonstrate that it offers a fascinating political drama that deserves renewed attention in our troubled times.
French Philosopher Gilles Deleuze (1989, p.259) suggested in the mid-1980s that the ‘life or the ... more French Philosopher Gilles Deleuze (1989, p.259) suggested in the mid-1980s that the ‘life or the afterlife of cinema depends on its struggle with informatics’. He predicted that digital technologies would have a dramatic impact on the technological and aesthetical development of cinema. That ‘struggle’ is evident in contemporary science fiction cinema, but it reflects not just our connection to technology, but also to religion and spirituality. My proposed paper will look at how this struggle is unfolding with regards to human self-identity, postmodern spirituality and the relationship with our world. In this context, I will investigate why contemporary science fiction rather than destroying religious sentiments, do heavily trade ‘in religious goods and thus provide a new space, a cyberspace, for religious imagination.’ (Caputo, 2001, p.68)
I will further argue that over the last two decades we can observe a gradual shift from a largely dystopian treatment of machines, artificial intelligence and virtual realities to a more ambiguous portrayal that shows the opportunities as well as the dangers of virtual worlds. John Caputo had suggested that the very nature of virtual realities – in that they challenge our perception of what is real and provide a sense of something beyond – is deeply religious. This paper will therefore explore the spiritual concepts that are explicitly and implicitly played out in contemporary science fiction cinema. For example, whereas The Matrix largely relies on Judaeo-Christian symbolism – Neo as the Messiah, his girlfriend Trinity, Zion as the last remaining human city and so on – Avatar seems to draw heavily on a naturalistic, pagan spirituality. The latter is, however, also very postmodern and adapted to a cyber-universe. It is thus not surprising that so many viewers are drawn towards the basic mythic and spiritual concepts presented in a hyper-modern, technologically enhanced, cyber-world such as Pandora in Avatar. Part of this development is – as I will argue – that spirituality becomes more ‘materialistic’. We can find this ‘material’ spirituality for instance in the electronic-organic networks and the ‘Tree of Souls’ in Avatar. On the one hand nature here is mysterious and spiritual, but on the other hand it can also be measured with scientific methods. I therefore argue that what we find in contemporary science fiction is often a synthesis of spiritual and material aspects. As a consequence ideas of belief and religiosity also become progressively linked to a materialistic dimension.
Yet, while spirituality becomes increasingly materialistic, we run the risk of turning the body into something mystical and ephemeral. Within virtual worlds, the body at times only remains ‘as a heavily charged trace object of a remotely remembered […] sense of the encompassing unity of natural physicality, the sense of simultaneous physical and social containment that came from a fated/unalterable relationship to one’s body.’ (Csicsery-Ronay, 2002, p.75) The statement indicates the social relationships that are linked to the body. As a consequence, it becomes clear that body and soul are by no means independent and that by making the body disposable and open to endless modifications as suggested in some of the post-humanist debates, we risk losing a sense of wholeness that identifies us as human beings. It becomes evident that the ‘encompassing unity’ is a crucial aspect of the soul which needs embodiment as much as transcendence. This is reflected by Anderson, who describes human life as ‘the spiritual saga of the creaturely soul: limited, but also expressed through physical embodiment; distressed, but also inspired through the power of spirit; mortal, but also graced with the promise of immortality through the promise of God.’ (1998, p.188) The use of religious concepts immerged in high-tech narratives reflect our own struggles with the notions of embodiment, power and mortality in a world of (almost) endless possibilities. This is why particularly the shift in our relation with technology as outlined above highlights an underlying need for spiritual meaning.
Research Posters by Sylvie Magerstaedt
The 2004 Science-Fiction film Aeon Flux tells the story of the last remaining city on earth. Surr... more The 2004 Science-Fiction film Aeon Flux tells the story of the last remaining city on earth. Surrounded by a dense and dangerous jungle, Bregna is a beautiful and immaculate garden state, far from many of the dystopian depictions of post-apocalyptic cities in the history of Science-fiction cinema. Yet all is not as it seems, as the manicured gardens soon turn into deadly weapons when the film raises important questions about the moral implications of our striving for perfection and control of nature.
Conference Presentations by Sylvie Magerstaedt
With regard to portrayals of Greco-Roman antiquity on screen, there is one area that stands out f... more With regard to portrayals of Greco-Roman antiquity on screen, there is one area that stands out from the usual backdrop of sun, sand and sandals, may this be the austere Greek scenery of Italian peplums or the grant and colourful colonnades and palaces of Imperial Rome. These are stories set in Roman Britannia. The climate, the scenery, the ferocious Celtic tribes all create a look distinct from films and TV shows set in other parts of the Roman Empire. Yet, there is another reason why those stories is of particular interest for scholars exploring screen portrayals of antiquity. It has been noted that Imperial Rome has frequently been linked to British Imperial power, particularly in the minds of US audiences. Narratives set in Roman Britain, however, complicate this issue. In the 1970s, television shows like BBC’s The Eagle of the Ninth (1976), based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel, Warrior Queen (ITV, 1978) and even farcical comedies like Chelmsford 123 (1988, Channel 4) grappled with the relationship between occupying Romans and occupied Britons. More recently, the topic featured prominently on the large screen as films like Centurion (2010) and The Eagle (2011) have revived Sutcliff’s story. Most interesting of all, several film versions (King Arthur, 2004; The Last Legion, 2007 and even King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, 2017) have to varying degrees tried to connect the Roman occupation of Britain with Arthurian legend, thus weaving Roman Britannia firmly into the British national myth. My talk provides a brief overview of representations of Roman Britain in film and television, before exploring recent connections between Arthurian myths and Roman-British history as well as related issues that arise from debates around imperialism and national identity.
This is very much a work in progress that I plan to turn into a more substantial published work in due course, so any feedback, comments or queries welcome.
Papers by Sylvie Magerstaedt
Characters create plot" : Lajos Egris “The Art of Dramatic Writing” als Drehbuchtheorie und seine praktische Anwendung am Beispiel von Billy Wilders “Sunset Boulevard”
GRIN Verlag eBooks, 2002
Philosophy, Myth and Epic Cinema: Beyond Mere Illusions
Philosophy, Myth and Epic Cinema looks at the power of cinema in creating ideas that inspire our ... more Philosophy, Myth and Epic Cinema looks at the power of cinema in creating ideas that inspire our culture. Sylvie Magerstädt discusses the relationship between art, illusion and reality, a theme that has been part of philosophical debate for centuries. She argues that with the increase in use of digital technologies in modern cinema, this debate has entered a new phase. She discusses the notion of illusions as a system of stories and values that inspire a culture similar to other grand narratives, such as mythology or religion. Cinema thus becomes the postmodern ‘mythmaking machine’ par excellence in a world that finds it increasingly difficult to create unifying concepts and positive illusions that can inspire and give hope. The author draws on the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, Siegfried Kracauer and Gilles Deleuze to demonstrate the relevance of continental philosophy to a reading of mainstream Hollywood cinema. The book argues that our longing for illusion is particularly strong in times of crisis, illustrated through an exploration of the recent revival of historic and epic myths in Hollywood cinema, including films such as Troy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Clash of the Titans.
Religions, Nov 22, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Upload, Cyber-Spirituality and the Quest for Immortality in Contemporary Science-Fiction Film and Television
Religions, 2024
As a genre, science fiction has long played with the idea of all-powerful virtual beings and expl... more As a genre, science fiction has long played with the idea of all-powerful virtual beings and explored notions of transcendence through technological advancements. It has also been at the forefront of exploring our anxieties and hopes regarding new technologies and the ethical and moral consequences of scientific advancement, raising deeply philosophical and theological concerns about an age-old question, namely: what makes us distinct as human beings and what lies beyond our own existence? This article aims to provide an overview of recent themes that have emerged in science fiction film and television, especially with regard to extending our lives beyond their natural biological age. As the article will outline, these ideas generally appear in notions of cyborgization or mind uploading into cyberspace. Both indicate a deeply human desire to avoid death, and the films and shows discussed in this article offer a range of different ideas on this. As we will see, the final case study, the Amazon Prime television show Upload (2020–), brings both of these elements together, touching on a broad range of ideas about cyber-spirituality along the way. The article concludes that although many shows raise interesting questions about the ethical challenges inherent in transhumanist fantasies of mind uploading, they ultimately remain ambiguous in their critique of the dream of digital immortality.
"Characters create plot" - Lajos Egris "The Art of Dramatic Writing" als Drehbuchtheorie und seine praktische Anwendung am Beispiel von Billy Wilders Film „Sunset Boulevard“
Philosophische Voraussetzungen von Deleuzes Arbeit über das Kino
The work discusses the philosophical basis of Deleuze's cinema books, particularly Deleuze's inte... more The work discusses the philosophical basis of Deleuze's cinema books, particularly Deleuze's interpretation of theories by Bergson and Nietzsche.
Der tragische Gott - Über den Begriff des Dionysischen in Nietzsches "Die Geburt der Tragödie"
Short analysis on the role of the Dionysos myth in Nietzsches work, particularly The Birth of Tra... more Short analysis on the role of the Dionysos myth in Nietzsches work, particularly The Birth of Tragedy. First written as an essay as part of my MA in Philosophy at the University of Leipzig. Published with minor revisions.
Philosophische Voraussetzungen von Gilles Deleuzes Arbeit über das Kino
GRIN Verlag eBooks, 2002
Westminster papers in communication and culture, Aug 1, 2008
's work Filmosophy can be considered one of the most recent analyses of Gilles Deleuze's theories... more 's work Filmosophy can be considered one of the most recent analyses of Gilles Deleuze's theories on cinema, especially in its relationship to philosophy. But Frampton's book is more than that. It goes beyond the French philosopher in its argument that film, analogous to philosophy can be regarded not simply as an art form but as thinking itself, a system of thoughts, ideas and memories. He writes that 'Cinema believes in its objects just as we have a belief about our past. Film can thus possibly help us understand our own forms of memory and recollection.' (p. 19). That does not mean that film simply is like thinking but rather that it is a form of thinking itself.
Der tragische Gott - Über den Begriff des Dionysischen in Nietzsches “Die Geburt der Tragödie
Page 1. Page 2. Sylvie Magerstädt Der tragische Gott - Über den Begriff des Dionysischen in Nietz... more Page 1. Page 2. Sylvie Magerstädt Der tragische Gott - Über den Begriff des Dionysischen in Nietzsches "Die Geburt derTragödie" Page 3. Page 4. GRIN -Verlag für akademische Texte Der GRIN Verlag mit Sitz in München und ...
Humanities
Questions about the relationship between truth and fiction have a long history in philosophical t... more Questions about the relationship between truth and fiction have a long history in philosophical thinking, going back at least as far as Plato. They re-emerge in more recent philosophical debates on cinema and are powerfully illustrated in Tim Burton’s 2003 film Big Fish, which narrates the story of Edward and his son Will, who tries to uncover the truth behind his father’s tall tales. Will’s desire for honesty—for facts rather stories—has led to a considerable rift between them. While the film extols the beauty of storytelling and the power of myth, it also raises questions about the relationship between honesty and myth, fact and fiction. This article explores these themes from a multidisciplinary perspective by drawing on diverse sources, including Friedrich Nietzsche’s Vom Nutzen und Nachteil der Historie für das Leben/On Truth and Lies in an Nonmoral Sense (1873), contemporary philosophical writings on fiction, the virtues of truthfulness, honesty and sincerity, as well as ideas...
Riding East—Western Myths, Nostalgia, and the Crossing of Generic Boundaries in Hidalgo (2004)
Journal of Film and Video, 2022
in recent years, several scholarly works (e.g., Broughton; Johnson et al.; Mitchell) have revisit... more in recent years, several scholarly works (e.g., Broughton; Johnson et al.; Mitchell) have revisited one of the oldest genres in film history—the Western—to examine its lasting appeal and its ability to reinvent itself through hybridization with other genres. However, when genre hybridization is considered, research often focuses on so-called weird hybrids1 (see Green; Johnson et al.) or “darker” varieties such as noir and crime fiction crossovers (e.g., Mitchell or Monticone). Joe Johnston’s Hidalgo (2004) is unusual in this context, and its ambiguous reception at the time of its release highlights some of the problems that arise when genre conventions are taken too much at face value. A closer analysis of the film, therefore, might demonstrate the value of looking beyond obvious genre tropes toward wider cinematic trends. While Hidalgo was largely dismissed by critics reading it as a Western, I will argue that the film is better understood as part of the revival of spectacular epic...
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Books by Sylvie Magerstaedt
The author draws on the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, Siegfried Kracauer and Gilles Deleuze to demonstrate the relevance of continental philosophy to a reading of mainstream Hollywood cinema. The book argues that our longing for illusion is particularly strong in times of crisis, illustrated through an exploration of the recent revival of historic and epic myths in Hollywood cinema, including films such as Troy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Clash of the Titans.
Conference Papers by Sylvie Magerstaedt
In contrast, the six-part British television show The Caesars (1968) offers an altogether more fascinating and unusual portrayal of the Roman emperor and his immediate successors. Unlike the soap-opera antics of the imperial family shown in I, Claudius, the focus of The Caesars is firmly on the complex political and social issues of the early Roman Empire. It shows Tiberius as a reluctant but shrewd politician, who is quite aware of the often impossible challenges of his role as ‘princeps’ – first citizen. As such, the series offers numerous insightful reflections on the role and fragility of republican values that still sound relevant for contemporary audiences. The promotional campaign for the show also linked it directly to the socio-political environment of the time, encouraging the audience to draw parallels between ancient and modern power-politics. My paper aims to review this programme and will aim to demonstrate that it offers a fascinating political drama that deserves renewed attention in our troubled times.
I will further argue that over the last two decades we can observe a gradual shift from a largely dystopian treatment of machines, artificial intelligence and virtual realities to a more ambiguous portrayal that shows the opportunities as well as the dangers of virtual worlds. John Caputo had suggested that the very nature of virtual realities – in that they challenge our perception of what is real and provide a sense of something beyond – is deeply religious. This paper will therefore explore the spiritual concepts that are explicitly and implicitly played out in contemporary science fiction cinema. For example, whereas The Matrix largely relies on Judaeo-Christian symbolism – Neo as the Messiah, his girlfriend Trinity, Zion as the last remaining human city and so on – Avatar seems to draw heavily on a naturalistic, pagan spirituality. The latter is, however, also very postmodern and adapted to a cyber-universe. It is thus not surprising that so many viewers are drawn towards the basic mythic and spiritual concepts presented in a hyper-modern, technologically enhanced, cyber-world such as Pandora in Avatar. Part of this development is – as I will argue – that spirituality becomes more ‘materialistic’. We can find this ‘material’ spirituality for instance in the electronic-organic networks and the ‘Tree of Souls’ in Avatar. On the one hand nature here is mysterious and spiritual, but on the other hand it can also be measured with scientific methods. I therefore argue that what we find in contemporary science fiction is often a synthesis of spiritual and material aspects. As a consequence ideas of belief and religiosity also become progressively linked to a materialistic dimension.
Yet, while spirituality becomes increasingly materialistic, we run the risk of turning the body into something mystical and ephemeral. Within virtual worlds, the body at times only remains ‘as a heavily charged trace object of a remotely remembered […] sense of the encompassing unity of natural physicality, the sense of simultaneous physical and social containment that came from a fated/unalterable relationship to one’s body.’ (Csicsery-Ronay, 2002, p.75) The statement indicates the social relationships that are linked to the body. As a consequence, it becomes clear that body and soul are by no means independent and that by making the body disposable and open to endless modifications as suggested in some of the post-humanist debates, we risk losing a sense of wholeness that identifies us as human beings. It becomes evident that the ‘encompassing unity’ is a crucial aspect of the soul which needs embodiment as much as transcendence. This is reflected by Anderson, who describes human life as ‘the spiritual saga of the creaturely soul: limited, but also expressed through physical embodiment; distressed, but also inspired through the power of spirit; mortal, but also graced with the promise of immortality through the promise of God.’ (1998, p.188) The use of religious concepts immerged in high-tech narratives reflect our own struggles with the notions of embodiment, power and mortality in a world of (almost) endless possibilities. This is why particularly the shift in our relation with technology as outlined above highlights an underlying need for spiritual meaning.
Research Posters by Sylvie Magerstaedt
Conference Presentations by Sylvie Magerstaedt
This is very much a work in progress that I plan to turn into a more substantial published work in due course, so any feedback, comments or queries welcome.
Papers by Sylvie Magerstaedt