• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.32
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• pp.245-261
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• 2013

This paper analyzes films by director Tarsem Singh in relation to the theory of the sublime. The medium of film works in dimensions of both spectacle and narrative. Tarsem's strength mainly comes from spectacle. The visual style of Tarsem is unique and undeniably beautiful, but in a strange and magnificent way, rather than sweet and pleasant. If you accept the premises of Kant and Lyotard that the beautiful is a positive pleasure and the sublime is a negative pain, Tarsem's spectacle is certainly closer to the sublime than the beautiful. The Fall proves the director's ability in both spectacle and narrative. The spectacle of this film is so overwhelmingly huge, and vivid, it easily surpasses spectators' maximum capacity of imagination, which leaves the spectators in awe. Spectacle tends to hinder thinking thus obstruct the flow of narrative, but at the same time it blocks rational suspicion about the narrative. The spectacle of the Fall works as the power to immerse the spectators into the internal logic of the film. Since the spectators are deeply moved by the spectacle, they willingly follow the narrative of the film, the tragic adventure of the heroes which again gives the audience deep catharsis.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.30
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• pp.245-262
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• 2013

This paper analyzes three feature films that are based on Brothers Grimm's "Snow White": Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Tarsem Singh's Mirror Mirror (2012), and Rupert Sanders' Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). Disney's animation, not the original literature, is the archetype of the later films. Grimm's fairy tail does not include the kiss of Prince Charming that saved Snow White which is, in fact, borrowed from "Sleeping Beauty", nor Snow White's rapport with animals. In Snow White and the Huntsman 's case, the costume of protagonist is similar with Disney's film and some shots are almost identical with Disney's version in terms of composition and angles. Nevertheless, these films show their originality with markedly different visual styles. Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman have achieved reasonable success at the box office despite of relatively simple and predictable narratives due to the power of spectacle. While Disney's Snow White displays the model of witch that later becomes prototype of many movies, Mirror Mirror represents the unique magical world, a trompe-l'oell that can only done by director Tarsem, and Snow White and the Huntsman successfully visualizes Freudian concept of 'the uncanny' itself.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.375-390
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• 2017

The aims of this research were to characterize magic realism by analyzing existing magical reality literature reviews and research and to identify material that may inspire ideas for stage and film costume design by analyzing and drawing design characteristics and magic realism of costumes from Director Tarsem Singh's movie, 'Mirror, Mirror'. For the methodology, characteristics of magic realism in literature and, movies were analyzed, with a theoretical consideration of these materials on magical realism. Data on costume design and magical realism characteristics for use in the analysis were collected from the main characters of 'Mirror, Mirror' as well as from other characters. The result of this analysis was the emergence of five common characteristics of the magic realism Historicity, the most remarkable characteristic seen in Tarsem Singh films, was expressed through the symbolic meaning and decorative patterns shown by the traditional-style costumes, colors. Symbolization was expressed through the symbolic meaning, decorative elements, and traditional clothes, as shown by the colors and forms of the costumes. Fantasy was expressed through the colors, decorative elements, forms of traditional clothing, and forms with symbolic meaning. Reproducibility was expressed through the method of decorative element, symbolic meaning, traditional forms and de-structural clothes. Ambiguity, which can be associated with the combined characteristics of historicity and fantasy, was expressed in the clothes worn in the scenes that confounded time and space within the film.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2015

Magic realism, which originated in the culture of Central and South America, creates a fantastic fictional word by linking unrelated incidents using magical. The purpose of this study was to analyze Tarsem Singh's design characteristics that are based on magic realism in his movies, "The Cell" and "The Fall", and to highlight the artistic values appearing in the films. The research was conducted by observing the characteristics and concept of magic realism based on literature and preceding research, and discovering how Singh expressed these creatively and experimentally within the costumes in his films. The results of the study were as follows: Firstly, magical, legendary and symbolic characteristics appear within the fantasy of magical realism, and common techniques within film costuming include repetition of similar objects, solid silhouettes within scenes, and various decorative materials used for fantastic expression. Secondly, regarding ideality, the destruction of previous ideas and recreation of the present were found with materials and details used in film costuming to destroy previous ideas. Expressions of character through external decoration and depiction of living things as not living were also found. Thirdly, reiteration showed the coexistence of history and legend, reality and fantastic elements, and arrangement of opposing elements.