Sebastian Stoppe
Merging of Realities
The ‘Non’-America in Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer
The fact that the actual geography of a landscape and the supposed place portrayed in a film sometimes differ is, of course, hardly unusual. The setting of a film is not always the same as the actual shooting location. This is due to a variety of reasons: Sometimes organizational reasons matter (a filming location cannot be used or can only be used inadequately), sometimes financial (the filming is either otherwise too expensive or there is the possibility of funding elsewhere) or even aesthetic reasons.
This video essay along with a journal article will explore the question of how Roman Polanski used shooting locations for his film The Ghost Writer that deviate considerably from the actual setting. By comparing the film with the actual locations, this essay aims to show how Polanski constructs a ‘Non’-America that is simply imagined through the addition, rearrangement, or removal of various cultural artifacts.
lock_open open_in_new Link to Video lock_open open_in_new Full Video (Published Version, zenodo) See also Merging of Realities (Journal Article) |
Suggested Citation: Stoppe, Sebastian (2023): Merging of Realities, The ‘Non’-America in Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, Video Essay, Leipzig DOI: 10.25969/mediarep/19717 10.5281/zenodo.8325558 [zenodo version only] |