![]() Re-meaning echoes the influence Cavell’s work has on this research, and how it impacts the way meaning in these films is interpreted. To explain this, my aim is to explicate the function of stupidity in the construction of ‘re-meaning’. The films are gathered around the idea of ‘following a same set of values’ - although they do so in different ways - under the denominator ‘post-screwball comedies’. This way, stupidity has the ability to make one set of values seem ridiculous, in order to let another set of values emerge, which is a moral perfectionist perspective in this work. The latter two films follow a logic wherein civilians employ stupidity as a method to undermine society’s control, by rebelling against conform communities. This obstructs the moral perfectionist perspective and reinforces a society’s ideology with values such as cynicism and skepticism. The analysis reveals that in the first two films follow a logic wherein stupidity functions to improve society’s control on civilians. The films examined are The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (Joel and Ethan Coen), Burn After Reading (2008) (Joel and Ethan Coen), Toni Erdmann (2016) (Maren Ade) and Alle Anderen (2009) (Maren Ade). ![]() Matthijs van Boxsel’s optimistic theory about stupidity is used to lay a groundwork for the analysis. Stupidity is treated in relation to theories about moral perfectionism and remarriage as set out by Stanley Cavell. This thesis examines the representation of stupidity within film.
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