Film und Wirklichkeit

The Myth - a winged word. However, the scientific significance of the term goes far beyond everyday usage. What is the myth? The author Sönke Hahn approaches this complex concept through various perspectives of myth research and attempts to organize the broad field of theories. In literature, the myth is given a high status, and it is generally regarded as a guarantor of success for various media products. The myth in the film genre is said to hold particularly great potential, which is explored in this publication: it clarifies what dramaturgy, motives, and characters the myth can draw upon in film. The special role of the myth in shaping the recipient's reality is visualized in a model, and the cinematic manifestations of the myth, as well as the mythical construction of films, are analyzed through three selected examples (Gladiator, Apocalypse Now Redux, Starship Troopers).