Cinematic Schlock as an Aesthetic Form: Definitions and Defense

Abstract

This paper attempts to create a well defined concept out of the colloquial term "Schlock" as applied to cinema in particular. In order to accomplish this, I examine the wider field of consumer art in which Schlock exists, specifically the categories of Kitsch, Camp, and Exploitation film. Through comparing and contrasting Schlock with these other categories, I am able to establish the specific features of Schlock and what truly differentiates Schlock from these other, similar filmic forms. Once a fixed concept of Schlock is established, I proceed to defend its viability as an aesthetic form through close readings of the films White Dog (1982) by Samuel Fuller and Ichi the Killer (2001) by Takashi Miike. White Dog reveals the critical power of Schlock in its ability to mislead the viewers expectations, a quality which becomes an essential part of the film's visceral statement, Ichi the Killer allows a cinematic Schlock world to comment upon the real world, ultimately revealing ways in which human beings interpret and make sense of violence.