Scholarly Literature Review
One of my most prominently featured sources is John Markert’s book, “Hooked in Film.” Throughout the scholarly work, Markert examines the role of drug use in cinema, contributing to the first part of my thesis, in which I will be critiquing the portrayal of drug users and addicts in my chosen films. Markert examines the rampant drug usages in the nineteenth century, when the negative long-term effects of narcotic usage were relatively unknown. He moves into the twentieth century and focuses on the cinema that was instrumental in informing viewers about drugs, drug usage, and the personal and public repercussions surrounding drugs. Markert examines the correlation between social policies and the public perception of the social stigma of the “junkie.” He deciphers changing social attitudes towards illegal drugs, and the ensuing cinematic depictions throughout mainstream America.
I will be focusing on the section of the book that analyzes post-1960 depictions of heroin use. Markert provides a brief background to the development of heroin use in the United States, and I hope to be able to contribute a more in depth scholarly analysis of this topic. He gives readers a succinct summary, but in my thesis, I plan to delve deeper into the history of heroin before transitioning into my film critiques. “Hooked in Film” has a section dedicated to social realism, and the examination of the “street junkie.” This section provides an glimpse at the realistic portrait of the heroin user in the seventies. It briefly examines Paul Morrissey’s film Trash (1970), and Panic in Needle Park (1971), both strong portrayals of heroin usage and addiction in society. Markert skims over the 1980s, due to a lack of material and a sharp downturn in overall heroin use.
I will then transition into the section of the book that examines heroin portrayal in the 1990s, when heroin use began to climb yet again. I will contribute information and statistics about heroin use in the United States during this time period. I will be choosing alternate movies from Markert’s selections. I will examine The Basketball Diaries (1995) and Requiem for a Dream (2000). I will use some of Markert’s tactics while analyzing the portrayal of “junkie” culture in these movies, but hope to be able to contribute my original thoughts on this previously unexamined films. In addition to my film critques, I will also examine
In addition to Markert’s research, I will then be taking my film critiques and examining the drug policies that were implemented in the surrounding years. I will examine public health policy during the seventies and nineties, and draw conclusions about how the social stigma surrounding drug use (stemming from these popular films) affected drug policy. I will examine press releases and government speeches from the White House that address drug use, and dissect the laws implemented during these time periods.