Not a Cinematic Hair Out of Place: Examinations in Identity (Transformation) as Evidenced through Haircuts in The Crying Game
This thesis asks a question: Can transformations to a cinematic character's hair be indicative of a realignment or shifting of that character's identity? As an attempt to answer this question, I introduce three new concepts: the Opaque Movement (OM), the Transparent Violent Moment (TVM), and the Transparent Moderate Moment (TMM). All of these concepts revolve around the treatment and appearance of a character's hair within a film. In this examination, I establish a theoretical foundation for cinematic haircutting and apply the three concepts to several films. I ground the discussion in a thorough examination of The Crying Game by Neil Jordan. The 1992 film contains four haircuts or hair transformations and through analysis of the central characters before and after their haircuts, I utilize the concepts above. This thesis illustrates that in cinema, not a cinematic hair is out of place, a choice in hairstyle, haircut or hair transformation isn't merely, or just, an example of fashion or cultural trend. In film, hair is a marker of cinematic, cultural and identity formation.
hair, identity, The Crying Game, identity formation, hairstyles, cinema, culture, monster theory, hauntings, pain, warfare, torture
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