Re-representing Youth In American Graffiti (1973) And Havoc (2005)

This thesis aims at discovering how the films about youth subculture, American Graffiti (1973) and Havoc (2005), re-represent the images of youth in order to challenge the negative stereotypes of them in previous representation.At early periods of youth studies, youth are often stereotyped as the origin of 'moral panic', in association with delinquency, destruction and social turmoil. Different media forms, film productions in particular, usually present them as obstacles to the development of society. It is necessary to re-examine youth and youth culture from an alternative point of view. American Graffiti (1973) and Havoc (2005) signify positive representation of youth in their subculture.Based on Stuart Hall's theory of representation, the thesis would apply youth subculture theories, Butler's feminist theorization of identity, and Hall's theory of articulation to the analysis of the two films. Other conceptions such as Foucault's power and discourse and Metz's film language will also be helpful. The re-representation of the films can be seen in three aspects: firstly, youth are represented in their construction of self through their particular style; secondly, girls' image is in transformation in their pursuit of self in the two films; thirdly, youth's images in these two films are represented as different from the negative ones in the film productions. This greatly questions their creditability.It is arguing that American Graffiti (1973) and Havoc (2005) are challenging the negative images of youth by depicting them as active agents in their construction of self through their special lifestyle, as a response to the restrictive social convention. It is their feeling of loss in the alienating commercial society rather than the destructive desire that drives youth to live a "deviant" way of life.