Abstract

The essay analyzes the film, Joe May’s Asphalt (1929), with specific attention to the representation of the city in the film, emphasizing the role of urban experience in the 1920s and the psychology of the city. This essay explores the novel and superficial experience of the metropolis in Asphalt and the ways in which it captures modern urban surface culture within its historical and cultural dynamic. The essay ultimately argues that surface matters. The superficiality that pervades in the film can represent modern urban experience, one that is increasingly dominated by visual surfaces. Foregrounding the city and the heroine’s urban experiences, this essay discusses the ways in which the film valorizes “surface culture” as opposed to moral “depth.”

摘要

文章分析了电影，乔·梅的沥青(1929)，特别关注电影中城市的表现，强调 1920 年代城市体验的作用和城市心理。本文探讨了沥青大都市的新颖而肤浅的体验，以及它在其历史和文化动态中捕捉现代城市表面文化的方式。这篇文章最终认为表面很重要。电影中弥漫的肤浅可以代表现代城市体验，这种体验越来越多地被视觉表面所主导。本文以城市和女主人公的城市经历为背景，讨论了电影如何重视“表面文化”而不是道德“深度”。