FILM STUDIES

Problem(s) of the implicit narrator

In this essay we will tackle the problem of the implied film narrator. The assumption is that this problem also raises the question of the narrator in general. I will touch on some basic narratological knowledge and analyse some contemporary theories that deal with this problem. The goal of this essay is to defend the claim that in every narrative film there is the function of the narrator, i.e. the implied narrator, the mediator between the implied author and the explicit narrator (and if there is not one in the film, than the viewer). This mediator is not restricted only to voice narration – he is not to be understood as for example a voice-over narrator. The voice-over narrator is one of the narration components, one of the tools of the implied film narrator, as Chatman calls him. Furthermore, the question is whether it is necessary to postulate the implied narrator, i.e. whether it is possible and important to differentiate the implied narrator from the implied author.

Božica Bartolac