Sometimes the word "homage" can be found in literature. It is quite unusual for our ears, which is not surprising, because it came to us from the French language. This rare and beautiful word, its meaning and interesting facts related to it will be described in this article.
Meaning of the word
Translated from French, homage is a ceremony held in the feudal era and had a symbolic character. In fact, this is the oath, which consisted in the fact that the future vassal, without his weapon with his head uncovered, dropped to one knee (since only slaves became both knees), and put his folded palms in the hands of a large feudal ruler (suzerain). At the same time, he turned to the latter with a request to accept him as a vassal. After this, the overlord lifted the future subject from his knees, and they exchanged kisses on the cheek.
Since the VIII century, the meaning of the word has changed somewhat, now homage is a combination of an oath of allegiance, also called “foie”. Until the XI century, the relationship that was established between the overlord, and subsequently the signor and the vassal after the homage was mainly personal. Subsequently, these ceremonies began to be accompanied by investiture (legal act) - the transfer by the lord (overlord) of land ownership (feud, len) to the filed.
Duties of the parties
Homage is a kind of oath of allegiance, which not only gave the vassal rights, but also entailed a number of duties. They were divided into positive and negative. Basically, positive responsibilities had two directions - this is help and advice. For example, the arrival of a suzerain (senor) in the court to compile his feudal chamber, military service and, in some cases, financial assistance (ransom of the suzerain from captivity).
The negative was that the vassal never and under any circumstances had the right to raise his hand against his overlord (lord). The filed is obliged to keep his secrets and even not to give them out under torture. In addition, the vassal should not have malicious intent against the suzerain, as well as against his allies, fortresses and possessions.
Homage to the movies
The term homage can also be heard when talking about a movie. It denotes a reference to another picture. For example, an action or scene taking place in one tape hints at or even mimics the action that took place in another movie. It is worth noting that such a technique does not need to be considered as plagiarism. Since homage is done intentionally, it is considered as a kind of director's intention, and not rough copying.
Sometimes the director, who does homage in his film, pays homage to one or another famous director or film project. It must be said that in most cases this technique applies only to famous or even cult films that are known to almost every person.
Using homage
Often, filmmakers use homage in their films to show the depth of the design happening on the screen, at the same time linking it to another picture. It should be noted that in the cinema this is a rather complex and subtle concept. It is for this reason that film critics, as well as viewers, are often confused with plagiarism, which is fundamentally wrong.
It should be said that the successful use of homage in the movie only emphasizes the talent of the director, but does not belittle his dignity. In fact, quite often you can see this technique in films, but it is worth noting that it is not always used successfully. Inadequate use of homage can simply spoil the entire film, even if the director’s original intention was interesting.
Having examined this term, you can see how different its meanings are. In history, homage is an oath of fidelity that carries a number of rights and obligations, and in cinema it is an artistic device.