The present paper attempts to explore the application of what is generally referred to as ‘LAP,’ the Lacanian-Althusserian Paradigm, in the area of film studies. I shall demonstrate the early examples of the parallel employment of Lacanian and Althusserian theories to the analysis of subjectivity in the area of Anglo-American film theory with reference to its representation in cultural studies. This paper will also examine examples of those works that were highly critical of following the LAP model. Focusing on the major theoretical works conducted in the British context, particularly by Stephen Heath and Colin MacCabe, the present study shall also investigate the critiques of such readings. However, a major argument of the present research is that none of these models achieve a synthesis of the two theories, or arguably set out to do so. In outlining the various versions of the model this study also presents a literature review of the most well-known theoretical positions that draw on both the Lacanian and Althusserian theorization of the subject in the area of film studies. The present study demonstrates that while most of the responses to the LAP model appear to be ambivalent, there have also emerged radical critiques of such application maintaining that it not only totally overlooks the aesthetic and technical aspects of films but also lacks the all-inclusive feature it claims for, mostly due to their incompatible treatment.
