In response to: The Elizabeth Spelman essay “Woman as Body: Ancient Contemporary Views” from the journal “Feminist Studies” A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class I find philosopher Elizabeth Spelman’s “Woman as Body: Ancient Contemporary Views” as an eye-opening essay. It helped me better understand the oppression of women through the centuries, while making me realize the importance of really knowing iconic figures in history more than the popular accounts about them. This becomes of extreme importance in the case of
History
(Response Paper) Ideology, Reality, and the Apparatus Film Theory with Jean-Louis Baudry
In response to: The Jean-Louis Baudry essay “The Apparatus: Metapsychological Approaches to the Impression of Reality in Cinema” from the Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen book “Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings” A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class In this essay “The Apparatus: Metapsychological Approaches to the Impression of Reality in Cinema,” French psychoanalytic film theorist Jean-Louis Baudry asserted that cinema is, by nature, ideological. This is because films are created to represent reality and the mechanics
(Response Paper) Cinema and Ideology with Jean-Luc Comolli and Jean Narboni
In response to: The Jean-Luc Comolli and Jean Narboni essay “Cinema/Ideology/Criticism” from the journal “Screen” A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class This essay entitled “Cinema/Ideology/Criticism” by French writers Jean-Luc Comolli and Jean Narboni started with an introduction of the pioneering French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema, offering a general overview of its objectives, goals, and ideology. It also presented the perennial question “What is film?” and “What is cinema?” – questions that continue to linger around many
(Response Paper) The Thrill of the Senses: Pauline Kael’s Wedge Against Andrew Sarris’ Auteur Circles
In response to: The Pauline Kael essay “Circles and Squares” originally published in the journal “Film Quarterly” A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class The doctrine of the auteur as established by American film critic Andrew Sarris was literally lambasted by another American film critic who I think is an “auteur” in her own field – Pauline Kael. Although I didn’t always agree with her insights, being generally fond of the vim and vigor of her writing style and
(Response Paper) Francois Truffaut’s Impassioned Take on the Auteur
In response to: The François Truffaut essay “A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema” from the article originally printed in the French film magazine "Cahiers du Cinéma" A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class French filmmaker and film critic Francois Truffaut’s essay “A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema” presented such strong, impassioned convictions on what he thought and felt about cinema during his time. He capitalized on his emotions while still offering certain moments of objectivity through film examples that,
(Response Paper) Understanding Andrew Sarris’ Premises of the Auteur Theory
In response to: The Andrew Sarris essay “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962” from the book “Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings” by Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class American film critic Andrew Sarris’ “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962” expressed the concerns about the auteur theory, particularly outside the insights coming from the French thinkers and the film magazine Cahiers du Cinema. Unlike Francois Truffaut in his essay “A Certain Tendency
(Response Paper) The Evolution of Cinema and the Film Language with Alexandre Astruc
In response to: The Alexandre Astruc essay “The Birth of a New Avant-garde: La Caméra-Stylo” from the article originally printed in “L'Écran française” as "Du Stylo à la caméra et de la caméra au stylo" A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class This 1948 essay by French film critic and film director Alexandre Astruc entitled “The Birth of a New Avant-garde: La Caméra-Stylo” reminded me of the wonders in the evolution of art and technology. It is natural to see
(Response Paper) The Rise of the Seventh Art: Cinema as Art and Language with Andre Bazin
In response to: “The Evolution of the Language of Cinema” from the book “What is Cinema?” by Andre Bazin A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class Andre Bazin expressed in this reading “The Evolution of the Language of Cinema” from his book “What is Cinema?” his conviction that sound is not there to destroy cinema – it is just part of the natural development of the medium. In discussing film as an art and language, he presented how the cinema
(Response Paper) Cinema as an Invention, Art, and Idealistic Phenomenon with Andre Bazin
In response to: “The Myth of Total Cinema” from the book “What is Cinema?” by Andre Bazin A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class The Andre Bazin reading “The Myth of Total Cinema” from his book “What is Cinema?” focused on the desire of humans to find a representation of reality as complete as possible, rooted from the innovations in cinema, by discussing techniques of mechanical reproduction of reality. This started in the nineteenth century, then carefully moved on
(Response Paper) The Essence of Realism Through the Photographic Image with Andre Bazin
In response to: “The Ontology of the Photographic Image” from the book “What is Cinema?” by Andre Bazin A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class Reading “The Ontology of the Photographic Image” from the book “What is Cinema?” by realist film theorist Andre Bazin reminded me how a film makes a character immortal, and to a large degree, makes an actor immortal as well. One’s physicality, which eventually gets lost in time with aging, will always remain as is,