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,
Tag: film criticism
(Response Paper) Sigfreid Kracauer’s Photographic Reality, Cinematic Illusion, and Everything Else in Between
In response to: “Sigfried Kracauer: From Theory of Film – Basic Concepts” 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 In this reading entitled “Sigfried Kracauer: From Theory of Film – Basic Concepts” from the book “Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings” by Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen, realist film theorist Sigfried Kracauer highlighted the crucial role of photography in the development of moving picture.
Film Theorists: Sergei Eisenstein
Film Theorists: Hugo Munsterberg
Filmmakers and Film Criticism Video Essay Transcript
Video Essay Transcript for My Students For this film theory and criticism course, some of you may not find this very appealing, especially if you are more of a production person and not someone who would prefer spending more time in reading books about film theories and criticism and engage in intellectual discourse relating films watched with assigned readings. But think of this way, being filmmakers, knowing film’s roots, how it develops and how it manages to survive and thrive through
‘The Red Balloon’ Short Film Critique: Relationship and Poetry Through a Child’s Gaze
A short essay for my Film Theory and Criticism Class The 1956 French short film classic “The Red Balloon” (Le ballon rouge) features a tender drama with a fine touch of flight of fancy. Its subdued setting features a lot of grays, suggesting the depressing quality of the film’s mood and tone, which is then contrasted with the blazing red balloon in mid air. This post-war motion-picture classic written and directed by Albert Lamorisse features a seemingly cynical world that turns magical
‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ Short Film Critique: The Phantasm of Venturing Into the Unknown
A short essay for my Film Theory and Criticism Class The 1975 short animated film “Hedgehog in the Fog” (Yozhik v tumane) by Yuri Norstein offers an amalgam of terror and pleasure using the phantasm of venturing into the unknown. This evocative work of imagination features the journey of a hedgehog one evening to see his bear cub friend. As he travels in the foggy forest, he encounters many scary things that eventually become transformative moments of wonder. This 11-minute Russian
‘Tango’ Short Film Critique: Overlapping Routines as a Collective Ritual
A short essay for my Film Theory and Criticism Class Filmmaker Zbigniew Rybczyński presents his critically acclaimed 1981 Polish short film “Tango” as a rhythmic play set in a stage that gradually progresses. It begins with a vaguely minimalist room where there are three points of entrance and exit: two doors and a window. These points become the gateways of a plethora of characters that initially starts with easily recognizable parts until each one’s repetitive acts create layer after layer of
(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) 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