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Prc|acc to thc Lng|sh cdton
Jrans|ators` ntroducton
Prc|acc to thc Ircnch cdton
Lhaptcr I 1hrJrJ 00 m01rmr0l
J
||Jl t0mmr0l1|} 00
Ur|J00
7
7
7+
l Irst thcss: movcmcnt and nstant !
Sccond thcss. prv|cgcd nstants and any-nstant-whatcvcrs 5
5 Jhrd thcss. movcmcnt and changc /thc who|c, thc pcn
or duraton /thc thrcc |cvc|s. thc sct and ts parts:
movcmcnt /thc who|c and ts changcs d
Lhaptcr .
J
|1mr 10J Jh0l, ]|1m|0 10J tull|0
Jhc |rst |cvc|. |ramc, sct or c|oscd systcm / thc |unctons o|
thc |ramc /thc out-o|-|c|d. ts two aspccts !
Jhc sccond |cvc|: shot and movcmcnt /thc two |accts o| thc
shot: drcctcd towards scts and thcr parts, drcctcd towards
thc who|c and ts changcs /thc movcmcnt-magc /mob|c
sccton, tcmpora| pcrspcctvc
ld
5 Mob|ty: montagc and movcmcnt o| thc camcra /thc
qucston o| thc unty o| thc shot (scqucncc-shots) /thc
mportancc o| |a|sc contnuty
+
Lhaptcr 5 00l1r
! Jhc thrd |cvc|. thc who|c, thc composton o| movcmcnt
magcs and thc ndrcct magc o| tmc /thc Amcrcan schoo|:
organc composton and montagc n Gr||th /thc two
aspccts o| tmc: thc ntcrva| and thc who|c, thc varab|c
prcscnt and mmcnsty V
Jhc Sovct schoo|. da|cctca| composton /thc organc and
thc pathctc n Lscnstcn. spra| and qua|tatvc |cap:
Pudovkn and Oovzhcnko / V crtov' s matcra|st
composton
5
5 Jhc

prc-war Ircnch schoo|: quanttatvc composton /

Rhythm and mcchancs / thc two aspccts o| thc quantty o|
movcmcnt: rc|ativc and abso|utc /Gancc and thc
N Ceutruts
mathcmatcal sub|mc /thc Gcrman Lxprcssonst schoo|.
ntcnsvc composton /|ght and shadows (Mumau,
Lang) /Lxprcssonsm and thc dynamc sub|mc +
Lhaptcr + 1hr m01rmr0|-|m1r 10J ||J |h|rr
11||r||rJ rt00J t0mmr0|1|} 00 Ur|J00
l Jhc dcntty oI thc magc and thc movcmcnt /
movcmcnt-magc and |ght-magc
Irom thc movcmcnt-magc to its varctcs /
pcrccpton-magc, acton-magc, aIIccton-magc J
5 Jhc rcvcrsc prooI: how to cxtngush thc thrcc varctics
(cckctt's li/m) /how thc thrcc varctcs arc Iormcd
Lhaptcr 5 1hr ]r|tr]||00-|m1r
l Jhc two po|cs, objccttvc and subjcctvc /thc
'scm-subjcctvc` or thc Ircc ndrcct magc (Paso|n,
Kohmcr) J
Jowards anothcr statc oI pcrccpton: |qud pcrccpton thc
ro|c oI watcr n thc prc-war Ircnch schoo| / Grmllon, Vgo
5 Jowards a gascous pcrccpton contcnt and ntcrva|
accordng to Vcrtov /thc cngrammc /a tcndcncy oI thc
cxpcrmcnta| cncma (Landow) d
Lhaptcr 1hr 1]]rt||00-|m1r J1tr 10J t/0Jr-u]
J Jhc two po|cs oI thc Iacc. powcr and qua|ty d
GrIIth and Lscnstcn /Lxprcssonsm /|yrca|
abstracton: |ght, whtc and rcIracton (Stcrnbcrg) VJ
5 Jhc aIIcct as cntty /thc con /'Irstncss' accordng to
Pcrcc /Jhc |mt oI thc Iacc or nothngncss. crgman
how to cscapc Irom t
V
Lhaptcr 1hr 1]]rt||00-|m1r _u1/|||rJ, ]01r|J,
10}-J]1tr-1h1|r1r|J
l Jhc comp|cx cntty or thc cxprcsscd /vrtua| conjunctons
and rca| conncctons thc aIIcctvc componcnts oI thc
c|osc-up (crgman) /Irom c|osc-up to othcr shots. Orcycr J
Jhc sprtua| aIIcct and spacc n rcsson /what s an
'any-spacc-whatcvcr'? Jd
Cntrnts +
5 Jhc constructon o| any-spacc-whatcvcrs /shadow,
opposton and strugg|c n Lxprcssonsm /thc whtc,
a|tcrnaton and thc a|tcrnatvc n |yrca| abstracton
(Stcrnbcrg, Orcycr, rcsson) /co|our and absorpton
(Mnnc||) /thc two knds o| any-spacc-whatcvcrs, and
thcr |rcqucncy n contcmporary cncma (Snow) l l l
Lhaptcr d J
|0m 1]]rtl l0 1tl|00 1hr |m]u/Jr |m1r
l Matura|sm /orgnary wor|ds and dcrvcd m|cux /
mpu|scs and |ragmcnts, symptoms and |ctshcs /two grcat
natura|sts. Strohcm and uuc| /parastc mpu|sc /
cntropy and thc cyc|c l5
A charactcrstc o|uucI`s work: powcr o| rcpctton n thc
:magc l 5
5 Jhc d||cu|ty o| bcng natura|st. Kng Vdor /thc casc and
thc cvo|uton o| Mcho|as Kay /thc thrd grcat natura|st.
Loscy /mpu|sc to scrv|ty /thc rcvcrsa| aganst sc|| /thc
co-ordnatcs o| natura|sm
l55
Lhaptcr 1hr 1tl|00-|m1r 1hr /1|r ]0|m
l Irom stuaton to acton. 'sccondncss` /thc cncompasscr
and thc duc| /thc Amcrcan Orcam /thc grcat gcnrcs. thc
psycho-soca| ||m (Kng Vdor), thc Wcstcrn (Iord), thc
hstorca| ||m (Gr||th, Ccc| . Oc M||c) l+l
Jhc |aws o| organc composton l l
5 Jhc scnsory-motor |nk /Kazan and thc Actors Studo /
thc mprcsson l
Lhaptcr 1 1hr 1tl|00-|m1r 1hr Jm1// ]0|m
l Irom acton to stuaton /thc two knds o| ndccs /thc
comcdy o| manncrs (Chap|n, Lubtsch) l
Jhc Wcstcrn n Hawks. |unctona|sm /thc nco-Wcstcm
and ts typc o| spacc (Mann, Pccknpah) l+
5 Jhc |aw o| thc sma|| |orm and bur|csquc /Chap|n`s
cvo|uton. thc |gurc o| dscoursc /thc paradox o| Kcaton.
thc mnorng and rccurrcnt |unctons o| thc grcat machncs lY
Lhaptcr 11
J
|u|rJ, 0| lhr l|10J]0|m1l|00 0] ]0|mJ
l Jhc passagc |rom onc |orm to anothcr n Lscnstcn /
montagc o| attractons /thc d||crcnt typcs ld
+ Cntrnts
Z Jhc Igurcs oI thc Largc and thc Sma|| n Hcrzog l B1
J Jhc two spaccs. thc brcath-Lncompasscr and thc |nc oI thc
Lnivcrsc /brcath n Kurosawa: Irom thc stuaton to thc
qucston /|ncs oI thc Lnvcrsc n Mzoguch. Irom out|nc
to obstac|c l B
Lhaptcr 1. 1hr t||J|J 0] lhr 1tl|00-|m1r
! Pcrcc's 'thrdncss` and mcnta| rc|atons /thc Marx
rothcrs /thc mcnta| magc accordng to Htchcock /marks
and symbo|s /how Hitchcock brngs thc acton-magc to
comp|cton by carryng t to ts |mt /thc crss oI thc
acton-magc n thc Amcrcan cncma (Lumct, Cassavctcs,
A|tman) /thc Ivc charactcrstcs oI ths crss /thc
|ooscnng oI thc scnsory-motor |nk l 7
Z Jhc orgn oI thc crss. Ita|an nco-rca|sm and thc Ircnch
ncw wavc /thc crtca| conscousncss o| c|chc /prob|cm o|
a ncw conccpton oI thc magc Z0J
J Jowards a bcyond oI thc movcmcnt-magc Z l l
G|ossary Z l 7
Motcs Z l
Indcx Z1J
I0d00 lO lD0 LDI$D 00IlIOD
Jhs book docs not sct out to producc a hstory o| thc cncma but to
so|atc ccrtan cncmatographc conccpts. Jhcsc conccpts arc not
tcchnca| (such as thc varous knds o| shot or thc d||crcnt camcra
movcmcnts) or crtca| (|or cxamp|c thc grcat gcnrcs, thc Wcstcrn,
thc dctcctvc ||m, thc hstorca| ||m, ctc. ). Mcthcr arc thcy |ngustc,
n thc scnsc n whch t has bccn sad that thc cncma was thc unvcrsa|
|anguagc, or n thc scnsc n whch t has bccn sad that thc cncma s a
|anguagc. Jhc cncma sccms to us to bc a composton o| magcs and
o| sgns, that s, a prc-vcrba| ntc||gb|c contcnt (arc scmitics),
wh|st scmo|ogy o| a |ngustc nspraton abo|shcs thc magc and
tcnds to dspcnsc wth thc sgn. What wc ca|| cncmatographc
conccpts arc thcrc|orc thc typcs o| magcs and thc sgns whch
corrcspond to cach typc. Jhc magc o| thc cncma bcng, thcrc|orc,
'automatc' and prcscntcd prmar|y as movcmcnt-magc, wc havc
consdcrcd undcr what condtons t s spcc|ca||y dc|ncd nto
d||crcnt typcs. Jhcsc typcs arc, prncpa||y, thc pcrccpton-magc,
thc a||ccton-magc and thc acton-magc. Jhcr dstrbuton ccrtan|y
docs dctcrmnc a rcprcscntaton o| tmc, but t must bc notcd that tmc
rcmans thc objcct o| an ndrcct rcprcscntaton n so |ar as t dcpcnds
on montagc and dcrvcs |rom movcmcnt-magcs.
It s possb|c that, sncc thc war, a drcct tmc-magc has bccn
|ormcd and mposcd on thc cncma. Wc do not wsh to say that thcrc
w|| no |ongcr bc any movcmcnt, but that just as happcncd a vcry
|ong tmc ago n ph|osophy a rcvcrsa| has happcncd n thc
movcmcnt-tmc rc|atonshp, t s no |ongcr tmc whch s rc|atcd to
movcmcnt, t s thc anoma|cs o| movcmcnt whch arc dcpcndcnt on
tmc. Instcad o| an ndrcct rcprcscntaton o| tmc whch dcrvcs
|rom movcmcnt, t s thc drcct tmc-magc whch dcrvcs |rom
movcmcnt, t s thc drcct tmc-magc whch commands thc ]elsr
mvcmcat. Why dd thc war makc possb|c ths rcvcrsa|, ths
cmcrgcncc o| a cncma o| tmc, wth Wc||cs, wth nco-rca|sm, wth
thc ncw wavc . . ? Hcrc agan, t w|| bc ncccssary to dscovcr whch
typcs o| magcs corrcspond to thc ncw tmc-magc and whch sgns
combnc wth thcsc typcs. Lvcrythng pcrhaps suddcn|y appcars n a
shattcrng o| thc scnsory-motor schcma. ths schcma, whch had
|nkcd pcrccptons, a||cctons and actons, docs not cntcr a pro-
|ound crss wthout thc gcncra| rcgmc o| thc magc bcng changcd.
In any casc, thc cncma has undcrgonc a much morc mportant
x
|rr]etr t Lnglish rditin
changc hcrc than thc onc whch happcncd wth thc ta|kc.
lt s not a mattcr o| sayng that thc modcrn cncma o| thc tmc-
magc s 'morc va|uab|c` than thc c|assca| cncma o| thc movcmcnt-
magc. Wc arc ta|kng on|y o| mastcrpcccs to whch no hcrarchy o|
va|uc app|cs. Jhc cncma s a|ways as pcr|cct as t can bc, takng nto
account thc magcs and sgns whch t nvcnts and whch t has at ts
dsposa| at a gvcn momcnt. Jhs s why ths study must ntcrwcavc
concrctc ana|yscs o| magcs and sgns wth thc 'monographs' o| thc
grcat drcctors who havc crcatcd or rcncwcd thcm.
Jhc |rst vo|umc dca|s wth thc movcmcnt-magc. Jhc sccond w||
dca| wth thc tmc magc. l|, at thc cnd o| ths |rst vo|umc, wc try to
undcrstand thc |u|| mportancc o| Htchcock - onc o| thc grcatcst
Lng|sh ||m-makcrs t s bccausc wc thnk hc nvcntcd an
cxtraordnary typc o| magc. thc magc o| mcnta| rc|atons.
Kc|atons, as cxtcrna| to thcr tcrms, havc a|ways bccn thc subjcct o|
Lng|sh ph|osophca| thought. Whcn a rc|aton tcrminatcs or
changcs, what happcns to ts tcrms Jhus Htchcock asks n Mrend
Mrs Smith, a mnor comcdy, what happcns to a man and a woman
who suddcn|y |carn that, as thcr marragc s not |cga|, thcy havc
ncvcr bccn marrcd Htchcock produccs a cncma o| rc|aton, just as
Lng|sh ph|osophy produccd a ph|osophy o| rc|aton. ln ths scnsc
hc s, pcrhaps, at thc juncturc o| thc two cncmas, thc c|assca| that hc
pcr|ccts and thc modcrn that hc prcparcs. ln a|| thcsc rcspccts, t s not
su||ccnt to comparc thc grcat drcctors o| thc cncma wth pantcrs,
archtccts or cvcn muscans. Jhcy must a|so bc comparcd wth
thnkcrs. Jhc qucston o| a crss o| thc cncma s o|tcn rascd - undcr
thc prcssurc o| tc|cvson, thcn o| thc c|cctronc magc. ut thc
crcatvc capactcs o| both arc nscparab|c |rom what thc grcat
dircctors o| thc cncma contrbutc to thcm. Kathcr |kc Varcsc n
musc, thcy |ay c|am to thc ncw matcra|s and mcans that thc |uturc
makcs possb|c.
Gillrs Drlru:r
6lr
I lx Mwvrmrnt (|a|sc movcmcnt) s thc Ircnch tt|c o| Wm
Wcndcrs` ||m l elsthr8rurgung,usua||y known as rngMmrn
Lnglsh.
IdD$dlOI$ IDlIO0U0lIOD
Jhs s G||cs Oc|cuzc's |rst book on ||m, pub|shcd n Irancc n
ctobcr l BJ. lt s an ||ustraton and cxcmp||caton o| Oc|cuzc' s
radca| vcw o| ph|osophy dcvc|opcd n a scrcs o| major works, |rom
Di]]rcnccct Ktitin to Millclletceux.
Jhus, n onc scnsc, t s a work o| ph|osophy. 'Ph|osophy n thc
tradtona| scnsc o| thc word' , thc crcaton o| conccpts. ' cgnnng
|rom an ana|yss o| crgson, thc book puts |orward a vcw o| thc
magc whch s radca||y d||crcnt |rom that whch domnatcd
c|assca| ph|osophy. Jhs account s combncd wth an ntcrprctaton
o| thc c|ass|caton o| typcs o| sgns advanccd by Pcrcc to provdc a
powcr|u| typo|ogy wth whch to approach magcs o| a|| typcs.
n thc othcr hand, ths s p|an|y a book 'about' thc cncma. Mot
on|y docs t dscuss a |argc numbcr o| magcs |rom partcu|ar | |ms,
but t a|so advanccs a scrcs o| gcncra| vcws about thc 'typcs' to
whch partcu|ar h|ms bc|ong. Jhs may |cad thc rcadcr to c|ass|y t
as a work o| '||m thcory' , n thc tradtona| scnsc. Jhs wou|d bc a
mstakc.
Ior Oc|cuzc, ph|osophy cannot bc a rc||ccton on somcthng c|sc.
lt s, as wc havc sad, a crcaton o| conccpts. ut conccpts, |or Oc|cuzc,
arc thought o| n a ncw way. Jhcy arc no |ongcr 'conccpts o|',
undcrstood by rc|crcncc to thcr cxtcrna| objcct. Jhcy arc 'cxact|y
|kc sounds, co|ours or magcs, thcy arc ntcnstcs whch cthcr sut
you or don't, whch work or don' t' . ' Conccpts arc thc magcs o|
thought.
Jhc mncton and purposc o| ph|osophy tsc|| changcs. 'Ph|osophy
s not n a statc o| cxtcrna| rc||ccton on othcr domans, but n a statc
o| actvc and ntcrna| a||ancc wth thcm, and t s ncthcr morc
abstract nor morc d|hcu|t. ' ' Jhcrc|orc, 'lt s not a qucston o|
rcucctng on thc cncma, t s norma| that ph|osophy produccs
conccpts whch arc n rcsonancc wth thc pctora| magcs o| today or
wth cncmamatographc magcs, ctc.' Jhus Oc|cuzc s cngagcd n
thc work o| conccpt crcaton 'a|ongsdc' thc cncma. Mcw conccpts
arc nvcntcd, on thc bass o| somc wc||-known ph|osophca| thcmcs,
and thcn put to work n thc cncma.
Jhs Oc|cuzan approach w|| sccm strangc to thosc schoo|cd n
morc tradtona| ph|osophca| thcmcs. lt w|| pcrhaps sccm |css
strangc to thosc who work n thc cncma and arc constant|y nvo|vcd
n proccsscs o| crcaton o| thcr own. nc start|ng by-product o|
7 Trensletrs` intrdactin
Oc|cuzc's way o| workng s that thc usua| boundarcs bctwccn
discp|ncs |osc thcr rc|cvancc and scnsc as ncw 'asscmb|agcs' arc
crcatcd. Who would havc thought that thc hstorca| |lms o| Ccc| .
dc M||c cou|d bc brought nto productvc rc|atonshp wth
Mctzschc's cssay on nnctccnth-ccntury Gcrman hstorography
Ina||y, thcsc conjunctons bctwccn partcu|ar thcmcs ||ustratc a
broadcr conjuncton bctwccn ph|osophy and thc cncma, onc whch
makcs a work oI ths typc partcu|ar|y productvc. Ior what s
ntcrcstng n ph|osophy s that t proposcs a cuttng [dcaegr]o|
thngs, a ncw cuttng. t groups undcr a snglc conccpt thngs that onc
wou|d havc thought wcrc di||crcnt, and it scparatcs |rom it othcrs
whch onc wou|d havc thought vcry Hosc. Mow, thc cncma by tsc||
s a|so a cuttng o| vsua| and sound magcs. Jhcrc arc modcs o|
cuttng whch can convcrgc. `
Jhc book can, thcrc|orc, bc sccn as a knd o| ntcrcuttng o| cncma
and ph|osophy. As such, t brngs togcthcr a who|c rangc o| tcrms
|rom cach sphcrc, many o| whch may bc un|am|ar to rcadcrs morc
at homc n thc othcr. Wc havc thcrc|orc trcd, n thc rcmandcr o| ths
lntroducton, to provdc somc prc|mnary cxp|anatons o| somc o|
thc tcrms uscd n thc hopc that thcsc mght bc o| somc assstancc n
thc rcadng o| ths rch but d||cu|t book. Wc wou|d |kc to thank
Jom M|nc |or hs nva|uab|c cxp|anatons o| thc tcchnca| h|m
tcrms.
Jhc Ircnch word |or 'shot` s 'len' , whch a|so mcans 'p|anc`.
Oc|cuzc occasona||y p|ays on thc two scnscs o| thc Ircnch word and
wc havc somctmcs trans|atcd t as 'p|anc'. Jhc two scnscs o| thc
word shou|d bc bornc n mnd whcncvcr thc word 'shot', n any o| ts
many varants, appcars n thc trans|aton. Jhc phrasc 'chem-
cntrrc/em'has bccn trans|atcd 'shot-rcvcrsc shot`, t cou|d a|so havc
bccn rcndcrcd 'shot-rcacton shot` or cvcn, n somc contcxts, 'cross-
cuttng' .
ln thc |irst chaptcr, Oc|cuzc uscs thc tcrm ' sr'n two scnscs: n tts
|tcra| scnsc (as n Lng|sh) o| a sustancd poston, and n a
cncmatographc scnsc, as n 'ht dr sr' , whcrc t has bccn
rcndcrcd as '|ong-cxposurc photo' to d||crcntatc t |rom thc
'snapshot` (instentenr) wth whch Oc|cuzc contrasts t.
Wc havc |c|t thc word 'htgremmr' untrans|atcd, t dcnotcs a
sng|c |ramc o| cxposcd ||m or st|| takcn drcct|y |rom such a |ramc
(a ' |ramc st||`). Wc havc rcndcrcd thc notorous|y d|hcu|t tcrm
' dcaegr' as 'cuttng` throughout. lt can bc takcn n a morc gcncra|
scnsc as a 'cuttng sty|c' or cvcn, by cxtcnson, thc 'way thc ||m s put
togcthcr' .
Treasletrs'iatrdattia X!
Oc|cuzc draws a systcmatc dstncton bctwccn thc tcrms 'tat'
and 'cascmblc'whch wc havc rcndcrcd as 'who|c' and 'sct' rcspcctvc|y.
In Ircnch thc two words can bc uscd ntcrchangcab|y n many
contcxts and thc kccpng o| thc words dstnct n Lng|sh s
somctmcs art|ca|. Wc havc occasona||y trans|atcd 'cascmblc' as
'who|c' and havc thcn p|accd thc Ircnch word n brackcts. In gcncra|,
howcvcr, wc havc sought to kccp thc two words dstnct n Lng|sh
n |nc wth thc ph|osophca| dstncton n thc orgna|.
Wc havc trans|atcd Oc|cuzc's tcrm 'Laglbeat'as 'Lncompasscr' .
Jhc vcrb 'caglbcr' has thc scnsc o| 'to nc|udc, cmbody, brng
togcthcr nto a who|c'. Io||owng Oc|cuzc's usc, n hs rcccnt work,
o| a systcmatc dstncton bctwccn thc 'ma|or' and 'mnor' modcs wc
havc trans|atcd 'mqrcr' and 'miarcr' as 'to major' and 'to mnor'.
Jhc |ormcr s usua||y rcndcrcd as 'to rasc (a prcc)' , or 'to ovcr-
va|uc'.
Wc` havc nc|udcd |urthcr cxp|anatons o| Oc|cuzc's tcrms n
trans|ator's |ootnotcs whch arc ndcatcd by an astcrsk (*). A
g|ossary o| tcchnca| tcrms s a|so nc|udcd. Wc wou|d |kc to thank
a|| thosc who havc gvcn us advcc and assstancc n prcparng ths
trans|aton, nc|udng Mcaghan Morrs and cvcryonc at Mcw Court.
6lrJ
Hagh Tmliasa
8erbreHebbcrem
Intcrvcw wth Cathcrnc C|cmcnt, L'Hrt 1 (Dclnzc), sccond
cdton, l B0, p. .
Z G||cs Oc|cuzc and C|arc Parnct, Dielgacs, l 77,p. l0(Lng|sh
cdton |orthcomng |rom Jhc Ath|onc Prcss).
J Intcrvcw wth Hcrvc Gubcrt, LcMadc, ctobcr l BJ.
1 |bid.
J |bid.
I0d00 lO lD0 I0D0D 00IlIOD
Jhs study s not a hstory o| thc cncma. It s a taxonomy, an attcmpt
at thc c|ass|caton o| magcs and sgns. ut ths |rst vo|umc has to
contcnt tsc|| wth dctcrmnng thc c|cmcnts, and thc c|cmcnts o| on|y
onc part o| thc c|asshcaton.
Wc w|| |rcqucnt|y bc rc|crrng to thc Amcrcan |ogcan Pcrcc
( l BJ-l l 1), bccausc hc cstab|shcd a gcncra| c|ass|caton o|
magcs and sgns, whch s undoubtcd|y thc most comp|ctc and thc
most varcd. It can bc comparcd wth Lnnacus`s c|ass|catons n
natura| hstory, or cvcn morc wth Mcndc|ccv' s tab|c n chcmstry.
Anothcr comparson s no |css ncccssary. crgson was wrtng
Mettrr end Mrmery n l B. t was thc dagnoss o| a crss n
psycho|ogy. Movcmcnt, as physca| rca|ty n thc cxtcrna| wor|d,
and thc magc, as psychc rca|ty n conscousncss, cou|d no |ongcr bc
opposcd. Jhc crgsonan dscovcry o| a movcmcnt-magc, and morc
pro|ound|y, o| a tmc-magc, st|| rctans such rchncss today that t s
not ccrtan that a|| ts conscqucnccs havc bccn drawn. Ocsptc thc
rathcr ovcrhasty crtquc o| thc cncma that crgson produccd
short|y a|tcrwards, nothng can prcvcnt an cncountcr bctwccn thc
movcmcnt-magc, as hc consdcrs t, and thc cncmatographc magc.
In ths |trst part, wc w|| dca| wth thc movcmcnt-magc and ts
varctcs. Jhc tmc-magc w|| bc thc subjcct o| a sccond part. Jhc
grcat drcctors o| thc cncma may bc comparcd, n our vcw, not
mcrc|y wth pantcrs, archtccts and muscans, but a|so wth
thnkcrs. Jhcy thnk wth movcmcnt-magcs and tmc-ma,cs
nstcad o| conccpts. nc cannot objcct by pontng to thc vast
proporton o| rubbsh n cncmatographc producton t s no worsc
than anywhcrc c|sc, a|though t docs havc unpara||c|cd cconomc and
ndustra| conscqucnccs. Jhc grcat cncma drcctors arc hcncc mcrc|y
morc vu|ncrab|c t s n|ntc|y cascr to prcvcnt thcm |rom dong
thcr work. Jhc hstory o| thc cncma s a |ong martyro|ogy.
Mcvcrthc|css, thc cncma st|| |orms part o| art and part o| thought, n
thc rrcp|accab|c, autonomous |orms whch thcsc drcctors wcrc ab|c
to nvcnt and gct scrccncd, n sptc o| cvcrythng.
Wc arc not provdng any rcproductons as ||ustratons to our tcxt,
as t s n |act our tcxt a|onc whch asprcs to bc an ||ustraton o| thc
grcat ||ms, o| whch cach o| us rctans to a grcatcr or |csscr cxtcnt a
mcmory, cmotton or pcrccpton.
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crgson docs not just put |orward onc thcss on movcmcnt, but
thrcc. Jhc |rst s thc most |amous, and thrcatcns to obscurc thc othcr
two. It s, howcvcr, on|y an ntroducton to thc othcrs. Accordng to
thc |rst thcss, movcmcnt s dstnct |rom thc spacc covcrcd. Spacc
covcrcd s past, movcmcnt s prcscnt, thc act o| covcrng. Jhc spacc
covcrcd s dvsb|c, ndccd n|ntc|y dvsb|c, wh|st movcmcnt s
ndvsb|c, or cannot bc dvdcd wthout changng qua|tatvc|y cach
tmc t s dvdcd. Jhs a|rcady prcsupposcs a morc comp|cx dca. thc
spaccs covcrcd a|| bc|ong to a sng|c, dcntca|, homogcncous spacc,
whi|c thc movmcnrs arc hctcrogcncous, rrrcducrb|c among thmsc|vc.
ut, bc|orc bcng dcvc|opcd, thc |rst thcss contans anothcr
proposton. you cannot rcconsttutc movcmcnt wth postons n
spacc or nstants n tmc. that s, wth mmob|c scctons jturs|.
You can on|y achcvc ths rcconsttuton by addng to thc postons,
or to thc nstants, thc abstract dca o| a succcsson, o| a tmc whch s
mcchanca|, homogcncous, unvcrsa| and copcd |rom spacc, dcntca|
|or a|| movcmcnts. And thus you mss thc movcmcnt n two ways.
n thc onc hand, you can brng two nstants or two postons
togcthcr to n|nty, but movcmcnt w|| a|ways occur n thc ntcrva|
bctwccn thc two, n othcr words bchnd your back. n thc othcr
hand, howcvcr much you dvdc and subdvdc tmc, movcmcnt w||
a|ways occur n a concrctc duraton j dunr|,thus cach movcmcnt w||
havc ts own qua|tatvc duraton. Hcncc wc opposc two rrcducb|c
|ormu|as. 'rca| movcmcnt concrctc duraton', and 'mmob|c
scctons abstract tmc'.
In l 07,n CrretivrLvlutia,crgson gvcs thc ncorrcct |ormu|a
a namc. thc cncmatographc ||uson. Cncma, n |act, works wth
two comp|cmcntary gvcns. nstantancous scctons whch arc
ca||cd magcs, and a movcmcnt or a tmc whch s mpcrsona|,
un|orm, abstract, nvsb|c, or mpcrccptb|c, whch s 'n' thc
apparatus, and 'wth' whch thc magcs arc madc to pass consccutvc|y. '
Cncma thus gvcs us a |a|sc movcmcnt t s thc typca| cxamp|c o|
|a|sc movcmcnt. ut t s strangc that crgson shou|d gvc thc o|dcst
||uson such a modcrn and rcccnt namc ('cncmatographc`). In |act,
Z I T/cscs0 mecmcat
says crgson, whcn thc cncma rcconsttutcs movcmcnt wth mob|c
scctons, t s mcrc|y dong what was a|rcady bcng donc by thc most
anccnt thought ((cno' s paradoxcs), or what natura| pcrccpton docs.
In ths rcspcct, crgson's poston dIIcrs Irom that oI phcnomcno|ogy,
whch nstcad saw thc cncma as brcakng wth thc condtons oI
natura| pcrccptton. `Wc takc snapshots, as tt wcrc, oI thc passng
rca|ty, and, as thcsc arc charactcrstcs oI thc rca|ty, wc havc on|y to
strng thcm on a bccomng abstract, unIorm and nvsb|c, stuatcd
at thc back oI thc apparatus oI know|cdgc . . . . Pcrccpton, ntc||ccton,
|anguagc so procccd n gcncra|. Whcthcr wc wou|d thnk bccomng,
or cxprcss t, or cvcn pcrccvc t, wc hard|y do anythng c|sc than sct
gong a knd oI cncmatograph nsdc us. ' Oocs ths mcan that Ior
crgson thc cncma s on|y thc projccton, thc rcproducton oI a
constant, unvcrsa| ||uson? As though wc had a|ways had cncma
wthout rca|sng t? ut thcn a who|c rangc oI prob|cms arscs.
Irst|y, s not thc rcproducton oI thc ||uson n a ccrtan scnsc a|so
ts corrccton? Can wc conc|udc that thc rcsu|t s artItca| bccausc thc
mcans arc artIca|? Cncma procccds wth photogrammcs that s,
wth mmo b|c scctons twcnty-Iour magcs pcr sccond (or cghtccn
at thc outsct). ut t has oItcn bccn notcd that what t gvcs us s not
thc photogrammc: t s an ntcrmcdatc magc, to whch movcmcnt s
not appcndcd or addcd, thc movcmcnt on thc contrary bc|ongs to thc
ntcrmcdatc magc as mmcdatc gvcn. It mght bc sad that thc
poston oI natura| pcrccpton s thc samc. ut thcrc thc ||uson s
corrcctcd 'abovc' pcrcqton by thc condtons whch makc pcrccpton
possb|c n thc subjcct. In thc cncma, howcvcr, t s corrcctcd at thc
samc tmc as thc magc appcars Ior a spcctator wthout condtons (n
ths rcspcct, as wc w|| scc, phcnomcno|ogy s rght n assumng that
natura| pcrccpton and cncmatographc pcrccpton arc qua|tatvc|y
dIIcrcnt). In short
, cncma docs not gvc us an magc to whch
movcmcnt s addcd, t mmcdatc|y gvcs us a movcmcnt-magc. It
docs gvc us a sccton, but a sccton whch s mob|c, not an mmob|c
sccton abstract movcmcnt. Mow what s agan vcry odd s that
crgson was pcrIcct|y awarc oI thc cxstcncc oI mob|c scctons or
movcmcnt-magcs. Jhs happcncd bcIorc CrcetivcLvlatia,bcIorc
thc oIIca| brth oI thc cncma. t was sct out n MettcreadMcmryn
l B. Jhc dscovcry oI thc movcmcnt-magc, bcyond thc condtons
oI natura| pcrccpton, was thc cxtraordnary nvcnton oI thc Irst
chaptcr oI MettcreadMcmry. Had crgson Iorgottcn t tcn ycars
|atcr?
r dd hc Ia|| vctm to anothcr ||uson whch aIIccts cvcrythng n
ts nta| stagcs? Wc know that thngs and pcop|c arc a|ways Iorccd to
Sctnd thcsis
J
concca| thcmsc|vcs, havc to concca| thcmsc|vcs whcn thcy bcgn.
What c|sc cou|d thcy do? Jhcy comc nto bcng wthn a sct whch no
|ongcr nc|udcs thcm and, n ordcr not to bc rcjcctcd, havc to projcct
thc charactcrstcs whch thcy rctan n common wth thc sct. Jhc
csscncc oI a thng ncvcr appcars at thc outsct, but n thc mdd|c, n thc
coursc oI ts dcvc|opmcnt, whcn ts strcngth s assurcd. Havng
transIormcd ph|osophy by posng thc qucston oI thc 'ncw' nstcad
oI that oI ctcrnty (how arc thc producton and appcarancc oI
somcthng ncw possb|c?), crgson kncw ths bcttcr than anyonc.
Ior cxamp|c, hc sad that thc novc|ty oI |Ic cou|d not appcar whcn t
bcgan, sncc whcn t bcgan |Ic was Iorccd to mtatc mattcr. . . . Is t
not thc samc wth thc cncma? Is not cncma at thc outsct Iorccd to
mtatc natura| pcrccpton? And, what s morc, what ues cncma' s
poston at thc outsct? n thc onc hand, thc vcw pont jriscdcvac]
was Ixcd, thc shot was thcrcIorc spata| and strct|y mmob|c, on thc
othcr hand, thc apparatus Ior shootng jeercildcriscdcvac]was
combncd wth thc apparatus Ior projccton, cndowcd wth a unIorm
abstract tmc. Jhc cvo|uton oI thc cncma, thc conqucst oI ts own
csscncc or novc|ty, was to takc p|acc through montagc, thc mob|c
camcra and thc cmancpaton oI thc vcw pont, whch bccamc
scparatc Irom projccton. Jhc shot wou|d thcn stop bcng a spata|
catcgory and bccomc a tcmpora| onc, and thc sccton wou|d no
|ongcr bc mmob|c, but mob|c. Jhc cncma wou|d rcdscovcr that
vcry movcmcnt-magc oI thc Irst chaptcr oI MettcrendMcmry.
Wc must conc|udc that crgson's hrst thcss on movcmcnt s morc
comp|cx than t nta||y sccmcd. n thc onc hand thcrc s a crtquc oI
a|| attcmpts to rcconsttutc movcmcnt wth thc spacc covcrcd, that s,
by addng togcthcr nstantancous mmob|c scctons and abstract
tmc. n thc othcr hand thcrc s thc crtquc oI thc cncma, whch s
condcmncd as onc oI thcsc ||usory attcmpts, as thc attcmpt whch s
thc cu|mnaton oI thc ||uson. ut thcrc s a|so thc thcss oI Mettcr
endMcmry,mob|c scctons, tcmpora| p|ancs jlens]whch prcIgurc
thc Iuturc or thc csscncc oI thc cncma.
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Mow CrcetivcLvlatin advanccs a sccond thcss, whch, nstcad oI
rcducng cvcrythng to thc samc ||uson abut movcmcnt, dstngushcs
at |cast two vcry dIIcrcnt ||usons. Jhc crror rcmans thc samc -that
oI rcconsttutng movcmcnt Irom nstants or postons but thcrc arc
+
I T/cscs0 mermrnt
two ways o| dong ths. thc anccnt and thc modcrn. Ior antquty,
movcmcnt rc|crs to ntc||gb|c c|cmcnts, Iorms or ldcas whch arc
thcmsc|vcs ctcrna| and mmob|c. | coursc, n ordcr to rcconsttutc
movcmcnt, thcsc |orms w|| bc graspcd as c|osc as possb|c to thcr
actua|saton n a mattcr-||ux. Jhcsc arc potcnta|tcs whch can on|y
bc actcd out by bcng cmbodcd n mattcr. ut, convcrsc|y,
movcmcnt mcrc|y cxprcsscs a 'da|cctc' o| |orms, an dca| synthcss
whch gvcs t ordcr and mcasurc. Movcmcnt, conccvcd n ths way,
wl| thus bc thc rcgu|atcd transton |rom onc |orm to anothcr, that s,
an ordcr o| scsor prv|cgcd nstants, as n a dancc. Jhc |orms or
dcas
arc supposcd j . . . to charactcrsc a pcrod o| whch thcy cxprcss
thc quntcsscncc, a|| thc rcst o| ths pcrod bcng |||cd by thc
transton, o| no ntcrcst n tsc||, |rom onc |orm to anothcr |orm
j . . . . j Jhcy notcd, thcn, thc |ina| tcrm or cu|minatng pont
(tc|os, acmc), and sct t up as thc csscnta| momcnt. ths momcnt,
that |anguagc has rctancd n ordcr to cxprcss thc who|c o| thc |act,
su||ccd a|so |or sccncc to charactcrsc t. '
Jhc modcrn sctcnt|c rcvo|uton has consstcd n rc|atng movcmcnt
not to prv|cgcd nstants, ut to any-nstant-whatcvcr. A|though
movcmcnt was st|| rccomposcd, it ues a lagcr rccmscd]rm
]rmel treasccadcatel clcmcats (scs), but ]rm immrcat metcriel
clcmcats (scctias). Instcad o| producng an ntc||gb|c synthcss o|
movcmcnt, a scnsb|c ana|yss was dcrvcd |rom t. ln ths way,
modcrn astronomy was |ormcd, by dctcrmnng a rc|aton bctwccn
an orbt and thc tmc nccdcd to travcrsc t (Kcp|cr), modcrn physcs,
by lnkng thc spacc covcrcd to thc tmc takcn by a body to |a||
(Ga||co), modcrn gcomctry, by workng out thc cquaton o| a ||at
curvc, that s, thc postton o| a pont on a movng straght |nc at any
momcnt n ts coursc (Ocscartcs), and |ast|y d||crcnta| and ntcgra|
ca|cu|us, oncc thcy had thc dca o| cxamnng scctons whch could bc
brought nhntc|y c|oscr togcthcr (Mcwton and Lcbnz). Lvcrywhcrc
thc mcchanca| succcsson o| nstants rcp|accd thc da|cctca| ordcr o|
poscs: 'Modcrn sccncc must bc dc|ncd prc-cmncnt|y by ts
aspraton to takc tmc as an ndcpcndcnt varab|c. '
Cncma sccms to bc thc |ast dcsccndant o| ths |ncagc whch
crgson traccd. nc mght conccvc o| a scrcs o| mcans o|
trans|aton (tran, car acrop|anc . . . ) and, n para||c|, a scrcs o| mcans
o| cxprcsson (dagram, photo, cncma). Jhc camcra wou|d thcn
appcar as an cxchangcr or, rathcr, as a gcncra|scd cquva|cnt o| thc
Srtndthrsis J
movcmcnts oltransaton. And ths s how t appcars nWcndcrs' s
hms.Whcnwcthnkaboutthcprchstoryolthccncma,wcaways
cnd up conluscd, bccausc wc do not know whcrctstcchnoogca
ncagcbcgns,orhowto dclncthsncagc.Wccanawaysrclcrto
shadowpuppcts,orthcvcrycarcstprocctonsystcms. ut,nlact,
thc dctcrmnng condtons ol thc cncma arc thc loowng,. not
mcrcythcphoto,butthcsnapshot(thcong-cxposurcphoto jht
drsr]bcongsto thcothcrncagc),thccqudstanccolsnapshots,
thctranslcrolthscqudstanccontoalramcworkwhchconsttutcs
thc 'lm' (twasldson andLcksonwhopcrloratcdthclmnthc
camcra), amcchansmlormovngonmagcs (lumrc'scaws). Its
n ths scnsc that thc cncma s thc systcm whch rcproduccs
movcmcntasalunctonolany-nstant-whatcvcrthats,asamncton
ol cqudstant nstants, sccctcd so as to crcatc an mprcsson ol
contnuty.Anyothcrsystcmwhchrcproduccsmovcmcntthrough
anordcrolcxposurcs[srs]procctcd nsuch awaythatthcypass
ntooncanothcr,orarc'translormcd',s lorcgntothccncma.hs
sccarwhcnoncattcmptstodclncthccartoonlm,ltbcongsluy
tothccncma,thssbccauscthcdrawngnoongcrconsttutcsaposc
oracompctcdlgurc,butthcdcscrptonolalgurcwhchsaways
nthcproccssolbcnglormcdordssovngthroughthcmovcmcnt
olncs and ponts takcn at any-nstant-whatcvcrs olthcr coursc.
hc cartoon lm s rcatcd not to a lucdcan, butto a Lartcsan
gcomctry. Itdocsnotgvcusalgurcdcscrbcdnaunqucmomcnt,
but thc contnuty olthc movcmcnt whchdcscrbcs thc lgurc.
Ncvcrthccss,thccncmasccmstothrvconprvcgcdnstants. It
sohcnsadthatlscnstcncxtractcdlrommovcmcntsordcvcopmcnts
ccrtan momcnts ol crss, whch hc madcthc subcct ol thc cncma
parcxcccncc.hssprccscywhathccacdthc'pathctc' .hcpcks
out pcaks and shouts, hc pushcs sccncs to thcr cmax and brngs
thcm nto coson. ut ths s dclntcy not an obccton. lct us
rcturnto thccncma'sprchstory,andto thclamous cxampc olthc
horsc's gaop. ths coud ony bc dsscctcd cxacty by Marcy's
graphc rccordngs and Muybrdgc's cqudstantsnapshots, whch
rcatcthcorganscdwhocolthccantcrtoany-pont-whatcvcr.Ilthc
cqudstant ponts arc choscn wc, onc ncvtaby comcs across
rcmarkabc occasons, that s, thcmomcnts whcnthchorschas onc
hool on thc ground, thcn thrcc, two, onc. hcsc may bc cacd
prvcgcd nstants, but not n thcscnscolthcposcs orgcncrascd
posturcs whch markcd thc gaop n thc od lorms. hcscnstants
havc nothng n common wth ong-cxposurcs jsrs], and woud
cvcnbclormaympossbcasong-cxposurcs.Ilthcscarcprvcgcd
I Thcscs 0 mermrnt
nstants, t s as rcmarkabc or snguar ponts whch bcong to
movcmcnt,andnotasthcmomcntso|actuasatono|atransccndcnt
|orm. hc mcanng o| thc noton has compctcy changcd. hc
prvcgcd nstants o| lscnstcn, or o| any othcr drcctor, arcst
any-nstant-whatcvcrs. to put t smpy, thcany-nstant-whatcvcr
canbcrcguarrsnguar,ordnaryrrcmarkabc. I | lscnstcnpcks
out rcmarkabc nstants, ths docs not prcvcnt hm dcrvng |rom
thcm an mmancnt anayss o|movcmcnt, andnotatransccndcnta
synthcss. hc rcmarkabc orsnguar nstant rcmans any-nstant-
whatcvcramongthcothcrs.hssndccdthcd||crcnccbctwccnthc
modcrn dacctc,to whch lscnstcnappcas,andthcod dacctc.
hcattcrsthcordcro|transccndcnta|ormswhcharcactuascdn
amovcmcnt,whcthc|ormcrsthcproductonandcon|rontatono|
thc snguar ponts whch arc mmancnt to movcmcnt. Now ths
producton o|snguartcs (thc quatatvc cap) s achcvcd bythc
accumulatono|banatcs(quanttatvcproccss),sothatthcsnguar
stakcn|romthcany-whatcvcr,andstsc|anany-whatcvcrwhch
s smpy non-ordnary andnon-rcguar. lscnstcn hmsc|madct
ccarthat'thcpathctc'prcsupposcd'thcorganc'asthcorganscdsct
o|any-nstant-whatcvcrsthroughwhchthccutsjcuurcs]havcto
pass.`
hcany-nstant-whatcvcrsthcnstantwhchscqudstant|rom
anothcr. Wc can thcrc|orc dc|nc thc cncma as thcsystcm whch
rcproduccsmovcmcntbyrcatngttothcany-nstant-whatcvcr.ut
t s hcrc that thc d ||cuty arscs. What s thc ntcrcst o| such a
systcm lromthcpont o|vcw o|sccncc, t s vcrysght.lorthc
sccnt|crcvoutonwasonco|anayss.And, | movcmcnthadtobc
rcatcdtothcany-nstant-whatcvcrnordcrtoanaysct,twashard
tosccanyntcrcstnasynthcssorrcconsttutonbascdonthcsamc
prncpIc, cxccpt a vaguc ntcrcst o| con|rmaton. hs s why
ncthcrNarcynorlumrchcdoutmuchhopc|orthcnvcntono|
thc cncma. Od tat cast havcartstc ntcrcst hs ddnotsccm
kcy cthcr, sncc art sccmcd to uphod thc cams o| a hghcr
synthcss o|movcmcnt, andtorcmannkcdtothcposcsand|orms
thatsccncchadrc}cctcd. Wchavcrcachcdthcvcryhcarto|cncma's
ambguous poston as 'ndustra art'. t was ncthcr an art nor a
sctcncc.
Lontcmporarcs,howcvcr,mghthavcbccnscnstvctoadcvcop-
mcnt at work n thc arts, whch was changng thc status o|
movcmcnt,cvcn npantng.oancvcngrcatcrdcgrcc,dancc,bact
andmmcwcrcabandonng|gurcsandposcstorccascvaucswhtch
wcrcnotposcd, notmcasurcd, whchrcatcdmovcmcnttothcany-
Srtndthrsis
7
nstant-whatcvcr. In thrs way, art, bact and mmcbccamcactons
capab|colrcspondngtoaccdcntsolthccnvronmcnt,thats,tothc
dstrbutonolthcpontsolaspacc, orolthcmomcntsolancvcnt.
Athsscrvcdthcsamccndasthccncma.lromthctmcolthctakc,
thccncmawasabctomakcthcmuscacomcdyoncoltsprncpa
gcnrcs, wthlrcd Astarc's 'actondancc' whchtakcs paccnany-
locaton-whatcvcr. n thc strcct, surroundcd by cars, aong a
pavcmcnt.utcvcnnscntlms,Lhapnhaddvorccdmmclrom
thc art ol poscs to makc t an acton-mmc. Mtry answcrcd
compants that Lharc uscd thccncma, rathcr than scrvng t, by
argungthathcgavcmmcancwmodc,alunctonolspaccandtmc,
a contnuty constructcd at cachnstant, whch now ony aowcd
tscl to bc dccomposcd nto ts promncnt mmancnt ccmcnts,
nstcad olbcngrcatcd to pror lorms whch rtwas to cmbody.'
crgson lorccluydcmonstratcsthatthccncmaluybcongsto
thsmodcrnconccptonolmovcmcnt.ut,lromths pont,hcsccms
to hcstatcbctwccntwopaths,oncolwhchcadshmbacktohslrst
thcss,thcothcrnstcadopcnngupancwqucstron.Accordngtothc
hrst path, athough thc two conccptons may bcdllcrcntlromthc
sccntlc pont ol vcw, thcy ncvcrthccss havc a morc or css
dcntcarcsut.Inlact,torccomposcmovcmcntwthrtrrnelsrsor
wth immbilrsrttins comcs to thc samc thng. n both cascs, onc
msscs thc movcmcntbccausconcconstructsaWhoc, oncassumcs
that'asgvcn',whstmovcmcntonyoccursrlthcwhocsncthcr
gvcnnorgvcabc. Assoonasawhocsgvcntooncnthcctcrna
ordcrollormsorposcs, ornthcsctolany-nstant-whatcvcrs,thcn
cthcr tmc s no morc than thc magc ol ctcrnty, or t s thc
conscqucnccolthcsct, thcrcs no ongcrroomlorrcamovcmcnt.
Anothcrpath,howcvcr,sccmcdopcntocrgson.lor,lthcanccnt
conccptoncorrcspondscoscytoanccntphosophy,whchamsto
thnkthcctcrna,thcnthcmodcrnconccpton,modcrnsccncc,cas
upon enthrr phosophy. Whcn onc rcatcs movcmcnt to any-
momcnt-whatcvcrs,oncmustbccapabcolthnkngthcproducton
olthcncw,that s, olthcrcmarkabcandthcsnguar,atany oncol
thcsc momcnts. ths sa compctc convcrson olphosophy. It s
what crgson utmatcy ams to do. to gvc modcrn sccncc thc
mctaphysc whchcorrcspondsto t, whcht acks as onchalacks
thcothcr."utcanwcstoponccwchavcsctoutonthspathLanwc
dcny that thc arts mustaso gothroughthsconvcrsonorthatthc
cncmasancsscntalactornths,andthatthasaroctopaynthc
brthand lormatonolthsncwthought,thsncwwayolthnkng
hss whycrgsonsnoongcrcontcntmcrcytocorroboratchs
B I Thcscsn mvcmcnt
lrstthcssonmovcmcnt.crgson'ssccondthcss - althoughtstops
hallway makcs possblcanothcr way ollookngatthccncma, a
waynwhchtwouldnolongcrbcustthcpcrlcctcdapparatusolthc
oldcstlluson,but,onthccontrary,thcorganlorpcrlcctngthcncw
rcalty.
J 1h|tJ lhrJ|J. m61rmrBl 1BJ th1Br
Andthsscrgson'sthrdthcss,whchsalsocontancdnCrcetivc
Lvlatin. llwctrcdtorcduccttoabarclormula,twouldbcths.
not on|y s thc nstant an mmoblc sccton ol movcmcnt, but
movcmcntsamoblcscctonolduraton,thats,olthcWholc,orola
wholc. Whch mplcs that movcmcnt cxprcsscs somcthng morc
prolound, whch s thc changc nduraton or nthc wholc. osay
thatduratonschangcspartoltsdclnton.tchangcsanddocsnot
stop changng. lor cxamplc, mattcr movcs, but docs not changc.
Nowmovcmcntcxprcsscsachangcnduratonornthcwholc.What
isaproblcmsonthconchandthscxprcsson,andonthcothcr,ths
wholc-duraton dcntlcaton.
Movcmcnt s a translaton n spacc. Now cach tmc thcrc s a
translaton olparts n spacc, thcrc s also a qualtatvcchangc n a
wholc. crgson gavc numcrous cxamplcs ol ths n Mettcr end
Mcmry.Ananmalmovcs,butthsslorapurposc.tolccd,mgratc,
ctc. lt mght bc sad that movcmcnt prcsupposcs a d
l
llcrcncc ol
potcntal,andamstolllt.lllconsdcrpartsorplaccsabstractly- A
andl cannotundcrstandthcmovcmcntwhchgocs lromoncto
thcothcr.ut magnclamstarvngatA,andatthcrcssomcthng
to cat. Whcn l havcrcachcd and had somcthng tocat,whathas
changcd s not only my statc, but thc statc olthc wholc whch
cncompasscd , A, andall that was bctwccnthcm. Whcn Achllcs
ovcrtakcs thctortosc, what changcs s thcstatcolthcwholcwhch
cncompasscd thc tortosc, Achllcs, and thc dstancc bctwccn thc
two. Movcmcnt always rclatcs to achangc,mgratonto ascasonal
varaton. And ths s cqually truc ol bodcs. thc lall ol a body
prcsupposcsanothcr oncwhchattractst,andcxprcsscsachangcn
thcwholcwhchcncompasscsthcmboth. llwcthnkolpurcatoms,
thcrmovcmcnts,wh:chtcstlytoarccprocalactonolallthcpartsol
thcsubstancc,ncccsarlycxprcssmodhcatons,dsturbanccs,changcs
ol cncrgy n thc wholc. Whatcrgsondscovcrsbcyondtranslaton
s vbraton, radaton. Lur crror lcsnbclcvngthattsthcany-
cIcmcnt-whatcvcrs,cxtcrnaltoqualtcswhchmovc.utthcqualtcs
Thirdthcsis
thcmscvcsarcpurcvbratonswhchchangcatthcsamctmcasthc
acgcd ccmcnts movc.'
lnCrcetivcLvlatia,Bcrgsongvcsancxampcwhch sso|amous
thattno ongcrsurprscsus.uttngsomcsugarnagasso|watcr,
hc saysthat'lmust,wy-ny,watuntthcsugarmcts'. ' ' hss
sghtystrangc, snccBcrgsonsccmstohavc|orgottcnthatstrrng
wthaspooncanhcpttodssovc.Butwhatshsmanponthat
thc movcmcnt o|transaton whch dctachcs thcsugar partccs and
suspcndsthcmnthcwatcrtsc|cxprcsscsachangcnthcwhoc,that
s,nthccontcnto|thcgass,aquatatvctranston|romwatcrwhch
contans asugar umpto thcstatc o|sugarcd watcr. l |lstr wththc
spoon,lspccdupthcmovcmcnt,butlasochangcthcwhoc,whch
nowcncompasscsthcspoon,andthcaccccratcdmovcmcntcontnucs
to cxprcss thc changc o| thc whoc. 'hc whoy supcr|ca
dspaccmcnts o| masscs and moccucs studcd n physcs and
chcmstry woudbccomc, by rcatontothat nncrvtamovcmcnt
(whch strans|ormaton andnottransaton)whatthcpostono|a
movngobcctstothcmovcmcnto|thatobcctnspacc. ' '' hus, n
hs thrd thcss, Bcrgsonputs |orward thc |oowng anaogy.
mmobc scctons movcmcnt as mobc sccton
movcmcnt quatatvc changc
hconyd||crcnccsths.thcratoonthcc|t-handsdccxprcsscsan
uson, and that on thc rght-hand sdc, a rcaty.
Abovca, what Bcrgson wantstosayusngthcgasso|sugarcd
watcr s that my watng, whatcvcr t bc, cxprcsscs a duraton as
mcnta, sprtua rcaty. But why docs ths sprtua duraton bcar
wtncss,not ony |ormcwho wat, but|orawhocwhchchangcs
Accordng to Bcrgson thcwhocsncthcrgvcnnor gvcabc(and
thccrroro|modcrnsccncc, kcthato|anccntsccncc,ayntakng
thcwhocasgvcn, ntwod||crcntways). Manyphosophcrshad
arcady sad that thc whoc was ncthcr gvcn nor gvcabc. thcy
smpyconcudcd |romthsthatthcwhocwasamcanngcssnoton.
Bcrgson'sconcusonsvcryd ||crcnt: |thcwhocsnotg vcabc,t
s bccausc t s thc Lpcn, and bccausc ts naturc s to changc
constanty,ortogvcrsctosomcthngncw,nshort,tocndurc.`hc
duraton o|thc unvcrsc must thcrc|orc bc onc wth thc attudc o|
crcaton whch can |nd pacc n t. ' ' ' bo that cach tmc wc |nd
ourscvcs con|rontcd wth a duraton, or n a duraton, wc may
concudcthatthcrccxstssomcwhcrcawhocwhchschangng,and
whchs opcn somcwhcrc. tswdcyknownthatBcrgsonntay
I0
I T/rsrs eu mevrmrut
dscovcrcd duraton as dcntca| to conscousncss. ut |urthcr study
o| conscousncss |cd hm to dcmonstratc that t on|y cxstcd n so |ar
as t opcncd tsc|| upon a who|c, by concdng wth thc opcnng up o|
a who|c. Sm|ar|y |or thc |vng bcng: n comparng thc |vng bcng
to a who|c, or to thc who|c o| thc unvcrsc, crgson sccms to bc
rcvtvtng thc most anctcnt stmt|c. Howcvcr, hc comp|ctc|y rcvcrscs
ts tcrms. Ior, | thc |vng bcng s a who|c and, thcrc|orc,
comparab|c to thc who|c o| thc unvcrsc, ths s not bccausc t s a
mcrocosm as c|oscd as thc who|c s assumcd to bc, but, on thc
contrary, bccausc t s opcn upon a wor|d, and thc wor|d, thc
unvcrsc, s tsc|| thc pcn. 'Whcrcvcr anythng |vcs, thcrc s, opcn
somcwhcrc, a rcgstcr n whch tmc s bcng nscrbcd. ` ' '
I| onc had to dc|nc thc who|c, t wou|d bc dc|ncd by Kc|aton.
Kc|aton s not a propcrty o| objccts, t s a|ways cxtcrna| to ts tcrms.
It s a|so nscparab|c |rom thc opcn, and dsp|ays a sprtua| or mcnta|
cxstcncc. Kc|atons do not bc|ong to objccts, but to thc who|c, on
condtton that ths s not con|uscd wth a c|oscd sct o| objccts. ' y
movcmcnt n spacc, thc obj ccts o| a sct changc thcr rcspcctvc
postons. ut, through rc|atons, thc who|c s trans|ormcd or
changcs qua|tatvc|y. Wc can say o| duraton tsc|| or o| tmc, that t
s thc who|c o| rc|atons.
Jhc who|c and thc 'who|cs` must not bc con|uscd wth srts. Scts
arc c|oscd, and cvcrythng whch s c|oscd s art|ca||y c|oscd. Scts
arc a|ways scts o| parts. ut a who|c s not c|oscd, t s opcn, and t has
no parts cxccpt n
a vcry spcca| scnsc, sncc t cannot bc dvdcd
wthout changng qua|tatvc|y at cach stagc o| thc dvson. 'Jhc rca|
who|c mght wc|| bc, wc concctvc, an ndvtsb|c contnuty.`
!
' Jhc
who|c s not a c|oscd sct, but on thc contrary that by vrtuc o| whch
thc sct s ncvcr abso|utc|y c|oscd, ncvcr comp|ctcly shc|tcrcd, that
whch kccps t opcn somcwhcrc as | by thc |ncst thrcad whch
attachcs t to thc rcst o| thc unvcrsc. Jhc g|ass o| watcr s ndccd a
c|oscd sct contanng thc parts, thc watcr, thc sugar, pcrhaps thc
spoon, but that s not thc who|c. Jhc who|c crcatcs tsc||, and
constant|y crcatcs tsc| |n anothcr dmcnson wthout parts - |kc that
whch carrcs a|ong thc sct o| onc qua|tatvc statc to anothcr, |kc thc
purc ccasc|css bccomng whch passcs through thcsc statcs. It s n ths
scnsc that t s sprtua| or mcnta|. 'Jhc g|ass o| watcr, thc sugar, and
thc proccss o| thc sugar`s mc|tng n thc watcr arc abstractons and
. . . thc who|c wthn whch thcy havc bccn cut out by my scnscs and
undcrstandng progrcssc, t may b, n thc manncr o| a conscousncss.`
!
In any casc, ths art|ca| dvson o| a sct or a c|oscd systcm s not a
purc ||uson. It s wc|| |oundcd and, | t is mpossb|c to brcak thc
T/ird t/rsis l l
|nk o| cach thng wth thc who|c (ths paradoxca| |nk, whch tcs t
to thc opcn), t can at |cast bc drawn out, strctchcd to n|nty, madc
|ncr and |ncr. Jhc organsaton o| mattcr makcs possb|c thc c|oscd
systcms or thc dctcrmnatc scts o| parts, and thc dcp|oymcnt o| spacc
makcs thcm ncccssary. ut thc pont s that thc scts arc n spacc, and
thc who|c, thc who|cs arc n duraton, arc duraton tsc||, n so |ar as t
docs not stop changng. So that thc two |ormu|as whch corrcspondcd
to crgson's |rst thcss now takc on a much morc rgorous status,
'mmob|c scctons abstract tmc' rc|crs to c|oscd scts whosc parts
arc n |act mmob|c scctons, and whosc succcssvc statcs arc ca|cu-
|atcd on an abstract tmc, wh|c 'rca| movcmcnt ~ concrctc duraton`
rc|crs to thc opcnng up o| a who|c whch cndurcs, and whosc movc-
mcnts arc so many mob|c scctons crossng thc c|oscd systcms.
Jhc upshot ol ths thrd thcss s that wc |nd oursclvcs on thrcc
|cvc|s. ( l ) thc scts or c|oscd systcms whch arc dc|ncd by dsccrnb|c
objccts or dstnct parts; (Z)thc movcmcnt o| translaton whch s
cstab|shcd bctwccn thcsc objccts and mod|cs thcr rcspcctvc
postons, (J)thc duraton or thc who|c, a sprtua| rca|ty whch
constant|y changcs accordng to ts own rc|atons.
Jhus n a scnsc movcmcnt has two aspccts. n onc hand, that
whch happcns bctwccn objccts or parts, on thc othcr hand that
whch cxprcsscs thc duraton or thc who|c. Jhc rcsu|t s that
duraton, by changng qua|tatvc|y, s dvdcd up n objccts, and
objccts, by ganng dcpth, by |osng thcr contours, arc untcd n
duraton. Wc can thcrc|orc say that movcmcnt rc|atcs thc objccts o| a
c|oscd systcm to opcn duraton, and duraton to thc objccts o| thc
systcm whch t |orccs to opcn up. Movcmcnt rc|atcs thc objccts
bctwccn whch t s cstab|shcd to thc changng who|c whch t
cxprcsscs, and vcc vcrsa. Jhrough movcmcnt thc who|c s dvdcd
up nto objccts, and objccts arc rc-untcd n thc who|c, and ndccd
bctwccn thc two 'thc who|c` changcs. Wc can consdcr thc objccts or
parts o| a sct as immebilr srttieus, but movcmcnt s cstab|shcd
bctwccn thcsc scctons, and rc|atcs thc objccts or parts to thc duraton
o| a who|c whch changcs, and thus cxprcsscs thc changng o| thc
who|c n rc|aton to thc objccts and s tsc|| a mebilr srttieu o| duraton.
Now wc arc cquppcd to undcrstand thc pro|ound thcss o| thc |rst
chaptcr o| Msttrr sud Mrmery: ( l ) thcrc arc not on|y nstantancous
magcs, that s, mmob|c scctons o| movcmcnt, (Z) thcrc arc
movcmcnt-magcs whch arc mob|c scctons o| duraton, (J)thcrc
arc, hna||y, tmc-magcs, that s, duraton-magcs, changc-magcs,
rc|aton-magcs, vo|umc-magcs whch arc bcyond movcmcnt
tsc|| . . . .
Z IdD0 dD0 $DOL IdDID dD0
0UllID
1hr]|tJl r1r.]t1mr, Jrl 6t t6JrJ J]Jlrm
Wc wi|| start with vcry simp|c dc|initions, cvcn though thcy may
havc to bc corrcctcd |atcr. Wc wi|| ca|| t/r drtrrmiustieu ej s tlesrd
systrm, s rrlstivrly tlesrd systrm u/it/ iutludrs rvrryt/iug u/it/ is
rrsrut iu t/r imsgr scts, charactcrs and props jrsmiug. Jhc |ramc
thcrc|orc |orms a sct which has a grcat numbcr o| parts, that is o|
c|cmcnts, which thcmsc|vcs |orm sub-scts. It can bc brokcn down.
bvious|y thcsc parts arc thcmsc|vcs in imagc jru imsgr]. Jhis is
why |akobson ca||s thcm objcct-signs, and Paso|ini 'cincmcs' .
Howcvcr this tcrmino|ogy suggcsts comparisons with |anguagc
(cincmcs wou|d bc vcry |ikc phoncmcs, and thc shot wou|d bc |ikc a
moncmc) which do not sccm ncccssary. Ior, i| thc |ramc has an
ana|oguc, it is to bc |ound in an in|ormation systcm rathcr than a
|inguistic onc. Jhc c|cmcnts arc thc data jdeuurs], which arc
somctimcs vcry numcrous, somctimcs o| |imitcd numbcr. Jhc |ramc
is thcrc|orc inscparab|c |rom two tcndcncics. towards saturation or
towards rarc|action. Jhc big scrccn and dcpth o| |ic|d in par-
ticu|ar havc a||owcd thc mu|tip|ication o| indcpcndcnt data, to thc
point whcrc a sccondary sccnc appcars in thc |orcground whi|c thc
main onc happcns in thc background (Wy|cr), or whcrc you can no
|ongcr cvcn distinguish bctwccn thc principa| and thc sccondary
(A|tman). n thc othcr hand, rarc|icd imagcs arc produccd, cithcr
whcn thc who|c acccnt is p|accd on a sing|c objcct (in Hitchcock, thc
g|ass o| mi|k |it |rom thc insidc, in Susitieu, thc g|owing cigarcttc
cnd in thc b|ack rcctang|c o| thc window in Krsr hiudeu) or whcn
thc sct is cmpticd o| ccrtain sub-scts (Antonioni's dcscrtcd |andscapcs,
zu`s vacant intcriors). Jhc highcst dcgrcc o| rarc|action sccms to bc
attaincd with thc cmpty sct, whcn thc scrccn bccomcs comp|ctc|y
b|ack or comp|ctc|y whitc. Hitchcock givcs an cxamp|c o| this in
Srllbeuud, whcn anothcr g|ass o| mi|k invadcs thc scrccn, |caving
on|y an cmpty whitc imagc. ut, |rom cithcr sidc - whcthcr
rarc|action or saturation thc |ramc tcachcs us that thc imagc is not
just givcn to bc sccn. It is |cgib|c as wc|| as visib|c. Jhc |ramc has thc
imp|icit |unction o| rccording not mcrc|y sound in|ormation, but a|so
visua| in|ormation. I| wc scc vcry |cw things in an imagc, this is
T/r jirst lrvrl
l J
bccausc wc do not know how to rcad t propcr|y, wc cva|uatc ts
rarc|acton as bad|y as ts saturaton. Jhcrc s a pcdagogy o| thc
magc, cspcca||y wth Godard, whcn ths |uncton s madc cxp|ct,
whcn thc |ramc scrvcs as an opaquc sur|acc o| n|ormaton,
somctmcs b|urrcd by saturaton, somctmcs rcduccd to thc cmpty
sct, to thc whtc or b|ack scrccn. '
In thc sccond p|acc, thc |ramc has a|ways bccn gcomctrca| or
physca|, dcpcndng on whcthcr t consttutcs thc c|oscd systcm n
rc|aton to choscn coordnatcs or n rc|aton to sc|cctcd varab|cs. Jhc
|ramc s thcrc|orc somctmcs conccvcd o| as a spata| composton o|
para||c|s and dagona|s, thc consttuton o| a rcccptac|c such that thc
b|ocs jmsssrs and thc |ncs o| thc magc whch comc to occupy t w||
|nd an cqu|brum and thcr movcmcnts w|| |nd an nvarant. It s
o|tcn |kc ths n Orcycr, Antonon sccms to go to thc |mt o| ths
gcomctrc conccpton o| thc |ramc whch prccxsts that whch s
gong to bc nscrtcd wthn t (Ltlisr). ' Somctmcs thc |ramc s
conccvcd as a dynamc constructon n act jru sttr], whch s c|osc|y
|nkcd to thc sccnc, thc magc, thc charactcrs and thc objccts whch |||
t. Jhc rs mcthod n Gr||th, whch solatcs a |acc |rst o| a||, thcn
opcns and shows thc surroundngs, Lscnstcn` s rcscarchcs nsprcd
by |apancsc drawng, whch adapt thc |ramc to thc thcmc, Gancc`s
varab|c scrccn whch opcns and c|oscs 'accordng to thc dramatc
ncccsstcs` , and |kc a 'vsua| accordon` |rom thc vcry bcgnnng
attcmpts wcrc madc to tcst dynamc varatons o| thc |ramc. In any
casc |ramng s |mtaton. ut, dcpcndng on thc conccpt tsc|| thc
|mts can bc conccvcd n two ways, mathcmatca||y or dynamca||y.
cthcr as prc|mnary to thc cxstcncc o| thc bodcs whosc csscncc
thcy |x, or gong as |ar as thc powcr o| cxstng bodcs gocs. Ior
anccnt ph|osophy, ths was onc o| thc prncpa| |caturcs o| thc
opposton bctwccn thc P|atonsts and thc Stocs.
Jhc |ramc s a|so gcomctrc or physca| in anothcr way n rc|aton
to thc parts o| thc systcm that t both scparatcs and brngs togcthcr. In
thc |rst casc, thc |ramc s nscparab|c |rom rgd gcomctrc
dstnctons. A vcry |nc magc n Gr||th`s |utolrrsutr cuts thc scrccn
a|ong a vcrtca| whch corrcsponds to a wa|| o| thc ramparts o|
aby|on, wh|st on thc rght onc sccs thc kng advancng on a hghcr
horzonta|, a hgh wa|k on thc ramparts, on thc |c|t thc charots cntcr
and |cavc, on a |owcr horzonta|, through thc gatcs o| thc cty.
Lscnstcn studcd thc c||ccts o| thc go|dcn sccton on cncmatographc
magcry, Orcycr cxp|orcd horzonta|s and vcrtca|s, symmctrcs, thc
hgh and thc |ow, a|tcrnatons o| b|ack and whtc, thc Lxprcssonsts
dcvc|opcd dagona|s and countcr-dagona|s, pyramda| or trangu|ar
l 1 Z lrsmr sud s/et
|gurcs whch agg|omcratc bodcs, crowds, p|accs, thc co||son o|
thcsc masscs, a who|c pavng o| thc |ramc 'whch takcs on a |orm |kc
thc b|ack and whtc squarcs o| a chcss-board` (Lang`s T/r Nibrluugru
and Mrtreelis). ' Lvcn |ght s thc subjcct o| a gcomctrca| optc,
whcn t s organscd wth shadows nto two ha|vcs, or nto
a|tcrnatng rays, as s donc by onc Lxprcssonst tcndcncy (Wcnc,
Lang). Jhc |ncs scparatng thc grcat c|cmcnts o| Maturc obvous|y
p|ay a |undamcnta| ro|c, as n Iord`s skcs: thc scparaton o| carth and
sky, thc carth pushcd down to thc basc o| thc scrccn. ut t a|so
nvo|vcs watcr and carth, or thc s|cndcr |nc whch scparatcs ar and
watcr, whcn watcr hdcs an cscapcc n ts dcpths, or drowns a vctm at
thc |mt o| thc sur|acc (Lc Koy`s | sm s lugitivr jrem s C/siu Gsug
and Mcwman`s Semrtimrs s Grrst Netieu). As a gcncra| ru|c, thc
powcrs o| Maturc arc not |ramcd n thc samc way as pcop|c or thngs,
and ndvdua|s arc not |ramcd n thc samc way as crowds, and sub-
c|cmcnts arc not |ramcd n thc samc way as tcrms, so that thcrc arc
many d ||crcnt |ramcs n thc |ramc. Ooors, wndows, box o||cc
wndows, sky|ghts, car wndows, mrrors, arc a|| |ramcs n
|ramcs. Jhc grcat drcctors havc partcu|ar a||ntcs wth partcu|ar
sccondary, tcrtary, ctc. |ramcs. And t s by ths dovcta|ng o|
|ramcs that thc parts o| thc sct or o| thc c|oscd systcm arc scparatcd,
but a|so convcrgc and arc rcuntcd.
n thc othcr hand, thc physca| or dynamc conccpton o| thc
|ramc produccs mprccsc scts whch arc now on|y dvdcd nto zoncs
or bands. Jhc |ramc s no |ongcr thc objcct o| gcomctrc dvsons,
but o| physica| gradatons. Jhc parts o| thc sct arc now ntcnsvc
parts, and thc sct tsc|| s a mxturc whch s transmttcd through a||
thc parts, through a|| thc dcgrccs o| shadow and o| |ght, through thc
who|c |ght-darkncss sca|c (Wcgcncr, Murnau). Jhs was thc
Lxprcssonst optc`s othcr tcndcncy, a|though somc drcctors, both
nsdc and outsdc Lxprcssonsm, partcpatc n both. It s thc hour
whcn t s no |ongcr possb|c to dstngush bctwccn sunrsc and
sunsct, ar and watcr, watcr and carth, n thc grcat mxturc o| a marsh
or a tcmpcst. Hcrc, t s by dcgrccs o| mxng that thc parts bccomc
dstnct or con|uscd n a contnua| trans|ormaton o| va|ucs. Jhc sct
cannot dvdc nto parts without qua|tatvc|y changng cach tmc. t
s ncthcr dvsb|c nor ndvsb|c, but 'dvdua|` jdividurq. Admttcd|y
ths was a|rcady thc casc n thc gcomctrc conccpton - thcrc thc
dovcta|ng o| |ramcs ndcatcd thc qua|tatvc changcs. Jhc cncma-
tographc magc s a|ways dvdua|. Jhs s bccausc, n thc |na|
ana|yss, thc scrccn, as rhc |ramc o| |ramcs, gvcs a common standard
o| mcasurcmcnt to thns whch do not havc onc - |ong shots o|
T/r jirst lrvrl l J
countrysdc and c|osc-ups o| thc |acc, an astronomca| systcm and a
sng|c drop o| watcr parts whch do not havc thc samc dcnomnator
o| dstancc, rc|c| or |ght. In a|| thcsc scnscs thc |ramc cnsurcs a
dctcrrtora|saton o| thc magc.
In thc |ourth p|acc, thc |ramc s rc|atcd to an ang|c o| |ramng. Jhs
s bccausc thc c|oscd sct s tsc|| an optca| systcm whch rc|crs to a
pont o| vcw on thc sct o| parts. | coursc, thc pont o| vcw can bc
or appcar to bc bzarrc or paradoxca|. thc cncma shows
cxtraordnary ponts o| vcw at ground |cvc|, or |rom hgh to |ow,
|rom |ow to hgh, ctc. ut thcy sccm to bc subjcct to a pragmatc ru|c
whch s not just va|d |or thc narratvc cncma. to avod |a||ng nto
an cmpty acsthctcsm thcy must bc cxp|ancd, thcy must bc rcvca|cd
as norma| and rcgu|ar cthcr |rom thc pont o| vcw o| a morc
comprchcnsvc sct whch nc|udcs thc |rst, or |rom thc pont o| vcw
o| an nta||y unsccn, not gvcn, c|cmcnt o| thc |rst sct. In|can Mtry
wc |nd a dcscrpton o| a scqucncc whch s cxcmp|ary hcrc
(Lubtsch' s T/r Mr | Iillrd), thc camcra, n a |atcra| md-hcght
travc||ng shot, shows a row o| spcctators sccn |rom bchnd and trcs
to g|dc to thc |ront, thcn stops at a onc-|cggcd man whosc mssng
|cg provdcs a vsta on thc sccnc - a passng m|tary paradc. It thus
|ramcs thc good |cg, thc crutch, and, undcr thc stump, thc paradc.
Hcrc wc havc an cmncnt|y bzarrc ang|c o| |ramng. ut anothcr
shot shows anothcr crpp|c bchnd thc |rst, onc wth no |cgs at a||,
who sccs thc paradc n prccsc|y ths way, and who actua|scs or
accomp|shcs thc prcccdng pont o| vcw.' It can thcrc|orc bc sad
that thc ang|c o| |ramng was just|cd. Howcvcr, ths pragmatc ru|c
s not a|ways va|d, or cvcn whcn t s va|d, t s not thc who|c story.
ontzcr has constructcd thc ntcrcstng conccpt o| 'dc|ramng`
jdtsdrsgr] n ordcr to dcsgnatc thcsc abnorma| ponts o| vcw whch
arc not thc samc as an ob|quc pcrspcctvc or a paradoxca| ang|c, and
rc|cr to anothcr dmcnson o| thc magc.

Wc |nd cxamp|cs o| ths n
Orcycr's cuttng |ramcs, |accs cut by thc cdgc o| thc scrccn n T/r
|sssieu ej Jesu ej Hrt. ut, wc scc t cvcn morc n cmpty spaccs |kc
thosc o| zu, whch |ramc a dcad zonc, or n dsconncctcd spaccs as
n rcsson, whosc parts arc not conncctcd and arc bcyond a||
narratvc or morc gcncra||y pragmatc just|caton, pcrhaps tcndng
to con|rm that thc vsua| magc has a |cgb|c |uncton bcyond ts
vsb|c |uncton.
Jhcrc rcmans thc out-o|-|c|d j /or-t/sm [. Jhs s not a ncgaton,
ncthcr s t su||ccnt to dc|nc t by thc non-concdcncc bctwccn
two |ramcs, onc vsua| and thc othcr sound (|or cxamp|c, n rcsson,
whcn thc sound tcst|cs to what s not sccn, and 'rc|ays' thc vsua|
! Z lrsmr sud s/et
nstcad o| dup|catng t)." Jhc out-o|-|c|d rc|crs to what s
ncthcr sccn nor undcrstood, but s ncvcrthc|css pcr|cct|y prcscnt.
Jhs prcscncc s ndccd a prob|cm and tsc|| rc|crs to two ncw
conccptons o| |ramng. l| wc rcturn to azn' s a|tcrnatvc o| mask or
|ramc, wc scc that somctmcs thc |ramc works |kc a mob|c mask
accordng to whch cvcry sct s cxtcndcd nto a |argcr homogcncous
sct wth whch t communcatcs, and somctmcs t works as a pctora|
|ramc whch so|atcs a systcm and ncutra|scs ts cnvronmcnt. Jhs
dua|ty s most c|car|y cxprcsscd n Kcnor and Htchcock, n thc
|ormcr spacc and acton a|ways go byond thc |mts o| thc |ramc
whch on|y takcs c|cmcnts |rom an arca, n thc |attcr thc |ramc
'con|ncs a|| thc componcnts' , and acts as a |ramc |or a tapcstry rathcr
than onc |or a pcturc or a p|ay. ut, | a parta| sct on|y communcatcs
|orma|ly wth ts out-o|-|c|d through thc postvc charactcrstcs o|
thc |ramc and thc rc|ramng, t s nonc thc |css truc that a systcm
whch s c|oscd - cvcn onc whch s vcry c|oscd up on|y apparcnt|y
supprcsscs thc out-o|-hc|d, and n ts own way gvcs t an cvcn morc
dccsvc mportancc. ' A|| |ramng dctcrmncs an out-o|-|c|d. Jhcrc
arc not two typcs o| |ramc on|y onc o| whch wou|d rc|cr to thc out-
o|-|c|d, thcrc arc rathcr two vcry d||crcnt aspccts o| thc out-o|-|c|d,
cach o| whch rc|crs to a modc o| |ramng.
Jhc dvsb|ty o| contcnt mcans that thc parts bc|ong to varous
scts, whch constant|y subdvdc nto sub-scts or arc thcmsc|vcs thc
sub-sct o| a |argcr sct, on to n|nty. Jhs s why contcnt s dc|ncd
both by thc tcndcncy to consttutc c|oscd systcms and by thc |act that
ths tcndcncy ncvcr rcachcs complcton. Lvcry c|oscd systcm a|so
communcatcs. Jhcrc s always a thrcad to |nk thc g|ass o| sugarcd
watcr to thc so|ar systcm, and any sct whatcvcr to a |argcr sct. Jhs s
thc |rst scnsc o| what wc ca|| thc out-o|-|c|d. whcn a sct s |ramcd,
thcrc|orc sccn, thcrc s a|ways a |argcr sct, or anothcr sct wth whch
thc |rst |orms a |argcr onc, and whch can n turn bc sccn, on
condton that t gvcs rsc to a ncw out-o|-|c|d, ctc. Jhc sct o| a||
thcsc scts |orms a homogcncous contnuty, a unvcrsc or a p|anc
jlsu | o| gcnunc|y un|mtcd contcnt. ut t s ccrtan|y not a 'who|c`
a|though ths p|anc or thcsc |argcr and |argcr scts ncccssar|y havc an
ndrcct rc|atonshp wth thc who|c. Wc know thc nso|ub|c
contradctons wc |a|| nto whcn wc trcat thc sct o| a|| scts as a who|c.
lt s not bccausc thc noton o| thc who|c s dcvod o| scnsc, but t s not
a sct and docs not havc parts. lt s rathcr that whch prcvcnts cach sct,
howcvcr bg t s, |rom c|osng n on tsc||, and that whch |orccs t to
cxtcnd tsc|| nto a |argcr sct. Jhc who|c s thcrc|orc |kc thrcad
whch travcrscs scts and gvcs cach onc thc possb|ty, whch s
T/r jirst lrvrl l 7
ncccssar|y rca|scd, o| communcatng wth anothcr, to n|nty.
Jhus thc who|c s thc pcn, and rc|atcs back to tmc or cvcn to sprt
rathcr than to contcnt and to spacc. Whatcvcr thcr rc|atonshp, onc
shou|d thcrc|orc not con|usc thc cxtcnson o| scts nto cach othcr
wth thc opcnng o| thc who|c whch passcs nto cach onc. A c|oscd
systcm s ncvcr abso|utc|y c|oscd, but on thc onc hand t s conncctcd
n spacc to othcr systcms by a morc or |css '|nc` thrcad, and on thc
othcr hand t s ntcgratcd or rcntcgratcd nto a who|c whch
transmts a duraton to t a|ong ths thrcad. ' ' Hcncc, t s pcrhaps not
su||ccnt to dstngush, wth urch, a concrctc spacc |rom an
magnary spacc n thc out-o|-|c|d, thc magnary bccomng concrctc
whcn t n turn passcs nto a |c|d, whcn t thus ccascs to bc out-o|-
|c|d. In tsc||, or as such, thc out-o|-|c|d a|rcady has two
qua|tatvc|y d ||crcnt aspccts. a rc|atvc aspcct by mcans o| whch a
c|oscd systcm rc|crs n spacc to a sct whch s not sccn, and whch can
n turn bc sccn, cvcn | ths gvcs rsc to a ncw unsccn sct, on to
n|nty, and an abso|utc aspcct by whch thc c|oscd systcm opcns on
to a duraton whch s mmancnt to thc who|c unvcrsc, whch s no
|ongcr a sct and docs not bc|ong to thc ordcr o| thc vsb|c. '
Drjrsmiugs jdtsdrsgrs] u/it/ srr uet 'rsgmstitslly' ustijird rrjrr te
rrtisrly t/is srteud ssrtt d t/rir rsiseu d'hrr.
In onc casc, thc out-o|-hc|d dcsgnatcs that whch cxsts c|scwhcrc,
to onc sdc or around, n thc othcr casc, thc out-o|-|c|d tcst|cs to a
morc dsturbng prcscncc, onc whch cannot cvcn bc sad to cxst, but
rathcr to 'nsst` or 'subsst' , a morc radca| L|scwhcrc, outsdc
homogcncous spacc and tmc. Lndoubtcd|y thcsc two aspccts o| thc
out-o|-|c|d ntcrmng|c constant|y. ut, whcn wc consdcr a |ramcd
magc as a c|oscd systcm, wc can say that onc aspcct prcva|s ovcr thc
othcr, dcpcndng on thc naturc o| thc 'thrcad` . Jhc thckcr thc thrcad
whch |nks thc sccn sct to othcr unsccn scts thc bcttcr thc out-o|-|c|d
|u|||s ts |rst |uncton, whch s thc addng o| spacc to spacc. ut,
whcn thc thrcad s vcry |nc, t s not contcnt to rcn|orcc thc c|osurc
o| thc |ramc or to c|mnatc thc rc|aton wth thc outsdc. It ccrtan|y
docs not brng about a comp|ctc so|aton o| thc rc|atvc|y c|oscd
systcm, whch wou|d b mpossb|c. ut, thc |ncr t s thc |urthcr
duraton dcsccnds nto thc systcm |kc a spdcr - thc morc c||cctvc|y
thc out-o|-hc|d |u|||s ts othcr |uncton whch s that o| ntroducng
thc trans spata| and thc sprtua| nto thc systcm whch s ncvcr
pcr|cct|y c|oscd. Orcycr madc ths nto an ascctc mcthod. thc morc
thc magc s spata||y c|oscd, cvcn rcduccd to two dmcnsons, thc
grcatcr s ts capacty to eru itsrlj on to a |ourth dmcnson whch s
tmc, and on to a ||th whch s Sprt, thc sprtua| dccson o| |cannc
l 8 2 lrsmr snd s/et
or Gcrtrud. ' ' Whcn C|audc l|cr dc|ncs Antonon ' s gcomctrc
|ramc, hc not on|y says that thc awatcd charactcr s not yct vsb|c
(thc |rst |uncton o| thc out-o|-|c|d) but a|so that hc s momcntar|y
n a zonc o| cmptncss, 'whtc on whtc which s mpossb|c to ||m` ,
and tru|y nvsb|c (thc sccond |uncton). And, n anothcr way,
Htchcock` s |ramcs arc not contcnt to ncutra|sc thc cnvronmcnt, to
push thc c|oscd systcm as |ar as possb|c and to cnc|osc thc maxmum
numbcr o| componcnts n thc magc, at thc samc tmc thcy makc thc
magc nto a mrntsl imsgr, opcn (as wc w|| scc) on to a p|ay o|
rclatons whch arc purcly thought and whch wcavc a who|c. Jhs s
why wc sad that thcrc s a|ways out-o|-hc|d, cvcn n thc most c|oscd
magc. And that thcrc arc a|ways smu|tancous|y thc two aspccts o|
thc out-o|-|c|d. thc actua|sab|c rc|aton wth othcr scts, and thc
vrtua| rc|aton wth thc who|c. ut n thc onc casc thc sccond rc|aton
thc most mystcrous s rcachcd ndrcct|y, on to n|nty, through
thc ntcrmcdary and thc cxtcnson o| thc hrst, n thc succcsson o|
magcs, n thc othcr casc t s rcachcd morc drcct|y, n thc magc tsc||,
and by |mtaton and ncutralsaton o| thc |rst.
Lct us summarsc thc rcsu|ts o| ths ana|yss o| thc |ramc. Iramng
s thc art o| choosng thc parts o| a|| knds whch bccamc part o| a sct.
Jhs sct s a c|oscd systcm, rc|atvc|y and art|ca||y c|oscd. Jhc
c|oscd systcm dctcrmncd by thc |ramc can bc consdcrcd n rc|aton
to thc data that t communcatcs to thc spcctators. t s 'n|ormatc',
and saturatcd or rarc|cd. Consdcrcd n tsc|| and as |mtaton, t s
gcomctrc or dynamc-physca|. Consdcrcd n thc naturc o| ts parts,
t s st|| gcomctrc or physca| and dynamc. lt s an optca| systcm
whcn t s consdcrcd n rc|aton to thc pont o| vcw, to thc ang|c o|
|ramng. t s thcn pragmatca||y just|cd, or |ays c|am to a hghcr
just|caton. Ina||y, t dctcrmncs an out-o|-|c|d, somctmcs n thc
|orm o| a |argcr sct whch cxtcnds t, somctmcs n thc |orm o| a
who|c nto whch t s ntcgratcd.
Z 1hr Jrt6BJ r1r. Jh6l 1BJ m61rmrBl
Cutting j dteusgr| is t/r drtrrminstien ej t/r s/et, snd t/r s/et, t/r
drtrrminstien ej t/r mevrmrnt u/it/ is rstsblis/rd in t/r tlesrd systrm,
bctwccn c|cmcnts or parts o| thc sct. ut wc havc sccn that
movcmcnt a|so conccrns a who|c whch s qua|tatvc|y d|crcnt
|rom thc sct. Jhc who|c s that whch changcs t s thc opcn or
duraton. Movcmcnt thus cxprcsscs a changc o| thc who|c, or a stagc,
an aspcct o| ths changc, a duraton or an artcu|aton o| duraton.
Thr srteud lrvrl l
Jhus movcmcnt has two |accts, as nscparab|c as thc nsdc and thc
outsdc, as thc two sdcs o| a con. it is thr rrlstieushi brturru srts sud
it is thr ststr jsjjrttieu] ej thr uhelr. n thc onc hand t mod|cs thc
rcspcctvc postons o| thc parts o| a sct, whch arc |kc ts scctons
jtmrs], cach onc mmob|c n tsc||, on thc othcr t s tsc|| thc mob|c
sccton o| a who|c whosc changc t cxprcsscs. Irom onc pont o|
vcw, t s ca||cd rc|atvc, |rom thc othcr, t s ca||cd abso|utc. Jakc a
|xcd shot whcrc thc charactcrs movc. thcy mod|y thcr rcspcctvc
postons n a |ramcd sct, but ths mod|caton wou|d b comp|ctc|y
arbtrary | t dd not a|so cxprcss somcthng n thc coursc o|
changng, a qua|tatvc a|tcraton, cvcn a mnutc onc, n thc who|c
whch passcs through ths sct. Jakc a shot whcrc thc camcra movcs. t
can go |rom onc sct to anothcr, mod|yng thc rcspcctvc poston o|
scts. A|| ths s ncccssary on|y | rc|atvc mod|caton cxprcsscs an
abso|utc changc o| thc who|c whch s transmttcd through thcsc scts.
Ior cxamp|c, thc camcra |o||ows a man and a woman who c|mb a
starcasc and arrvc at a door that thc man opcns, thcn thc camcra
|cavcs thcm, and draws back n a sng|c shot. It runs a|ong thc cxtcrna|
wa|| o| thc apartmcnt, comcs back to thc starcasc that t dcsccnds
backwards, comng out on to thc pavcmcnt, and rscs up thc cxtcror
up to thc opaquc wndow o| thc apartmcnt sccn |rom outsdc. Jhs
movcmcnt, whch mod|cs thc rc|atvc poston o| mmob|c scts, s
on|y ncccssary | t cxprcsscs somcthng n thc coursc o| happcnng, a
changc n thc who|c whch s itsc|| transmttcd through thcsc
mod|catons. thc woman s bcng murdcrcd. Shc wcnt n |rcc, but
cannot cxpcct any hc|p thc murdcr s ncxorab|c. Wc cou|d say that
ths cxamp|c (Htchcock' s lrru:)) s a casc o| c||pss n thc narraton.
ut, whcthcr thcrc s c||pss or not, or cvcn whcthcr thcrc s
narraton or not, docs not mattcr |or thc momcnt. What counts n
thcsc cxamp|cs s that thc shot, o| whatcvcr knd, has as t wcrc two
po|cs. n rc|aton to thc scts n spacc whcrc t ntroduccs rc|atvc
mod|catons bctwccn c|cmcnts or sub-scts, n rc|aton to a who|c
whosc abso|utc changc n duraton t cxprcsscs. Jhs who|c s ncvcr
contcnt to bc c||ptca|, nor narratvc, though t can bc. ut thc shot,
o| whatcvcr knd, a|ways has thcsc two aspccts. t prcscnts
mod|catons o| rc|atvc poston n a sct or somc scts. It cxprcsscs
abso|utc changcs n a who|c or n thc who|c. Jhc shot n gcncra| has
onc |acc tumcd towards thc sct, thc mod|catons o| whosc parts t
trans|atcs, and anothcr |acc turncd towards thc who|c, o| whch t
cxprcsscs thc - or at |cast a changc. Hcncc thc stuaton o| thc shot,
whch can bc dc|ncd abstract|y as thc ntcrmcdary bctwccn thc
|ramng o| thc sct and thc montagc o| thc who|c, somctmcs tcndng
ZO 2 lrsmr sud s/et
towards thc po|c o| |ramng, somctmcs tcndng towards thc po|c o|
montagc. Jhc shot s movcmcnt consdcrcd |rom ths dua| pont o|
vcw. thc trans|aton o| thc parts o| a sct whch sprcads out n spacc,
thc changc o| a who|c whch s trans|ormcd n duraton.
Jhs s not mcrc|y an abstract dctcrmnaton o| thc shot. Ior thc
shot |nds ts concrctc dctcrmnaton n so |ar as t contnua|| y brngs
about thc transton |rom onc aspcct to thc othcr, thc apportonmcnt
or dstrbuton o| thc two aspccts, thcr pcrpctua| convcrson. Lct us
rcturn to thc thrcc crgsonan |cvc|s. thc scts and thcr parts, thc
who|c whch |uscs wth thc pcn or changc n duraton and thc
movcmcnt whch s cstab|shcd bctwccn parts or scts, but whch a|so
cxprcsscs duraton, that s thc changc o| thc who|c. Jhc shot s |kc
thc movcmcnt whch contnuous|y cnsurcs convcrson, crcu|aton.
It dvdcs and subdvdcs duraton accordng to thc objccts whch
makc up thc sct, t rcuntcs obj ccts and scts nto a sng|c dcntca|
duraton. It contnuous|y dvdcs duraton nto subduratons whch
arc thcmsc|vcs hctcrogcncous, and rcuntcs thcsc nto a duraton
whch s mmancnt to thc who|c o| thc unvcrsc. Gvcn that t s a
conscousncss whch carrcs out thcsc dvsons and rcunons, wc can
say o| thc shot that t acts |kc a conscousncss. ut thc so|c
cncmatographc conscousncss s not us, thc spcctator, nor thc hcro,
t s thc camcra somctmcs human, somctmcs nhuman or
supcrhuman. Jakc, |or cxamp|c, thc movcmcnt o| watcr, that o| a
brd n thc dstancc, and that o| a pcrson on a boat. thcy arc b|cndcd
nto a sng|c pcrccpton, a pcacc|u| who|c o| humanscd Naturc. ut
thcn thc brd, an ordnary scagu||, swoops down and wounds thc
pcrson. thc thrcc uuxcs arc dvdcd and bccomc cxtcrna| to cach
othcr. Jhc who|c w|| bc rc|ormcd, but t w|| havc changcd. t w||
havc bccomc thc sng|c conscousncss or thc pcrccpton o| a who|c o|
brds, tcst|yng to an cntrc|y brd-ccntrcd Naturc, turncd aganst
Man n n|ntc antcpaton. It w|| bc rcdvdcd agan whcn thc brds
attack, dcpcndng on thc modcs, placcs and vctms o| thcr attack. It
w|| bc rc|ormcd agan to brng about a trucc, whcn thc human and
thc nhuman cntcr nto an unccrtan rc|atonshp (Htchcock' s T/r
8irds). nc cou|d say that cthcr thc dvson s bctwccn two who|cs,
or thc who|c bctwccn two dvsons. ' Jhc shot, that s to say
conscousncss, traccs a movcmcnt whch mcans that thc thngs
bctwccn whch t arscs arc contnuous|y rcuntng nto a who|c, and
thc who|c s contnuous|y dvdng bctwccn thngs (thc Ovdua|).
It s movcmcnt tsc|| whch s dccomposcd and rccomposcd. It s
dccomposcd accordng to thc c|cmcnts bctwccn whch t p|ays n a
sct. thosc whch rcman |xcd, thosc to whch movcmcnt s attrbutcd,
Thr srteud lrvrl Z l
thosc whch producc or undcrgo such smp|c or dvsb|c movc-
mcnt . . . . ut t s a|so rccomposcd nto a grcat comp|cx ndvsb|c
movcmcnt accordng to thc who|c whosc changc t cxprcsscs.
Ccrtan grcat movcmcnts arc |kc a drcctor's sgnaturc, whch
charactcrsc thc who|c o| a ||m, or cvcn thc who|c o| an ocuvrc, but
rcsonatc wth thc rc|atvc movcmcnt o| a partcu|ar sgncd magc, or a
partcu|ar dcta| n thc magc. ln an cxcmp|ary study o| Murnau' s
lrst, Lrc Kohmcr showcd how thc movcmcnts o| cxpanson and
contracton wcrc apportoncd bctwccn pcop|c and objccts n a
'pctora| spacc', but a|so cxprcsscd gcnunc ldcas n thc '||mc spacc'
Good and Lv|, God and Satan. '` rson Wc||cs o|tcn dcscrbcs two
movcmcnts whch arc |ormcd, onc o| whch s |kc a horzonta| |ncar
||ght n a knd o| c|ongatcd, stratcd cagc, |attcc-workcd, and thc
othcr a crcu|ar swccp whosc vcrtca| axs pcr|orms a hgh or a |ow
ang|c shot |rom a hcght. thcsc movcmcnts arc thosc whch had
a|rcady nsprcd Ka|ka's |tcrary work and wc can n|cr that Wc||cs
has an a||nty wth Ka|ka whch gocs bcyond thc ||m o| Thr Trisl,
cxp|anng why Wc||cs nccdcd to con|ront Ka|ka drcct|y. Jhcsc
movcmcnts arc rcdscovcrcd and arc pro|ound|y combncd n Kccd' s
Thr Third Msu and wc can conc|udc cthcr that Wc||cs was morc than
an actor n ths ||m and was c|osc|y nvo|vcd n ts constructon, or
that Kccd was an nsprcd dscp|c o| Wc||cs. ln many o| hs h|ms,
Kurosawa has a sgnaturc whch rcscmb|cs a hcttous |apancsc
charactcr. a thck vcrtca| strokc gocs down thc scrccn |rom top to
bottom wh|st two thnncr |atcra| movcmcnts cross t |rom |c|t to
rght and rght to |c|t, such a comp|cx movcmcnt rc|atcs to thc who|c
o| thc ||m, as wc w|| scc, to a way o| concc vng thc who|c o| a ||m.
Ana|ysng ccrtan Htchcock ||ms Iranos Kcgnau|t dcnt|cs a
g|oba| movcmcnt |or cach onc, or a 'prncpa| gcomctrc or dynamc
|orm', whch can appcar n thc purc statc n thc crcdts. 'thc spra|s o|
|rrtige, thc brokcn |ncs and thc contrastng b|ack and whtc
structurc o| |sythe, thc arrowng Cartcsan coordnatcs o| Nerth by
Nerthurst . . = = ' And pcrhaps thc gcncra| movcmcnts o| thcsc ||ms
arc n turn thc componcnts o| a st|| morc gcncra| movcmcnt whch
wou|d cxprcss thc who|c o| Htchcock's work, and thc way n whch
ths work cvo|vcd and changcd. ut no |css ntcrcstng s thc othcr
drccton whcrc a gcncra| movcmcnt turncd towards a changng
who|c s dccomposcd nto rc|atvc movcmcnts, nto |oca| |orms
turncd towards thc rcspcctvc postons o| thc parts o| a sct, thc
attrbutons to pcrsons or objccts, thc dstrbutons bctwccn c|cmcnts.
Kcgnau|t studcs t n Htchcock (thus n |rrtige thc grcat spra| can
bccomc thc vcrtgo o| thc hcro, but a|so thc crcut hc maps out n hs
ZZ
2 lrsmr sud s/et
car, or thc curl n thc hcronc' s har). '` ut ths typc o| ana|yss is
dcsrab|c |or cvcry drcctor. It s thc ncccssary rcscarch programmc
|or al| drcctor-ana|yss what cou|d bc ca||cd a sty|stc. thc
movcmcnt whch s cstab|shcd bctwccn thc parts o| a sct n a |ramc,
or bctwccn onc sct and anothcr n a rc|ramng, thc movcmcnt whch
cxprcsscs a who|c n a ||m or n an ocuvrc, thc corrcspondcncc
bctwccn thc two, thc way n whch thcy ccho cach othcr, n whch
thcy pass |rom onc to thc othcr. ccausc t s thc samc movcmcnt,
somctmcs composng, somctmcs dccomposng, thcsc arc thc two
aspccts o| thc samc movcmcnt. And ths movcmcnt s thc shot, thc
concrctc ntcrmcdary bctwccn a who|c whch has changcs and a sct
whch has parts, and whch constant|y convcrts thc onc nto thc othcr
accordng to ts two |accts.
Jhc shot s thc movcmcnt-magc. In so |ar as t rc|atcs movcmcnt
to a who|c whch changcs, t s thc mob|c sccton o| a duraton.
Ocscrbng thc magc o| a strcct dcmonstraton Pudovkn says. t s as
| you c|mbcd on a roo| to scc t, thcn you c|mb down to thc |rst
uoor wndow to rcad thc p|acards, thcn you mx wth thc
crowd . . . . ' ' It s on|y 'as l, |or natura| pcrccpton ntroduccs ha|ts,
moorngs, |xcd ponts or scparatcd ponts o| vcw, movng bodcs or
cvcn dstnct vchc|cs, wh|st cncmatographc pcrccpton works
contnuous|y, n a sng|c movcmcnt whosc vcry ha|ts arc an ntcgra|
part o| t and arc on|y a vbraton on to tsc||. Jakc, |or cxamp|c, thc
|amous shot n Kng Vdor's T/r Creud, what Mtry ca||cd 'onc o|
thc most bcaut|u| trackng shots n thc who|c s|cnt cncma' . thc
camcra advanccs nto thc crowd, aganst thc ||ow, makcs ts way
towards a skyscrapcr, c|mbs up to thc twcntcth ||oor, |ramcs onc o|
thc wndows, dscovcrs a ha|| |u|| o| dcsks, gocs n to arrvc at a dcsk
whcrc thc hcro s sttng. r takc thc |amous shot n Murnau's T/r
|sst |sug/, thc camcra on a bcyc|c s put |rst o| a|| in thc
||t, dcsccnds wth t and takcs n thc cntrancc ha|| o| a grand
hotc| through thc g|ass o| thc wndow, pcr|ormng constant dc-
compostons and rccompostons, thcn 'gocs through thc vcstbu|c
and through thc cnormous rcvo|vng door n a sng|c and pcr|cct
trackng shot'. Hcrc thc camcra nvo|vcs two movcmcnts, two
movng bodcs or two vchc|cs, thc l|t and thc bcyc|c. It can show
thc onc, whch s part o| thc magc, and hdc thc othcr (t can a|so n
ccrtan cascs show a camcra tscl| n thc magc). ut ths is not what
counts. What counts s that thc mob|c camcra s |kc a grurrsl
cquivslrut o| a|| thc mcans o| |ocomoton that t shows or that t makcs
usc o| acrop|anc, car, boat, bcyc|c, |oot, mctro . . . . Wcndcrs was
to makc ths cquvalcncc thc sou| o| two o| hs ||ms, Kiugs ej t/r Kesd
T/r srtend lrvrl
Z J
and Hlitr in t/r Citirs, thus ntroducng nto thc cncma a partcu|ar|y
concrctc rc||ccton on thc cncma. In othcr words, thc csscncc o| thc
cncmatographc movcmcnt-magc |cs n cxtractng |rom vchc|cs or
movng bodcs thc movcmcnt whch s thcr common substancc, or
cxtractng |rom movcmcnts thc mob|ty whch s thcr csscncc. Jhs
was what crgson wantcd. bcgnnng |rom thc body or movng
thng to whch our natura| pcrccpton attachcs movcmcnt as | t wcrc
a vchc|c, to cxtract a smp|c co|ourcd 'spot', thc movcmcnt-magc,
whch 's rcduccd n tsc|| to a scrcs o| cxtrcmc|y rapd osc||atons'
and 's n rca|ty on|y a movcmcnt o| movcmcnts' . ' Now, bccausc
crgson on|y consdcrcd what happcncd n thc apparatus (thc
homogcncous abstract movcmcnt o| thc proccsson o| magcs) hc
bc|cvcd thc cncma to bc ncapab|c o| that whch thc apparatus s n
|act most capab|c, cmncnt|y capab|c o|. thc movcmcnt magc that
s, purc movcmcnt cxtractcd |rom bodcs or movng thngs. Jhs s
not an abstracton, but an cmancipaton. It s a|ways a grcat momcnt
n thc cncma, as |or cxamp|c n Kcnor, whcn thc camcra |cavcs a
charactcr, and cvcn turns ts back on hm, |o||owng ts own
movcmcnt at thc cnd o| whch t w|| rcdscovcr hm. '"
y producng n ths way a mob|c sccton o| movcmcnts, thc shot
s not contcnt to cxprcss thc duraton o| a who|c whch changcs, but
constant|y puts bodcs, parts, aspccts, dmcnsons, dstanccs and thc
rcspcctvc postons o| thc bodcs whch makc up a sct n thc magc
nto varaton. Jhc onc comcs about through thc othcr. It s bccausc
purc movcmcnt varcs thc c|cmcnts o| thc sct by dvdng thcm up
nto |ractons wth d||crcnt dcnomnators - bccausc t dccomposcs
and rccomposcs thc sct - that t a|so rc|atcs to a |undamcnta||y opcn
who|c, whosc csscncc s constant|y to 'bccomc' or to changc, to
cndurc, and vcc vcrsa. Lpstcn has thc most dccp|y and poctca||y
cxtractcd ths naturc o| thc shot as purc movcmcnt, comparng t to a
cubst or smu|tancst pantng. 'A|| thc sur|accs arc dvdcd,
truncatcd, dccomposcd, brokcn, as onc magncs that thcy arc n thc
thousand-|acctcd cycs o| thc nscct dcscrptvc gcomctry whosc
canvas s thc |mt shot. Instcad o| submttng to pcrspcctvc, ths
pantcr sp|ts t, cntcrs t . . . . Ior thc pcrspcctvc o| thc outsdc hc
thus substtutcs thc rrsrttivr ej t/r insidr, a mu|tp|c pcrspcctvc,
shmmcrng, snuous, varab|c and contract|c, |kc thc har o| a
hygromctcr. It s not thc samc to thc rght as t s to thc |c|t, nor abovc
as t s bc|ow. Jhat s, thc |ractons o| rca|ty whch thc pantcr
prcscnts do not havc thc samc dcnomnators o| dstancc - o| rc|c| or
o| |ght. ' Jhc cncma, cvcn morc drcct|y than pantng, convcys a
rc|c| n tmc, a pcrspcctvc n tmc. t cxprcsscs tmc tsc|| as
Z+ 2 lramr aud s/et
pcrspcctivc or rc|ic|. Jhis is why timc csscntia||y takcs on thc
powcr to contract or di|atc, as movcmcnt takcs on thc powcr
to s|ow down or accc|cratc. Lpstcin comcs c|oscst to thc con-
ccpt o| thc shot. it is a mobi|c scction, that is, a trmeral rrsrttivr
er a medulatieu. Jhc di ||crcncc bctwccn thc cincmatographic imagc
and thc photographic imagc |o||ows |rom this. Photography is a kind
o| 'mou|ding' . thc mou|d organiscs thc intcrna| |orccs o| thc thing in
such a way that thcy rcach a statc o| cqui|ibrium at a ccrtain instant
(immobi|c scction). Howcvcr, modu|ation docs not stop whcn
cqui|ibrium is rcachcd, and constant|y modi|ics thc mou|d, constitutcs
a variab|c, continuous, tcmpora| mou|d. ' Jhis is thc movcmcnt-
imagc that azin contrasts |rom this point o| vicw with thc photo.
'Jhc photographcr procccds, via thc intcrmcdiary o| thc |cns, to a
point whcrc hc |itcra||y takcs a |uminous imprint, a cast . . . . j ut | thc
cincma rca|iscs thc paradox o| mou|ding itsc|| on thc timc o| thc
objcct and o| taking thc imprint o| its duration as wc| | . `
J 6||l]. m6Bl1r 1BJm61rmrBl 6] lhr t1mrt1
What happcncd whcn thc camcra was |i xcd Jhc situation has o|tcn
bccn dcscribcd. ln thc |irst p|acc, thc |ramc is dc|incd by a uniquc and
|ronta| point o| vicw which is that o| thc spcctator on an invariab|c
sct. thcrc is thcrc|orc no communication o| mutua||y rc|crring
variab|c scts. ln thc sccond p|acc, thc shot is a uniquc|y spatia|
dctcrmination, indicating a ' s|icc o| spacc` at a particu|ar distancc
|rom thc camcra, |rom c|osc-up to |ong shot (immobi|c scctions).
movcmcnt is thcrc|orc not cxtractcd |or itsc|| and rcmains attachcd to
c|cmcnts, charactcrs and things which scrvc as its moving body or
vchic|c. Iina||y, thc who|c is idcntica| to thc sct in dcpth, such that thc
moving body gocs through it in passing |rom onc spatia| shot/p|anc
jlau | to anothcr, |rom onc para||c| s|icc to anothcr, cach having its
indcpcndcncc or its |ocus. Jhcrc is thcrc|orc ncithcr changc nor
duration propcr|y spcaking, in as much as duration imp|ics a
comp|ctc|y di||crcnt conccption o| dcpth, which mixcs up and
dis|ocatcs para||c| zoncs instcad o| supcrimposing thcm. Wc can
thcrc|orc dc|inc a primitivc statc o| thc cincma whcrc thc imagc is in
movcmcnt rathcr than bcing movcmcnt-imagc. lt was at this
primitivc statc that thc crgsonian critiquc was dircctcd.
ut i| wc ask how thc movcmcnt-imagc is constitutcd, or how
movcmcnt is cxtractcd |rom pcrsons and things, wc scc that it is in
two di ||crcnt |orms, and in both cascs impcrccptib|y. n thc onc
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hand o| coursc, through thc mob|ty o| thc camcra, thc shot
bccomng mob|c tsc||, but on thc othcr by montagc, that s, by thc
contnuous conncctng o| shots, cach onc, or thc majorty o| whch,
cou|d pcr|cct|y wc|| rcman |xcd. Jhs mcthod a||ows thc achcvcmcnt
o| a purc moblty cxtractcd |rom thc movcmcnts o| charactcrs, wth
vcry |tt|c camcra movcmcnt. ndccd ths was thc most common
practcc, and notab|y was st|| uscd by Murnau n lsust thc mob|c
camcra bng rcscrvcd |or cxccptona| sccncs or rcmarkab|c movcmcnts.
Now, at thc outsct thcsc two mcthods wcrc n somc scnsc ob|gcd to
concca| thcmsc|vcs, not on|y had thc conncctons o| montagc to bc
mpcrccptb|c (|or cxamp|c, conncctons a|ong thc axs) but a|so thc
camcra movcmcnts, n so |ar as thcy conccrncd ordnary momcnts or
bana| sccncs (movcmcnts whch arc so s|ow as to bc c|osc to thc
thrcsho|d o| pcrccpton). '' Jhc two |orms or mcans on|y ntcrvcncd
to rca|sc a potcnta| contancd n thc |xcd prmtvc magc, that s n
movcmcnt whcn t was st|| attachcd to pcop|c or thngs. Jhs
movcmcnt was a|rcady charactcrstc o| thc cncma, and dcmandcd a
knd o| cmancpaton, ncapab|c o| bcng sats|cd wthn thc |mts sct
by thc prmtvc condtons so that thc so-ca||cd prmtvc magc,
thc magc n movcmcnt, was dc|ncd |css by ts statc than by ts
tcndcncy. Jhc spata| and |xcd shot tcndcd to producc a purc
movcmcnt-magc, a tcndcncy whch mpcrccptb|y camc to bc actcd
out jssssit 4l 'sttr] by thc mob|saton o| thc camcra n spacc, or by
montagc n tmc o| mob|c or smp|y |xcd shots. As crgson says,
a|though hc had not sccn ts app|caton to cncma, thngs arc ncvcr
dc|ncd by thcr prmtvc statc, but by thc tcndcncy concca|cd n ths
statc.
Jhc word 'shot' can bc rcscrvcd |or |xcd spata| dctcrmnatons,
s|ccs o| spacc or dstanccs n rc|aton to thc camcra. Jhs s thc way
|can Mtry dc|ncd t, not on|y whcn hc condcmncd thc cxprcsson
'scqucncc shot', whch accordng to hm was ncomprchcnsb|c, but
wth morc just|caton, whcn hc saw thc trackng shot not as a shot
but as a scqucncc o| shots. It s thcn thc scqucncc o| shots whch
nhcrts thc movcmcnt and thc duraton. ut sncc ths s not an
adcquatc|y dctcrmnatc noton, t s ncccssary to crcatc morc prccsc
conccpts to dcnt|y thc untcs o| movcmcnt and duraton. wc scc
ths n Chrstan Mctz's 'syntagms' and Kaymond c||our's 'scgmcnts' .
ut |rom our pont o| vcw |or thc momcnt, thc noton o| shot jlsu]
has su||ccnt unty and cxtcnson | t s gvcn ts |u|| projcctvc,
pcrspcctva| or tcmpora| scnsc. In |act a unty s a|ways that o| an act
whch nc|udcs as such a mu|tp|cty o| passvc or actcd c|cmcnts. '
Shets, as mmob|c spata| dctcrmnatons, arc pcr|cct|y capab|c o|
Z 2 lrsmr sud shet
bcng, n ths scnsc, thc mu|tp|cty whch corrcsponds to thc unty e/
thr shot, as mob|c sccton or tcmpora| pcrspcctvc. Jhc unty w||
vary accordng to thc mu|tp|cty that t contans, but w|| bc no |css
thc unty o| ths corrc|atvc mu|tp|cty.
Wc can dstngush scvcra| cascs hcrc. In thc |rst casc, thc
contnuous movcmcnt o| thc camcra whch dc|ncs thc shot,
whatcvcr thc changcs o| ang|c and o| mu|tp|c ponts o| vcw (|or
cxamp|c, a trackng shot). In a sccond casc, thc contnuty o|
connccton consttutcs thc unty o| thc shot, a|though ths unty has
as ts 'contcnt' two or morc succcssvc shots whch can morcovcr bc
hxcd. Mob|c shots can a|so owc thcr dstncton to matcra|
constrants a|onc, and |orm a pcr|cct unty as a |uncton o| thc naturc
o| thcr connccton. thus n rson Wc||cs, thc two hgh-ang|c shots
o| Citi:ru Ksur whcrc thc camcra |tcra||y gocs through a wndow
panc and pcnctratcs nto thc ntcror o| a grcat room, somctmcs by
mcans o| thc ran whch crashcs aganst thc wndow panc and msts t
up, somctmcs by mcans o| thc storm and o| a c|ap o| thundcr whch
brcaks t. In a thrd casc, wc arc con|rontcd wth a |ong-duraton
|xcd or mob|c shot, a 'scqucncc shot', wth dcpths o| |c|d. such a
shot nc|udcs wthn tsc|| a|| thc s|ccs o| spacc at oncc, |rom c|osc-up
to |ong dstancc shot, but ncvcrthc|css has a unty whch pcrmts t to
bc dc|ncd as a shot. Ocpth s no |ongcr conccvcd, n thc manncr o|
thc 'prmtvc' cncma, as a supcrmposton o| para||c| s|ccs cach o|
whch s sc||-su||ccnt, a| | o| thcm mcrc|y travcrscd by a sng|c
movng body. n thc contrary, n Kcnor or n Wc||cs, thc sct o|
movcmcnts s dstrbutcd n dcpth n such a way as to cstab|sh
|asons, actons and rcactons, whch ncvcr dcvc|op onc bcsdc thc
othcr, n a sng|c shot, but arc spaccd out at d||crcnt dstanccs, and
|rom onc shot to thc ncxt. Jhc unty o| thc shot s produccd hcrc by
thc drcct |ason bctwccn c|cmcnts caught n thc mu|tp|cty o|
supcrmposcd shots whch can no |ongcr bc scparatcd. thc rc|atonshp
o| ncar and dstant parts produccs thc unty. Jhc samc cvo|uton
appcars n thc hstory o| pantng bctwccn thc sxtccnth and thc
scvcntccnth ccnturcs. a supcrmposton o| p|ancs cach o| whch s
occupcd by a spcc|c sccnc and whcrc charactcrs mcct sdc by sdc s
rcp|accd by a comp|ctc|y d ||crcnt vson o| dcpth, whcrc charactcrs
mcct ob|quc|y and summon cach othcr |rom onc p|anc to thc othcr,
whcrc thc c|cmcnts o| a p|anc act and rcact on thc c|cmcnts o| anothcr
p|anc, whcrc no |orm, no co|our s rcstrctcd to a sng|c p|anc, whcrc
thc dmcnsons o| thc |orcground arc abnorma||y cn|argcd n ordcr to
cntcr drcct|y nto rc|atonshp wth thc background by an abrupt
rcducton n szcs.'' In a |ourth casc, thc scqucncc-shot (|or t has
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many typcs) no |ongcr invo|vcs any dcpth, nor supcrimpostion, nor
drawng back. on thc contrary, it brings a|| thc spatia| shots back to a
sng|c |orc-shot jsusut lsu[ whch passcs through di||crcnt |ramcs, n
such a way that thc unity o| thc shot rc|crs back to thc pcr|cct
p|ancncss jlsuitudr[ o| thc imagc, whi|st thc corrc|atvc mu|tip|icity
s that o| rc|ramngs. Jhis was truc |or Orcycr n hs scqucncc shots
whch wcrc ana|ogous to uni|orm tints jslsts] rcnouncing a||
distncton bctwccn d||crcnt spata| p|ancs j lsus[ , making movcmcnt
pass through a scrics o| rc|ramings which arc substitutcd |or changc
o| shot j lsu[ (Urdrt, Grrtrv(. '` Imagcs without dcpth or wth |itt|c
dcpth |orm a typc o| uowng and s|idng shot, which s opposcd to
thc vo|umc o| dccp imagcs.
In a|| thcsc scnscs, thc shot indccd has a unity. It is a unity o|
movcmcnt, and t cmbraccs a corrc|ativc mu|tp|cty which docs not
contradct it. '' At thc vcry most it can bc said that ths unty is caught
bctwccn two dcmands. o| thc who|c whosc changc t cxprcsscs
throughout thc h|m, o| thc parts whosc dsp|accmcnts withn cach sct
and |rom onc sct to anothcr it dctcrmncs. Paso|ni has cxprcsscd this
dua| rcqurcmcnt vcry c|car|y. n thc onc hand, thc cincmatographc
who|c wou|d bc onc sing|c ana|ytic scqucncc shot, by rghts
un|imitcd, thcorctica||y contnuous, on thc othcr, thc parts o| thc |i|m
wou|d in |act bc discontinuous, dispcrscd, disscminatcd shots,
without any assignab|c |nk. Jhcrc|orc thc who|c must rcnouncc its
idca|ty, and bccomc thc synthctic who|c o| thc |i|m which is rca|scd
n thc montagc o| thc parts, and, convcrsc|y, thc parts must bc
sc|cctcd, coordinatcd, cntcr nto conncctions and |aisons whch,
through montagc, rcconsttutc thc vrtual scqucncc shot or thc
ana|ytic who|c o| thc cincma. '"
ut thcrc i s no such division bctwccn thc shot ' n |act' and thc shot
as it ought, 'by right', to bc (whch |cads to Paso|ini's grcat avcrsion to
thc scqucncc-shot, whch is a|ways maintaincd n virtua|ity). Jhcrc
arc two aspccts which arc cqua||y o| '|act' and 'rght_ and whch
man|cst thc tcnson o| thc shot as unty. n thc onc hand thc parts
and thcir scts cntcr into rc|ativc continuitcs, by impcrccptb|c
conncctions, by camcra movcmcnts, by scqucncc-shots o| |act, with
or wthout dcpth o| |c|d. ut thcrc wi|| a|ways bc brcaks and
rupturcs, which show c|car|y cnough that thc who|c is not hcrc, cvcn
| continuity is rc-cstab|shcd a|tcrwards. Jhc who|c intcrvcncs
c|scwhcrc and in anothcr ordcr, as that which prcvcnts scts |rom
c|osng in on thcmsc|vcs or on cach othcr that which csti|ics to an
opcning which is irrcducib|c to continuitics as wc|| as to thcir
rupturcs. It appcars in thc dimcnsion o| a duration which changcs and
d Z lrsmr sud s/et
ncvcr ccascs to changc. It appcars in jslsr ceutiuuitirs gsux rsccerds] as
an csscntia| po|c o| thc cincma. Ia|sc continuitics can comc into p|ay
in a sct (Liscnstcin) or in thc passagc |rom onc sct to anothcr, bctwccn
two scqucncc-shots (Orcycr). Jhis is indccd why thc scqucncc-shot
docs not mcrc|y intcriorisc montagc in thc shooting. on thc contrary,
it poscs spcci|ic prob|cms o| montagc. In a convcrsation on montagc,
Narboni, Sy|vic Picrrc and Rivcttc ask. whcrc did Grrtrud happcn,
whcrc did Orcycr makc it happcn And thc answcr that thcy givc is.
it happcncd in thc sp|icing jcellurr j . " Ia|sc continuity is ncithcr a
conncction o| continuity, nor a rupturc or a discontinuity in thc
conncction. Ia|sc continuity is in its own right a dimcnsion o| thc
pcn, which cscapcs scts and thcir parts. It rca|iscs thc othcr powcr
o| thc out-o|-|ic|d, this c|scwhcrc or this cmpty zonc, this 'whitc on
whitc which is impossib|c to |i|m' . Gcrtrud happcncd in what Orcycr
ca||cd thc |ourth dimcnsion. Iar |rom brcaking up thc who|c, |a|sc
continuitics arc thc act o| thc who|c, thc ha||mark that thcy imprcss
on scts and thcir parts, just as truc continuitics rcprcscnt thc oppositc
tcndcncy. that o| thc parts and thc scts to rcjoin a who|c which
cscapcs thcm.
d ODld0
1hr lh|tJ r1r. lhr h6r, lhr t6m]6J|l|6B 6]
m0rmrBl |m1rJ IJ lhr |BJ|trtl |m1r 6] l|mr
Montagc s thc dctcrmnaton o| thc who|c (thc thrd crgsonan
|cvc|) by mcans o| contnutcs, cuttng and |a|sc contnutcs.
Lscnstcn contnua||y rcmnds us that montagc s thc who|c o| thc
||m, thc Idca. ut why s/ld thc who|c bc thc objcct o| montagc
ctwccn thc bcgnnng and thc cnd o| a ||m somcthng changcs,
somcthng has changcd. ut ths who|c whch changcs, ths tmc or
duratjon, on|y sccms to bc capab|c o| bcng apprchcndcd ndrcct|y,
n rc|aton to thc movcmcnt-magcs whch cxprcss t. Montagc s thc
opcraton whch bcars on thc movcmcnt-magcs to rc|casc thc who|c
|rom thcm, that s, thc magc o] tmc. It s a ncccssar|y ndrcct magc,
sincc it s dcduccd |rom movcmcnt-magcs and thcr rc|ationshps.
Montagc docs not comc a|tcrwards, |or a|| that. Indccd, t s
ncccssary that thc who|c shou|d bc prmary n a ccrtan way, that t
shou|d bc prcsupposcd. Partcu|ar|y sncc, as wc havc sccn, n
Gr||th's tmc and a|tcr, thc movcmcnt-magc n tsc|| on|y rarc|y
rc|atcs to thc mob|ty o| thc camcra, but arscs morc |rcqucnt|y |rom
a succcsson o| |xcd shots whch prcsupposcs montagc. I| wc
consdcr thc thrcc |cvc|s that o| thc dctcrmnaton o| c|oscd systcms,
that o| thc movcmcnt whch s cstab|shcd bctwccn thc parts o| a
systcm, and that o| thc changng who|c whch s cxprcsscd n
movcmcnt thcrc s a crcu|aton bctwccn thc thrcc whch cnab|cs
cach to contan or prc|gurc thc othcrs. Somc drcctors arc thcrc|orc
ab|c to 'nscrt' thc montagc nto thc shot or cvcn nto thc |ramc, and
thus attach |tt|c mportancc to montagc n tsc||. ut thc spcc|cty o|
thc thrcc opcratons ncvcrthc|css survvcs, cvcn n thcr mutua|
ntcrorty. What amounts to montagc, n tsc|| or n somcthng c|sc,
s thc ndrcct magc o| tmc, o| duraton. Not a homogcncous tmc or
a spata|scd duraton |kc that whch crgson attacks, but an c||cctvc
duraton and tmc whch ||ow |rom thc artcu|aton o| thc movcmcnt-
magcs, as thcy appcar tn crgson's car|cr tcxts. Wc must |cavc asdc
|or thc momcnt thc task o| asccrtanng whcthcr thcrc arc, n addton,
drcct magcs whch mght bc ca||cd tmc-magcs, to what cxtcnt thcy
wou|d bc scparatc |rom movcmcnt-magcs, and to what cxtcnt,
convcrsc|y, thcy wou|d bc bascd on ccrtan unknown aspccts o| thcsc
rmagcs.
JO
3 Meutsgr
Montagc is composition, thc asscmblagc jsgrutrmrut o| movcmcnt-
imagcs as constituting an indircct imagc o| timc. Now, sincc thc most
ancicnt phi|osophy, thcrc havc bccn many di||crcnt ways in which
timc can bc conccivcd as a |unction o| movcmcnt, in rc|ation to
movcmcnt, in various arrangcmcnts. Wc arc |ikc|y to comc across
this varicty again in thc di||crcnt 'schools` o| montagc. l| wc givc to
Gri||ith thc distinction, not o| having invcntcd montagc, but o|
having raiscd it to thc |cvcl o| a spcci|ic dimcnsion, it sccms that |our
main trcnds can bc distinguishcd. thc organic trcnd o| thc Amcrican
schoo|, thc dia|cctic trcnd o| thc Sovict schoo|, thc quantitativc trcnd
o| thc prc-war Ircnch schoo|, and thc intcnsivc trcnd o| thc Gcrman
Lxprcssionist schoo|. In cach casc thc dircctors may bc vcry di||crcnt,
howcvcr, thcy havc a community o| thcmcs, prob|cms and prcoccu-
pations. in short, an idcal community which is a|| that is nccdcd, in thc
cincma as c|scwhcrc, to |ound conccpts o| schoo|s or trcnds. Wc wi||
now dcscribc bric||y cach o| thcsc |our schools o| montagc.
Gri||ith conccivcd o| thc composition o| movcmcnt-imagcs as an
organisation, an organism, a grcat organic unity. Jhis was his
discovcry. Jhc organism is, |irst|y, unity in divcrsity, that is, a sct o|
di||crcntiatcd parts thcrc arc mcn and womcn, rich and poor, town
and country, 'orth and South, intcriors and cxtcriors, ctc. Jhcsc
parts arc takcn in binary rc|ationships which constitutc a srsllrl
sltrrustr meutsgr, thc imagc o| onc part succccding anothcr according
to a rhythm. ut thc part and thc sct must a|so ncccssari|y cntcr into a
rc|ationship, cxchangc thcir rc|ativc dimcnsions. T/r iusrrtieu ej t/r
tlesr-u in this scnsc docs not mcrc|y invo|vc thc cn|argcmcnt o| a
dctai, but produccs a miniaturisation o| thc sct, a rcduction o| thc
sccnc (to thc sca|c o| a chi|d, |or cxamp|c, likc thc baby who is prcscnt
during thc action o| T/r .1!sssstrr). And, morc gcncra|l y, by showing
thc way in which thc charactcrs |ivc thc sccnc o| which thcy |orm
part, thc closc-up cndows thc objcctivc sct with a subjcctivity which
cqua|s or cvcn surpasscs it (not just thc c|osc-ups o| so|dicrs which
a|tcrnatc with thc |ong shots o| thc batt|c, or thc tcrri|icd c|osc-ups o|
thc young gir| chascd by a Ncgro in 8irt/ ej s Astieu, but a|so thc
c|osc-up o| thc young woman who idcnti|ics with thc imagcs o| hcr
thought in Luet/ Hrdru). ' Iina||y, thc parts must ncccssari|y act and
rcact on cach othcr in ordcr to show how thcy simu|tancous|y cntcr
into con||ict and thrcatcn thc unity o| thc organic sct, and how thcy
ovcrcomc thc con|lict or rcstorc thc unity. Irom somc parts actions
arisc which opposc good and bad, but |rom othcr parts convcrgcnt
actions arisc which comc to thc aid o| thc good. through a|| thcsc
actions thc |orm o| a ducl dcvc|ops and passcs through di||crcnt
Thr third lrvrl J l
stagcs. Indccd, it is in thc naturc o| thc organic sct that it shou|d
continua||y bc thrcatcncd. thc accusation raiscd against thc Ncgrocs
in 8irth oj s Nstiou is that o| wanting to shattcr thc ncw|y-won unity
o| thc Lnitcd Statcs by using thc South's dc|cat to thcir own
advantagc . . . . Jhc convcrgcnt actions tcnd towards a sing|c cnd,
rcaching thc sitc o| thc duc| to rcvcrsc its outcomc, to savc innoccncc
or rcconstitutc thc compromiscd unity - |ikc thc ga||op o| thc
horscmcn who comc to thc rcscuc o| thc bcsicgcd, or thc advancc o|
thc rcscucr who rccovcrs thc gir| on thc thawing icc (Orhsus oj thr
Storm). It is thc third aspcct o| montagc, coucurrrut or couvrrgrut
moutsgr, which a|tcrnatcs thc momcnts o| two actions which wi||
comc back togcthcr again. And thc morc thc actions convcrgc, thc
c|oscr thc junction approachcs, thc morc rapid thc a|tcrnation
bccomcs (accc|cratcd montagc). Admittcd|y, in Gri||ith, thc junction
docs not a|ways takc p|acc, and thc innoccnt young gir| is o|tcn
condcmncd, a|most sadistica||y, bccausc shc cou|d on|y hnd hcr p|acc
and sa|vation in an 'inorganic' abnorma| union. thc Chincsc opium-
addict arrivcs too |atc in 8rokru 8lossoms. Jhis timc it is a pcrvcrsc
accc|cration which |orcsta||s convcrgcncc.
Jhcsc arc thc thrcc |orms o| montagc, or o| rhythmic a|tcrnation,
thc a|tcrnation o| di||crcntiatcd parts, that o| rc|ativc dimcnsions, and
that o| convcrgcnt actions. A powcr|u| organic rcprcscntation
produccs thc sct and thc parts in this way. Jhc Amcrican cincma
draws |rom it its most so|id |orm, |rom thc gcncra| situation to thc rc-
cstab|ishcd or trans|ormcd situation through thc intcrmcdiary o| a
duc|, o| a convcrgcncc o| actions. Amcrican montagc is organico-
activc. It is wrong to criticisc it as bcing subordinatc to thc narration,
it is thc rcvcrsc, |or thc narrativity uows |rom this conccption o|
montagc. In |utolrrsucr, Gri||ith discovcrs that thc organic rcprcscn-
tation can bc immcnsc, cncompassing not mcrc|y |ami|ics and a
socicty, but di||crcnt cpochs and civi|isations. Jhc parts thrown
togcthcr by para||c| montagc arc thc civi|isations thcmsc|vcs. Jhc
rc|ativc dimcnsions which arc intcrchangcd rangc |rom thc king's
city to thc capita|ist's o||icc. And thc convcrgcnt actions arc not just
thc duc|s propcr to cach civi|isation thc chariot-racc in thc
aby|onian cpisodc, thc racc bctwccn thc car and thc train in thc
modcrn cpisodc but thc two raccs thcmsc|vcs convcrgc through thc
ccnturics in an accc|cratcd montagc which supcrimposcs aby|on
and Amcrica. Ncvcr again wi|| such an organic unity bc achicvcd, by
mcans o| rhythm, |rom parts which arc so di||crcnt and actions which
arc so distant.
Whcncvcr timc has bccn considcrcd in rc|ation to movcmcnt,
JZ 3 Meutsgr
whcncvcr it has bccn dc|incd as thc mcasurc o| movcmcnt, two
aspccts o| timc havc bccn discovcrcd, which arc chronosigns. on thc onc
hand, timc as who|c, as grcat circ|c or spira|, which draws togcthcr
thc sct o| movcmcnt in thc univcrsc, on thc othcr, timc as intcrva|,
which indicatcs thc sma||cst unit o| movcmcnt or action. Jimc as
who|c, thc sct o| movcmcnt in thc univcrsc, is thc bird which hovcrs,
continua||y incrcasing its circ|c. ut thc numcrica| unit o| movcmcnt
is thc bcating o| a wing, thc continua||y diminishing intcrva| bctwccn
two movcmcnts or two actions. Jimc as intcrva| is thc accc|cratcd
variab|c prcscnt, and timc as who|c is thc spira| opcn at both cnds, thc
immcnsity o| past and |uturc. In|initc|y di|atcd, thc prcscnt wou|d
bccomc thc who|c itsc||. in|initc|y contractcd, thc who|c wou|d
happcn in thc intcrva|. What originatcs |rom montagc, or |rom thc
composition o| movcmcnt-imagcs is thc Idca, that indircct imagc o|
timc. thc who|c which winds up and unwinds thc sct o| thc parts in
thc |amous wc||spring o| |utelrrsurr, and thc intcrva| bctwccn actions
which gcts sma||cr and smal|cr in thc accc|cratcd montagc o| thc
raccs.
Z 1hr 61trl Jth66
Whi|c hc |u||y acknow|cdgcs his dcbt to Gri||ith, Liscnstcin
ncvcrthc|css makcs two objcctions. Iirst|y, it might bc said that thc
di||crcntiatcd parts o| thc sct arc givcn o| thcmsclvcs, as indcpcndcnt
phcnomcna. |ust |ikc bacon, with its a|tcrnation o| |can mcat and |at,
thcrc arc rich and poor, good and bad, Whitcs and |acks, ctc. Jhus
whcn thc rcprcscntativcs o| thcsc parts con|ront cach othcr, it must bc
in thc |orm o| individua| duc|s whcrc narrow|y pcrsona| moti|s (|or
cxamp|c, a |ovc story, thc mc|odramatic c|cmcnt) arc hiddcn bcncath
co||cctivc motivations. It is |ikc para||c| |incs which pursuc cach
othcr, and indccd mcct at in|inity, but on|y co||idc hcrc bc|ow whcn a
sccant brings togcthcr a particu|ar point on thc onc and a particu|ar
point on thc othcr. Gri||ith is ob|ivious to thc |act that rich and poor
arc not givcn as indcpcndcnt phcnomcna, but arc dcpcndcnt on a
sing|c gcncra| causc, which is socia| cxp|oitation . . . . Jhcsc objcctions
which condcmn Gri||ith' s 'bourgcois' vicw do not mcrc|y rc|atc to
his way o| tc||ing a story or o| undcrstanding History. Jhcy rc|atc
dircct|y to para||c| (and a|so convcrgcnt) montagc.' Liscnstcin
criticiscs Gri||ith |or having a thorough|y cmpirica| conccption o|
thc organism, without a |aw o| gcncsis or dcvc|opmcnt |or having
conccivcd o| its unity in a comp|ctc|y cxtrinsic way as a unity o|
T/r Sevirt st/eel J J
co||ccton, thc gathcrng togcthcr o| juxtaposcd parts, and not as a
unty o| producton, a trll whch produccs ts own parts by dvson,
d||crcntaton, |or havng ntcrprctcd opposton as an accdcnt
and not as thc ntcrna| motvc |orcc by whch thc dvdcd unty |orms
a ncw unty on anothcr |cvc|. It w|| bc notcd that Lscnstcn rctans
Gr||th's dca o| an organc composton or asscmb|agc o| movcmcnt-
magcs. |rom thc gcncra| stuaton jsitustieu d`rusrmblr] to thc
trans|ormcd stuaton, through thc dcvc|opmcnt and transccndcncc
o| thc oppostons. ut s is truc that Gr||th dd not scc thc da|cctca|
naturc o| thc organsm and ts composton. Jhc organc s ndccd a
grcat spra|, but thc spra| shou|d bc conccvcd o| 'sccnt|ca||y' and
not cmprca||y, n tcrms o| a |aw o| gcncss, growth and dcvc|opmcnt.
Lscnstcn judgcd that hc had mastcrcd hs mcthod n 8sttlrs/i
|etmkiu, and t s n hs commcntary on ths ||m that hc puts |orward
thc ncw conccpton o| thc organc.'
Jhc organc spra| hnds ts ntcrna| |aw n thc go|dcn sccton,
whch marks a cacsura-pont and dvdcs thc sct nto two grcat parts
whch may bc opposcd, but whch arc uncqua| (ths s thc momcnt o|
sorrow whcrc a transton s madc |rom thc shp to thc town, and
whcrc thc movcmcnt s rcvcrscd). ut t s a|so cach twst o| thc
spra|, or scgmcnt, whch dvdcs up n ts turn nto two uncqua|
opposng parts. And thcrc arc many knds o| opposton. quanttatvc
(oncmany, onc manmany mcn, a sng|c shota sa|vo, onc shpa
Ucct), qua|tatvc (sca|and), ntcnsvc (dark|ght), dynamc (movc-
mcnt upwards and downwards, |rom |c|t to rght and vcc vcrsa).
Morcovcr, | onc starts o|| |rom thc cnd o| thc spra| rathcr than ts
bcgnnng, thc go|dcn sccton dctcrmncs anothcr cacsura, thc hghcst
pont o| rcvcrsa| nstcad o| thc |owcst, whch gvcs rsc to othcr
dvsons and othcr oppostons. Jhus thc spra| progrcsscs by
growng through oppostons or contradctons. ut what s
cxprcsscd n ths way s thc movcmcnt o| thc nc, whch dvdcs
tsc|| n two and rccrcatcs a ncw unty. Indccd, | thc opposab|c parts
arc rc|atcd to thc orgn ( (or to thc cnd), |rom thc standpont o|
gcncss thcy cntcr nto a proporton whch s that o| thc go|dcn
sccton, accordng to whch thc sma||cst part must bc to thc |argcst
what thc |argcst s to thc sct.
A


C
fC
. . . . .

m
(

Jhc opposton scrvcs thc da|cctca| unty whosc progrcsson |rom

thc nta| to thc |na| stuaton t marks. It s n ths scnsc that thc sct s
J1
3 Meutsgr
rc||cctcd in cach part and cach part or twist o| thc spira| rcproduccs
thc sct. And this app|ics not on|y to thc scqucncc, but to cach imagc
which a|so contains its cacsuras, its oppositions, its origin and its cnd.
Lach imagc not on|y has thc unity o| an c|cmcnt which may bc
juxtaposcd to othcrs, but thc gcnctic unity o| a 'cc||' , which may bc
dividcd into othcrs. Liscnstcin says that thc movcmcnt-imagc is thc
cc|| o| montagc, and not simp|y an c|cmcnt o| montagc. In short,
meutsgr ej eesitieu takcs thc p|acc o| para||c| montagc, undcr thc
dia|cctica| |aw o| thc nc which dividcs itsc|| in ordcr to |orm thc
ncw, highcr unity.
Wc arc on|y out|ining thc thcorctica| skc|cton o| Liscnstcin' s
commcntary, which c|osc|y |o||ows thc concrctc imagcs (thc dcssa
stcps, |or cxamp|c). Jhis dia|cctica| composition may bc sccn in |vr
thr Trrriblr, in particu|ar with thc two cacsuras which corrcspond to
lvan's two momcnts o| doubt |irst, whcn hc cxamincs his
conscicncc bcsidc his wi|c' s co||in, and thcn whcn hc p|cads with thc
monk. Jhc |irst marks thc cnd o| thc |irst twist o| thc spira|, thc |irst
stagc o| thc strugg|c against thc boyars, thc othcr marks thc
bcginning o| thc sccond stagc and, bctwccn thc two, thc rctrcat |rom
Moscow. ||icia| Sovict criticism attackcd Liscnstcin |or having
conccivcd thc sccond stagc as a pcrsona| duc| bctwccn lvan and his
aunt. Liscnstcin docs indccd rcjcct thc anachronistic vicw o| an lvan
who unitcd himsc|| with thc pcop|c. Irom start to |inish, l van mcrc|y
uscs thc pcop|c as a too|, as is appropriatc to thc historica| conditions
o| thc pcriod. Ncvcrthc|css within thcsc conditions hc dcvc|ops his
opposition to thc boyars, which docs not bccomc a pcrsona| duc| in
thc manncr o| Gri||ith, but cvo|vcs |rom po|itica| compromisc to
physica| and socia| cxtcrmination.
Liscnstcin ca||s upon scicncc, mathcmatics and thc natura| scicnccs
in his dc|cncc. Jhis docs not dctract |rom art, sincc - |ikc painting -
thc cincma must invcnt thc spira| which suits thc thcmc, and choosc
thc cacsura points wc||. Wc can a|rcady scc |rom this standpoint o|
gcncsis and growth that Liscnstcin's mcthod csscntia||y invo|vcs thc
dctcrmination o| rcmarkab|c points or privi|cgcd instants. ut thcy
do not, as in Gri||ith, cxprcss an accidcnta| c|cmcnt or thc
contingcncy o| thc individua|. n thc contrary, thcy bc|ong |u||y to
thc rcgu|ar construction o| thc organic spira|. Jhis is cvcn c|carcr i|
wc considcr a ncw dimcnsion which Liscnstcin prcscnts, somctimcs
adding itsc|| to thosc o| thc organic, somctimcs pcr|ccting thcm. Jhc
composition, thc dia|cctica| asscmb|agc, invo|vcs not on|y thc
organic that is, gcncsis and growth but a|so thc sthrtit or thc
'dcvc|opmcnt' . Jhc pathctic shou|d not bc con|uscd with thc
T/r Sevirt st/eel JJ
organc. Jhc pont s that |rom onc pont to anothcr on thc spra| onc
can cxtcnd vcctors whch arc |kc thc strngs o| a bow, or thc spans o|
thc twst o| a spra|. It s no |ongcr a casc o| thc |ormaton and
progrcsson o| thc oppostons thcmsc|vcs, |o||owng thc twsts o
thc spra|, but o| thc transton |rom onc oppostc to thc othcr, or
rathcr nto thc othcr, a|ong thc spans. thc |cap nto thc oppostc. Jhcrc
s not smp|y thc opposton o| carth and watcr, o| thc onc and thc
many, thcrc s thc transton o| thc onc nto thc othcr, and thc suddcn
upsurgc o| thc othcr out o| thc onc. Jhcrc s not smp|y thc organc
unty o| oppostcs, but thc pathctc passagc o| thc oppostc nto ts
contrary. Jhcrc s not smp|y an organc |nk bctwccn two nstants,
but a pathctc jump, n whch thc sccond nstant gans a ncw powcr,
sncc thc |rst has passcd nto t. Irom sadncss to angcr, |rom doubt to
ccrtanty, |rom rcsgnaton to rcvo|t . . . . Jhc pathctc, |or ts part,
nvo|vcs thcsc two aspccts. t s smu|tancous|y thc transton |rom
onc tcrm D anothcr, |rom onc quaIty to anothcr, and thc suddcn
upsurgc o| thc ncw qua|ty whch s born |rom thc transton whch
has bccn accomp|shcd. It s bth 'comprcsson' and 'cxp|oson' . T/r
Grunsl Liur dvdcs ts spra| nto two opposcd pans, 'thc |d` and
'thc Ncw', and rcproduccs ts dvson, rcdstrbutcs ts oppostons
on onc sdc and thc othcr. ths s thc organc. ut n thc |amous sccnc
o| thc crcamcr, wc wtncss thc transton |rom onc momcnt to thc
othcr, |rom suspcon and hopc to trumph, |rom thc cmpty tubc to
thc |rst drop, a transton whch accc|cratcs as thc ncw qua|ty, thc
trumphant drop, approachcs, ths s thc pathctc, thc jump or
qua|tatvc |cap. Jhc organc was thc bow, thc co||ccton o| bows,
but thc pathctc s both thc strng and thc arrow, thc changc n qua|ty
and thc suddcn upsurgc o| thc ncw qua|ty, ts squarng, ts rasng to
thc powcr two.
Jhc pathctc thcrc|orc mp|cs a changc not mcrc|y n thc contcnt
o| thc magc, but a|so n thc |orm. Jhc magc must, c||cctvc|y,
changc ts powcr, pass to a hghcr powcr. Jhs s what Lscnstcn
ca||s 'abso|utc changc o| dmcnson', n contrast to Gr||th's mcrc|y
rc|atvc changcs. y abso|utc changc, wc must undcrstand that thc
qua|tatvc |cap s as much |orma| as matcra|. In Lscnstcn, thc
nscrton o| thc c|osc-up marks just such a |orma| |cap an abso|utc
changc, that s, thc 'squarng' o| thc magc. In comparson wth
Gr||th, ths s a comp|ctc|y ncw |uncton o| thc c|osc-up. ' And | t
nc|udcs a subjcctvty, t s n thc scnsc that conscousncss s a|so a
passagc nto a ncw dmcnson, a rasng to thc powcr two (whch can
bc achcvcd through 'a scrcs o| cn|argng c|osc-ups' , but whch may
cqua||y makc usc o| othcr tcchnqucs). In any casc, conscousncss s
5
J Meutegc
thc pathctc, thc transition |rom Naturc to man and thc qua|ty whch
s brn |rom thc transiton whch has bccn accomp|shcd. It s at oncc
thc dawn o| consciousncss and conscousncss attancd, rcvo|utonary
consciousncss attaincd, at |cast to a ccrtan dcgrcc. whch may bc thc
vcry |mitcd dcgrcc o| Ivan, or thc mcrc|y antcpatory dcgrcc o|
8sttlrs/i |etrmkiu, or thc cu|minatng dcgrcc o| Uttebcr. I | thc
pathctc is dcvc|opmcnt, it is bccausc t s thc dcvc|opmcnt o|
consciousncss tsc||. t is thc |cap o| thc organc whch produccs an
cxtcrna| consciousncss o| soccty and ts hstory, o| thc soca|
organism |rom onc momcnt to thc ncxt. And thcrc arc yct othcr |caps
- in varab|c rc|atonships with thosc o| consciousncss a|| cxprcssng
ncw dimcnsions, |orma| and abso|utc changcs, rasngs to yct hghcr
powcrs. It s thc |cap nto co|our, |ikc thc rcd ||ag o| ettlcs/i
|etrmkiu, or I van's rcd banquct. With sound and thc ta|kc, Lscnstcn
was to discovcr sti|| |urthcr rasngs o| powcr. ut, to conhnc
oursc|vcs to s|cnt |i|ms, thc qua|itativc |cap can attan |orma| or
abso|utc changcs which alrcady consttutc powcrs to thc 'nth dcgrcc' .
thc strcam o| m|k in T/r Grurrsl Liur givcs way to jcts o| watcr
(passagc to scint||ation), thcn to a hrcwork (passagc to co|our) and
|na||y to zgzags o| |gurcs (passagc |rom thc vsb|c to thc |cgb|c).
Irom this standpoint, Liscnstcn's di|Iicu|t conccpt o| 'montagc o|
attractions' whch can ccrtan|y not bc rcduccd to thc brnging nto
p|ay o| comparsons or cvcn o| mctaphors - bccomcs much morc
comprchcnsib|c. ' In our vcw thc 'attractons' consist somctimcs n
thcatrica| or crcus rcprcscntatons (Ivan's rcd banquct), somctmcs
n p|astic rcprcscntations (thc statucs and scu|pturcs n ettlcs/i
|etrmkiu and partcu|ar|y n Uttebrr) whch ntcrvcnc to pro|ong or
rcp|acc thc imagc. Jhc jcts o| |irc and watcr n T/r Gcurrel Liur arc o|
thc samc typc. | coursc, attracton must |irst|y bc undcrstood n ts
spcctacu|ar scnsc. Jhcn a|so n an assocatvc scnsc. thc assocaton o|
imagcs as a Ncwtonian |aw o| attraction. ut, |urthcrmorc, what
Liscnstcin ca||s 'attractiona| ca|cu|us' marks ths da|cctca| ycarnng
o| thc imagc to gan ncw dmcnsons, that s, to |cap |orma||y |rom
onc powcr into anothcr. Jhc jcts o| watcr and |rc rasc thc drop o|
mi|k to a propcr|y cosmc dmcnsion. And it s conscousncss whch
bccomcs cosmic at thc samc timc as it bccomcs rcvo|utonary
having rcunitcd n a |ina| |cap o| pathos thc who|c o| thc organc n
itsc|| carth, air, |irc and watcr. Wc w|| scc |atcr how, n ths way,
montagc o| attractons constant|y makcs thc organic and thc pathctc
communicatc with onc anothcr.
Lscnstcin substitutcs a montagc o| oppostion |or Gr||th' s
para||c| montagc, and a montagc o| qua|tatvc |caps ('jumpng
T/r Sevirt st/eel 5
montagc') |or convcrgcnt or concurrcnt montagc. A|| knds o | ncw
aspccts o| montagc arc brought togcthcr at ths pont or rathcr Uow
|rom t - n a grand crcaton both o| practca| opcratons and
thcorctca| conccpts. a ncw conccpton o| thc c|osc-up, a ncw
conccpton o| accc|cratcd montagc, vcrtca| montagc, montagc o|
attractons, ntc||cctua| or conscousncss montagc . . . . Wc bc|cvc n
thc cohcrcncc o| ths organc-pathctc sct. And ths s ndccd thc kcy
pont o| Lscnstcn's rcvo|uton. hc gvcs thc da|cctc a propcr|y
cncmatographc mcanng, hc tcars rhythm away |rom thc purc|y
cmprca| or acsthctc va|uc whch t had, |or cxamp|c, n Gr||th, hc
rcachcs an csscnta||y da|cctca| conccpton o| thc organsm. Jmc
rcmans an ndrcct magc whch s bom |rom thc organc composton
o| movcmcnt-magcs, but t/r iutrrvsl, ss urll ss t/r u/elr jteut | tskrs
eu s uru mrsuiug. Jhc ntcrva|, thc varab|c prcscnt, has bccomc thc
qua|tatvc |cap whch rcachcs thc rascd powcr o| thc nstant. As |or
thc who|c as tmmcnsty, thts ts no |ongcr a tota|tty o| rcuntttng
whch subsumcs thc ndcpcndcnt parts on thc so|c condton that thcy
cxst |or cach othcr, and whch can a|ways bc cn|argcd | onc adds
parts to thc condtoncd sct jrusrmblr], or | onc rc|atcs two
ndcpcndcnt scts to thc dca o| an dcntca| cnd. It s a tota|ty whch
has bccomc concrctc or cxstng, n whch thc parts arc produccd by
cach othcr n thcr sct and thc sct s rcproduccd n thc parts, so that ths
rccproca| causa|ty rc|crs back to thc who|c as causc o| thc sct sud o|
ts parts, accordng to an ntcrna| |na|ty. Jhc spra| opcn at both
mds s no |ongcr a way o| asscmb|ng an cmprca| rca|ty |rom
outsdc, but thc way n whch da|cctca| rca|ty constant|y produccs
tsc|| and grows. Jhngs tru|y p|ungc iute tmc and bccomc mmcnsc
bccausc thcy occupy thcrc an n|ntc|y grcatcr poston than thc parts
havc n thc sct or thc sct n tsc||. Jhc sct and thc parts o| 8sttlrs/i
|etrmkiu |orty-cght hours or o| Uttebrr tcn days occupy n
tmc, that s, n thc who|c jteutj an mmcasurab|y pro|ongcd pcrod.
And, |ar |rom bcng addcd, or comparcd |rom thc outsdc, thc
attractons srr ths vcry pro|ongaton, or ths ntcrna| cxstcncc n thc
who|c. In Lscnstcn thc da|cctca| conccpton o| thc organsm and
o| montagc combncs thc cvcr-opcn spra| and thc pcrpctua||y-
|capng nstant.
Jhc da|cctc, as s wc||-known, s dc|ncd by many |aws. Jhcrc s
thc |aw o| thc quanttatvc proccss and thc qua|tatvc |cap. thc
passagc |rom onc qua|ty to anothcr and thc suddcn upsurgc o| thc
ncw qua|ty. Jhcrc s thc |aw o| thc who|c, o| thc sct and o| thc parts.
Jhcrc s a|so thc |aw o| thc nc and thc opposton, on whch t s
sad thc two othcr |aws dcpcnd. thc nc whch bccomcs two to
JB 3 Meutsgr
attain a ncw unity. I| wc can spcak o| a Sovict schoo| o| montagc, it is
not bccausc its dircctors arc simi|ar but bccausc within thc dia|cctica|
conccption which thcy sharc thcy in |act di||cr, cach having an
a||inity with onc or othcr o| thc |aws which his inspiration rccrcatcs.
Pudovkin is c|car|y main|y intcrcstcd in thc progrcssion o| con-
sciousncss, in thc qua|itativc |caps o| a dawn o| consciousncss. it is
|rom this vicwpoint that Met/rr, T/r Lud ej St |rtrrsburg and Sterm
evrr Hsis |orm a grcat tri|ogy. Naturc is thcrc, in its sp|cndour and
thcatrica|ity thc Ncva carrying a|ong its icc-||ocs, thc Mongo|ian
p|ains but as thc |incar thrust which subtcnds thc momcnts o|
dawning consciousncss, that o| thc mothcr, thc pcasant, or thc
Mongo|. And Pudovkin's most pro|ound art |ics in disc|osing thc sct
o| a situation through thc consciousncss which a charactcr gains o| it,
and in pro|onging it to thc point whcrc consciousncss can cxpand and
act (thc mothcr watching ovcr thc |athcr who wants to stca| thc
wcights o| a c|ock, or, in T/r Lud ej St |rtrrsburg, thc woman who
sums up in a g|ancc thc c|cmcnts o| thc situation, thc po|iccman, thc
g|ass o| tca on thc tab|c, thc smoking cand|c, thc boots o| thc arriving
husband). " Oovzhcnko is a dia|cctician in anothcr way, obscsscd
with thc triadic rc|ation o| thc parts, thc sct and thc who|c. I| thcrc
was cvcr a dircctor who kncw how to makc a sct and thc parts p|ungc
into a who|c which givcs thcm a dcpth and cxtcnsion disproportionatc
to thcir propcr |imits, it was Oovzhcnko to a |ar grcatcr cxtcnt than
Liscnstcin. Jhis is thc sourcc o| thc |antasy and cnchantmcnt in
Oovzhcnko. Somctimcs sccncs can bc static parts or disjointcd
|ragmcnts, |ikc thc imagcs o| povcrty at thc bcginning o| H rsrusl - thc
prostratc woman, thc immobi|c mothcr, thc muzhik, thc woman
sowing, thc gasscd corpscs (or, on thc othcr hand, thc joyous imagcs
o| Lsrt/ thc coup|cs who arc immobi|c, scatcd, standing or
rccumbcnt). Somctimcs a dynamic and continuous sct [rusrmblr] can
|orm at a particu|ar p|acc, at a particu|ar momcnt, |or cxamp|c in thc
'taiga' o| Hrregrsd. Lach timc, wc can bc surc that a p|ungc into thc
who|c wi|| conncct thc imagcs with a mi||cnia| past, likc that o| thc
Lkrainian mountain and thc trcasurc o| thc Scythians in Zvruigers,
and with a p|anctary |uturc whcrc acrop|ancs bring thc bui|dcrs o| thc
ncw city |rom a|| points o| thc horizon. Amcngua| uscd to spcak o|
'thc abstraction o| montagc' which, through thc sct or thc |ragmcnts,
gavc thc dircctor thc 'powcr to spcak outsidc rca| timc and spacc'."
ut this outsidc is a|so thc Larth, or thc truc intcriority o| timc, that is
thc who|c which changcs, and which by changing pcrspcctivc,
constant|y givcs rca| bcings that in|initc spacc which cnab|cs thcm to
touch thc most distant past and thc dcpths o| thc mturc simu|tancous|y,
T/r Sevirt st/eel J9
and to partcpatc n thc movcmcnt o| ts own 'rcvo|uton' . |or
nstancc, thc grand|athcr who dcs pcacc|u||y at thc start o| Lsrt/, or
thc onc n Zvrnigers who |rcqucnts thc nsdc o| tmc. What
Oovzhcnko gvcs to hs pcasants, and to S/t/ers, as '|cgcndary
bcngs o| a |abu|ous cpoch' s what Proust dcscrbcs as thc gant

'
staturc whch mcn assumc n tmc, whch scparatcs thc parts as much
as t pro|ongs thc sct.
In a ccrtan rcspcct, Lscnstcn cou|d consdcr hmsc|| |cadcr o| thc
schoo| n rc|aton to Pudovkn and Oovzhcnko - bccausc hc was
mbucd wth thc thrd |aw o| thc da|cctc, thc onc whch sccmcd to
contan thc othcr two. thc nc whch bccomcs two and gvcs t a ncw
unty, rcuntng thc organc who|c and thc pathctc ntcrva|. In |act,
thcrc wcrc thrcc ways o| conccvng a da|cctca| montagc, o| whch
nonc was dcstncd to p|casc Sta|nst crtcsm. ut a|| thrcc had n
common thc dca that matcra|sm was prmar|y hstorca|, and that
Naturc was on|y da|cctca| bccausc a|ways ntcgratcd nto a human
tota|ty. Hcncc thc namc whch Lscnstcn gavc to Naturc. thc 'non-
nd||crcnt' . V crtov' s orgna|ty, on thc contrary, s thc radca|
a||rmaton o| a da|cctc o| mattcr n tsc||. Jhs s |kc a |ourth |aw,
brcakng wth thc othcr thrcc. ' Jo bc surc, what Vcrtov was
showng was man prcscnt n Naturc, hs actons, hs passons, hs ||c.
ut, | hc workcd through documcntarcs and ncwsrcc|s, | hc
vo|cnt|y cha||cngcd thc ||mng o| Naturc and thc constructon o|
thc acton, ths was |or a pro|ound rcason. Whcthcr thcrc wcrc
machncs, |andscapcs, bu|dngs or mcn was o| |tt|c conscqucncc.
cach - cvcn thc most charmng pcasant woman or thc most touchng
ch|d was prcscntcd as a matcra| systcm n pcrpctua| ntcracton.
Jhcy wcrc cata|ysts, convcrtcrs, trans|ormcrs, whch rcccvcd and
rc-cmttcd movcmcnts, whosc spccd, drccton, ordcr, thcy changcd,
makng mattcr cvo|vc towards |css 'probab|c' statcs, brngng about
changcs out o| a|| proporton to thcr own dmcnsons. It s not that
Vcrtov consdcrcd bcngs to bc machncs, but rathcr machncs whch
had a 'hcart' and whch 'rcvo|vcd, trcmb|cd, jo|tcd about and thrcw
out ||ashcs o| |ghtnng', as man cou|d a|so do, usng othcr
movcmcnts and undcr othcr condtons, but a|ways n ntcracton
wth cach othcr. What Vcrtov dscovcrcd n contcmporary ||c was
thc mo|ccu|ar ch|d, thc mo|ccu|ar woman, thc matcra| woman and
ch|d, as much as systcms whch arc ca||cd mcchansms or machncs.
Most mportant wcrc a|| thc (communst) transtons |rom an ordcr
whch s bcing undonc to an ordcr whch s bcng constructcd. ut
bctwccn two systcms or two ordcrs, bctwccn two movcmcnts, thcrc
s ncccssar|y thc varab|c ntcrva|. In Vcrtov thc ntcrva| o|
1O 3 Meutsgr
movcmcnt s pcrccpton, thc g|ancc, thc cyc. ut thc cyc s not thc
too-mmob|c human cyc, t s thc cyc o| thc camcra, that s an cyc n
mattcr, a pcrccpton such as t s n mattcr, as t cxtcnds |rom a pont
whcrc an acton bcgns to thc |mt o| thc rcacton, as t h||s thc
ntcrva| bctwccn thc two, crossng thc unvcrsc and bcatng n tmc to
ts ntcrva|s. Jhc corrc|aton bctwccn a non-human mattcr and a
supcrhuman cyc s thc da|cctc tsc||, bccausc t s a|so thc dcntty o|
a communty o| mattcr and a communsm o| man. And montagc tsc||
constant|y adapts thc trans|ormatons o| movcmcnts n thc matcra|
unvcrsc to thc ntcrva| o| movcmcnt n thc cyc o| thc camcra.
rhythm. Montagc, t must bc sad, was a|rcady cvcrywhcrc n thc
two prcccdng momcnts. It prcccdcs thc ||mng, n thc chocc o|
matcra|, that s, thc portons o| mattcr whch arc to cntcr nto
ntcracton, somctmcs vcry dstant or |ar apart (||c as t s). It cntcrs
nto thc h|mng, n thc ntcrva|s occupcd by thc camcra-cyc (thc
camcraman who |o||ows, runs, cntcrs, cxts. n short, ||c n thc ||m).
It comcs a|tcr thc ||mng, n thc cdtng-room, whcrc matcra| and
h|mng arc cva|uatcd aganst onc anothcr (thc ||c o| thc ||m), and n
thc audcncc, who comparc ||c n thc ||m and ||c as t s. Jhcsc arc
thc thrcc |cvc|s whch arc cxp|ct|y shown to co-cxst n Msu uit/ s
Mevir-Csmrrs, but whch had a|rcady nsprcd a|| hs prcvous work.
Oa|cctc was not just a word |or Sovct ||m-makcrs. It was both
thc practcc and thc thcory o| montagc. ut, wh|c thc thrcc othcr
grcat drcctors uscd thc da|cctc to trans|orm thc organc composton
o| movcmcnt-magcs, Vcrtov |ound n t thc mcans o| brcakng wth
ths composton. Hc crtcscd hs rva|s |or bcng carrcd a|ong n
Gr||th's wakc, |or mtatng thc Amcrcan cncma, or |or a
bourgcos dca|sm. In hs vcw, thc da|cctc shou|d brcak wth a
Naturc whch was st|| too organc, and wth a man st|| too rcad|y
pathctc. Jhc rcsu|t n hs work was that thc who|c mcrgcs wth thc
n|ntc sct o| mattcr, and thc ntcrva| mcrgcs wth an cyc n mattcr,
Camcra. Hc would no |ongcr bc undcrstood by o||ca| crtcsm. ut
hc wou|d havc takcn to ts |mt a dcbatc wthn thc da|cctc whch
Lscnstcn kncw vcry wc|| how to summarsc whcn hc was not
contcnt wth po|cmc. Vcrtov opposcs to thc 'Naturc-man',
'Naturc|st', 'Naturc-punch' par (organcpathctc) a 'mattcrcyc'
par ' '
J 1hr ]tr-L1t trBth Jth66
In thc prc-war Ircnch schoo| (whosc rccognscd |cadcr, n ccrtan
T/r rr-usr |rrur/ sr/eel +l
rcspccts, was Gancc) wc a|so wtncss a brcak wth thc prncp|c o|
organc composton. Jhs, howcvcr, was not a casc o| Vcrtovsm,
cvcn o| a modcratcd |orm. Shou|d wc ca|| t Imprcssonsm n ordcr to
contrast t wth Gcrman Lxprcssonsm Jhc Ircnch schoo| mght
bc bcttcr dc|ncd by a sort o| Cartcsansm. thcsc drcctors wcrc
prmar|y ntcrcstcd n thc qu=tity ej mmrmrut and n thc mctrca|
rc|atons whch a||ow us to dc|nc t. Jhcy havc a dcbt as grcat as thc
Sovcts to Gr||th, and a|so want to go bcyond what rcmans
cmprca| n Gr||th to a morc sccnt|c conccpton, as |ong as t
scrvcs thc nspraton o| thc cncma and cvcn thc unty o| thc arts (ths
s thc samc conccrn |or 'sccncc' that onc |nds n pantng at that
tmc). Now thc Ircnch turncd away |rom organc composton, and
sm|ar|y avodcd a da|cctca| composton, but bu|t up a vast
mcchanca| composton o| movcmcnt-magcs. Jhs, howcvcr, was
an ambguous |ormu|a. Jakc, |or cxamp|c, a numbcr o| sccncs whch
havc bccomc part o| thc antho|ogy o| Ircnch cncma. Lpstcn's
travc||ng |ar (Cerur jidilr), L'Hcrbcr's ba|| (Ll Dersde), Grcm||on's
|arando|cs (|rom Msldeur onwards). In a group dancc, thcrc s
ccrtan|y an organc composton o| thc danccrs and a da|cctca|
composton o| thcr movcmcnts, not mcrc|y |ast and s|ow, but a|so
|ncar and crcu|ar, ctc. ut, cvcn wh|c rccognsng thcsc movcmcnts,
onc can cxtract or abstract |rom thcm a sng|c bdy whch mght bc
'thc` danccr, thc sng|c body o| a|| thcsc danccrs, and a sng|c
movcmcnt whch mght b 'thc' |andango o| L`Hcrbcr, thc
movcmcnt o| a|| possb|c |andangos madc vsb|c. ' nc gocs bcyond
thc movng bodcs to cxtract a maxmum quantty o| movcmcnt n a
gvcn spacc. Jhus Grcm||on ||ms hs |rst |arando|c n a c|oscd spacc
whch rc|cascs a maxmum o| movcmcnt. Iurthcrmorc wc shou|d
not dcscrbc othcr |arando|cs n hs |atcr ||ms as othcrs, but rathcr
a|ways as t/r |arando|c, whosc mystcry that s, thc quantty o|
movcmcnt Grcm||on ncvcr trcs o| cxtractng, rathcr as Monct
ncvcr stops pantng t/r Watcr-L|y.
Jakcn to cxtrcmcs, thc dancc mght bc a machnc, wth danccrs as
ts componcnts. In |act, Ircnch cncma uscs thc machnc to attan a
mcchanca| composton o| movcmcnt-magcs n two ways. A |rst
typc o| machnc s thc automaton, a smp|c machnc or c|ock
mcchansm, a gcomctrca| con|guraton o| parts whch combnc,
supcrmposc or trans|orm movcmcnts n homogcncous spacc,
accordng to thc rc|atonshps through whch thcy pass. Jhc
automaton docs not as n Gcrman Lxprcssonsm ||ustratc
anothcr mcnacng ||c whch thrcatcns to p|ungc nto darkncss.
Rathcr, t ||ustratcs a c|car mcchanca| movcmcnt as |aw o| thc
1Z
J Meutegc
maxmum |or a sct o| magcs whch brngs togcthcr thngs and |vng
bcngs, thc nanmatc and thc anmatc, by makng thcm thc samc. Jhc
puppcts, thc passcrs-by, thc rc||cctons o| puppcts, thc shadows o|
passcrs-by, cntcr nto vcry subt|c rc|atonshps o| rcdup|caton,
a|tcrnaton, pcrodca| rctum and chan rcacton, whch consttutc thc
sct to whch thc mcchanca| movcmcnt must bc attrbutcd. Jhs can
b sad o| thc young woman's ||ght n Vgo's L'Htel=tc, but t can
a|so bc app|cd to Kcnor, |rom T/c Littlc Mett/-Girl \ drcam to thc
grcat composton o| Le Kiglc ducu. It s obvous|y Kcnc L|ar who
gvcs ths |ormu|a ts grcatcst poctc gcncra|ty, and anmatcs
gcomctrca| abstractons n a spacc whch s homogcncous, Iumnous
and grcy, wthout dcpth. ' ' Jhc concrctc objcct, thc objcct o| dcsrc,
appcars as a motor or sprng actng n tmc, rimum mcus, whch
trggcrs o|I a mcchanca| movcmcnt, towards whch an ncrcasng
numbcr o| charactcrs contrbutc, appcarng n turn n spacc, |kc thc
parts o| an cxpandng mcchanscd sct (T/c |teli= 5trm Het, Lc
Millieu). Indvdua|sm s thc csscnta| c|cmcnt throughout. thc
ndvdua| ho|ds hmsc|| bchnd thc objcct, or rathcr hmsc|| p|ays thc
ro|c o| sprng or motor dcvc|opng ts c||ccts n tmc, ghost,
||usonst, dcv| or mad sccntst, dcstncd to bc wpcd out whcn thc
movcmcnt whch hc dctcrmncs has rcachcd ts maxmum or
ovcrtakcn hm. Jhcn cvcrythng w|| rcturn to a statc o| ordcr. In
short, an automatc ba||ct, whosc motor tsc|| crcu|atcs, through thc
movcmcnt. Jhc othcr typc o| machnc s thc cngnc whch runs on
stcam or |rc, thc powcr|u| cncrgy machnc whch produccs
movcmcnt out o| somcthng c|sc, and constant|y a||rms a hccrogcncty
whosc tcrms t |nks thc mcchanca| and thc |vng, thc nsdc and thc
outsdc, thc cngnccr and thc |orcc - n a proccss o| ntcrna| rcsonancc
or amp||yng communcaton. An cpc or tragc c|cmcnt s substtutcd
|or thc comc or dramatc c|cmcnt. In ths thc Ircnch schoo|
dstngushcs tsc|| |rom thc Sovcts, who nccssant|y ||mcd grcat
cncrgy machncs (not just Lscnstcn and Vcrtov, but aIso Journ' s
mastcrpccc Turksib). Ior thcm, man and machnc |ormcd an actvc
da|cctca| unty, whch transccndcd thc opposton bctwccn mcchanm|
work and human workcr, whcrcas thc Ircnch conccvcd thc knctc
unty o| thc quantty o| movcmcnt n a machnc and thc drccton o|
movcmcnt n a sou|, postng ths unty as a Passon whch had to |cad
to dcath. Jhc statcs through whch thc ncw motor and thc
mcchanca| movcmcnt pass arc cn|argcd to thc sca|c o| thc cosmos,
just as n ths othcr unon o| man and machnc thc statcs through
whch thc ncw ndvdua| and thc human groups jcuscmblcs] pass arc
rascd to thc sca|c o| a wor|d-sou|. Jhs s why t s |ut|c to try to sort
T/r rr-usr lrrut/ st/eel 1J
out two knds o| magcs n Gancc's Ls Keur. thosc o| mcchanca|
movcmcnt, whch havc kcpt thcr bcauty, and thosc o| thc tragcdy,
whch s rcgardcd as s||y and ch|dsh. Jhc momcnts o| thc tran ts
spccd, ts accc|craton, ts catastrophc arc nscparab|c |rom thc statcs
o| thc mcchanc, |rom Ssyphus n stcam and Promcthcus n |rc to
cdpus n snow. Jhc knctc unon o| man and machnc was to
dc|nc a ncw Human cast qutc d||crcnt |rom thc puppct brought
to ||c, whosc ncw dmcnsons Rcnor, drawng on Gancc's |cgacy,
wou|d a|so bc ab|c to cxp|orc.
Irom ths was to cmcrgc an abstract art, n whch purc movcmcnt
was somctmcs cxtractcd |rom dc|ormcd objccts by progrcssvc
abstracton, somctmcs |rom gcomctrca| c|cmcnts n pcrodc
trans|ormaton, a trans |ormatvc group a||cctng thc who|c [rusrmblr]
o| spacc. It was thc scarch |or a knctcs as propcr|y vsua| art, whch
rascd - cvcn n thc s|cnt cncma thc prob|cm o| a rc|atonshp
bctwccn thc movcmcnt-magc, co|our and musc. Lr 8sllrt mnsuiqur
by thc pantcr I crnand Lcgcr was nsprcd morc by smp|c machncs,
wh|c Lpstcn' s |/etegmirs and Grcm||on's Ls |/etegmir mtsuiqur
wcrc nsprcd nstcad by ndustra| machncs. As wc w|| scc, an cvcn
dccpcr mpu|sc ran through Ircnch cncma. a gcncra| prcd|ccton |or
watcr, thc sca or rvcrs (L'Hcrbcr, Lpstcn, Vgo, Grcm||on). Jhs
was n no scnsc a rcnuncaton o| thc mcchanca| . on thc contrary, t
was thc transton |rom a mcchancs o| so|ds to a mcchancs o| Uuds
whch, |rom a concrctc pont o| vcw, was to |nd n thc |qud magc a
ncw cxtcnson o| thc quantty o| movcmcnt as a who|c [dsus seu
rusrmblr]. It provdcd bcttcr condtons to pass |rom thc concrctc to
thc abstract, a grcatcr possb|ty o| communcatng an rrcvcrsb|c
duraton to movcmcnts, ndcpcndcnt|y o| thcr |guratvc charactcrs,
a morc ccrtan powcr o| cxtractng movcmcnt |rom thc thng
movcd. ' Watcr had a vvd prcscncc n Amcrcan and Sovct cncma,
bcncvo|cnt as wc|| as dcvastatng. but, |or bcttcr or worsc, t was
con|rontcd wth, and rc|atcd to, organc cnds. It s thc Ircnch schoo|
whch cmancpatcs watcr, gvcs t ts own |na|tcs and makcs thcm
thc |orm o| that whch has no organc consstcncy.
Whcn Oc||uc, Gcrmanc Ou|ac and Lpstcn, spcak o| 'photogcny`
[/eteguir], t s obvous|y not a qucston o| thc qua|ty o| thc photo,
but, on thc contrary, o| dc|nng thc cncmatographc magc n ts
d||crcncc |rom thc photo. Photogcny s thc magc as t s 'majorcd'
jmqerr] by movcmcnt. '`Jhc prob|cm |cs prccsc|yn dc|nng ths
'majorcr' jmqersutr]. It mp|cs, |rst|y, thc ntcrva| o| tmc as varab|c
prcscnt. In hs vcry |rst h|m, T/r Crs:y Ksy, Rcnc C|ar had
mprcsscd Vcrtov by scparatng out such ntcrva|s as ponts whcrc
11 3 Mategr
movcmcnt stops, rc-starts, rcvcrscs tsc||, accc|cratcs or s|ows down.
a sort o| d||crcnta| o| movcmcnt. ' ut thc ntcrva| n ths scnsc s
c||cctcd as a numcrca| unt whch produccs a maxmum quantty o|
movcmcnt n thc magc ia rrletia tthrrdrtrrmiaeblr]ettrs, and
whch varcs |rom onc magc to thc ncxt accordng to thc varaton o|
thcsc |actors thcmsc|vcs. Jhcsc |actors arc o| vcry d||crcnt knds. thc
naturc and dmcnsons o| thc |ramcd spacc, thc dstrbuton o|
movng and |xcd objccts, thc ang|c o| |ramng, thc |cns, thc
chronomctrc duraton o| thc shot, thc |ght and ts dcgrccs, ts
tona|tcs, and a|so |gura| and a||cctvc tona|tcs (not to mcnton thc
co|our, thc sound, thc spccch and thc musc). ctwccn thc ntcrva| or
thc numcrca| unt and thcsc |actors thcrc s a sct o| mrtritelrrletias
whch consttutc thc 'numbcrs', thc rhythm, and gvc thc 'mcasurc' o|
thc grcatcst quantty o| rc|atvc movmcnt. Montagc had undoubto|y
a|ways mp|cd such ca|cu|atons, on thc onc hand cmprca| and
ntutvc, but tcndng on thc othcr to a ccrtan sccnt|cty' ut
what sccms to charactcrsc thc Ircnch schoo| n ths scnsc Cartcsan
- s that t smu|tancous|y rascd thc ca|cu|aton bcyond ts cmprca|
condton, to makc t nto a sort o| 'a|gcbra' to usc Gancc's word
and madc thc rcsu|t o| ths cach tmc thc maxmum possb|c quantty
o| movcmcnt as a |uncton o| a|| thc varab|cs, or thc |orm o| that
whch gocs bcyond thc organc. L'Hcrbcr's monumcnta| ntcrors n
Lcgcr's or arsacq's scts (ThrNruLatheatmrat,L'Hrgrat)arc thc
bcst cxamp|cs o| a spacc subjcct to mctrca| rc|atonshps, accordng
to whch thc |orccs or |actors whch arc at work n t dctcrmnc thc
grcatcst quantty o| movcmcnt.
Contrary to what happcns n Gcrman Lxprcssonsm, cvcrythng
s |or movcmcnt, cvcn |ght. Jo bc surc, |ght s not mcrc|y a |actor
gvcn va|uc by thc movcmcnt whch t accompancs, undcrgocs, or
cvcn condtons. Jhcrc s a Ircnch |umnsm crcatcd by somc grcat
camcramcn (such as Pcrna|), whcrc thc |ght s va|ucd by tsc||. ut,
n |act, by tsc|| t s a|rcady movcmcnt purc movcmcnt o| cxtcnson
whch s rca|scd n grcy, n a 'camco-magc p|ayng on a|| thc nuanccs
n thc grcys' . ' " It s a |ght whch constant|y crcu|atcs n a
homogcncous spacc and crcatcs |umnous |orms by ts own mob|ty,
cvcn morc than by its cncountcr wth objccts on thc movc. Jhc
Ircnch schoo|' s |umnous grcy s a|rcady |kc a movcmcnt-co|our. It
s not n thc manncr o| Lscnstcn thc da|cctca| unty whch
dvdcs up nto b|ack and whtc, or whch dcrvcs |rom thcm as a ncw
qua|ty. ut st|| |css s t n thc manncr o| thc Lxprcssonsts thc
rcsu|t o| a vo|cnt strugg|c bctwccn |ght and darkncss, or o| an
cmbracc o| |ght and dark. Grcy, or |ght as movcmcnt, s a|tcrnatng
T/r rr-usr lrruc/ sc/eel 1J
movcmcnt. Jo havc substtutcd a|tcrnaton |or da|cctca| opposton
was undoubtcd|y somcthng orgna| to thc Ircnch schoo|. It rcachcs
ts hgh pont n Grcm||on. thc rcgu|ar a|tcrnaton o| |ght and
shadow that thc |ghthousc tsc|| scts n moton n Gsrdirus dr ls /srr,
a|so thc a|tcrnaton o| thc daytmc and nocturna| town n |'trsugr
Meusirur licter. Jhcrc s a|tcrnaton n cxtcnson, and not conHct,
bccausc |rom both aspccts t s |ght sun|ght and moon|ght, sun|t
|andscapc and moon|t |andscapc whch communcatc n grcy and
pass through a|| ts nuanccs. Such a conccpton o| |ght, n sptc o|
appcaranccs, owcs much to Oc|aunay's co|oursm.
It s obvous that thc grcatcst quantty o| movcmcnt must, up to
ths pont, bc undcrstood as a rc|atvc maxmum, sncc t dcpcnds on
thc numcrca| unt choscn as ntcrva|, on thc varab|c |actors o| whch
t s a |uncton, and on thc mctrca| rc|atonshps bctwccn thc |actors
and thc unt whch gvcs movcmcnt a |orm. It s thc 'bcst' quantty o|
movcmcnt, takng nto account a|| thc c|cmcnts. Jhc maxmum s
qua||cd cach tmc, t s a qua|ty tsc||. |andango, |arando|c, ba||ct, ctc.
Ocpcndng on thc varatons o| thc prcscnt or thc contractons and
d|atons o| thc ntcrva|, onc mght say that a vcry s|ow movcmcnt
rca|scs thc grcatcst possb|c quantty o| movcmcnt, just as much as a
vcry |ast movcmcnt docs n anothcr casc. | Gancc's |s Keur was a
modc| o| ncrcasng|y |ast movcmcnt, wth accc|cratcd montagc, thcn
Lpstcn's T/r lsll ej t/r Heusr ej |s/rr rcmans thc mastcrpccc o| a
s|ow moton whch ncvcrthc|css consttutcs thc maxmum o|
movcmcnt n a |orm whch s n|ntc|y drawn out. At ths pont wc
must thcrc|orc pass on to thc othcr aspcct, that s, thc abso|utc o| thc
quantty o| movcmcnt, thc abso|utc maxmum. Iar |rom bcng
contradctory, thcsc aspccts arc strct|y nscparab|c and mp|cd cach
othcr, prcsupposcd cach othcr |rom thc bcgnnng. A|rcady n
Ocscartcs thcrc s an cmncnt|y rc|atvc quant|caton o| movcmcnt
n varab|c scts, but thcrc s a|so an abso|utc quantty o| movcmcnt n
thc who|c o| thc unvcrsc. Jhc cncma rcdscovcrs ths corrc|aton,
whch s ncccssary |or ts most pro|ound condtons. n thc onc
hand, thc shot s drcctcd towards |ramcd scts and ntroduccs a
maxmum o| rc|atvc movcmcnt bctwccn thcr c|cmcnts. on thc
othcr, t s drcctcd towards a changng who|c whosc changc s
cxprcsscd n an abso|utc maxmum o| movcmcnt. Jhc d ||crcncc s
not smp|y bctwccn cach magc |or tsc|| (|ramng) and thc rc|atons
bctwccn magcs (montagc). Jhc movcmcnt o| thc camcra ntroduccs
many magcs nto onc, wth rc-|ramngs, and a|so makcs a sng|c
magc capab|c o| cxprcssng thc who|c. Jhs s partcu|ar|y c|car n
Gancc, who just|ab|y boastcd that n Nselreu hc had cmancpatcd
1 3 Meutsgr
thc camcra, not just |rom its supports on thc ground but a|so |rom ts
rc|ationship with thc man who carrics it, so as to mount t on
horscback, hur| t |kc a wcapon, ro|| t a|ong |ikc a ba|| and scnd t
spra||ing down into thc sca. ' " Howcvcr, our prcvous obscrvaton
|or which wc arc ndcbtcd to urch rcmains va|d. movcmcnt o| thc
camcra, n thc majority o| thc dircctors that wc discuss in this chaptcr,
is sti|| rcscrvcd |or rcmarkab|c momcnts, whi|st ordinary, purc
movcmcnt is in |act rc|crrcd to a succcsson o| hxcd shots, so that
montagc is n both aspccts o| thc shot. n thc aspcct o| thc |ramcd sct
[rusrmblr], whch s not contcnt with a sng|c magc, but mani|csts
rc|atvc movcmcnt in a scqucncc whcrc thc unt o| mcasurcmcnt
changcs, and n thc aspcct o| thc who|c o| thc ||m, whch is not
contcnt with a succcssion o| magcs, but cxprcsscs tsc|| n an abso|utc
movcmcnt, whosc naturc wc must now dscovcr.
Kant sad that as |ong as thc numcrica| unt o| mcasurcmcnt s
homogcncous, onc can casi|y go on to in|inty, but on|y abstract|y.
n thc othcr hand, whcn thc unit o| mcasurcmcnt is varab|c, thc
imagnation quck|y runs up aganst a |imit. bcyond a short scqucncc
it s no |ongcr capab|c o| temrr/rudiug thc sct o| magntudcs or
movcmcnts that t succcssvc|y apprchcnds. Ncvcrthc|css, Jhought,
thc Sou|, by virtuc o| a dcmand propcr to it, must undcrstand thc sct
o| movcmcnts in Naturc or thc Lnvcrsc ss s u/elr. Jhs |attcr s what
Kant ca||s thc mathcmatca| sub|imc. thc imagnaton dcvotcs tsc|| to
apprchcnding rc|ativc movcmcnts, and n so dong quick|y cxhausts
its |orccs n convcrting thc unts o| mcasurcmcnt. ut thought must
attan that which surpasscs a|| imagnaton, that s, thc sct o|
movcmcnts as who|c, abso|utc maxmum o| movcmcnt, abso|utc
movcmcnt whch is in tsc|| idcntical to thc incommcnsurab|c or thc
mcasurc|css, thc gigantic, thc immcnsc. canopy o| thc hcavcns or
|mit|css sca.' Jhs s thc sccond aspcct o| timc. it s no |ongcr thc
ntcrva| as variab|c prcscnt, but thc |undamcnta||y opcn who|c as thc
mmcnsity o| |uturc and past. It is no |ongcr tmc as succcsson o|
movcmcnts, and o| thcr unts, but timc as smu|tancism and
simu|tancty (|or simu|tancity, no |css than succcssion, bc|ongs to
timc, it is tmc as who|c). It is this idca| o| simu|tancsm which has
constant|y hauntcd Ircnch cincma, just as it inspircd panting, music
and cvcn |itcraturc. | coursc, onc can bc|cvc that t s possb|c and
casy to pass |rom thc |irst to thc sccond aspcct. s succcssion not
in|nitc by right, and docs it not havc as its |imt whcthcr it
accc|cratcs ncrcasing|y, or whcthcr t s n|nitc|y drawn out a
simu|tancty to whch it draws c|osc, at in|nity It is n ths scnsc that
Lpstcin spcaks o| 'rapid angu|ar succcssion whch tcnds towards thc
T/r rr-usr lrrnr/ sr/ool 17
pcr|cct crc|c o| mpossb|c smu|tancsm'. ' ' V crtov, or ndccd thc
Iutursts, mght havc spokcn n ths way. In thc Ircnch schoo|,
howcvcr, thcrc s a dua|sm bctwccn thc two aspccts. rc|atvc
movcmcnt bc|ongs to contcnt, and dcscrbcs thc scts whch can bc
dsccrncd n t or madc to communcatc through 'magnaton' , wh|st
abso|utc movcmcnt bc|ongs to sprt and cxprcsscs thc psychc
charactcr o| thc who|c whch changcs. So that onc docs not pass |rom
onc to thc othcr by brngng nto p|ay unts o| mcasurcmcnt
howcvcr |argc or sma|| but on|y by attanng somcthng mcasurc|css,
vcrmuch or Lxccss n rc|aton to a|| mcasurcmcnt, whch can
on|y bc conccvcd by a thnkng sou|. In L'Hcrbcr's | 'Hrgrnt, Noc|
urch dcnt|cs a partcu|ar|y ntcrcstng casc o| ths constructon o|
a ncccssar|y mcasurc|css who|c o| tmc. '' In any casc, thc accc|craton
or dccc|craton o| rc|atvc movcmcnt, thc csscnta| rc|atvty o| thc
unts o| mcasurcmcnt, thc dmcnsons o| thc sct jdror], p|ay an
ndspcnsab|c ro|c. but thcy accompany or condton thc othcr aspcct
rathcr than thcmsc|vcs brngng about thc transton bctwccn thc
two. Ircnch dua|sm mantans thc d||crcncc bctwccn thc sprtua|
and thc matcra|, wh|c showng thc comp|cmcntarty o| thc two. not
on|y n Gancc, but n L'Hcrbcr and n Lpstcn hmsc||. It has o|tcn
bccn notcd that thc Ircnch schoo| gavc just as much mportancc to
and dcvc|opcd thc subjcctvc magc to thc samc cxtcnt as Gcrman
Lxprcssonsm had, a|bct n a d||crcnt way. Indccd t ncat|y
summarscs thc dua|sm and thc comp|cmcntarty o| thc two tcrms.
on thc onc hand t mu|tp|cs thc rc|atvc maxmum o| quantty o|
possb|c movcmcnt by jonng thc movcmcnt o| a body whch sccs to
thc movcmcnt o| thc bodcs sccn, but on thc othcr hand t consttutcs
undcr thcsc condtons thc abso|utc maxmum o| thc quantty o|
movcmcnt n rc|aton to an ndcpcndcnt Sou| whch 'cnvc|ops' and
'prcccdcs' thc bodcs. '' As, |or cxamp|c, n thc cc|cbratcd casc o| thc
so|t |ocus n thc dancc o| L/Dorsdo.
Jhs sprtua|sm and dua|sm wcrc gvcn to thc Ircnch cncma by
Gancc. Wc can scc t c|car|y n thc two aspccts o| montagc n hs work.
In thc |rst o| thcsc, whch hc docs not c|am to havc nvcntcd, but whch
contro|s thc runnng o| thc ||m, rc|atvc movcmcnt |nds ts |aw n a
'succcssvc vcrtca| montagc'. a |amous casc s accc|cratcd montagc as t
appcars n |s Kour and agan n Nsolron. ut abso|utc movcmcnt s dc-
hncd by a qutc d||crcnt |gurc, whch Gancc ca||s 'smu|tancous hor-
zonta| montagc` and whch hnds ts two prncpa| |orms n Nsolron. on
thc onc hand thc nvcnton o| thc trp|c scrccn and po|yvson, on thc
othcr hand thc orgna| usc o| supcrmprcssons. y supcrmposng a
vcry |argc numbcr o| supcrmprcssons (sxtccn at tmcs), by
1B J Mtegr
ntroducng |tt|c tcmpora| sh|ts bctwccn thcm, and by addng somc
and rcmovng othcrs, Gancc s pcr|cct|y awarc that thc spcctator
w|| not scc what s supcrmposcd. thc magnaton s, as t wcrc,
surpasscd, saturatcd, quck|y rcachng ts |mt. ut Gancc rc|cs on
an c||cct o| a|l thcsc supcrmprcssons n thc sou|, on thc consttuton
o| a rhythm o| addcd and subtractcd va|ucs, whch prcscnts to thc
soul thc dca o| a who|c as thc |cc|ng o| mcasurc|cssncss and
mmcnsty. y nvcntng thc trp|c scrccn, Gancc achcvcs thc
smu|tancty o| thrcc aspccts o| a samc sccnc, or o| thrcc d||crcnt
sccncs, and constructs so-ca||m 'non-rctrogradab|c' rhythms, rhythms
whosc two cxtrcmcs arc thc rctrogradaton o| onc by thc othcr, wth
a ccntra| va|uc common to both. y untng thc smu|tancty o|
supcrmprcsson, and thc smu|tancty o| countcr-mprcsson, Gancc
tru|y consttutcs thc magc as thc abso|utc movcmcnt o| thc who|c
whch changcs. It s no |ongcr thc rc|atvc doman o| thc varab|c
ntcrva|, o| knctc accc|craton or dccc|craton n thc contcnt, but thc
abso|utc doman o| |umnous smu|tancty, o| |ght n cxtcnson, o|
thc who|c whch changcs and s 5prt (a grcat sprtua| hc|x, whch s
somctmcs drcct|y rcvca|cd n camcra-movcmcnt n Gancc and n
L'Hcrbcr). Jhs wou|d bc thc pont o| contact wth Oc|aunay's
smu|tancsm.'
In short, wth Gancc thc Ircnch schoo| nvcnts a cncma o| thc
sub|mc. Jhc composton o| movcmcnt-magcs a|ways prcscnts thc
magc o| tmc n ts two aspccts. tmc as ntcrva| and tmc as who|c,
tmc as varab|c prcscnt and tmc as mmcnsty o| past and |uturc. Ior
cxamp|c, n Gancc's Nselreu, thc constant rc|crcnccs to thc man o|
thc pcop|c, to thc so|dcr o| thc |d Guard, and to thc cook,
ntroducc a na vc, mmcdatc wtncss' s prcscnt chronc|c nto thc cpc
mmcnsty o| a rc||cctcd |uturc and past.'' Convcrsc|y, n Kcnc C|ar
wc constant|y |nd, n a charmng, magca| |orm, ths who|c o|
tmc whch runs up aganst thc varatons o| thc prcscnt. What
appcarcd n ths way wth thc Ircnch schoo| was a ncw way o|
conccvng thc two sgns o| tmc. thc ntcrva| has bccomc thc varab|c
and succcssvc numcrca| unt, whch cntcrs nto mctrca| rc|atonshps
wth thc othcr |actors, n cach casc dc|nng thc grcatcst rc|atvc
quantty o| movcmcnt n thc contcnt and |or thc magnaton, thc
who|c has bccomc thc smu|tancous, thc mcasurc|css, thc mmcnsc,
whch rcduccs magnaton to mpotcncc and con|ronts t wth ts
own |mt, gvng brth n thc sprt to thc purc thought o| a quantty
o| abso|utc movcmcnt whch cxprcsscs ts who|c hstory or changc,
ts unvcrsc. Jhs s cxact|y Kant's mathcmatca| sub|mc. Jhs
montagc, ths conccpton o| montagc, was to bc dcscrbcd as
T/r rr-usr lrrut/ st/eel 1
spiritua|-mathcmatica|, psychic-cxtcnsivc or poctic-quantitativc
(Lpstcin spokc o| '|yrosophy').
Jhc Ircnch schoo| cou|d bc contrastcd point by point with
Gcrman Lxprcssionism. Jhc rcp|y to 'morc movcmcnt' ' is 'morc
|ight! ' Movcmcnt is un|cashcd, but to scrvc thc |ight, to makc it
scinti||atc, to |orm or dismcmbcr stars, mu|tip|y rc||cctions, |cavc
bri||iant trai|s, as in thc grcat music-ha|| sccnc in Oupont's |sudrvillr, or
in thc drcam in Murnau's T/r |sst |sug/. | coursc |ight is
movcmcnt, and thc movcmcnt-imagc and thc |ight-imagc arc two
|accts o| onc and thc samc appcaring. ut |ight as an immcnsc
movcmcnt o| cxtcnsion, as bc|orc, is vcry di||crcnt |rom thc way it is
prcscntcd in Lxprcssionism as a potcnt movcmcnt o| intcnsity,
intcnsivc movcmcnt par cxcc||cncc. Jhcrc is indccd an abstract
kinctic art (Kichtcr, Kuttmann), but thc cxtcnsivc quantity, thc
shi|ting in spacc, arc |ikc thc mcrcury which indircct|y mcasurcs thc
intcnsivc quantity, its risc or |a||. Light and shadow no |ongcr
constitutc an a|tcrnativc movcmcnt in cxtcnsion and cntcr into an
intcnsc strugg|c which has scvcra| stagcs.
Iirst|y thc in|initc |orcc o| |ight is opposcd to darkncss as an
cqua||y in|initc |orcc without which it wou|d not bc ab|c to mani|cst
itsc||. It opposcs darkncss in ordcr to mani|cst itsc||. Jhis is thcrc|orc
not a dua|ism and ncithcr is it a dia|cctic, sincc wc arc outsidc any
organic unity or tota|ity. It is an in|initc opposition as it appcarcd in
Gocthc and thc Komantics. |ight wou|d bc nothing, or at |cast
nothing mani|cst, without thc opaquc to which it is opposcd and
which makcs it visib|c.'` Jhc visua| imagc is thcrc|orc dividcd in two
a|ong a diagona| or j aggcd |inc so that it makcs thc |ight 'prcsupposc a
drcary ha|| o| shadow', as Va|cry says. It is not just a division o| thc
imagc or thc shot, as is a|rcady |ound in Kippcrt's Hemuutulus, or as
rcdiscovcrcd by Lang and Pabst. It is a|so a matrix o| montagc in
Pick' s Nru lrsr's Lvr, which opposcs thc opacity o| thc s|um and thc
|uminosity o| thc c|cgant hotc|, or in Murnau's Suurisr, which
opposcs thc |uminous town and thc opaquc marsh|and. In thc sccond
p|acc, thc con|rontation o| two in|initc |orccs dctcrmincs a zcro-
point, in rc|ation to which a|| |ight is a |initc dcgrcc. Light' s ro|c,
c||cctivc|y, is to dcvc|op a rc|ationship with b|ack as ncgation O,as
a |unction o| which it is dc|incd as intcnsity, as intcnsivc quantity.
Hcrc thc instant appcarcd (contrary to thc cxtcnsivc unit and part)
as that which apprchcnds thc |uminous magnitudc or dcgrcc in
rc|ation to b|ack. Jhat is why intcnsivc movcmcnt is inscparab|c
|rom a |a||, cvcn a virtua| onc, which on|y cxprcsscs this distancc o|
thc dcgrcc o| |ight |rom zcro. n|y thc idca o| thc |a|| mcasurcs thc
JO J Mentegr
dcgrcc to whch thc ntcnsvc quantty risrsand, cvcn n ts grcatcst
g|ory, natura| |ght |a||s and contnucs to |a||. Jhcrc|orc thc dca o|
|a|| must a|so ncccssar|y bc actua|scd, and bccomc a rca| or matcra|
|a|| n ndvdua| bcngs. Lght on|y has onc dca| |a||, but day|ght has
a rca| |a|| . such s thc advcnturc o| thc ndvdua| sou|, caught up n a
b|ack ho|c, o| whch Lxprcssonsm was to gvc us somc dzzy
cxamp|cs (Margucrtc's |a|| n Murnau's l rst,that o|thc hcro o| Thr
Lrt Leugh, dcvourcd by thc b|ack ho|c o| thc washrooms n thc
grand hotc|, or that o| Pabst's Lulu).
Wc scc hcrc how |ght as dcgrcc (whtc) and thc zcro (b|ack) cntcr
nto concrctc rc|atons o| contrast or mxng. As wc havc sccn, ths s
thc who|c contrastng scrcs o| whtc and b|ack |ncs, rays o||ght and
out|ncs o| shadow. a stratcd, strpcd wor|d whch cou|d a|rcady bc
sccn n thc pantcd canvascs o| W cnc's ThrCebinrte]Dr Celigeri,but
whch took on ts m|| rangc o| |umnous va|ucs wth Lang n Dir
Nibrlungrn(|or cxamp|c thc |ght n thc undcrgrowth, or thc c|ustcrs
o| |amps through thc wndow). r c|sc t s thc b|cndcd scrcs o|
charoscuro, thc contnua| trans|ormaton o| a|| ts dcgrccs, |ormng a
'||ud rangc o| gradatons whch constant|y succccd onc anothcr',
Wcgcncr and, abvc a||, Murnau, wcrc thc mastcrs o|ths |ormu|a. In
|act thc grcat drcctors wcrc ab|c to advancc on both |ronts, and wh|c
Lang achcvcd thc most subt|c chiaroscuros (Mrtreelis) Murnau
traccd out thc most contrastng rays. thus n Sunrisrthc sccnc o| thc
scarch |or thc drowncd woman starts wth thc |umnous strcaks o| thc
|antcrns on thc b|ack watcrs, gvng way suddcn|y to thc trans|orm-
atons o| a charoscuro whch graduatcs thc toncs a|ong ts who|c
track. Howcvcr much hc d||crs |rom Lxprcssonsm (partcu|ar|y n
hs conccpton o| tmc and thc |a|| o| sou|s), Strohcm takcs ovcr ts
trctmcnt o| |ght and appcars as a |umnst as pro|ound as Lang
and cvcn Mumau. somctmcs ths s shown n a scrcs o| strcaks
as thc |umnous bars that thc ha||-c|oscd s|attcd shuttcrs projcct
on to thc bcd, thc |acc and shou|dcrs o| thc s|ccpng woman n
lxlish ivrs, somctmcs n a|| thc dcgrccs o| charoscuro, wth
back-|ghtng and thc p|ay o| so|t-|ocus, as n thc dnncr o| Qurrn
Krlly.'
In a|| ths, Lxprcssonsm was brcakng wth thc prncp|c o|
organc composton ntroduccd by Gr||th and takcn up by most o|
thc Sovct da|cctcans. ut t madc ths rupturc n a comp|ctc|y
d||crcnt way |rom thc Ircnch schoo|. It docs not nvokc thc c|car
mcchancs o| thc quantty o| movcmcnt n thc so|d or thc Uud but a
dark, swampy ||c nto whch cvcrythng p|ungcs, whcthcr choppcd
up by shadows or p|ungcd nto msts. Thrnen-ergenitli]re]things,a
Thrrr-uer lrrnthstheel J l
|right|u| |i|c, which is ob|ivious to thc wisdom and |imits o | thc
organism, is thc |irst princip|c o| Lxprcssionism, va|id |or thc who|c
o| Naturc, that is, |or thc unconscious spirit, |ost in darkncss, |ight
which has bccomc opaquc, lumrneetetum.Irom this point o| vicw
natura| substanccs and arti|icia| crcations, candc|abras and trccs,
turbinc and sun arc no |ongcr any di||crcnt. A wa|| which is a|ivc
is drcad|u|, but utcnsi|s, |urniturc, houscs and thcir roo|s a|so |can,
crowd around, |ic in wait, or pouncc. Shadows o| houscs pursuc thc
man running a|ong thc strcct. ' In a|| thcsc cascs, it is not thc
mcchanica| which is opposcd to thc organic. it is thc vita| as potcnt
prc-organic gcrmina|ity, common to thc animatc and thc inanimatc,
to a mattcr which raiscs itsc|| to thc point o| |i|c, and to a |i|c which
sprcads itsc|| through a|| mattcr. Jhc anima| has |ost thc organic, as
much as mattcr has gaincd |i|c. Lxprcssionism can c|aim kinship with
a purc kinctics, it is a vio|cnt movcmcnt which rcspccts ncithcr thc
organic contour nor thc mcchanica| dctcrminations o| thc horizonta|
and thc vcrtica|, its coursc is that o| a pcrpctua||y brokcn |inc, whcrc
cach changc o| dircction simu|tancous|y marks thc |orcc o| an
obstac|c and thc powcr o| a ncw impu|sc, in short, thc subordination
o| thc cxtcnsivc to intcnsity. Worringcr, its |irst thcorctician, crcatcd
thc tcrm 'Lxprcssionism' , and dc|incd it as thc opposition o| vita|
|orcc jlen vitel]to organic rcprcscntation, invoking thc 'Gothic or
Northcrn` dccorativc |inc, a brokcn |inc which |orms no contour by
which |orm and background might bc distinguishcd, but passcs in a
zigzag bctwccn things, somctimcs drawing thcm into a bttom|cssncs
in which it |oscs itsc||, somctimcs whir|ing thcm in a |orm|cssncss
into which it vccrs in a 'disordcr|y convu|sion`.' Jhus automata,
robots and puppcts arc no |ongcr mcchanisms which va|idatc or
'major` jme]rrnt] a quantity o| movcmcnt, but somnambu|ists,
zombics or go|cms who cxprcss thc intcnsity o| this non-organic |i|c.
not simp|y Wcgcncr's ThrGelrm,but a|so thc Gothic horror |i|m o|
around l 9JO, |or cxamp|c Wha|c's lrenkrnstrin and Thr 8ridr e]
lrenkrnstrinand Ha|pcrin' s hitrZembir.
Gcomctry is not dcprivcd o| its rights, but it is a quitc di||crcnt
gcomctry |rom that o| thc Ircnch schoo|, bccausc it is cmancipatcd -
at |cast dircct|y - |rom thc co-ordinatcs which condition thc
cxtcnsivc quantity, and |rom thc mctrica| rc|ationships which
rcgu|atcd movcmcnt in homogcncous spacc. It is a 'Gothic'
gcomctry which constructs spacc instcad o| dcscribing it. it no |ongcr
procccds by mcasuring out but by cxtcnsion and accumu|ation. Jhc
|incs arc cxtcndcd bcyond a|| mcasurc to thcir mccting-points, whi|c
thcir brcaking-points producc accumu|ations. Jhc accumu|ation
JZ
3 Mentegr
may bc o||ght or o| shadow, just as thc cxtcnsons may bc o| shadow
or o| |ght. Lang nvcnts |umnous |a|sc contnutcs, whch cxprcss
thc ntcnsvc changcs o| thc who|c. It s a vo|cnt pcrspcctvst
gcomctry, whch works through projcctons and cxpanscs o|
shadow, wth ob|quc pcrspcctvcs. Jhc dagona|s and cross-
dagona|s tcnd to rcp|acc thc horzonta| and thc vcrtca|, thc conc
rcp|accs thc crc|c and thc sphcrc, acutc ang|cs and sharp trang|cs
rcp|acc curvcd or rcctangu|ar |ncs (Ca|gar's doors, thc Go|cm's
gab|cs and hats). I| wc comparc L'Hcrbcr's monumcnta| archtccturc
wth Lang's (DirNibrlungrn,Mrtreelis),wc scc how Lang works
by cxtcndng |ncs and ponts o| accumu|aton whch arc now on|y
ndrcct|y trans|atcd nto mctrca| rc|atonshps.'" And, | thc human
body cntcrs drcct|y nto thcsc 'gcomctrca| groupngs' , | t s 'a basc
|actor n ths archtccturc', t s not cxact|y bccausc 'sty|saton
trans|orms thc human nto mcchanca| |actor', a |ormu|a whch
wou|d bc bcttcr sutcd to thc Ircnch schoo|, t s bccausc a|| d||crcncc
bctwccn thc mcchanca| and thc human has dsso|vcd, but ths tmc to
thc advantagc o| thc potc
_
t non-organc ||c o| thngs.
In contrasts o| b|ack and whtc, or n thc varatons o| charoscuro,
onc mght say that whtc s darkcncd and b|ack s toncd down. It s as
though two dcgrccs wcrc apprchcndcd n an nstant, ponts o|
accumu|aton whch wou|d corrcspond to thc upsurgc o| co|our n
Gocthc's thcory. b|uc as |ghtcncd b|ack, yc||ow as darkcncd whtc.
And, dcsptc Gr||th's and Lscnstcn' s attcmpts n monochromc,
and cvcn n po|ychromc, t s undoubtcd|y Lxprcssonsm whch was
thc prccursor o| rca| co|oursm n thc cncma. Gocthc cxp|ancd
prccsc|y that thc two |undamcnta| co|ours - yc||ow and b|uc as
dcgrccs wcrc graspcd n a mevrmrnte] intrnsi]itetien,whch was
accompancd n both cascs by a rcddsh rc||ccton. Jhc ntcns|caton
o| thc dcgrcc s |kc thc nstant rascd to thc powcr two, whch s
cxprcsscd n ths rc||ccton. Jhc rcddsh or g|owng rcUccton w||
pass through a|| thc stagcs o| ntcns|caton. shmmcrng, g|stcnng,
scnt||aton, spark|ng, a ha|o c||cct, Uuorcsccncc, phosphorcsccncc.
A|| thcsc aspccts punctuatc thc crcaton o| thc robot n Mrtreelis,|kc
that o| Irankcnstcn and hs brdc. Irom thcm, Strohcm crcatcs
cxtraordnary combnatons to whch hc surrcndcrs |vng crcaturcs,
cv|docrs or nnoccnt vctms a|kc. Jhus, accordng to Lottc Lsncr's
ana|yss, n thc suppcr o| Qurrn Krlly, thc ngcnuous gr| s caught
bctwccn two sourccs o| |ght, that o| thc cand|cs on thc tab|c bc|orc
hcr whch glistrn on hcr |acc, and that o| thc |rc n thc |rcp|acc
bchnd hcr whch surrounds hcr wth a |umnous hele (shc w||
thcrc|orc bc too hot and a||ow hcr coat to bc rcmovcd . . . ). ut
Thrrr-uer lrrnthstheel JJ
Murnau is thc truc mastcr o| a| | thcsc stagcs and aspccts whch
smu|tancous|y announcc thc arriva| o| thc Ocv| and thc wrath o|
God. ' ' In |act, Gocthc c|car|y shows that thc intcnsihcaton o| thc
two aspccts (yc||ow and b|uc) dd not stop at thc rcddsh rcUccton
whch accompanics thcm as thc growing c||ccts o| bri||iancc, but
cu|minatcd n a vvd rcd, as thrd co|our which has bccomc
ndcpcndcnt, purc ncandcsccncc or b|azng o| a tcrrb|c |ght, whch
burncd thc wor|d and ts crcaturcs. It s as | |ntc ntcnsty now
rccovcrcd, at thc hcght o| ts own intcnsi|caton, a burst o| thc
n|nitc which had bccn thc startng-point. Jhc n|ntc had not ccascd
to work n thc |ntc, whch rcnstatcs t in ths sti|| scnsb|c |orm.
Sprit had not |c|t Naturc, t animatcs a|| non-organc |i|c, but t can
on|y discovcr and rcdiscovcr itsc|| as thc sprit o| cvi| which bums
Naturc n its cntrcty. It s thc Uamng crc|c o| thc nvocaton o| thc
dcmon, in Wcgcncr' s Thr Gelrm or Murnau's leust. It s Iaust`s
|uncra| pyrc. It s thc 'phosphorcsccnt dcmon's hcad wth sad and
cmpty cycs` n Wcgcncr. It is thc b|azng hcad o| Mabusc and o|
Mcphsto. Jhcsc arc thc momcnts o| thc sub|imc, thc rcdscovcry o|
thc in|ntc n thc sprit o| cv|. in Murnau, in partcu|ar, Nes]rretu
docs not mcrc|y pass through a|| thc spccts o| chiaroscuro, o| back-
|ighting and o| thc non-organc |i|c o| shadows, hc docs not mcrc|y
producc a|| thc momcnts o| a rcddsh rc||ccton, but hc rcachcs a
c|max whcn a powcr|u| |ght (a purc rcd) so|atcs hm |rom hs
shadowy background, making hm burst |orth |rom an cvcn morc
dircct bottom|cssncss, gving hm an aura o| omnipotcncc whch gocs
bcyond his two-dimcnsona| |orm. ''
Jhis ncw sub|imc s not thc samc as that o| thc Ircnch schoo|. Kant
dstnguishcd two kinds o| Sub|imc, mathcmatca| and dynamc, thc
immcnsc and thc powcr|u|, thc mcsurc|css and thc |orm|css. oth had
thc propcrty o| dccomposng organic compositon, thc |rst by gong
bcyond it, thc sccond by brcakng it. In thc mathcmatca| sub|mc, thc
cxtcnsivc unit o| mcasurcmcnt changcs so much that thc imagnaton
is no |ongcr ab|c to comprchcnd t, runs up aganst ts own |mt and is
annh|atcd, but t gvcs way to a thnkng |acu|ty whch |orccs us to
conccivc thc immcnsc or thc mcasurc|css as who|c. In thc dynamic
sub|mc, t is intcnsity which s rascd to such a powcr that it dazz|cs
or annih|atcs our organc bcng, strikcs tcrror nto t, but arouscs a
thinkng |acu|ty by whch wc |cc| supcrior to that which annihi|atcs
us, to dscovcr n us a supra-organc spirt whch domnatcs thc who|c
norganic |i|c o| things. thcn wc |osc our |car, knowng that our
sprtua| 'dcstnation` s tru|y nvncib|c. '' Lkcwisc, accordng to
Gocthc, b|azng rcd s not mcrc|y thc |rght|u| co|our in whch wc
J1 3 Mentegr
burn, but thc nob|cst co|our, which contains a|| thc othcrs, and
cngcndcrs a supcrior harmony as thc who|c chromatc crc|c. And
ths is ndccd what happcns, or has a chancc o| happcnng, n thc story
whch Lxprcssionism tc||s us, |rom thc aspcct o| thc dynamic
sub|imc. thrnen-ergenitli]re]thingscu|minatcs in a |rc, whch bums
us and whch burns a|| o| Naturc, acting as thc sprit o| cv| or o|
darkncss. ut ths |attcr, by thc u|tmatc sacr|icc whch t dcmands o|
us, un|cashcs in our sou| enen-sythelegitelli]re]thrsirit,whch no
|ongcr bc|ongs cithcr to naturc or to our organc indivdua|ty, whch
s thc divnc part in us, thc sprtua| rc|ationshp in whch wc arc a|onc
with God as |ght. Jhus thc sou| sccms to risruegeintowards thc
|ight, but it has rathcr rcjoincd thc |uminous part o| tsc||, which on|y
had an dca| |a||, and which |c|| upn thc wor|d, rathcr than bcing
cngu||cd n it. Jhc b|azng has bccomc thc supcrnatura| and thc
supra-scnsib|c, |or cxamp|c, L||cn's sacri|icc n Nes]rretu,or that o|
leust, or cvcn Indrc's n Sunrisr.
Wc can notc, hcrc, thc considcrab|c d||crcncc bctwccn Lxprcssion-
sm and Romantcsm. Ior it s no |ongcr thc casc, as n Romantcsm,
o| a rcconci|iaton bctwccn Naturc and Spirt, o| Sprt as t s
a|icnatcd in Naturc, and o| Sprt as t rcconqucrs tsc|| n tsc||. Jhs
conccpton was mp|cd as thc dia|cctca| dcvc|opmcnt o| a tota|ty
which was st|| organic. Wh|st Lxprcssionism on|y conccvcs n
princp|c thc who|c o| a spiritua| Lnivcrsc cngcndcrng ts own
abstract |orms, ts crcaturcs o| |ght, its continutcs whch sccm |a|sc
to thc cyc o| thc scnsb|c. It kccps thc chaos o| man and Naturc n thc
background. ' r rathcr it tc||s us that thcrc s and thcrc w|| on|y bc
chaos i| wc do not rcgain ths sprtua| unvcrsc whch t o|tcn has
occasion to doubt itsc||. o|tcn thc |rc o| chaos has thc uppcr hand, or
is pronounccd as trumphant |or a |ong tmc to comc. In short,
Lxprcssionsm kccps on panting thc wor|d rcd on rcd, thc onc
harking back to thc |right|u| non-organic ||c o| thngs, thc othcr to
thc sub|mc, non-psycho|ogca| |i|c o| thc sprit. Lxprcssonsm
attains thc cry, Margucritc's cry, Lu|u's cry, whch marks thc horror
o| non-organic ||c as much as thc opcning-up o| a sprtua| unvcrsc
which may bc ||usory. Lscnstcn a|so attancd thc cry, but n thc
manncr o| a da|cctcian, that is, as thc qua|tativc |cap which madc thc
who|c cvo|vc. Now, on thc contrary, thc who|c s on hgh, and is
idcntical to thc idca| summit o| a pyramd which, n rsng up,
constant|y pushcs down ts basc. Jhc who|c has bccomc thc tru|y
n|ntc intcns|caton whch s cxtractcd |rom a|| thc dcgrccs, which
has passcd through thc |irc, but on|y to brcak ts scnsib|c attachmcnts
to thc matcria|, thc organic, and thc human, to dctach tsc|| |rom a||
Thrrr-uer lrrnth stheel JJ
thc statcs o| thc past, and thus to dscovcr thc sprtua| abstract Iorm
o| thc |uturc (Hans Rchtcr' s Khythms).
Wc havc thus sccn |our typcs o| montagc. Jhc movcmcnt-magcs
arc thc subjcct o| vcry d||crcnt compostons cach tmc. thc organc-
actvc, cmprca|, or rathcr cmprcst montagc o| Amcrcan cncma,
thc da|cctca| montagc o| Sovct cncma, organc or matcra|, thc
quanttatvc-psychc montagc o| thc Ircnch schoo|, n ts brcak wth
thc organc, thc ntcnsvc-sprtua| montagc o| thc Gcrman schoo|,
whch bnds togcthcr a non-organc ||c and a non-psycho|ogca| ||c.
Jhcsc arc thc grcat vsons o| ||m-makcrs, wth thcr concrctc
practccs. Ior cxamp|c, wc shou|d not thnk that para||c| montagc s a
gvcn whch s |ound cvcrywhcrc, cxccpt n a vcry gcncra| scnsc,
sncc Sovct cncma rcp|accs t wth a montagc o| opposton, Lx-
prcssonst cncma wth a montagc o| contrast, ctc. What wc havc trcd
to show s thc practca| and thcorctca| varcty o| typcs o| montagc,
accordng to thc conccptons o| thc composton o| movcmcnt-
magcs, whcthcr organc, da|cctca|, cxtcnsvc, or ntcnsvc. Jhs
was thc thought, or thc ph|osophy o| thc cncma, no |css than ts
tcchnquc. It wou|d bc obtusc to say that onc o| thcsc thcory-
practccs was bcttcr than anothcr, or rcprcscnts progrcss (tcchnca|
progrcss was madc n cach o| thcsc drcctons, and prcsupposcs rathcr
than dctcrmncs thcm). Jhc on|y gcncralty about montagc s that t
puts thc cncmatographc magc nto a rc|atonshp wth thc who|c,
that s, wth tmc conccvcd as thc pcn. In ths way t gvcs an
ndrcct magc o| tmc, smu|tancous|y n thc ndvdua| movcmcnt-
magc and n thc who|c o| thc ||m. n thc onc hand, t s thc
varab|c prcscnt, on thc othcr thc mmcnsty o| |uturc and past. It has
sccmcd to us that thc |orms o| montagc dctcrmncd thcsc two aspccts
d ||crcnt|y. Jhc varab|c prcscnt cou|d bccomc ntcrva|, qua|tatvc
|cap, numcrca| unt, ntcnsvc dcgrcc, and thc who|c cou|d bccomc
organc who|c, da|cctca| tota|saton, mcasurc|css tota|ty o| thc
mathcmatca| sub|mc, ntcnsvc tota|ty o| thc dynamc sub|mc. It
s on|y |atcr that wc can scc thc ndrcct magc o| tmc and thc
comparatvc probab|tcs o| a drcct tmc-magc. At prcscnt, | t s
truc that thc movcmcnt-magc has two |accts, onc o| whch s
orcntcd towards scts and thcr parts, thc othcr towards thc who|c
and ts changcs, t s ths that wc must cxamnc - thc movcmcnt-magc
|or tsc||, n a|| ts varctcs and both ts |accts.
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Jhc historica| crisis o| psycho|ogy coincidcd with thc momcnt at
which it was no |ongcr possib|c to ho|d a ccrtain position. Jhis
position invo|vcd p|acing imagcs in consciousncss and movcmcnts in
spacc. In consciousncss thcrc wou|d on|y bc imagcs thcsc wcrc
qua|itativc and without cxtcnsion. In spacc thcrc wou|d on|y bc
movcmcnts thcsc wcrc cxtcndcd and quantitativc. ut how is it
possib|c to pass |rom onc ordcr to thc othcr How is it possib|c to
cxp|ain that movcmcnts, a|| o| a suddcn, producc an imagc - as in
pcrccption - or that thc imagc produccs a movcmcnt as in vo|untary
action I| wc invokc thc brain, wc havc to cndow it with a miracu|ous
powcr. And how can movcmcnt bc prcvcntcd |rom a|rcady bcing at
|cast a virtua| imagc, and thc imagc |rom a|rcady bcing at |cast
possib|c movcmcnt What appcarcd |na||y to b a dcad cnd was thc
con|rontation o| matcria|ism and idca|ism, thc onc wishing to
rcconstitutc thc ordcr o| consciousncs with purc matcria| movcmcnts,
thc othcr thc ordcr o| thc univcrsc with purc imagcs in consciousncss. '
It was ncccssary, at any cost, to ovcrcomc this dua|ity o| imagc and
movcmcnt, o| consciousncss and thing. Jwo vcry dihcrcnt authors
wcrc to undcrtakc this task at about thc samc timc. crgson and
Husscr|. Lach had his own war cry. a|| consciousncss is consciousncss
o] somcthing (Husscr|), or morc strong|y, a|| consciousncss is
somcthing (crgson). Lndoubtcd|y many |actors cxtcrna| to
phi|osophy cxp|ain why thc o|d position had bccomc impossib|c.
Jhcsc wcrc socia| and scicnti|ic |actors which p|accd morc and morc
movcmcnt into conscious |i|c, and morc and morc imagcs into thc
matcria| wor|d. How thcrc|orc was it possib|c not to takc account o|
thc cincma, which was bcing dcvc|opcd at that vcry momcnt, and
which wou|d producc its own cvidcncc o| a mmrmrnt-imegr
It is truc that crgson, as wc havc sccn, apparcnt|y |ound thc
cincma on|y a |a|sc a||y. As |or Husscr|, as |ar as wc know, hc ncvcr
mcntions thc cincma at a|| (it is notcworthy that Sartrc too, much
|atcr, in making an invcntory and ana|ysis o| a|| kinds o| imagcs in
Hrntitye]imegrrd mevrmrnt J7
Thr |meginetien, docs not ctc thc cncmatographc magc). I t s
Mcr|cau-Ponty who attcmpts, on|y ncdcnta||y, a con|rontaton
bctwccn cncma and phcnomcno|ogy, but hc a|so sccs thc cncma as an
ambguous a||y. It s smp|y that thc rcasons gvcn by phcnomcno|ogy
and thosc o| crgson arc so d||crcnt that thcr vcry opposton
shou|d gudc us. What phcnomcno|ogy scts up as a norm s 'natura|
pcrccpton' and ts condtons. Now, thcsc condtons arc cxstcnta|
co-ordnatcs whch dc|nc an 'anchorng' o| thc pcrccvng subjcct n
thc wor|d, a bcng n thc wor|d, an opcnng to thc wor|d whch w||
bc cxprcsscd n thc |amous 'a|| conscousncss s conscousncss o|
somcthng . . . ' . Hcncc movcmcnt, pcrccvcd or madc, must bc
undcrstood not o| coursc n thc scnsc o| an ntc||gb|c |orm (Idca)
whch wou|d bc actua|scd n a contcnt, but as a scnsb|c |orm
(Gcsta|t) whch organscs thc pcrccptvc |c|d as a |uncton o| a
stuatcd ntcntona| conscousncss. Jhc cncma can, wth mpunty,
brng us Hosc to thngs or takc us away |rom thcm and rcvo|vc
around thcm, t supprcsscs both thc anchorng o| thc subjcct and thc
horzon o| thc wor|d. Hcncc t substtutcs an mp|ct know|cdgc and
a sccond ntcntona|ty |or thc condtons o| natura| pcrccpton. It s
not thc samc as thc othcr arts, whch am rathcr at somcthng unrca|
through thc wor|d, but makcs thc wor|d tsc|| somcthng unrca| or a
ta|c jrtit]. Wth thc cncma, t s thc wor|d whch bccomcs ts own
magc, and not an magc whch bccomcs wor|d. It w|| bc notcd that
phcnomcno|ogy, n ccrtan rcspccts, stops at prc-cncmatographc
condtons whch cxp|ans ts cmbarrasscd atttudc. t gvcs a
prv|cgc to natura| pcrccpton whch mcans that movcmcnt s st||
rc|atcd to esrs (smp|y cxstcnta| nstcad o| csscnta|). As a rcsu|t,
cncmatographc movcmcnt s both condcmncd as un|athm| to thc
condtons o| pcrccpton and a|so cxa|tcd as thc ncw story capab|c o|
'drawng Hosc to' thc pcrccvcd and thc pcrccvcr, thc wor|d and
pcrccpton. '
crgson condcmns thc cncma as an ambguous a||y n a
comp|ctcIy d||crcnt way. Ior | thc cncma msconccvcs movcmcnt,
t docs so n thc samc way as natura| pcrccpton and |or thc samc
rcasons. 'Wc takc snapshots, as t wcrc, o| passng rca|ty . . . .
Pcrccpton, ntc||ccton, |anguagc so procccd n gcncra|. ` Ior
crgson, that s to say, thc modc| cannot b natura| pcrccpton, whch
docs not posscss any prv|cgc. Jhc modc| wou|d bc rathcr a statc o|
thngs whch wou|d constant|y changc, a ||owng-mattcr n whch no
pont o| anchoragc nor ccntrc o| rc|crcncc wou|d bc assgnab|c. n
thc bass o| ths statc o| thngs t wou|d bc ncccssary to show how, at
any pont, ccntrcs can bc |ormcd whch wou|d mposc |xcd
JB
1 Thr mmrmrnt-imegr
instantancous vicws. It wou|d thcrc|orc bc a qucstion o| 'dcducing`
conscious, natura| or cincmatographic pcrccption. ' ut thc cincma
pcrhaps has a grcat advantagc. just bccausc it |acks a ccntrc o|
anchoragc and o| horizon, thc scctions which it makcs wou|d not
prcvcnt it |rom going back up thc path that natura| pcrccption comcs
down. Instcad o| going |rom thc accntrcd statc o| things to ccntrcd
pcrccption, it cou|d go back up towards thc accntrcd statc o| things,
and gct c|oscr to it. road|y spcaking, this wou|d bc thc oppositc o|
what phcnomcno|ogy put |orward. Lvcn in his critiquc o| thc cincma
crgson was in agrccmcnt with it, to a |ar grcatcr dcgrcc than hc
thought. Wc scc this in thc bri||iant hrst chaptcr o| Mettrr end
Mrmory.
Wc |nd oursc|vcs in |act |accd with thc cxposition o| a wor|d
whcrc lM^|L MCVLMLMJ. Lct us ca|| thc sct o| what appcars
' Imagc' . Wc cannot cvcn say that onc imagc acts on anothcr or rcacts
to anothcr. Jhcrc is no moving body jmobilr]which is distinct |rom
cxccutcd movcmcnt. Jhcrc is nothing movcd which is distinct |rom
thc rcccivcd movcmcnt. Lvcry thing, that is to say cvcry imagc, is
indistinguishab|c |rom its actions and rcactions. this is univcrsa|
variation. Lvcry imagc is 'mcrc|y a road by which pass, in cvcry
dircction, thc modi|ications propagatcd throughout thc immcnsity o|
thc univcrsc` . Lvrryimegrettsonothrrsendrrettstoothrrs,on'ellthrir
]etrts et ontr` end 'by ell thrir rlrmrnts' .` 'Jhc truth is that thc
movcmcnts o| mattcr arc vcry c|car, rcgardcd as imagcs, and that
thcrc is no nccd to |ook in movcmcnt |or anything morc than what
wc scc in it. ' ' An atom is an imagc which cxtcnds to thc point to
which its actions and rcactions cxtcnd. My body is an imagc, hcncc a
sct o| actions and rcactions. My cyc, my brain, arc imagcs, parts o|
my body. How cou|d my brain contain imagcs sincc it is onc imagc
among othcrs Lxtcrna| imagcs act on mc, transmit movcmcnt to mc,
and I rcturn movcmcnt. how cou|d imagcs bc in my consciousncss
sincc I am mysc|| imagc, that is, movcmcnt And can I cvcn, at thts
|cvc|, spcak o| 'cgo' , o| cyc, o| brain and o| body n|y |or simp|c
convcnicncc, |or nothing can yct bc idcnti|icd in this way. It is rathcr
a gascous statc. Mc, my body, arc rathcr a sct o| molccu|cs and atoms
which arc constant|y rcncwcd. Can I cvcn spcak o| atoms Jhcy arc
not distinct |rom wor|ds, |rom intcratomic inUucnccs. " It is a statc o|
mattcr too hot |or onc to bc ab|c to distinguish so|id bodics in it. It is a
wor|d o| univcrsa| variation, o| univcrsa| undu|ation, univcrsa|
ripp|ing. thcrc arc ncithcr axcs, nor ccntrc, nor |c|t, nor right, nor
high, nor |ow . . . .
Jhis in|initc sct o| a|| imagcs constitutcs a kind o| p|anc jlen]o|
|drntitye]imegrrdmevrmrnt J
mmancncc. Jhc magc cxsts n tsc||, on ths p|anc. Jhs n-tsc|| o|
thc magc s mattcr. not somcthng hddcn bchnd thc magc, but on
thc contrary thc abso|utc dcntty o| thc magc and movcmcnt.
Jhc dcntty o| thc magc and movcmcnt |cads us to conc|udc
mmcdatc|y that thc movcmcnt-magc and mattcr arc dcntca|. 'You
may say that my body s mattcr or that t s an magc.` Jhc
mevrmrnt-imegrand ]lming-mettrtarc strct|y thc samc thng. '" I s
ths matcra| unvcrsc thc unvcrsc o| mcchansm No, |or (as Crretivr
Lvelutien shows) mcchansm nvo|vcs c|oscd systcms, actons o|
contact, mmob|c nstantancous scctons. Now, o| coursc, c|oscd
systcms, |ntc scts, arc cut |rom ths unvcrsc or on ths p|anc, t
makcs thcm possb|c by thc cxtcrorty o| ts part. ut t s not onc
tsc||. It s a sct, but an n|ntc sct. Jhc p|anc o| mmancncc s thc
movcmcnt (thc |acct o| movcmcnt) whch s cstab|shcd bctwccn thc
parts o| cach systcm and bctwccn onc systcm and anothcr, whch
crosscs thcm a||, strs thcm a|| up togcthcr and subjccts thcm a|| to thc
condton whch prcvcnts thcm |rom bcng abso|utc|y c|oscd. It s
thcrc|orc a sccton, but, dcsptc somc tcrmno|ogca| ambgutc n
crgson, t s not an mmob|c and nstantancous sccton, t s a mob|c
sccton, a tcmpora| sccton or pcrspcctvc. It s a b|oc o| spacc-tmc,
sncc thc tmc o| thc movcmcnt whch s at work wthn t s part o| t
cvcry tmc. Jhcrc s cvcn an n|ntc scrcs o| such b|ocs or mob|c
scctons whch w|| bc, as t wcrc, so many prcscntatons o| thc p|anc,
corrcspondng to thc succcsson o| movcmcnts n thc unvcrsc.
ll
And
thc p|anc s not dstnct |rom ths prcscntaton o| p|ancs. Jhs s not
mcchansm, t s machnsm. Jhc matcra| unvcrsc, thc p|anc o|
mmancncc, s thc methinr essrmblegr' e] mmrmrnt-imegrs. Hcrc
crgson s start|ng|y ahcad o| hs tmc. t s thc unvcrsc as cncma n
tsc||, a mctacncma. Jhs mp|cs a vcw o| thc cncma tsc|| whch s
tota|| y d||crcnt |rom that whch crgson proposcd n hs cxp|ct
crtquc.
ut how s t possb|c to spcak o| magcs n thcmsc|vcs whch arc
not |or anyonc and arc not addrcsscd to anyonc How s t possb|c to
spcak o| an Appcarng jHereitrr],sncc thcrc s not cvcn an cyc It
s possb|c |or at |cast two rcasons. Jhc |rst s n ordcr to dstngush
thcm |rom thngs conccvcd o| as bodcs. Indccd, our pcrccpton and
our |anguagc dstngush bodcs (nouns), qua|tcs (adjcctvcs) and
actons (vcrbs). ut actons, n prccsc|y ths scnsc, havc a|rcady
rcp|accd movcmcnt wth thc dca o| a provsona| p|acc towards
whch t s drcctcd or that o| a rcsu|t that t sccurcs. Qua|ty has
rcp|accd movcmcnt wth thc dca o| a statc whch pcrssts wh|st
watng |or anothcr to rcp|acc t. ody has rcp|accd movcmcnt wth
O 4 Thr mermrnt-imegr
thc dca o| a subjcct whch wou|d carry t out or o| an objcct whch
wou|d submt to t, o| a vchc|c whch wou|d carry t. ' ' Wc w|| scc
that such magcs err|ormcd n thc unvcrsc (acton-magcs, a||ccton-
magcs, pcrccpton-magcs). ut thcy dcpcnd on ncw condtons and
ccrtan|y cannot appcar |or thc momcnt. Ior thc momcnt wc on|y
havc movcmcnts, whch arc ca||cd magcs n ordcr to dstngush
thcm |rom cvcrythng that thcy havc not yct bccomc. Howcvcr, ths
ncgatvc rcason s not su||ccnt. Jhc postvc rcason s that thc p|anc
o| mmancncc s cntrc|y madc up o| Lght. Jhc sct o| movcmcnts, o|
actons and rcactons s |ght whch d||uscs, whch s propagatcd
'wthout rcsstancc and wthout |oss' . ' Jhc dcntty o| thc magc and
movcmcnt stcms |rom thc dcntty o| mattcr and |ght. Jhc magc
s movcmcnt, just as mattcr s |ght. Latcr on crgson w|| show, n
Durr rt simultenit, thc mportancc o| thc thcory o| Kc|atvty's
rcvcrsa| o| '|ncs o| |ght' and 'rgd |ncs' , '|umnous |gurcs' and
'so|d or gcomctrc |gurcs' . wth Kc|atvty 't s thc |gurc o| |ght
whch mposcs ts condtons on thc rgd |gurc' . ' ' I| wc rcca||
crgson's pro|ound dcsrc to producc a ph|osophy whch wou|d bc
that o| modcrn sccncc (not n thc scnsc o| a rc||ccton on that sccncc,
that s an cpstcmo|ogy, but on thc contrary n thc scnsc o| an
nvcnton o| autonomous conccpts capab|c o| corrcspondng wth thc
ncw symbo|s o| sccncc), wc can undcrstand that crgson's
con|rontaton wth Lnstcn was ncvtab|c. Now, thc hrst aspcct o|
ths con|rontaton s thc a||rmaton o| a d||uson or propagaton o|
|ght on thc who|c p|anc o| mmancncc. In thc movcmcnt-magc thcrc
arc not yct bodcs or rgd |ncs, but on|y |ncs or |gurcs o| |ght.
|ocs o| spacc-tmc arc such |gurcs. Jhcy arc magcs n thcmsc|vcs.
I| thcy do not appcar to anyonc, that s to an cyc, ths s bccausc |ght
s not yct rcucctcd or stoppcd, and passng 'on unopposcd [sj ncvcr
. . . rcvca|cd' . '
In othcr words, thc cyc s n thngs, n |umnous
magcs n thcmsc|vcs. '|hetegrehy, i]thrrrishetegrehy, iselrredy
snerd,elrredyshet, in thrvrryintrriere]thingsend]erehthreintse]
setr . . . . '
Jhs brcaks wth thc who|c ph|osophca| tradton whch p|accd
|ght on thc sdc o| sprt and madc conscousncss a bcam o| |ght
whch drcw thngs out o| thcr natvc darkncss. Phcnomcno|ogy was
st|| squarc|y wthn ths anccnt tradton. but, nstcad o| makng
|ght an ntcrna| |ght, t smp|y opcncd t on to thc cxtcror, rathcr as
| thc ntcntona|ty o| conscousncss was thc ray o| an c|cctrc |amp
('a|| conscousncss s conscousncss e]somcthng . . . ' ). Ior crgson,
t s comp|ctc|y thc oppostc. Jhngs arc |umnous by thcmsc|vcs
wthout anythng ||umnatng thcm. a|| conscousncss issomcthng,
Mrmrnt-imegr to verirtirs !
t s ndstngushab|c |rom thc thng, that s |rom thc magc o| |ght.
ut hcrc t s a conscousncss by rght jrndroit],whch s d||uscd
cvcrywhcrc and yct docs not rcvca| ts sourcc jnrsrrvlres].t s
ndccd a photo whch has a|rcady bccn takcn and shot n a|| thngs and
|or a|| ponts, but whch s 'trans|uccnt'. I|, subscqucnt|y, a dr]etto
conscousncss s consttutcd n thc unvcrsc, at a partcu|ar p| acc on
thc p|anc o| mmancncc, t s bccausc vcry spcca| magcs w|| havc
stoppcd or rc||cctcd thc |ght, and w|| havc provdcd thc 'b|ack
scrccn' whch thc p|atc |ackcd' In short, t s not conscousncss
whch s |ght, t s thc sct o| magcs, or thc |ght, whch s
conscousncss, mmancnt to mattcr. As |or ourconscousncss o| |act,
t w|| mcrc|y bc thc opacty wthout whch |ght 's a|ways
propagatcd wthout ts sourcc cvcr havng bccn rcvca|cd' . Jhc
opposton bctwccn crgson and phcnomcno|ogy s, n ths rcspcct, a
radca| onc.
| &
Wc may thcrc|orc say that thc p|anc o| mmancncc or thc p|anc o|
mattcr s. a sct o| movcmcnt-magcs, a co||ccton o| |ncs or hgurcs o|
|ght, a scrcs o| b|ocs o| spacc-tmc.
Z t6m lhr m61rmrBl-tm1r l6 tlJ 11ttrltrJ
What happcns and what can happcn n ths accntrcd unvcrsc whcrc
cvcrythng rcacts on cvcrythng c|sc Wc must not ntroducc a
d||crcnt |actor, a |actor o| anothcr naturc. So what can happcn s ths.
at any pont whatcvcr o| thc p|anc an intrrvelappcars - a gap bctwccn
thc acton and thc rcacton. A|| crgson asks |or arc movcmcnts and
ntcrva|s bctwccn movcmcnts whch scrvc as unts t s a|so cxact|y
what Ozga Vcrtov askcd |or, n hs matcra|st conccpton o| thc
cncma. '" C|car|y, ths phcnomcnon o| thc ntcrva| s on|y possb|c n
so |ar as thc p|anc o| mattcr nc|udcs tmc. Ior crgson, thc gap, thc
ntcrva|, w|| bc su|hccnt to dc|nc onc typc o| magc among othcrs,
but a vcry spcca| typc |vng magcs or mattcrs jmetirrs].Whcrcas
thc othcr magcs act and rcact on a|| thcr |accts and n a|| thcr parts,
hcrc wc havc magcs whch on|y rcccvc actons on onc |acct or n
ccrtan parts and on|y cxccutc rcactons by and n othcr parts. Jhcsc
arc, so to spcak, 'quartcrcd' jtertrlrs]"magcs. And |rom thc outsct
thcr spcca|scd |acct, whch w|| |atcr bc ca||cd rcccptvc or scnsora|,
has a curous c||cct on thc n||ucncng magcs or thc rcccvcd
cxctatons. It s as | ths spcca|scd |acct so|atcd ccrtan magcs |rom
a|| thosc whch compctc and act togcthcr n thc unvcrsc. It s hcrc
that c|oscd systcms, 'tab|caux', can bc consttutcd. Lvng bcngs

+ Thrmrmrnt-imegr
'a||ow to pass through thcm, so to spcak, thosc cxtcrna| n||ucnccs
whch arc nd||crcnt to thcm, thc othcrs so|atcd, bccomc 'pcrccptons
by thcr vcry so|aton' . ' It s an opcraton whch s cxact|y dcscrbcd
as a ]reming.ccrtan actons undcrgonc arc so|atcd by thc |ramc and
hcncc, as wc w|| scc, thcy arc |orcsta||cd, antcpatcd. ut, on thc
othcr hand, cxccutcd rcactons arc no |ongcr mmcdatc|y |nkcd wth
thc acton whch s undcrgonc. y vrtuc o| thc ntcrva|, thcsc arc
dc|aycd rcactons, whch havc thc tmc to sc|cct thcr c|cmcnts, to
organsc thcm or to ntcgratc thcm nto a ncw movcmcnt whch s
mpossb|c to conc|udc by smp|y prolongng thc rcccvcd cxctaton.
Such rcactons whch prcscnt somcthng unprcdctab|c or ncw w|| bc
ca||cd 'acton' strct|y spcakng. Jhus thc |vng magc w|| bc 'an
nstrumcnt o| ana|yss n rcgard to thc movcmcnt rcccvcd, and an
nstrumcnt o| sc|ccton n rcgard to thc movcmcnt cxccutcd' . ''
ccausc thcy on|y owc ths prv|cgc to thc phcnomcnon o| thc gap,
or ntcrva| bctwccn a rcccvcd and an cxccutcd movcmcnt, |vng
magcs w|| bc 'ccntrcs o| ndctcrmnaton' , whch arc |ormcd n thc
accntrcd unvcrsc o| movcmcnt-magcs.
I| wc consdcr thc othcr aspcct, thc |umnous aspcct o| thc p|anc o|
mattcr, onc can say ths tmc that thc magcs or |vng mattcr provdc
thc b|ack scrccn whch thc p|atc |ackcd, and whch prcvcntcd thc
n||ucncng magc (thc photo) |rom bcng dcvc|opcd. Jhs tmc,
nstcad o| d||usng and propagatng n a|| drcctons 'wthout
rcsstancc or dwnd|ng', thc |nc or magc o| |ght runs up aganst an
obstac|c, that s an opacty whch w|| rcucct t. Jhc magc rc||cctcd
by a |vng magc s prccsc|y what w|| bc ca||cd pcrccpton. And thcsc
two aspccts arc strct|y comp|cmcntary. thc spcca| magc, thc |vng
magc, s ndsso|ub|y thc ccntrc o| ndctcrmnaton or b|ack scrccn.
An csscnta| conscqucncc |o||ows thrrxistrntro]edoublrsystrm,o]e
doublrrgimro]rr]rrrntro]imegrs.Jhcrc s |rst|y a systcm n whch
cach magc varcs |or tscl|, and a|| thc magcs act and rcact as a
|uncton o| cach othcr, on a|| thcr |accts and n a|| thcr parts. ut to
ths s addcd anothcr systcm whcrc a|| vary prncpa||y |or a sng|c
onc, whch rcccvcs thc acton o| thc othcr magcs on onc o| ts |accts
and rcacts to thcm on anothcr |acct. '
Wc havc not hnshcd wth thc mattcr-movcmcnt-magc. crgson
constant|y says that wc cannot undcrstand anythng un|css wc arc
|rst gvcn thc sct o| magcs. It s on|y on ths p|anc that a smp|c
ntcrva| o| movcmcnts can bc produccd. And thc bran s nothng but
ths an ntcrva|, a gap bctwccn an acton and a rcacton. Jhc bran s
ccrtan|y not a ccntrc o| magcs |rom whch onc cou|d bcgn, but tsc||
consttutcs onc spcca| magc among thc othcrs. It consttutcs a ccntrc
Movrmrnt-imegr to verirtirs
J
o| ndctcrmnaton n thc accntrcd unvcrsc o| magcs. ut wth thc
bran-magc crgson puts |orward a|most mmcdatc|y, n Mettrrend
Mrmory,a hgh|y comp|cx and organscd statc o|||c. Jhs s bccausc
hc s not consdcrng ||c as a prob|cm thcrc (and ndccd, n Crretivr
Lvolution,hc w|| gvc scrous consdcraton to ||c, but |rom anothcr
pont o| vcw). Howcvcr, t s not d||cu|t to ||| n thc gaps that
crgson has vo|untar|y |c|t. Lvcn at thc |cvc| o| thc most c|cmcntary
|vng bcngs onc wou|d havc to magnc mcro-ntcrva|s. Sma||cr and
sma||cr ntcrva|s btwccn morc and morc rapd movcmcnts. Morcovcr,
bo|ogsts spcak o| 'prmcva| soup', whch madc |vng bcngs
possb|c, and whcrc |orms o| mattcr known as dcxtrogyrcs and
|cvogyrcs p|ay an csscnta| ro|c. It s hcrc that out|ncs o| axcs appcar
n an accntrcd unvcrsc, a |c|t and a rght, a hgh and a |ow. nc
shou|d thcrc|orc conccvc o| mcro-ntcrva|s cvcn n thc prmcva|
soup. o|ogsts say that thcsc phcnomcna cou|d not bc produccd
whcn thc carth was vcry hot. Jhcrc|orc onc shou|d conccvc o| a
coo|ng down o| thc p|anc o| mmancncc, corrc|atvc to thc |rst
opactcs, to thc |rst scrccns obstructng thc d||uson o| |ght. It s
hcrc that thc |rst out|ncs o| so|ds or rgd and gcomctrc bodcs
wou|d bc |ormcd. Ina||y, as crgson was to say, thc samc cvo|uton
whch organscs mattcr nto so|ds w|| organsc thc magc n morc
and morc c|aboratc pcrccpton, whch has so|ds as ts objccts.
Jhc thng and thc pcrccpton o| thc thng arc onc and thc samc
thng, onc and thc samc magc, but rc|atcd to onc or othcr o| two
systcms o| rc|crcncc. Jhc thng s thc magc as t s n tsc||, as t s
rc|atcd to a|| thc othcr magcs to whosc acton t comp|ctc|y submts
and on whch t rcacts mmcdatc|y. ut thc pcrccpton o| thc thng s
thc samc magc rc|atcd to anothcr spcca| magc whch |ramcs t, and
whch on|y rctans a parta| acton |rom t, and on|y rcacts to t
mcdatc|y. In pcrccpton thus dc|ncd, thcrc s ncvcr anythng c|sc or
anythng morc than thcrc s n thc thng. on thc contrary, thcrc s
'|css'.' Wc pcrccvc thc thng, mnus that whch docs not ntcrcst us
as a |uncton o| our nccds. y nccd or ntcrcst wc mcan thc |ncs and
ponts that wc rctan |rom thc thng as a |uncton o| our rcccptvc
|acct, and thc actons that wc sc|cct as a |uncton o| thc dc|aycd
rcactons o| whch wc arc capab|c. Whch s a way o| dc|nng thc |rst
matcra| momcnt o| subjcctvty. t s subtractvc. It subtracts |rom
thc thng whatcvcr docs not ntcrcst t. ut, convcrsc|y, thc thng
tsc|| mustthcn bc prcscntcd n tsc|| as a comp|ctc, mmcdatc, d||usc
pcrccpton. Jhc thng s magc and, n ths rcspcct, s pcrccvcd tsc||
and pcrccvcs a|| thc othcr thngs nasmuch as t s subjcct to thcr
acton and rcacts to thcm on a|| ts |accts and n a|| ts parts. An atom,
1
4 Thrmmrmrnt-imegr
|or cxamp|c, pcrccvcs n|ntc|y morc than wc do and, at thc |mt
pcrccvcs thc who|c unvcrsc - |rom thc pont whcrc thc actons
whch arc cxcrcscd on t bcgn, to thc pont whcrc thc actons whch
t cmts go. In short, thngs and pcrccptons o| thngs arc rrhrnsiens,
but thngs arc tota| ob|cctvc prchcnsons, and pcrccptons o| thngs
arc ncomp|ctc and prc|udccd, parta|, sub|cctvc prchcnsons.
I| thc cncma docs net havc natura| sub|cctvc pcrccpton as ts
modc|, t s bccausc thc mob|ty o| ts ccntrcs and thc varab|ty o| ts
|ramngs a|ways |cad t to rcstorc vast accntrcd and dc|ramcd zoncs.
It thcn tcnds to rcturn to thc |rst rcgmc o| thc movcmcnt-magc,
unvcrsa| varaton, tota|, ob|cctvc and d||usc pcrccpton. In |act, t
travc|s thc routc n both drcctons. Irom thc pont o| vcw whch
occupcs us |or thc momcnt, wc go |rom tota|, ob|cctvc pcrccpton
whch s ndstngushab|c |rom thc thng, to a sub|cctvc pcrccpton
whch s dstngushcd |rom t by smp|c c|mnaton or subtracton. It
s ths unccntrcd sub|cctvc pcrccpton that s ca||cd pcrccpton
strct|y spcakng. And t s thc |rst avatar o| thc movcmcnt-magc.
whcn t s rc|atcd to a ccntrc o| ndctcrmnaton, t bccomcs
rrtrtien-imegr.
Howcvcr, wc shou|d not thnk that thc who|c opcraton conssts
on|y o| a subtracton. Jhcrc s somcthng c|sc as wc||. Whcn thc
unvcrsc o| movcmcnt-magcs s rc|atcd to onc o| thcsc spcca| magcs
whch |orms a ccntrc n t, thc unvcrsc s ncurvcd and organscd to
surround t. Wc contnuc to go |rom thc wor|d to thc ccntrc, but thc
wor|d has takcn on a curvaturc, t has bccomc a pcrphcry, t |orms a
horzon.'' Wc arc st|| n thc pcrccpton-magc, but wc arc a|rcady
cntcrng thc acton-magc as wc||. In |act, pcrccpton s on|y onc sdc
o| thc gap, and acton s thc othcr sdc. What s ca||cd acton, strct|y
spcakng, s thc dc|aycd rcacton o| rhc ccntrc o| ndctcrmnaton.
Now, ths ccntrc s on|y capab|c o| actng n thc scnsc o| organsng
an uncxpcctcd rcsponsc - bccausc t pcrccvcs and has rcccvcd thc
cxctaton on a prv|cgcd |acct, c|mnatng thc rcmandcr. A|| ths
amounts to rcca||ng that a|| pcrccpton s prmar|y scnsory-motor.
pcrccpton 's no morc n thc scnsory ccntrcs than n thc motor
ccntrcs, t mcasurcs thc comp|cxty o| thcr rc|atons` . '` I| tbc wor|d s
ncurvcd around thc pcrccptvc ccntrc, ths s a|rcady |rom thc pont
o| vcw o| acton, |rom whch pcrccpton s nscparab|c. y ncurvng,
pcrccvcd thngs tcndcr thcr unstab|c |acct towards mc, at thc samc
tmc as my dc|aycd rcacton, whch has bccomc acton, |carns to usc
thcm.
Ostancc s n |act a radus jreyen]whch gocs |rom thc pcrphcry to
thc ccntrc. pcrccvng thngs hcrc whcrc thcy arc, I grasp thc ' vrtua|
Mmrmrnt-imegr teverirtirs J
acton' that thcy havc on mc, and smu|tancous|y thc 'possb|c acton'
that I havc on thcm, n ordcr to assocatc mc wth thcm or to avod
thcm, by dmnshng or ncrcasng thc dstancc. It s thus thc samc
phcnomcnon o| thc gap whch s cxprcsscd n tcrms o| tmc n my
acton and n tcrms o| spacc n my pcrccpton. Jhc morc thc rcacton
ccascs to bc mmcdatc and bccomcs tru|y possb|c acton, thc morc
thc pcrccpton bccomcs dstant and antcpatory and cxtracts thc
vrtua| acton o| thngs. 'Pcrccpton s mastcr o| spacc n thc cxact
mcasurc n whch acton s mastcr o| tmc. ' ''
Jhs s thcrc|orc thc sccond avatar o| thc movcmcnt-magc. t
bccomcs ettien-imegr. nc passcs mpcrccptb|y |rom pcrccpton to
acton. Jhc opcraton undcr consdcraton s no |ongcr c|mnaton,
sc|ccton or |ramng, but thc ncurvng o| thc unvcrsc, whch
smu|tancous|y causcs thc vrtua| acton o| thngs on us and our
possb|c acton on thngs. Jhs s thc sccond matcra| aspcct o|
subjcctvty. And, just as pcrccpton rc|atcs movcmcnt to 'bodcs'
(nouns), that s to rgd objccts whch w|| scrvc as movng bodcs or
as thngs movcd, acton rc|atcs movcmcnt to 'acts' (vcrbs) whch w||
bc thc dcsgn |or an assumcd cnd or rcsu|t.'
ut thc ntcrva| s not mcrc|y dchncd by thc spcca|saton o| thc
two |mt-|accts, pcrccptvc and actvc. Jhcrc s an n-bctwccn.
A||ccton s what occupcs thc ntcrva|, what occupcs t wthout
h||ng t n or h||ng t up. It surgcs n thc ccntrc o| ndctcrmnaton,
that s to say n thc subjcct, bctwccn a pcrccpton whch s troub|ng
n ccrtan rcspccts and a hcstant acton. It s a concdcncc o| subjcct
and objcct, or thc way n whch thc subjcct pcrccvcs tsc||, or rathcr
cxpcrcnccs tsc|| ot |cc|s tsc|| '|rom thc nsdc' (thrd matcra| aspcct
o| subjcctvty). '" It rc|atcs movcmcnt to a 'qua|ty' as |vcd statc
(adjcctvc). Indccd, t s not su||ccnt to thnk that pcrccpton
thanks to dstancc - rctans or rcuccts what ntcrcsts us by |cttng pass
what s nd||crcnt to us. Jhcrc s ncvtab|y a part o| cxtcrna|
movcmcnts that wc 'absorb', that wc rc|ract, and whch docs not
trans|orm tsc|| nto cthcr objccts o| pcrccpton or acts o| thc subjcct,
rathcr thcy mark thc concdcncc o| thc subjcct and thc objcct n a
purc qua|ty. Jhs s thc hna| avatar o| thc movcmcnt-magc. thr
e]]rttien-imegr. It wou|d bc wrong to consdcr t a |a|urc o| thc
pcrccpton-acton systcm. n thc contrary, t s a thrd abso|utc|y
ncccssary gvcn. Ior wc, |vng mattcr or ccntrcs o| ndctcrmnaton,
havc spcca|scd onc o| our |accts or ccrtan o| our ponts nto
rcccptvc organs at thc prcc o| condcmnng thcm to mmob|ty,
wh|c dc|cgatng our actvty to organs o| rcacton that wc havc
conscqucnt|y |bcratcd. In thcsc condtons, whcn our mmob|scd
4 Thr movrmrnt-imegr
rcccptvc |acct absorbs a movcmcnt nstcad o| rc||cctng t, our
actvty can on|y rcspond by a 'tcndcncy' , an 'c||ort` whch rcp|accs
thc acton whch has bccomc momcntar|y or |oca||y mpossb|c.
Jhs s thc orgn o| crgson`s wondcr|u| dc|nton o| a||ccton as 'a
knd o| motor tcndcncy on a scnsb|c ncrvc`, that s, a motor c||ort on
an mmob|scd rcccptvc p|atc. '"
Jhcrc s thcrc|orc a rc|atonshp bctwccn a||ccton and movcmcnt
n gcncra| whch mght bc cxprcsscd as |o||ows. thc movcmcnt o|
trans|aton s not mcrc|y ntcrruptcd n ts drcct propagaton by an
ntcrva| whch a||ocatcs on thc onc hand thc rcccvcd movcmcnt, and
on thc othcr thc cxccutcd movcmcnt, and whch mght makc thcm n
a scnsc ncommcnsurab|c. ctwccn thc two thcrc s a||ccton whch
rc-cstab|shcs thc rc|aton. ut, t s prccsc|y n a||ccton that thc
movcmcnt ccascs to bc that o| trans|aton n ordcr to bccomc
movcmcnt o| cxprcsson, that s to say qua|ty, smp|c tcndcncy
strrng up an mmob|c c|cmcnt. It s not surprsng that, n thc magc
that wc arc, t s thc |acc, wth ts rc|atvc mmob|ty and ts rcccptvc
organs, whch brngs to |ght thcsc movcmcnts o| cxprcsson wh|c
thcy rcman most |rcqucnt| y burcd n thc rcst o| thc body. A|| thngs
consdcrcd, movrmrnt-imegrsdividrintothrrrsortso]imegrsuhrnthry
errrrletrdtoetrntrro]indrtrrminetionestoesrtielimegr.pcrccpton-
magcs, acton-magcs and a||ccton-magcs. And cach onc o| us, thc
spcca| magc or thc contngcnt ccntrc, s nothng but an asscmb|agc
jegrntrmrnt]o| thrcc magcs, a conso|datc jtonsolid]o| pcrccpton-
magcs, acton-magcs and a||ccton-magcs.
J
1hr tr1rtJr ]t66]. h6L l6 r1l|Bu|Jh lhr lhtrr
11t|rl|rJ
Wc mght a|so rctracc thc |ncs o| d||crcntaton o| thcsc thrcc typcs
o| magcs, and try to rcdscovcr thc matrx or thc movcmcnt-magc as
t s n tsc||, n ts accntrcd purty, n ts prmary rcgmc o| varaton,
n ts hcat and ts |ght, wh|c t s st|| untroub|cd by any ccntrc o|
ndctcrmnaton. How can wc rd oursc|vcs o| oursc|vcs, and
dcmo|sh oursc|vcs Jhs s thc astonshng attcmpt madc by cckctt
n hs cncmatographc work cntt|cd lilm,wth ustcr Kcaton. Lssr
rst rrtii, to bc s to bc pcrccvcd, dcc|arcs cckctt, takng up thc
Irsh shop crkc|cy`s |ormu|a o| thc magc. ut can onc cscapc
|rom 'thc happncsscs o| thc pcrcpcrc and thc pcrcp` gvcn that
onc pcrccpton at |cast w|| subsst as |ong as wc |vc, thc most
awcsomc, that o| sc|| by sc|| cckctt c|aboratcs a systcm o| smp|c
Thr rrvrrsr ree] 7
cncmatographc convcntons n ordcr to posc thc prob|cm and carry
out thc opcraton. Mcvcrthc|css, n our vcw, thc drcctons and thc
schcmas that hc gvcs hmsc||, and thc momcnts that hc dstngushcs
n hs ||m, on|y go ha||-way towards dsc|osng hs ntcnton. ' ' Ior,
n |act, thc thrcc momcnts arc thc |o||owng. In thc |rst, thc charactcr
L rushcs |orward and ||ccs hortzonta| | y a|ong a wa||, thcn, a|ong a
vcrtca| axs, trcs to c|mb a starcasc, a|ways stckng to thc cdgc o|
thc wa||. Hc 'acts' , t s a pcrccpton o| acton, or an ettien-imegr,
subjcct to thc |o||owng convcnton. thc camcra L on|y ||ms hm
|rom thc back, |rom an ang|c not cxcccdng |orty-|vc dcgrccs, | thc
camcra whch |o||ows hm happcns to cxcccd ths ang|c, thc acton
w|| bc b|ockcd, cxtngushcd, thc charactcr w|| stop, hdng thc
thrcatcncd part o| hs |acc. Jhc sccond momcnt. thc charactcr has
comc nto a room and, as hc s no |ongcr aganst a wa||, thc ang|c o|
mmunty o| thc camcra s doub|cd |orty-hvc dcgrccs on cach sdc,
thus nncty dcgrccs.
(
pcrccvcs (subjcctvc|y) thc room, thc thngs
and thc anma|s whch arc thcrc, wh|st L pcrccvcs (objcctvc|y)
(
hmsc||, thc room, and ts contcnts. ths s thc pcrccpton o|
pcrccpton, or thc rrtrtien-imegr, consdcrcd undcr a doub|c
rcgmc, n a doub|c systcm o| rc|crcncc. Jhc camcra rcmans subjcct
to thc condton, that t docs not cxcccd nncty dcgrccs bchnd thc
charactcr, but thc convcnton whch s addcd s that thc charactcr
must cxpc| thc anma|s, and covcr up a|| thc objccts whch can act as
mrrors or cvcn |ramcs, n such a way that thc subjcctvc pcrccpton s
c|mnatcd and on|y thc objcctvc pcrccpton L rcmans. Jhcn (
can bc nsta||cd n thc rockng char and rock gcnt|y wth hs cycs
c|oscd. ut t s at ths momcnt, thc thrd and |ast, that thc grcatcst
dangcr s rcvca|cd. thc cxtncton o| subjcctvc pcrccpton has |rccd
thc camcra o| thc |orty-|vc dcgrcc rcstrcton. Wth grcat cauton, t
advanccs bcyond, nto thc doman o| thc rcmanng two hundrcd and
scvcnty dcgrccs, but cach tmc wakcns thc charactcr who rcgans a
scrap o| subjcctvc pcrccpton, hdcs, cur|s up and |orccs thc camcra
to movc back agan. Ina||y, takng advantagc o| ' s torpor, L
succccds n comng round to |acc hm, and comcs c|oscr and c|oscr to
hm. Jhc charactcr
(
s thus now sccn |rom thc |ront, at thc samc
tmc as thc ncw and |ast convcnton s rcvca|cd. thc camcra L s thc
doub|c o| (,thc samc |acc, a patch ovcr onc cyc (monocu|ar vson),
wth thc sng|c d||crcncc that
(has an angushcd cxprcsson and L
has an attcntvc cxprcsson. thc mpotcnt motor c||ort o| thc onc, thc
scnstvc sur|acc o| thc othcr. Wc arc n thc doman o| thc pcrccpton
o| a|ccton, thc most tcrr|yng, that whch st|| survvcs whcn a|| thc
othcrs havc bccn dcstroycd. t s thc pcrccpton o| sc|| by sc||, thc
B 4 Thr mrmrnt-imegr
e]]rttien-imegr. W|| t dc out and w|| cvcrythng stop, cvcn thc
rockng o| thc rockng char, whcn thc doub|c |acc s|ps nto
nothngncss Jhs s what thc cnd suggcsts dcath, mmob|ty,
b|ackncss. ' '
ut, |or cckctt, mmob|ty, dcath, thc |oss o| pcrsona| movcmcnt
and o| vcrtca| staturc, whcn onc s | yng n a rockng char whch
docs not cvcn rock any morc, arc on|y a subjcctvc |na|ty. It s on|y a
mcans n rc|aton to a morc pro|ound cnd. It s a qucston o| attanng
oncc morc thc wor|d bc|orc man, bc|orc our own dawn, thc
poston whcrc movcmcnt was, on thc contrary, undcr thc rcgmc o|
unvcrsa| varaton, and whcrc |ght, a|ways propagatng tsc||, had
no nccd to bc rcvca|cd. Procccdng n ths way to thc cxtncton o|
acton-magcs, pcrccpton-magcs and a||ccton-magcs, cckctt
asccnds oncc morc towards thc |umnous p|anc o| mmancncc, thc
p|anc o| mattcr and ts cosmc cddyng o| movcmcnt-magcs. Hc
traccs thc thrcc varctcs o| magc back to thc mothcr movcmcnt-
magc. Wc w|| scc |atcr that an mportant tcndcncy o| thc so-ca||cd
cxpcrmcnta| cncma conssts in rccrcatng ths accntrcd p|anc o| purc
movcmcnt-magcs n ordcr to cstab|sh tsc|| thcrc. and thcrc t o|tcn
uscs comp|cx tcchnca| mcans. ut hcrc cckctt` s orgna|ty s to bc
contcnt to c|aboratc a symbo|c systcm o| smp|c convcntons -
accordng to whch thc thrcc magcs arc succcssvc|y cxtngushcd -
as thc condton whch makcs possb|c ths gcncra| tcndcncy o| thc
cxpcrmcnta| cncma.
For thc momcnt wc arc takng thc oppostc path |rom thc
movcmcnt-magc to thc varctcs whch t takcs on. Wc a|rcady havc,
thcrc|orc, |our knds o| magcs. | rst|y mevrmrnt-imegrs.Jhcn, whcn
thcy arc rc|atcd to a ccntrc o| ndctcrmnaton, thcy dvdc nto thrcc
varctcs rrtrtien-imegrs, ettien-imegrs,e]]rttien-imegrs.Jhcrc s
cvcry rcason to bc|cvc that many othcr knds o| magcs can cxst.
Indccd, thc p|anc o| movcmcnt-magcs s a mob|c sccton o| a Who|c
whch changcs, that s, o| a duraton or o| a 'unvcrsa| bccomng`. Jhc
p|anc o| movcmcnt-magcs s a b|oc o| spacc-tmc, a tcmpora|
pcrspcctvc, but, n ths rcspcct, t s a pcrspcctvc on rca| Jmc whch
s not at a|| thc samc as thc p|anc jlen] or thc movcmcnt. Wc arc
thcrc|orc just|cd n thnkng that thcrc arc tmc-magcs whch arc
thcmsc|vcs capab|c o| havng a|| knds o| varctcs. In partcu|ar, thcrc
arc ndrcct magcs o| tmc, n so |ar as thcy rcsu|t |rom a comparson
o| movcmcnt-magcs bctwccn thcmsc|vcs, or |rom a combnaton o|
thc thrcc varctcs pcrccptons, actons, a||cctons. ut ths pont o|
vcw whch makcs thc who|c dcpcnd on 'montagc`, or thc tmc o| thc
con|rontaton o| magcs o| anothcr knd, docs not gvc us a tmc-
Thrrrvrrsr ree] 9
magc |or tsc||. n thc othcr hand thc ccntrc o| ndctcrmnaton,
whch can ava| tsc|| o| a spcca| stuaton on thc p|anc o| movcmcnt-
magcs, can tsc|| havc a spcca| rc|atonshp wth thc who|c, duraton
or tmc. Pcrhaps hcrc thcrc s thc possb|ty o| a drcct tmc-magc.
|or cxamp|c, what crgson ca||s thc 'mcmory-magc' , or othcr typcs
o| tmc-magc, but whch wou|d bc n any cvcnt vcry d||crcnt |rom
movcmcnt-magcs Jhus wc havc a grcat numbcr o| varctcs o|
magcs o| whch wc wou|d havc to makc an nvcntory.
C. S. Pcrcc s thc ph|osophcr who wcnt thc |urthcst nto a
systcmatc c|ass|caton o| magcs. Jhc |oundcr o| scmo|ogy, hc
ncccssar|y assocatcd wth t a c|ass|caton o| sgns whch s thc
rchcst and thc most numcrous that has cvcr bccn cstab|shcd. '' Wc do
not yct know what rc|atonshp Pcrcc proposcs bctwccn thc sgn and
thc magc. It s c|car that thc magc gvcs rsc to sgns. Ior our part, a
sgn appcars to bc a partcu|ar magc whch rcprcscnts a typc o|
magc, somctmcs |rom thc pont o| vcw o| ts composton,
somctmcs |rom thc pont o| vcw o| ts gcncss or ts |ormaton (or
cvcn ts cxtncton). Jhcrc|orc thcrc arc scvcra| sgns two at |cast
|or cach typc o| magc. Wc w|| havc to comparc thc c|ass|caton o|
magcs and sgns that wc proposc wth Pcrcc's grcat c|ass|caton.
why do thcy not concdc, cvcn at thc |cvc| o| dstnct magcs ut,
bc|orc ths ana|yss whch can on|y bc carrcd out |atcr wc w||
constant|y usc thc tcrms that Pcrcc crcatcd to dcsgnatc partcu|ar
sgns, somctmcs rctanng thcr scnsc, somctmcs mod|yng t or
cvcn changng t comp|ctc|y (|or rcasons that wc w|| makc c|car cach
tmc).
Wc w|| bcgn hcrc by scttng out thc thrcc sorts o| movcmcnt-
magcs and thc scarch |or corrcspondng sgns. It s casy, n thc
cncma, to rccognsc on a practca| |cvc| thcsc thrcc knds o| magcs
whch pass across thc scrccn, wthout cvcn makng usc o| cxp|ct
crtcra. Jhc sccnc |rom Lubtsch' s Thr Men| Killrd whch was
mcntoncd prcvous|y s an cxcmp|ary pcrccpton-magc. thc crowd
sccn |rom bchnd, at wast hcght, |cavcs a gap whch corrcsponds to a
crpp|c's mssng |cg, through ths gap anothcr crpp|c, who s |cg|css,
sccs thc paradc whch passcs. Irtz Lang provdcs a |amous cxamp|c
o| thc acton-magc n DrMebusrthrGemblrr.an organscd acton,
scgmcntcd n spacc and n tmc, wth thc synchronscd watchcs
whosc tckng punctuatcs thc murdcr n thc tran, thc car whch
carrcs o|| thc sto|cn documcnt, thc tc|cphonc whch warns Mabusc.
Jhc acton-magc w|| rcman markcd by ths modc|, to thc pont o|
hndng a prv|cgcd m|cu n thc ]ilmneirand thc dca| o| a dcta|cd
scgmcntarscd acton n thc ho|d-up. In comparson, thc Wcstcrn
7O 4 Thr mrmrnt-imegr
prcscnts not on|y acton-magcs, but a|so an a|most purc pcrccpton-
magc. t s a drama o| thc vsb|c and o| thc nvsb|c as much as an
cpc o| acton, thc hcro on|y acts bccausc hc s thc |rst to scc, and on|y
trumphs bccausc hc mposcs on acton thc ntcrva| or thc sccond` s
dc|ay whch a||ows h m to scc cvcrythng (Anthony Mann's
tnrhrstrr 'I). As |or thc a||ccton-magc, wc w|| |nd strkng
cascs n thc |acc o| Orcycr' s |oan o| Arc, and n most o| thc c|osc-ups
o| thc |acc n gcncra|.
A ||m s ncvcr madc up o| a sng|c knd o| magc. thus wc ca|| thc
combnaton o| thc thrcc varctcs, montagc. Montagc (n onc o| ts
aspccts) s thc asscmb|agc jegrntrmrnt]o| movcmcnt-magcs, hcncc
thc ntcr-asscmblagc o| pcrccpton-magcs, a||ccton-magcs and
action-magcs. Mcvcrthc|css a h|m, at |cast n ts most smp|c
charactcrstcs, a|ways has onc typc o| magc whch s domnant. onc
can spcak o| an actvc, pcrccptvc or a||cctvc montagc, dcpcndng
on thc prcdomnant typc. thas o|tcn bccn sad that Gr||th tnvcntcd
montagc prccsc|y by crcatng thc montagc o| acton. ut Orcycr
nvcnts a montagc and cvcn a |ramng o| a||ccton, wth othcr |aws, n
so |ar as Thr|essiono]]oeno]Hrts thc casc o| an a|most cxc|usvc|y
a||cctvc ||m. Vcrtov s pcrhaps thc nvcntor o| propcr|y pcrccptvc
montagc, whch was to bc dcvc|opcd by thc who|c o| thc
cxpcrmcnta| cncma. Jhcsc thrcc knds o| spata||y dctcrmncd shots
can bc madc to corrcspond to thcsc thrcc knds o| varctcs. thc |ong
shot wou|d bc prmar|y a pcrccpton-magc, thc mcdum shot an
acton-magc, thc c|osc-up an a||ccton-magc. ut, at thc samc tmc,
accordng to onc o| Lscnstcn's nstructons, cach o| thcsc movcmcnt-
magcs s a pont o| vcw on thc who|c o| thc ||m, a way o| graspng
ths who|c, whch bccomcs a||cctvc n thc c|osc-up, actvc n thc
mcdum shot, pcrccptvc n thc |ong-shot cach o| thcsc shots ccasng
to bc spata| n ordcr to bccomc tsc|| a 'rcadng' o| thc wholc ||m. '
D D0 0I00lIOD-IDd0
1hr lL6 ]6rJ, 6rtl|1r 1BJ Jurtl|1r
Wc havc sccn that pcrccption was doub|c, or rathcr had a doub|c
rc|crcncc. It can bc objcctivc or subjcctivc. ut thc di|hcu|ty |ics in
knowing how an objcctivc pcrccption-imagc and a subjcctivc
pcrccption-imagc arc prcscntcd in thc cincma. What distinguishcs
thcm It cou|d bc said that thc subjcctivc-imagc is thc thing sccn by
somconc 'qua|ihcd` , or thc sct as it is sccn by somconc who |orms part
o| that sct. Jhis rc|crcncc o| thc imagc to thc pcrson who sccs is
markcd by various |actors. Jhcrc is thc scnsory |actor, in thc |amous
cxamp|c |rom Gancc` s LeKour,whcrc thc charactcr whosc cycs arc
damagcd sccs his pipc in so|t |ocus. Jhcrc is thc activc |actor, whcn
thc dancc or thc |cstiva| arc sccn by somconc taking part in it. as in a
|i|m by Lpstcin or L`Hcrbicr. Jhcrc is thc a||cctivc |actor, which
makcs thc hcro o| Ic||ini`s Thr hitr Shrikh bc pcrccivcd by thc
woman who admircs him as i| hc wcrc swaying at thc top o| an
cnormous trcc, whi|c in |act hc is scc-sawing just abovc thc ground.
ut, i| it is casy to chcck thc subjcctivc charactcr o| thc imagc, this is
bccausc wc comparc it with thc modi|icd, rcstorcd imagc, which is
supposcd to bc objcctivc. wc wi|| scc thc whitc shcikh comc o|| his
grotcsquc scc-saw, wc had sccn thc pipc and thc injurcd man bc|orc
wc saw thc pipc sccn by thc injurcd man. It is hcrc that thc di||icu|ty
bcgins.
Wc shou|d b ab|c to say, in |act, that thc imagc is objcctivc whcn
thc thing or thc sct arc sccn |rom thc vicwpoint o| somconc who
rcmains cxtcrna| to that sct. And this is a possib|c dc|inition, but onc
which is purc|y nomina|, ncgativc, and provisiona|. Ior what is to tc||
us that what wc initia||y think cxtcrna| to a sct may not turn out to
bc|ong to it Lcwin`s |endereendthrllyingDutthmropcns with thc
|ong shot o| a bcach whcrc groups arc running towards a point, thc
bcach is sccn |rom a distancc and |rom a hcight, through a tc|cscopc
on thc promontory o| a housc. ut vcry quick|y wc |carn that thc
housc is inhabitcd, and thc tc|cscopc uscd, by pcop|c who arc vcry
much part o| thc sct undcr considcration. thc bcach, thc point which
attracts thc groups, thc cvcnt taking p|acc thcrc, thc pcop|c mixcd up
in it . . . . Has thc imagc not bccomc subjcctivc, as in Lubitsch`s
cxamp|c And is it not thc cincma`s pcrpctua| dcstiny to makc us
7Z
Thccrtction-imegc
movc |rom onc o| ts po|cs to thc othcr, that s, |rom an objcctvc
pcrccpton to a subjcctvc pcrccpton, and vcc vcrsa It s thcrc|orc
our two nta| dc|ntons whch arc nomna|, and mcrc|y nomna|.
|can Mtry notcd thc mportancc o| onc o| thc |unctons o| thc
'shotrcvcrsc shot' comp|cmcntarty. whcn t ntcrsccts wth that
othcr comp|cmcntarty, 'obscrvcr-obscrvcd' . Irst o| a|| wc arc
shown somconc watchng, thcn what hc sccs. ut wc cannot cvcn say
that thc |rst magc s objcctvc and thc sccond subjcctvc. Ior what s
sccn, n thc |rst magc, s a|rcady subjcctvc, obscrvng. And, n thc
sccond magc, thc obscrvcd may bc shown |or tsc||, no |css than |or
thc obscrvng charactcr. Iurthcrmorc, an cxtrcmc contracton o| thc
shot-rcvcrsc shot may takc p|acc as n L'Hcrbcr' s LlDoredo,whcrc
thc dstraught woman who sccs n so|t |ocus s hcrsc|| sccn n so|t
|ocus. Conscqucnt|y, | thc cncmatographc pcrccpton-magc
constant|y passcs |rom thc subjcctvc to thc objcctvc, and vcc vcrsa,
shou|d wc not ascrtbc to t a spcct|tc, dt||usc, supp|c status, whch
may rcman mpcrccptb|c, but whch somctmcs rcvca|s tsc|| n
ccrtan strkng cascs Vcry car|y on, thc mob|c camcra antcpatcd
charactcrs, rccapturcd thcm, |ct thcm go or pckcd thcm up agan.
Vcry car|y too, n Lxprcssonsm, t h|mcd or |o||owcd a charactcr
|rom bchnd (Murnau's Tertu]]c, Oupont's |eudcvihc).Ina||y, thc
|bcratcd camcra pcr|ormcd 'trackng shots n a c|oscd crcut'
(Mumau's Thc LestLeugh) n whch t no |ongcr con|ncs tsc|| to
|o||owng charactcrs, but movcs amongst thcm. In rcsponsc to thcsc
dcvc|opmcnts, Mtry put |orward thc noton o| thc gcncra|scd scm-
subjcctvc magc, n ordcr to dcsgnatc ths 'bcng-wth' o| thc
camcra. t no |ongcr mng|cs wth thc charactcr, nor s t outsdc. t s
wth hm. ' It s a knd o| tru|y cincmatographc Mitscin or what Oos
Passos apt|y ca||cd 'thc cyc o| thc camcra' , thc anonymous vcwpont
o| somconc undcnt|cd amongst thc charactcrs.
Lct us supposc thc pcrccpton-magc to bc scm-subjcctvc. ut t s
d||cu|t to |nd a status |or ths scm-subjcctvty, sncc t has no
cquva|cnt n natura| pcrccpton. Jhs s why Paso|n, |or hs part,
uscd a |ngustc ana|ogy. It mght bc sad that a subjcctvc
pcrccpton-magc s a drcct dscoursc and, n a morc comp|cx way,
that thc objcctvc pcrccpton-magc s |kc an ndrcct dscoursc (thc
spcctator sccs thc charactcr n such a way as to bc ab|c, sooncr or |atcr,
to statc what thc |attcr s supposcd to bc sccng). Now Paso|n
thought that thc csscnta| c|cmcnt o| thc cncmatographc magc
corrcspondcd ncthcr to a drcct dscoursc, nor to an ndrcct
dscoursc, but to a ]rcc indirctt distoursc. Jhs |orm, whch
s partcu|ar|y promncnt n Ita|an and Kussan, rascs many
Ub]rttivrendsub]rttivr
7J
prob|cms |or grammarans and |ngusts. t conssts o| an cnun-
caton jnontietion] takcn wthn an uttcrancc jnont], whch
tsc|| dcpcnds on anothcr cnuncaton. Ior cxamp|c, n Ircnch 'L||c
rasscmb|c son ncrgc. rllr sou]]rire lutt letorturr qur rrdrr se
virginit'[Shc summons up hcr strcngth. shruillrethrrrndurrtorturr
thenlosrhrrvirginity].Jhc |ngust akhtn, |rom whom wc borrow
ths cxamp|c, statcs thc prob|cm c|car|y. thcrc s not a smp|c
combnaton o| two |u| |y-consttutcd subjccts o| cnuncaton, onc o|
whch wou|d bc rcportcr, thc othcr rcportcd. It s rathcr a casc o| an
asscmb|agc o| cnuncaton, carryng out two nscparab|c acts o|
subjcctvaton smu|tancous|y, onc o| whch consttutcs a charactcr n
thc |rst pcrson, but thc othcr o| whch s prcscnt at hs brth and
brngs hm on to thc sccnc. Jhcrc s no mxturc or avcragc o| two
subjccts, cach bc|ongng to a systcm, but a d|Icrcntaton o| two
corrc|atvc subjccts n a systcm whch s tsc|| hctcrogcncous. Jhs
vcw o| akhtn's whch sccms to bc takcn up by Paso|n s vcry
ntcrcstng, a|so vcry d||cu|t. ' It s no |ongcr mctaphor whch s thc
|undamcnta| act o| |anguagc, nasmuch as t 'homogcnscs` thc
systcm, t s |rcc ndrcct dscoursc, nasmuch as t tcsthcs to a systcm
whch s a|ways hctcrogcncous, |ar |rom cqu|brum. Ircc ndrcct
dscoursc, howcvcr, s not amcnab|c to |ngustc catcgorcs, bccausc
thcsc arc on|y conccrncd wth homogcncous or homogcnscd
systcms. It s a mattcr o| sty|c, o| sty|stcs, Paso|n says. And
Paso|n adds a va|uab|c commcnt. thc rchcr a |anguagc s n da|ccts,
thc morc t a||ows |rcc ndrcct dscoursc to ||oursh, or rathcr nstcad
o| cstab|shng tsc|| on an 'avcragc |cvc|` t s d||crcntatcd nto '|ow
|anguagc and hgh |anguagc' (soco|ogca| condton). Ior hs part,
Paso|n ca||s ths opcraton o| thc two systcms o| cnuncaton, or o|
thc two |anguagcs n |rcc ndrcct dscoursc, Mmcss. Jhs word s
pcrhaps un|ortunatc, sncc t s not a casc o| mtaton, but o|
corrc|aton bctwccn two asymmctrca| procccdngs, actng wthn
|anguagc. It s |kc communcatng vcssc|s. Howcvcr, Paso|n c|ung
to thc word 'Mmcss` to cmphassc thc sacrcd charactcr o| thc
opcraton.
Can wc not |nd ths dvdng-n-two, or ths d||crcntaton o| thc
subjcct n |anguagc, n thought and n art It s thc Cogito.an cmprca|
subjcct cannot bc born nto thc wor|d wthout smu|tancous|y bcng
rcucctcd n a transccndcnta| subjcct whch thnks t and n whch t
thnks tsc||. And thc Cogito o| art. thcrc s no subjcct whch acts
wthout anothcr whch watchcs t act, and whch grasps t as actcd,
tsc|| assumng thc |rccdom o| whch t dcprvcs thc |ormcr. 'Jhus
two d||crcnt cgos jmoi]onc o| whch, conscous o| ts |rccdom, scts
71
J Thrrrtrtien-imegr
tsc|| up as ndcpcndcnt spcctator o| a sccnc whch thc othcr wou|d
p|ay n a mcchanca| |ashon. ut ths dvdng-n-two ncvcr gocs to
thc |mt. It s rathcr an osc||aton o| thc pcrson bctwccn two ponts
o| vcw on hmsc||, a hthcr-and-ththcr o| thc sprt . . . ' , a bcng-
wth. '
What, n a| | ths, rc|atcs to thc cncma Why docs Paso|n thnk
that thc cncma s nvo|vcd, to thc cxtcnt that an cquva|cnt o| |rcc
ndrcct dscoursc, n thc magc, a||ows 'thc cncma o| poctry' to bc
dc|ncd A charactcr acts on thc scrccn, and s assumcd to scc thc
wor|d n a ccrtan way. ut smu|tancous|y thc camcra sccs hm, and
sccs hs wor|d, |rom anothcr pont o| vcw whch thnks, rcuccts and
trans|orms thc vcwpont o| thc charactcr. Paso|n says. thc drcctor
'has rcp|accd who|csa|c thc ncurotc's vson o| thc wor|d by hs own
dc|rous vson o| acsthctcsm' . It s n |act a good thng that thc
charactcr shou|d bc ncurotc, to ndcatc morc c||cctvc|y thc d||cu|t
brth o| a subjcct nto thc wor|d. ut thc camcra docs not smp|y gvc
us thc vson o| thc charactcr and o| hs wor|d, t mposcs anothcr
vson n whch thc hrst s trans|ormcd and rcucctcd. Jhs
subdvson s what Paso|n ca||s a '|rcc ndrcct subjcctvc'. Wc w||
not say that thc cncma s a|ways |kc ths wc can scc magcs n thc
cncma whch c|am to bc objcctvc or subjcctvc but hcrc
somcthng c|sc s at stakc. t s a casc o| gong bcyond thc subjcctvc
and thc objcctvc towards a purc Iorm whch scts tsc|| up as an
autonomous vson o| thc contcnt. Wc arc no |ongcr |accd wth
subjcctvc 0objcctvc magcs, wc arc caught n a corrc|aton bctwccn
a pcrccpton-magc and a camcra-conscousncss whch trans|orms t
(thc qucston o| knowng whcthcr thc magc was objcctvc or
subjcctvc s no |ongcr rascd). It s a vcry spcca| knd o| cncma
whch has acqurcd a tastc |or 'makng thc camcra |c|t' . And Paso|n
ana|yscs a ccrtan numbcr o| sty|stc proccdurcs whch ||ustratc ths
rcucctng conscousncss or ths propcr|y cncmatographc Cegite.
'nsstcnt' or 'obscssvc' |ramng, whch makcs thc camcra awat thc
cntry o| a charactcr nto thc |ramc, wat |or hm to do and say
somcthng and thcn cxt, wh|c t contnucs to |ramc thc spacc whch
has oncc agan bccomc cmpty, oncc morc |cavng thc sccnc to ts purc
and abso|utc sgn|caton as sccnc, 'thc a|tcrnaton o| d||crcnt |cnscs
on a samc magc' and 'thc cxccssvc usc o| thc zoom' , whch doub|cs thc
pcrccpton o| an ndcpcndcnt acsthctc conscousncss . . . . In short,
thc pcrccpton-magc |nds ts status, as |rcc ndrcct subjcctvc, |rom
thc momcnt that t rc||ccts ts contcnt n a camcra-conscousncss
whch has bccomc autonomous ('cncma o| poctry' ).
It may bc that thc cncma had to go through a s|ow cvo|uton
Ub]rttivrendsub]rttivr 7J
bc|orc attaining sc||-consciousncss. Paso|ini citcs as cxamp|cs
Antonioni and Godard. And, indccd, Antonioni is onc o| thc mastcrs
o| obscssivc |raming. in it thc ncurotic, or thc man |osing his idcntity,
cntcrs into a '|rcc indircct` rc|ationship with thc poctic vision o| thc
dircctor who a||irms himsc|| in him, through him, whi|st at thc samc
timc distinguishing himsc|| |rom him. Jhc prc-cxisting |ramc
produccs a curious dctachmcnt in thc charactcr, who watchcs himsc||
act. Jhc imagcs o| thc ncurotic man or woman thus bccomc thc
visions o| thc dircctor, who advanccs and rc||ccts threugh thc
phantasms o| his hcro. Is this thc rcason why modcrn cincma has such
nccd |or ncurotic charactcrs. to sustain thc |rcc indircct discoursc, or
thc '|ow |anguagc` o| thc prcscnt-day wor|d ut i| Antonioni`s
vision o| poctic consciousncss is csscntia|| y acsthctic, Godard` s is
rathcr 'tcchnicist` (but no |css poctic). As Paso|ini apt|y commcnts,
Godard a|so uscs charactcrs who arc undoubtcd|y i||, 'scrious|y
a||cctcd` , but who arc not undcrgoing trcatmcnt, and who havc |ost
nothing o| thcir matcria| dcgrccs o| |rccdom, who arc |u|| o| |i|c, and
who rathcr rcprcscnt thc birth o| a ncw anthropo|ogica| typc.
Paso|ini might havc addcd himsc|| and Kohmcr to his |ist o|
cxamp|cs. Ior what charactcriscs Paso|ini`s cincma is a poctic
consciousncss, which is not strict|y acsthcticist or tcchnicist, but
rathcr mystica| or 'sacrcd` . Jhis a||ows Paso|ini to bring thc
pcrccption-imagc, or thc ncurosis o| his charactcrs, on to a |cvc| o|
vu|garity and bcstia|ity in thc |owcst subjcct-mattcr, whi|c rc||ccting
thcm in a purc poctic consciousncss, animatcd by thc mythica| or
sacra|ising c|cmcnt. It is this pcrmutation o| thc trivia| and thc nob|c,
this communication bctwccn thc cxcrcmcnta| and thc bcauti|u|, this
projcction into myth, which Paso|ini had a|rcady diagnoscd in |rcc
indircct discoursc as thc csscntia| |orm o| |itcraturc. And hc succccds
in making it into a cincmatographic |orm, capab|c o| gracc as wc|| as
horror. ' As |or Kohmcr, hc is pcrhaps thc most striking cxamp|c o|
thc construction o| |rcc indircct subjcctivc imagcs, this timc through
thc intcrmcdiary o| a tru|y cthica| consciousncss. It is vcry strangc,
bccausc thcsc two dircctors Paso|ini and Kohmcr - do not sccm to
havc known cach othcr` s work vcry wc||, but it was thcy who |ookcd
thc hardcst |or a ncw status |or thc imagc, both in ordcr to cxprcss thc
modcm wor|d, and in ordcr to introducc an cquiva|cncc bctwccn thc
cincma and |itcraturc. In Kohmcr, on thc onc hand, it is a casc o|
making thc camcra a |orma| cthica| consciousncss capab|c o| bring thc
|rcc indircct imagc o| thc modcrn, ncurotic wor|d (thc scrics o| Merel
Telrs), on thc othcr, o| rcaching a point common to thc cincma and
|itcraturc, with which Kohmcr, |ikc Paso|ini, can on|y makc contact
7 Thr rrtrtien-imegr
by nvcntng a typc o| optca| and sound magc whch s thc cxact
cquva|cnt o| an ndrcct dscoursc (ths |cads Kohmcr to thc crcaton
o| two scmna| works. Thr Merquisr e] and |rrtrvel). Jhcy
trans|ormcd thc prob|cm o| thc rc|atonshp o| thc magc wth thc
word, thc scntcncc or thc tcxt. ths s thc orgn o| thc spcca| ro|c o|
thc commcntary and thc nscrt n thcr ||ms.
What ntcrcsts us |or thc momcnt s not thc rc|atonshp wth
|anguagc, whch wc w|| on|y bc ab|c to consdcr |atcr. | Paso|n's
cxtrcmc|y mportant thcss wc rctan on|y ths. that thc pcrccpton-
magc mght |nd a partcu|ar status n thc |rcc ndrcct sub|cctvc,
whch wou|d b |kc a rc||cxon o| thc magc n a camcra-sc||-
conscousncss. Knowng whcthcr thc magc s ob|cctvc or sub|cctvc
no |ongcr mattcrs. t s scm-subjcctvc, | onc wshcs, but ths scm-
sub|cctvty docs not ndcatc anythng varab|c or unccrtan. It no
|ongcr marks an osc||aton bctwccn two po|cs, but an mmob|saton
accordng to a hghcr acsthctc |orm. Jhc pcrccpton-magc hnds
hcrc thc partcu|ar sgn o| ts composton. Wc mght ca|| t - to
borrow onc o| Pcrcc's tcrms - a dcsgn (but |or Pcrcc ths s thc
proposton n gcncra|, wh|c |or us t s thc spcca| casc o| thc |rcc
ndrcct proposton, or rathcr, o| thc corrcspondng magc). Jhc
camcra-conscousncs thcn takc on an cxtrcmc|y |orma| dctcrmnaton.
Z 16L1tJJ 1B6lhrt Jl1lr 6[ ]rttr]l|6B. |gu|J
]rttr]l|6B
Jhs so|uton, howcvcr, on|y rc|atcs to a nomna| dc|nton o|
'sub|cctvc' and 'ob|cctvc'. It mp|cs that thc cncma has rcachcd an
cvo|vcd statc, havng |carncd to mstrust thc movcmcnt-magc. ut
what happcns | wc takc as our startng-pont a rca| dc|nton o| thc
two po|cs, or o| thc doub|c systcm crgsonansm suggcstcd thc
|o||owng dc|nton. esub]rttivrrrtrtienisenrinuhiththrimegrs
veryinrrletienteetrntrelendrivilrgrdimegr;eneb]rttivrrrtrtienis
enruhrrr,esinthings, ellthrimegrsveryinrrletienteenrenethrr,enell
thrir]etrtsendinell thrirerts.Jhcsc dc|ntons a||rm not on|y thc
d||crcncc bctwccn two po|cs o| pcrccpton, but a|so thc possb|ty o|
passng |rom thc sub|cctvc to thc ob|cctvc po|c. Ior thc morc thc
prv|cgcd ccntrc s tsc|| put nto movcmcnt, thc morc t w|| tcnd
towards an accntrcd systcm whcrc thc magcs vary n rc|aton to onc
anothcr and tcnd to bccomc |kc thc rccproca| actons and vbratons
o| a purc mattcr. What can bc morc sub|cctvc than a dc|rum, a
drcam, a ha||ucnaton ut what can bc c|oscr to a matcra|ty madc
Liquidrrtrtien 77
up o| |uminous wavc and mo|ccu|ar intcraction Jhc Ircnch schoo|
and Gcrman Lxprcssionism discovcrcd thc subjcctivc imagc, but at
thc samc timc thcy took it to thc |imits o| thc univcrsc. y putting thc
ccntrc o| rc|crcncc itsc|| into movcmcnt, thc movcmcnt o| thc parts
was raiscd to thc sct jrnsrmblr],that o| thc rc|ativc to thc abso|utc, that
o| succcssion to simu|tancism. In Oupont's |eudrvillr it was thc
music-ha|| sccnc whcrc thc swaying trapczc-artistc sccs thc crowd
and thc cci|ing, onc in thc othcr, as a showcr o| sparks and a whir|poo|
o| ||oating spots. ' And in Lpstcin's Cerur]idlr,it was thc travc||ing
|air, whcrc cvcrything tcnds towards thc simu|tancity o| thc
movcmcnt o| thc onc who sccs and thc movcmcnt sccn, in thc dizzy
disappcarancc o| |ixcd points. Hcrc thc pcrccption-imagc had a|rcady
undoubtcd|y bccn trans|ormcd by an acsthctic consciousncss (c|. thc
Ircnch schoo|'s |amous 'photogcny'). ut this acthctic consciousncs
was not yct |orma| and rc||cctcd consciousncss which wcnt bcyond
movcmcnt it was a naivc, or rathcr non-thctic consciousncss, as thc
phcnomcno|ogists wou|d say, a consciousncss in act jrnettr],which
amp|i|icd movcmcnt and introduccd it into mattcr, with a|| thc
dc|ight o| discovcring thc activity o| montagc and o| thc camcra. It
was somcthing di||crcnt, ncithcr bcttcr nor worsc.
|can Kcnoir's prcdi|cction |or running watcr has o|tcn bccn
discusscd. ut this prcdi|cction was common to a|| thc mcmbcrs o|
thc Ircnch schoo| (a|though Kcnoir gavc it a vcry spccia| dimcnsion).
In thc Ircnch schoo|, it is somctimcs thc rivcr and its coursc,
somctimcs thc cana|, its |ocks and its bargcs, somctimcs thc sca, its
|ronticr with thc |and, thc port, thc |ighthousc as |uminous qua|ity. I |
thc idca o| a passivc camcra had occurrcd to thcm, thcy wou|d havc
sct it up bcsidc running watcr. L'Hcrbicr had startcd o|| with a p|an,
Lr Terrrnt, in which watcr was to bc thc main charactcr. And
L`Hemmr du lergr trcatcd thc sca not mcrc|y as an objcct o|
particu|ar pcrccption, but as a pcrccptivc systcm distinct |rom carth|y
pcrccptions, a '|anguagc' di||crcnt |rom carth|y |anguagc. " A
considcrab|c part o| Lpstcin' s and Grcmi||on's work |orms a sort o|
rcton schoo|, which rca|iscs thc cincmatographic drcam o| a drama
without charactcrs, or at |cast which wou|d movc |rom Naturc to
man. Why docs watcr sccm to corrcspond to a|| thc rcquircmcnts o|
this Ircnch schoo| . abstract acsthctic rcquircmcnt, socia| documcntary
rcquircmcnt, narrativc dramatic rcquircmcnt It is hrst|y bccausc
watcr is thc most pcr|cct cnvironmcnt in which movcmcnt can bc
cxtractcd |rom thc thing movcd, or mobi|ity |rom movcmcnt itsc||.
Jhis is thc origin o| thc visua| and auditory importancc o| watcr in
rcscarch on rhythm. Jhc |iquid c|cmcnt was to pro|ong, transmit and
7B Thr rrtrtien-imegr
d||usc n a|| drcctons what Gancc had startcd wth ron, wth thc
ra|way. |can Mtry, n hs cxpcrmcnta| attcmpts, bcgan wth thc
ra|way, and thcn movcd on to watcr as thc imagc whch cou|d gvc
us thc rca| as vbraton n ts dccpcst scnsc. |rom |eti]it2I to |megrs
eurDrbussy. "And Grcm||on's documcntary work passcs through
ths movcmcnt, |rom thc mcchancs o| so|ds to a mcchancs o| ||uds,
|rom ndustry to ts marnc background.
Jhc |qud abstract s a|so thc concrctc cnvronmcnt o| a typc o|
mcn, o| a racc o| mcn who do not |vc n qutc thc samc way as thosc
o| thc carth, do not pcrccvc and |cc| |kc thcm. ucssant and thcn
Scn gavc Lpstcn thc pcr|cct documcntary, whcrc thc nhabtants
a|onc can p|ay thcr own ro|c (linis Trrrer, Thr Sre e] Kevrns).
Ina||y, thc |mt o| thc carth and thc watcrs bccomcs thc sccnc o| a
drama whcrc thcrc s a con|rontaton bctwccn, on onc hand, thc |and
moorngs and, on thc othcr, thc moorng - ropcs, thc two-ropcs and
|rcc uoatng cords. Lpstcn's LebrllrNivrmeisra|rcady opposcd - n
rc|aton to thc bargc thc so|dty o| thc carth to thc ||udty o| thc
sky and thc watcr, Grcm||on's Meldenropposcd thc organsaton o|
roots, |and and houscho|d to thc asscmb|agc o| thc cana|.
'manshp-horsc' . Jhc drama was that t was ncccssary to brcak thc
|nks wth thc carth, o| |athcr wth son, husband wth w|c and
mstrcss, woman wth |ovcr, ch|drcn wth parcnts, to rctrcat nto
so|tudc to achcvc human so|darty, c|ass so|darty. And although a
|na| rcconc|aton s not ru|cd out, thc |ghthousc or thc dam wcrc
thc sccnc o| a dcad|y con|rontaton bctwccn thc madncss o|thc carth
and thc supcror justcc o| thc watcr, thc |unacy o| thc |urous son n
Gerdirnsdrleherr,thc grcat |a|| o| thc |ord n |ancy drcss n Lumirr
d`n. | coursc not cvcry occupaton s rc|atcd to thc sca. but
Grcm||on's dca s that thc pro|ctaran or thc workcr rcconsttutcs
cvcrywhcrc cvcn on |and and n thc acra| c|cmcnt o| Thr rh
Derrd thc condtons o| a ||oatng popu|aton, o| a sca pcop|c, capab|c
o| rcvca|ng and trans|ormng thc naturc o| thc cconomc and
commcrca| ntcrcsts at p|ay n a soccty, on thc condton that,
|o||owng thc Marxst |ormu|a, t 'cuts thc umb|ca| cord whch
attachcs t to thc carth' . ' It s n ths scnsc that occupatons conncctcd
wth thc sca arc not a rc|c or an nsu|ar typc o| |o|k|orc. thcy arc thc
horzon o| a|| occupatons, cvcn that o| thc woman doctor n
L`Hmeur d`unr ]rmmr. Jhcy cxtract hc rc|atonshp wth thc
L|cmcnt and wth Man, whch s prcscnt n any occupaton, and cvcn
mcchancs, ndustry, pro|ctaransaton |nd thcr truth n an cmprc
o| thc scas (or o| thc ar). Grcm||on vgorous|y opposcd thc |am|y
and pcasant jtrrrirn]dca| o| Vchy. Icw drcctors havc ||mcd man's
Liquidcrtctien 7
work so wc|l, cvcn discovcring in i t thc cquiva|cnt o| a sca. cvcn thc
ava|anchcs o| stoncs |ikc wavcs.
Jhcsc arc thc two opposcd systcms. thc pcrccptions, a||cctions and
actions o| mcn on |and, and thc pcrccptions, a||cctions and actions o|
mcn o| thc sca. Jhis comcs across c|car|y in Grcmi||on`s Stermy
etcrs, whcrc thc captain on |and is drawn back to |ixcd ccntrcs,
imagcs o| thc wi|c or |ovcr, imagc o| thc vi||a |acing thc sca, which arc
a|| so many points o| cgoistica| subjcctivation, whi|st thc sca prcscnts
him with an objcctivity as univcrsa| variation, so|idarity o| a|| thc
parts, justicc bcyond mcn, whcrc thc |ixcd point o| thc tow-ropcs,
a|ways ca||cd into qucstion, no |ongcr has va|idity cxccpt bctwccn
two movcmcnts. ut it is Vigo`s L'Htelentcwhich was to bring this
opposition to its pcak. As |. P. ambcrgcr shows, on |and thcrc is not
thc samc rcgimc o| movcmcnt, not thc samc 'gracc' as on thc sca, in
thc sca. tcrrcstria| movcmcnt is in pcrpctua| discqui|ibrium bccausc
thc motivc |orcc is a|ways outsidc thc ccntrc o| gravity (thc
ncwsvcndor's bicyc|c), whi|c aquatic movcmcnt is |ikc thc disp|acc-
mcnt o| thc ccntrc o| gravity, according to a simp|c objcctivc |aw,
straight or c||iptica|. (Jhis accounts |or thc apparcnt c|umsincss o|
this movcmcnt whcn it takcs p|acc on |and or cvcn on thc bargc a
crab-|ikc wa|k, snaking or twir|ing but this is |ikc an othcr-wor|d|y
gracc.) And on |and, movcmcnt a|ways takcs p|acc |rom onc point to
anothcr, a|ways bctwccn two points, whi|c on watcr thc point is
a|ways bctwccn two movcmcnts. it thus marks thc convcrsion or thc
invcrsion o| movcmcnt, as in thc hydrau|ic rc|ationship o| a divc and
countcr-divc, which is |ound in thc movcmcnt o| thc camcra itsc||
(thc |ina| |a|| o| thc cntwincd bodics o| thc two |ovcrs has no cnd, but
is convcrtcd into an asccnding movcmcnt). Nor is it thc samc rcgimc
o| passion, o| a||cction. in onc casc dominatcd by commoditics, thc
|ctish, thc artic|c o| c|othing, thc partia| objcct and thc mcmory-
objcct. in thc othcr casc, attaining what has bccn ca||cd thc
'objcctivity` o| bodics, which may rcvca| hidcousncss undcr c|othing,
but a|so gracc undcr a coarsc appcarancc. I| thcrc is any rcconci|iation
bctwccn |and and sca, this takcs p|acc in |athcr |u|cs, but on|y bccausc
hc knows how to imposc spontancous|y on thc |and thc samc |aw as
thc sca. his cabin contains thc most cxtraordinary |ctishcs, partia|
objccts, souvcnirs and scrap, howcvcr, hc docs not makc thcm a
mcmory, but a purc mosaic o| prcscnt statcs, down to thc o|d rccord
which works again. ' ' Iinm|y, a c|airvoyant |unction is dcvc|opcd in
watcr, in opposition to carth|y vision. it is in thc watcr that thc |ovcd
onc who has disappcarcd is rcvca|cd, as i| pcrccption cnjoycd a scopc
and intcraction, a truth which it did not havc on |and. Lvcn in Nicc, it
BO Thc crtctien-imegc
was thc vcry prcscncc o| watcr whch a||owcd thc bourgcosc to bc
dcscrbcd as a monstrous organc body. ' It s thc watcr whch
rcvca|cd thc hdcousncss o| bourgcos bodcs bcncath thcr c|othcs,
just as t now rcvca|s thc so|tncss and strcngth o| thc |ovcd onc`s
body. Jhc bourgcosc s rcduccd to thc objcctvty o| a |ctsh-body,
a scrap-body, to whch cht|dhood, lovc, navtgatton opposc thctr
ntcgra| bodcs. 'bjcctvty`, cqu|brum, justcc arc not o| thc
carth. thcy arc thc prcscrvc o| watcr.
Ina||y, what thc Ircnch schoo| |ound n watcr was thc promsc or
mp|caton o| anothcr statc o| pcrccpton. a morc than human
pcrccpton, a pcrccpton not ta|orcd to so|ds, whch no |ongcr had
thc so|d as objcct, as condton, as m|cu. A morc dc|catc and vastcr
pcrccpton, a mo|ccu|ar pcrccpton, pccu|ar to a 'cnc-cyc`. Jhs was
thc rcsu|t o| startng |rom a rca| dc|nton o| thc two po|cs o|
pcrccpton. thc pcrccpton-magc was not to bc rc||cctcd n a |orma|
conscousncss, but was to bc sp|t nto two statcs, onc mo|ccu|ar and
thc othcr mo|ar, onc |qud and thc othcr so|td, onc drawng a|ong
and c||acng thc othcr. Jhc sgn o| pcrccpton wou|d not thcrc|orc bc
a 'dcsgn`, but a rcumc. ' 'Wh|c thc dcsgn sct up a |ramc whch
so|atcd and so|d|cd thc magc, thc rcumcrc|crrcd to an magc n thc
proccss o| bccomng |qud, whch passcd through or undcr thc
|ramc. Jhc camcra-conscousncss bccamc a rcumc sncc t was
actua|scd n a ||owng pcrccpton and thus arrvcd at a matcra|
dctcrmnaton, at a ||owng-mattcr. Jhc Ircnch schoo|, howcvcr,
pontcd towards ths othcr statc, ths othcr pcrccpton, ths c|arvoyant
|uncton, rathcr than assumng |u|| rcsponsb|ty |or t. thcr than n
tts abstract attcmpts (among whtch Vtgo's Teris,reidcl`cr|caturcs),
t crcatcd |rom t not thc ncw magc, but thc |mt or u|tmatc pont o|
convcrgcncc o| thc movcmcnt-magcs, o| thc avcragc-magcs n thc
contcxt o| a story that rctancd ts so|dty. Jhs story was so dccp|y
mbucd wth rhythm that ths was ccrtan|y no dc|cct.
J 16L1tJJ 1 1Jr6uJ ]rttr]l|6B
In thc 'cnc-cyc`, Vcrtov was amng to attan or rcgan thc systcm o|
unvcrsa| varaton, n tsc||. A| | thc magcs vary as a |uncton o| cach
othcr, on a|| thcr |accts and n a|| thcr parts. Vcrtov hmsc|| dc|ncd
thc cnc-cyc. t s that whch 'coup|cs togcthcr any pont whatsocvcr
o| thc unvcrsc n any tcmpora| ordcr whatsocvcr' . ' Lvcrythng s at
thc scrvcc o| varaton and ntcracton. s|ow or hgh spccd shots,
supcrmposton, |ragmcntaton, dccc|craton jdultilitetien|,mcro-
Tmerdsegesreus rrtrtien B l
shooting jmitre-risr dr vr]. Jhs is not a human cyc cvcn an
improvcd onc. Ior, a|though thc human cyc can surmount somc o|
its |imitations wth thc hc|p o| contraptions and instrumcnts, thcrc s
onc whch t cannot surmount, sincc t s ts own condton o|
possibi|ity. Its rc|ativc mmob|ty as a rcccptvc organ mcans that a||
imagcs vary |or a sng|c onc, in rc|ation to a prv|cgcd imagc. And, |
thc camcra s considcrcd as apparatus |or shootng h|m, t is subjcct to
thc samc condtonng |imtaton. ut thc cincma s not smp|y thc
camcra. it s montagc. And i| |rom thc point o| vcw o| thc human
cyc, montagc is undoubtcd|y a constructon, |rom thc pont o| vicw
o| anothcr cyc, it ccascs to bc onc, it s thc purc vson o| a non-human
cyc, o| an cyc whch wou|d bc n thngs. Lnvcrsa| variaton,
univcrsa| ntcraction (mduletien)s what Cczannc had a|rcady ca||cd
thc wor|d bc|orc man, 'dawn o| oursc|vcs`, 'ridcsccnt chaos' ,
'virginty o| thc wor|d' . It s not surprsing that wc havc to construct
it sincc it is gvcn on|y to thc cyc whch wc do not havc. It says a |ot
|or Mitry`s partisanship that hc cou|d condcmn n Vcrtov a
contradiction |or which hc wou|d not darc to rcproach a pantcr. a
pscudo-contradiction bctwccn crcativity (montagc) and ntcgrty
(thc rca| ). ' ' What montagc docs, accordng to Vcrtov, s to carry
pcrccption into things, to put pcrccpton into mattcr, so that any
pont whatsocvcr n spacc tsc|| pcrccivcs a|| thc points on whch t
acts, or which act on it, howcvcr |ar thcsc actons and rcactions
cxtcnd. Jhs s thc dc|ntion o| objcctivity, 'to scc without
boundarcs or distanccs` . Jhus in ths rcspcct a|| proccdurcs arc
|cgitimatc, thcy arc no |ongcr trick shots. ' Jhc matcra|ist Vcrtov
rca|scs thc matcria|ist programmc o| thc |rst chaptcr o| Mettrrend
Mrmerythrough thc cncma, thc in-tsc|| o| thc imagc. V crtov' s non-
human cyc, thc cinc-cyc, is not thc cyc o| a ||y or o| an cag|c, thc cyc
o| anothcr anma|. Mcithcr is t n an Lpstcnan way thc cyc o| thc
spirt cndowcd with a tcmpora| pcrspcctivc, which mght apprchcnd
thc spirtua| who|c. n thc contrary, it is thc cyc o| mattcr, thc cyc n
mattcr, not subjcct to tmc, which has 'conqucrcd' timc, which
rcachcs thc 'ncgatvc o| timc', and whch knows no othcr who|c than
thc matcra| unvcrsc and ts cxtcnsion (hcrc Vcrtov and Lpstcin arc
contrastcd as two d||crcnt |cvc|s o| thc samc montagc-camcra sct).
Jhs is V crtov` s |rst asscmb|agc. It is, |rst, a machinc asscmb|agc
o| movcmcnt-imagcs. Wc havc sccn that thc gap, thc intcrva|
bctwccn two movcmcnts skctchcs out an cmpty p|acc whch
prchgurcs thc human subjcct n so |ar as hc appropriatcs pcrccpton to
hmsc||. ut, |or Vcrtov, thc most important thing was to rcstorc thc
intcrva|s to mattcr. Jhis s thc mcaning o| montagc, and o| thc
BZ i Thc crtctien-imegc
'thcory o| ntcrva| s` , whch s morc pro|ound than that o| movcmcnt.
Jhc ntcrva| s no |ongcr that whch scparatcs a rcacton |rom thc
acton cxpcrcnccd, whch mcasurcs thc ncommcnsurab|ty and
un|orcsccab|ty o| thc rcacton but, on thc contrary, that whch - an
acton bcng gvcn n a pont o| thc unvcrsc w|| |nd thc
appropratc rcacton n somc othcr pont jeintqucltenquc],howcvcr
dstant t s ('to |nd n ||c thc rcsponsc to thc trcatcd subjcct, thc
rcsu|tant among thc m||ons o| |acts whch bcar a rc|aton to ths
subjcct'). Jhc orgna|ty o| thc Vcrtovan thcory o| thc ntcrva| s
that t no |ongcr marks a gap whch s carvcd out, a dstancng
bctwccn two consccutvc magcs but, on thc contrary, a corrc|aton
o| two magcs whch arc dstant (and ncommcnsurab|c |rom thc
vcwpont o| our human pcrccpton). And, on thc othcr hand, thc
cncma cou|d not run n ths way |rom onc cnd o| thc unvcrsc to thc
othcr wthout havng at ts dsposa| an agcnt whch was capab|c o|
makng a|| thc parts convcrgc. what Vcrtov took |rom thc sprt
that s, thc powcr o| a who|c whch s constant|y bccomng now
passcs nto thc corrc|atc o| mattcr, o| ts varatons and ntcractons.
In |act thc machnc asscmb|agc o| thngs, o| magcs n thcmsc|vcs, has
as ts corrc|atc a co||cctvc asscmb|agc o| cnuncaton. A|rcady n thc
s|cnt h|m, Vcrtov uscd thc ntcrtt|c n an orgna| way, so thc word
|ormcd a b|oc wth thc magc, a sort o| dcogram. ''Jhcsc arc thc two
|undamcnta| aspccts o| thc asscmb|agc. thc magc-machnc s
nscparab|c |rom a typc o| uttcrancc, |rom a propcr|y cncmatographc
cnuncaton. I n Vcrtov ths s c|car|y a casc o| Sovct rcvo|utonary
conscousncss, o| thc 'communst dccphcrug o| rca|ty`. It s that
whch untcs thc man o| tomorrow wth thc wor|d bc|orc man,
communst man wth thc matcra| unvcrsc o| ntcractons dc|ncd as
'communty' (rccproca| acton bctwccn thc agcnt and thc patcnt). '
H Sixth e] thc erld shows thc ntcracton at a dstancc, wthn thc
LSSK, bctwccn thc most varcd pcop|cs, hcrds o| anma|s, ndustrcs,
cu|turcs, cxchangcs o| a|| knds n thc proccss o| conqucrng tmc.
Anncttc Mchc|son s rght to say that MenuitheMmic-Cemcre
rcprcscnts an cvo|uton on V crtov' s part, as though hc had
dscovcrcd a morc comp|ctc conccpton o| thc asscmb|agc. Ior thc
prcvous conccpton wcnt no |urthcr than thc movcmcnt-magc, that
s, an magc composcd o| photogrammcs, an ntcrmcdatc-magc
cndowcd wth movcmcnt. It was thcrc|orc st|| an magc corrcpondng
to human pcrccpton, whatcvcr thc trcatmcnt to whch t was
subjcctcd by montagc. ut what happcns | montagc s ntroduccd
nto thc vcry consttucnt o| thc magc Wc go back |rom an magc o| a
pcasant woman to a scrcs o| ts photogrammcs, or c|sc wc movc |rom
Teuerdsegesceuscrtctien BJ
a scrcs o| photogrammcs o| ch|drcn to magcs o| thcsc ch|drcn n
movcmcnt. y cxtcndng ths proccdurc, wc contrast thc magc o| a
cyc|st cyc|ng, and thc samc magc, rc-h|mcd, rc||cctcd, prcscntcd as
though projcctcd on a scrccn. Kcnc C|ar's ThcCre:yKeyhad a grcat
n||ucncc on Vcrtov. |or t rcconc|cd a human wor|d wth thc
abscncc o| man. Ior thc ray o| thc mad sccntst (thc ||m-makcr)
|rozc movcmcnt, b|ockcd thc acton, n ordcr to rc|casc t n a sort o|
'c|cctrca| dschargc' . Jhc town-dcscrt, thc town abscnt |rom tsc||,
w|| a|ways haunt thc cncma, as though posscssng a sccrct. Jhc
sccrct s yct anothcr mcanng o| thc noton o| ntcrva|. t now
dcsgnatcs thc pont at whch movcmcnt stops and, n stoppng, gans
thc powcr to go nto rcvcrsc, accc|cratc, s|ow down . . . . No |ongcr s
t cnough to rcvcrsc movcmcnt, as Vcrtov dd n thc namc o|
ntcracton whcn hc movcd |rom thc dcad mcat to thc |vc Uch. Jhc
pont whch makcs thc rcvcrsa| or modhcaton ncccssary must bc
rcachcd. '" Ior, n Vcrtov's vcw, th: |ramc s not smp|y a rctum to
thc photo. | t bc|ongs to thc cncma, ths s bccausc t s thc gcnctc
c|cmcnt o| thc magc, or thc d|crcnta| c|cmcnt o| thc movcmcnt. It
docs not 'tcrmnatc' thc movcmcnt wthout a|so bcng thc prncp|c
o| ts accc|craton, ts dccc|craton and ts varaton. It s thc vbraton,
thc c|cmcntary so|ctaton o| whch movcmcnt s madc up at cach
nstant, thc dinrcno| Lpcurcn matcra|sm. Jhus thc photo grammc
s nscparab|c |rom thc scrcs whch makcs t vbratc n rc|aton to thc
movcmcnt whch dcrvcs |rom t. And, | thc cncma gocs bcyond
pcrccpton, t s n thc scnsc that t rcachcs to thc gcnctitclcmcnto| a||
possb|c pcrccpton, that s, thc pont whch changcs, and whch
makcs pcrccptton changc, thc d||crcnta| o| pcrccpton tsc||. Vcrtov
thus puts thc thrcc nscparab|c aspccts o| a sng|c gong bcyond nto
c|Icct. |rom thc camcra to montagc, |rom movcmcnt to thc ntcrva|,
|rom thc magc to thc photogrammc.
As a Sovct h|m-makcr, Vcrtov dcvc|ops a sccnthc conccpton o|
montagc. ut da|cctca| montagc sccms to bc a p|acc o| con|rontaton,
o| opposton rathcr than an ntcrmoary. Whcn Lscnstcn condcmns
V crtov' s 'Iorma|st |oo|ng about' , ths must surc|y bc bccausc thc
two drcctors havc ncthcr thc samc conccpton, nor thc samc practcc
o| thc da|cctc. Ior Lscnstcn, thcrc s on|y a da|cctc o| man endo|
Naturc, man n Naturc, and Naturc n man, 'non-nd|crcnt' Naturc
and non-scparatcd Man. Ior V crtov, thc da|cctc s n mattcr and o|
mattcr, and can on|y rcconc|c a non-human pcrccpton wth thc
ovcrman o| thc |uturc, matcra| communty and |orma| communsm.
Jhs hc|ps us to rcach a conc|uson about thc d||crcnccs bctwccn
Vcrtov, on thc onc hand, and thc Ircnch schoo| on thc othcr. I | wc
B1 J Thr rrtrtien-imegr
consdcr thc dcntca| proccdurcs uscd by both - quanttatvc
montagc, hgh spccd and s|ow moton, supcrmposton, or cvcn
mmob|saton wc scc that wth thc Ircnch thcsc show prmar|y a
sprtua| powcr o| thc cncma, a sprtua| aspcct o| thc 'shot`. It s
through thc sprt that man gocs bcyond thc |mts o| pcrccpton, and,
as Gancc says, supcrmpostons arc thc magcs o| |cc|ngs and
thoughts by whch thc sou| 'cnvc|ops` bodcs and 'prcccdcs` thcm.
Vcrtov`s usc o| thcsc proccdurcs s qutc d||crcnt. |or hm
supcrmposton was to cxprcss thc ntcracton o| dstant matcra|
ponts, and hgh spccd and s|ow moton thc d||crcnta| o| physca|
movcmcnt. ut pcrhaps cvcn |rom ths pont o| vcw wc do not grasp
thc radca| d||crcncc. It cmcrgcs as soon as wc rctum to thc rcasons
whch madc thc Ircnch gvc such promncncc to thc |qud magc. |or
t was thcrc that human pcrccpton wcnt bcyond ts own |mts, and
movcmcnt dscovcrcd thc sprtua| tota|ty whch t cxprcsscd, wh|st
|or Vcrtov thc |qud magc s st|| nadcquatc, |a|ng to rcach thc
partc|c o| mattcr. Movcmcnt must go bcyond ttsc||, but to ts
matcra|, cncrgc c|cmcnt. Jhc cncmatographc magc docs not
thcrc|orc havc thc 'rrumr'as sgn, but thc 'grammc', thc 'cngrammc` ,
thc 'photogrammc`. It s ts sgn o| gcncss. In thc |na| ana|yss, wc
wou|d havc to spcak o| a pcrccpton whch was no |ongcr |qud but
gascous. Ior, | wc start out |rom a so|d statc, whcrc mo|ccu|cs arc
not |rcc to movc about (mo|ar or human pcrccpton), wc movc ncxt
to a |qud statc, whcrc thc mo|ccu|cs movc about and mcrgc nto onc
anothcr, but wc |na||y rcach a gascous statc, dc|ncd by thc |rcc
movcmcnt o| cach mo|ccu|c. Accordng to Vcrtov, t s pcrhaps
ncccssary to movc bcyond ||owng to that stagc. thc partc|c o|
mattcr or gascous pcrccpton.
In any casc, thc Amcrcan cxpcrmcnta| cncma was to go as |ar as
that and, brcakng wth thc Ircnch schoo|` s aquatc |yrcsm, was to
rccognsc Vcrtov's n||ucncc. A who|c aspcct o| that cncma s
conccrncd wth attanng a purc pcrccpton, as t s n thngs or n
mattcr, to thc pont to whch mo|ccu|ar ntcractons cxtcnd.
rakhagc cxp|orcs a Cczannan wor|d bc|orc man, a dawn o|
oursc|vcs, by ||mng a| | thc shadcs o| grccn sccn by a baby n thc
prarc.'" Mchac| Snow dcprvcs thc camcra o| any ccntrc and ||ms
thc unvcrsa| ntcracton o| magcs whch vary n rc|aton to onc
anothcr, on a|| thcr |accts and n a|| thcr parts (ThrCrntrelKrgien).
i
c|son and |acobs tracc co|ourcd |orms and movcmcnts back to
mo|ccu|ar or atomc |orccs (|hrnemrne,Memrntum).Now, | thcrc s
any constant |actor n ths cncma, t s thc constructon by varous
mcns o| gascous statcs o| pcrccpton. I|ckcrng montagc. cxtracton
Teuerdsegesceuscrtctien BJ
o| thc photogrammc bcyond thc intcrmcdiatc imagc, and o| vibration
bcyond movcmcnt, (whcncc thc notion o| thc 'photogrammc-shot`,
as dc|incd by thc |oop proccdurc, in which a scrics o| photogrammcs
arc rcpcatcd with thc contingcnt intcrva|s a||owcd by thc supcrimpo-
sition). Hypcr-rapid montagc. cxtraction o| a point o| invcrsion or
trans|ormation (|or thc corrc|ation o| thc immobi|isation o| thc imagc
is thc cxtrcmc mobi|ity o| thc support, and thc photo grammc acts as
thc di||crcntia| c|cmcnt, producing rc|u|gcncc and grcat hastc). Kc-
||ming or rc-rccording. cxtraction o| a partic|c o| mattcr (thc rc-
||ming producing a ||attcning o| spacc, which takcs on a 'pointi||istc`
tcxturc in thc manncr o| Scurat, a||owing thc intcraction o| two
points at a distancc to bc apprchcndcd).'' In a|| thcsc rcspccts, thc
photogrammc is not a rcvcrsion to photography but rathcr,
|o||owing crgson`s |ormu|a, thc crcativc apprchcnsion o| this photo
'snappcd and takcn in thc intcrior o| things and |or a|| thc points o|
spacc` . And wc arc incrcasing|y witncssing, |rom thc photogrammc
to thc vidco, thc |ormation o| an imagc dc|ncd by mo|ccu|ar
paramctcrs.
A|| thcsc proccdurcs act togcthcr and vary to |orm thc cincma as
machinc asscmb|agc o| mattcr-imagcs. Jhc qucstion o| thc corrc-
sponding asscmb|agc o| cnunciation rcmains opcn, sincc Vcrtov`s
answcr (Communist socicty) has |ost its mcaning. Might thc answcr
bc. drugs as thc Amcrican community I| drugs havc this c||cct,
howcvcr, it is on|y bccausc o| thc pcrccptivc cxpcrimcntation which
thcy inducc, which may bc brought abut by quitc di||crcnt mcans.
In rca|ity, wc wi|| on|y bc ab|c to raisc thc prob|cm o| cnunciation
whcn wc arc in a position to ana|ysc thc sound imagc |or itsc||. Jo
|o||ow Castancda`s programmc o| initiation. drugs arc supposcd to
stethcuerld,to rc|casc thc pcrccption o| 'doing`, that is, to substitutc
purc auditory and optica| pcrccptions |or motor-scnsory pcrccptions,
temekcencsccthcmelctuletintcrvels,thc ho|cs in sounds, in |orms, and
cvcn in watcr, but a|so, in this stoppcd wor|d, temekclincse]sccdess
threughthcsc ho|cs in thc wor|d. '' Jhis is thc programmc o| thc third
statc o| thc imagc, thc gascous imagc, bcyond thc so|id and thc |iquid.
to rcach 'anothcr` pcrccption, which is a|so thc gcnctic c|cmcnt o| a||
pcrccption. Camcra-consciousncss raiscs itsc|| to a dctcrmination
which is no |ongcr |orma| or matcria|, but gcnctic and di||crcntia|. Wc
havc movcd |rom a rca| to a gcnctic dc|inition o| pcrccption.
Landow` s ||m, 8erde lellics, sums up in this rcspcct thc who|c o|
thc proccss, and thc transition |rom thc |iquid statc to thc gascous
statc.
+
B J Thc crtcti-imegc
Jhc ||m opcns wth an magc, on a ||m |oop, o| a woman
||oatng wth a ||cbouy, who wavcs to us at cach rcturn o| thc
|oop. A|tcr about tcn mnutcs (thcrc s a|so an abrdgcd vcrson),
thc samc |oop appcars twcc nsdc two crc|cs on a b|ack ground.
Jhcn, |or a momcnt, thrcc crc|cs appcar. Jhc magc o| thc ||m n
thc circ|cs starts to burn, nducng thc sprcad o| a sccthng mou|d
o| a prcdomnant|y orangc co|our. Jhc who|c scrccn s |||cd by
thc photogrammc on hrc, whch dsntcgratcs n s|ow moton nto
a vcry granu|ar so|t |ocus. Anothcr photogrammc burns, thc
who|c scrccn throbs wth mc|tng cc||u|od. Jhs c||cct was
probab|y obtancd by scvcra| scrcs o| rc-h|mngs on scrccn, thc
rcsu|t bcng that thc scrccn tsc|| sccms to throb and bc consumcd.
Jhc tcnson o| thc dcsynchronscd |oop s kcpt up throughout thc
who|c o| ths |ragmcnt, n whch thc ||m tsc|| sccms to dc. A|tcr a
|ong pausc, thc scrccn dvdcs up nto bubb|cs o| ar n watcr,
||mcd through a mcroscopc wth co|ourcd h|tcrs, a d||crcnt
co|our |or cach sdc o| thc scrccn. y mcans o| changcs n |oca|
dstancc, thc bubb|cs |osc thcr |orm and dsso|vc nto cach othcr,
and thc |our co|ourcd ||tcrs arc mng|cd. At thc cnd somc |orty
mnutcs a|tcr thc |rst |oop - thc scrccn turns b|ank. '
D D0 d00lIOD-IDd0
d00 dD0 0O$0U
1hr lL6 ]6rJ 6] lhr]1tr. ]6Lrt 1BJ gu1|l]
Thc e]]cttien-imegc is thc tlesc-u, end thc tlesc-u is thc]etc. . . .
Lscnstcn suggcstcd that thc c|osc-up was not mcrc|y onc typc o|
magc among othcrs, but gavc an a||cctvc rcadng o| thc who|c ||m.
Jhs s truc o| thc a||ccton-magc. t s both a typc o| magc and a
componcnt o| a|| magcs. But that s not a|| thcrc s to t. In what scnsc
s thc c|osc-up dcntca| to thc who|c a||ccton-magc And why
wou|d thc |acc bc dcntca| to thc c|osc-up, sncc thc |attcr mcrc|y sccms
to carry out a magn|caton e]thc|acc, and a|so o| many othcr thngs
And how can wc cxtract po|cs whch can gudc us n thc ana|yss o|
thc a||ccton-magc |rom thc magn|cd |acc
Lct us start |rom an cxamp|c whch s neta |acc. a c|ock whch s
prcscntcd to us n c|osc-up scvcra| tmcs. Such an magc docs ndccd
havc two po|cs. n thc onc hand t has hands movcd by mcro-
movcmcnts, at |cast vrtua| oncs, cvcn | wc arc on|y shown t oncc, or
scvcra| tmcs at |ong ntcrva|s. thc hands ncccssar|y |orm part o| an
intcnsivcscricswhch marks an asccnt towards . . . or tcnds towards a
crtca| nstant, prcparcs a paroxysm. n thc othcr hand t has a |acc as
rcccptvc mmob|c sur|acc, rcccptvc p|atc o| nscrpton, mpassvc
suspcnsc. t s a rc]lctting endrc]lcttcdunity.
Jhc Bcrgsonan dc|nton o| thc a||cct rcstcd on thcsc two vcry
charactcrstcs. a motor tcndcncy on a scnstvc ncrvc. In othcr
words, a scrcs o| mcro-movcmcnts on an mmob|scd p|atc o|
ncrvc. Whcn a part o| thc body has had to sacr|cc most o| ts
motorcty n ordcr to bccomc thc support |or organs o| rcccpton,
thc prncpa| |caturc o| thcsc w|| now on|y bc tcndcnccs to
movcmcnt or mcro-movcmcnts whch arc capab|c o| cntcrng nto
ntcnsvc scrcs, |or a sng|c organ or |rom onc organ to thc othcr.
Jhc movng body has |ost ts movcmcnt o| cxtcnson, and movcmcnt
has bccomc movcmcnt o| cxprcsson. It s ths combnaton o| a
rc||cctng, mmob|c unty and o| ntcnsvc cxprcssvc movcmcnts
whch consttutcs thc a||cct. But s ths not thc samc as a Iacc tsc||
Jhc |acc s ths organ-carryng p|atc o| ncrvcs whch has sacr|ccd
most o| ts g|oba| mob|ty and whch gathcrs or cxprcsscs n a |rcc
way a|| knds o| tny |oca| movcmcnts whch thc rcst o| thc body
BB Thc e]]cttien-imegc
usua||y kccps hddcn. Lach tmc wc dscovcr thcsc two po|cs n
somcthng rc||cctng sur|acc and ntcnsvc mcro-movcmcnts wc
can say that ths thng has bccn trcatcd as a |acc jvisegc].t has bccn
'cnvsagcd` or rathcr '|acc|cd' jvisegi]ic],and n turn t starcs at us
jdvisegc],t |ooks at us . . . cvcn | t docs not rcscmb|c a |acc. Hcncc
thc c|osc-up o| thc c|ock. As |or thc |acc tsc||, wc w|| not say that thc
c|osc-up dca|s wth jtreitc]t or subjccts t to somc knd o| trcatmcnt.
thcrc s no c|osc-up e]thc |acc, thc |acc s n tsc|| c|osc-up, thc c|osc-
up s by tsc|| |acc and both arc a||cct, a||ccton-magc.
In pantng, thc tcchnqucs o| thc portrat havc accustomcd us to
thcsc two poIcs o thc acc. Somctrmcs parntrng grasps thc acc as an
out|nc, by an cncrc|ng |nc whch traccs thc nosc, thc mouth, thc
cdgc o| thc cyc|ds, and cvcn thc bcard and thc cap. t s a sur|acc o|
|acc|caton jvisegi]itetien].Somctmcs, howcvcr, t works through
dspcrscd |caturcs takcn g|oba||y, |ragmcntary and brokcn |ncs
whch ndcatc hcrc thc quvcrng o| thc |ps, thcrc thc br||ancc o| a
|ook, and whch nvo|vc a contcnt whch to a grcatcr or |csscr cxtcnt
rcbc|s aganst thc out|nc. thcsc arc thc trats o| |acccty jvisegit]. '
And t s no accdcnt that thc a||cct appcarcd |rom thcsc two ponts o|
vcw n thc grcat conccptons o| thc Passons whch run through both
ph|osophy and pantng. what Ocscartcs and Lc Brun ca|| edmiretien,
whch marks a mnmum o| movcmcnt |or a maxmum o| unty,
rc||cctng and rc||cctcd on thc |acc, and what s ca||cd dcsirc,
nscparab|c |rom thc |tt|c so|ctatons or mpu|sons whch makc up
an ntcnsvc scrcs cxprcsscd by thc |acc. It mattcrs |tt|c that somc
consdcr admraton to bc thc orgn o| thc passons prccsc| y bccausc
t s thc dcgrcc zcro o| movcmcnt, wh|st othcrs put dcsrc |rst, or
rcst|cssncss, bccausc mmob|ty tsc|| prcsupposcs thc rccproca|
ncutra|saton o| thc corrcspondng mcro-movcmcnts. Kathcr than
an cxc|usvc orgn, t s a mattcr o| two po|cs, somctmcs onc
prcva|ng ovcr thc othcr and appcarng a|most purc, somctmcs thc
two bcng mrxcd in onc drrcctron or thc othcr.
Jhcrc arc two sorts o| qucstons whch wc can put to a |acc,
dcpcndng on thc crcumstanccs. what arc you thnkng about r,
what s bothcrng you, what s thc mattcr, what do you scnsc or |cc|
Somctmcs thc |acc thnks about somcthng, s hxcd on to an objcct,
and ths s thc scnsc o| admraton or astonshmcnt that thc Lng|sh
word uendcrhas prcscrvcd. In so |ar as t thnks about somcthng, thc
|acc has va|uc abovc a|| through ts surroundng out|nc, ts rc||cctng
unty whch rascs a|| thc parts to tsc||. Somctmcs, on thc contrary, t
cxpcrcnccs or |cc|s somcthng, and has va|uc through thc ntcnsvc
scrcs that ts parts succcssvc|y travcrsc as |ar as paroxysm, cach part
Tuelrse]thr]etr B
takng on a knd o| momcntary ndcpcndcncc. Wc can a|rcady
rccognsc n ths thc two typcs o| c|osc-up, onc o| whch was thc
ha||mark o| Gr|hth, and thc othcr o| Lscnstcn. Jhcrc arc |amous
Gr||th c|osc-ups n whch cvcrythng s organscd |or thc purc and
so|t out|nc o| a |cmnnc |acc (notab|y thc rs proccdurc). a young
woman thnks about hcr husband n LnethHrdrn.ut, n Lscnstcn`s
ThrGrnrrdLinr,thc handsomc |acc o| thc prcst s dsso|vcd, gvng
way to a chcatng |ook whch |nks up wth thc narrow back o| thc
hcad and thc ||cshy car|obc. t s as | thc trats o| |accty wcrc cscapng
thc out|nc, and tcst|yng to thc prcst's rrssrntimrnt.
It shou|d not bc thought that thc |rst po|c s rcscrvcd |or thc tcndcr
cmotons and thc sccond |or dark passons. It w|| bc rcca||cd, |or
cxamp|c, how Ocscartcs consdcrs contcmpt to bc a spcca| casc o|
'admraton' . ' n thc onc hand thcrc arc rcUcctng acts o| sptc|u|ncss,
rcUcctcd tcrrors and dcspars, cvcn, and abovc a||, n Gr||th' s or
Strohcm's young womcn. n thc othcr hand thcrc arc thc ntcnsvc
scrcs o| |ovc or tcndcrncss. Morcovcr, cach aspcct brngs togcthcr
vcry d||crcnt statcs o| thc |acc. Jhc aspcct o| uendrrcan a||cct an
mpassvc |acc whch s pursung an mpcnctrab|c or crmna|
thought. but t can cqua||y takc posscsson o| a juvcn|c or curous
|acc, so anmatcd by |tt|c movcmcnts that thcsc dsso|vc and arc
ncutra|scd (thus n Stcmbcrg, Thr Sterlrt Lmrrss a gr| agan
|ooks n a|| drcctons and s surprscd by cvcrythng whcn thc
Kussan cnvoys takc hcr away). And thc othcr aspcct has no |css
varcty dcpcndng on thc scrcs consdcrcd.
Whcrc, thcrc|orc, s thc crtcron o| dstncton In |act, wc |nd
oursc|vcs bc|orc an ntcnsvc |acc cach tmc that thc trats brcak |rcc
|rom thc out|nc, bcgn to work on thcr own account, and |orm an
autonomous scrcs whch tcnds toward a |mt or crosscs a thrcsho|d.
asccndng scrcs o| angcr, or, as Lscnstcn says, 'thc rsng |nc o|
annoyancc' (8ettlrshi|etrmkin).Jhs s why ths scra| aspcct s bcst
cmbodcd by scvcra| smu|tancous or succcssvc |accs, a|though a
sng|c |acc can su||cc | t puts ts d||crcnt organs or |caturcs nto
scrcs. Hcrc thc ntcnsvc scrcs dsc|oscs ts |uncton, whch s to pass
|rom onc qua|ty to anothcr, to cmcrgc on to a ncw qua|ty. Jo
producc a ncw qua|ty, to carry out a qua|tatvc |cap, ths s what
Lscnstcn c|ams |or thc c|osc-up. |rom thc prcst-man o| God to thc
prcst-cxp|otcr o| pcasants, |rom thc angcr o| thc sa|ors to thc
rcvo|utonary cxp|oson, |rom thc stonc to thc scrcam, as n thc thrcc
posturcs o| thc marb|c |ons ('and thc stoncs havc roarcd' ).
n thc othcr hand, wc arc bc|orc a rc||cxvc or rcucctng |acc as
|ong as thc |caturcs rcman groupcd undcr thc domnaton o| a
O Thr e]]rttien-imegr
thought whch s hxcd or tcrrb|c, but mmutab|c and wthout
bccomng, n a way ctcrna|. In Gr|Ith's 8rekrn 8lessems, thc
martyrcd gr| ncvcrthc|css rctans a pctr|cd |acc, whch, cvcn n
dcath st|| sccms to rc||cct and ask why, wh|st thc Chncsc |ovcr, |or
hs part, prcscrvcs on hs |acc thc stupor o| opum and thc rcUccton o|
uddha. Admttcdly, ths casc o| thc rcUcctng |acc sccms lcss wcll
dctcrmncd than thc othcr, |or ths rc|atonshp bctwccn a |acc and
what t s thnkng about s o|tcn arbtrary. Wc can on|y know that
Gr||th's young woman s thnkng about hcr husband bccausc wc
scc thc magc o| thc husband mmcdatc|y a|tcrwards. wc had to wat
and thc |nk sccms to bc mcrc|y assocatvc. So t can bc sa|cr to
rcvcrsc thc ordcr, and to bcgn wth a c|osc-up o| thc objcct whch
w|| n|orm us o| thc mmncnt thought o| thc |acc. n Pabst's Luluthc
c|osc-up o| thc kn|c prcparcs us |or thc tcrrb|c thought o| |ack thc
Kppcr (or n C|ouzot's Thr Murdrrrr Livrs et Numbrr Zl thc
whr|ng groups o| thrcc objccts makc us undcrstand that thc hcronc
s thnkng o| thc hgurc Jas kcy to thc mystcry). Howcvcr, wc havc
not yct rcachcd thc most pro|ound aspcct o| thc rc||ccton-|acc.
Mcnta| rcUccton s undoubtcd|y thc proccss by whch onc thnks o|
somcthng. ut t s cncmatographca||y accompancd by a morc
radca| rc|lccton cxprcssng a purc qua|ty, whch s common to
scvcra| d||crcnt thngs (thc objcct whch carrcs t, thc body whch
submts to t, thc dca whch rcprcscnts t, thc |acc whch has ths
dca . . . ). Jhc rc|lcctng |accs o| young womcn n Gr||th can
cxprcss whtc, but t s a|so thc whtc o| a snowUakc caught on an cyc-
|ash, thc sprtua| whtc o| an ntcrna| nnoccncc, thc dsso|vcd whtc
o| a mora| dcgradaton, thc host|c and scarng whtc o| thc ccbcrg
whcrc thc hcronc w|| wandcr (Urhense]thrSterm). In emrnin
Lmr Kcn Kussc|| was ab|c to p|ay wth thc qua|ty common to a
hardcncd |acc, an ntcrna| |rgdty, a |uncrcal g|accr. In short, thc
rc||cctng |acc s not contcnt to thnk about somcthng. |ust as thc
ntcnsvc |acc cxprcsscs a purc Powcr that s to say, s dc|ncd by a
scrcs whch carrcs us |rom onc qua|ty to anothcr thc rc|lcxvc |acc
cxprcsscs a purc Qua|ty, that s to say a ' somcthng' common to
scvcra| objccts o| d||crcnt knds. Wc can thcrc|orc draw up a tab|c o|
thc two po|cs.
Scnsb|c ncrvc
Immob|c rcccptvc p|atc
I acc|yng out|nc
KcUcctng unty
Wondcr
Motor tcndcncy
Mcro-movcmcnts o| cxprcsson
Charactcrstcs o| |acccty
Intcnsvc scrcs
Ocsrc
Gri]ith endLiscnstcin
(admraton, surprsc)
Qua|ty
Lxprcsson o| a qua|ty
common to scvcra|
d||crcnt thngs
(|ovc-hatc)
Powcr
Lxprcsson o| a powcr whch
passcs |rom onc qua|ty to
anothcr
Z Lt|[[|lh 1BJ L|JrBJlr|B
I
Pabst's Lulushows thc cxtcnt to whch onc gocs |rom onc po|c to thc
othcr n a rc|atvc|y short scqucncc. hrst thc two |accs, o| |ack and o|
Lu|u, arc rc|axcd, sm|ng, drcamy, undcring,' thcn |ack's |acc,
abovc Lu|u's shou|dcr, sccs thc kn|c and gocs nto an asccndng
scrcs o| tcrror ('thc]cerbctmcseerxysm. . . hisuilsgruuidcr
enduidcr. . . thcmengessintcrrr. e . ' ), |na||y |ack's |acc rc|axcs,
|ack acccpts hs
dcstny and now rc||ccts dcath as a qua|ty common
to hs k||cr's mask, thc ava|ab|ty o| thc vctm and thc rrcsstb|c
ca|| o| thc nstrumcnt. 'thckni]c bledcglcems. . . ` .
It s ccrtan|y truc that n a gvcn drcctor onc o| thc po|cs w||
prcva| but t s a|ways n a morc comp|cx way than onc wou|d at |rst
thnk. Lscnstcn wrtcs n a |amous tcxt. ' It s thc kctt|c whch
bcgan . . . . ' (You w|| rccognzc hcrc, hc says, a phrasc |rom
Ockcns, but a|so onc o| Gr||th's c|osc-ups, thc kctt|c |ooks at us. )'
In ths tcxt, hc ana|yscs thc d||crcncc bctwccn hmsc|| and Gr|hth
|rom thc pont o| vcw o| thc c|osc-up or thc a||ccton-magc. Hc says
that Gr|hth's c|osc-up s mcrc|y subjcctvc, that s to say t s
conccrncd wth thc spcctator's condtons o| vson, that t rcmans
scparatcd, and on|y has an assocatvc or antcpatory ro|c. Wh|st hs
own, Lscnstcn's, c|osc-ups arc |adcd, objcctvc and da|cctca|, |or
thcy producc a ncw qua|ty, thcy carry out a qua|tatvc |cap. Wc
rccognsc mmcdatc|y thc dua|ty o| thc rcUcxvc |acc and thc
ntcnsvc |acc, and t s truc that Gr||th gavc prcccdcncc to onc,
Lscnstcn to thc othcr. Ncvcrthc|css, Lscnstcn's ana|yss s too
hasty, or rathcr parta| . Ior n hs work thcrc arc a|so out|nc-|accs,
strong n thought. thc Jsarna Anastasa, whcn shc has a |orcbodng
o| dcath, A|cxandcr Ncvsky, thc pcnsvc hcro ercxtcllcntc. And
most mportant|y, thcrc arc a|rcady ntcnsvc scrcs n Gr||th.
somctmcs on a sng|c |acc, whcn, startng |rom amazcmcnt or |rom
g|oba| bcw|dcrmcnt, annoyancc or |car arsc and assumc d|crcnt
|caturcs (Hcerts ] thc rld, 8rkcn 8lssms), somc:mcs cvcn on
scvcra| |accs, whcn thc c|osc-ups o| thc combatants punctuatc thc
who|c o| thc batt|c (8irth]eNetin).
Z Thc e]]cttien-imegc
It s truc that thcsc d||crcnt |accs n Gr||th do not |o||ow onc
anothcr mmcdatc|y, but thcr c|osc-ups a|tcrnatc wth |ong shots,
accordng to a bnary structurc whch hc |avours (pub|c-prvatc,
co||cctvcndvdua|). In ths scnsc, Lscnstcn`s nnovaton was not
to havc nvcntcd thc ntcnsvc |acc, nor cvcn to havc consttutcd thc
ntcnsvc scrcs wth scvcra| |accs, scvcra| c|osc-ups, t was to havc
produccd compact and contnous ntcnsvc scrcs, whch go bcyond
a|| bnary structurcs and cxcccd thc dua|ty o| thc co||cctvc and thc
ndvdua|. Kathcr, thcy attan a ncw rca|ty whch cou|d bc ca||cd
Ovdua|, drcct|y untng an mmcnsc co||cctvc rc||ccton wth thc
partcu|ar cmotons o| cach ndvdua|, n short cxprcssng thc unty
o| powcr and qua|ty.
It appcars that a drcctor a|ways gvcs prc-cmncncc to onc o| thc
two po|cs rc||cctng |acc or ntcnsvc |acc but a|so gvcs hmsc||
thc mcans to gct back to thc othcr po|c. Wc wou|d |kc to consdcr
undcr ths hcad anothcr par, that o| Lxprcssonsm and |yrca|
abstracton. | coursc, Lxprcssonsm can bc |ust as abstract as
|yrcsm. ut thc routc s not at a|| thc samc. Lxprcssonsm s
csscnta||y thc ntcnsvc p|ay o| |ght wth thc opaquc, wth darkncss
jtnbrcs].Jhcr mxturc s |kc thc powcr whch makcs pcop|c |a||
nto thc b|ack ho|c or asccnd towards thc |ght. Jhs mxturc
consttutcs a scrcs, somctmcs n an a|tcrnatng |orm o| strcaks or
|ncs, somctmcs n thc compact, asccndng and dcsccndng |orm o| a||
thc dcgrccs o| shadow whch havc va|uc as co|ours. Jhc Lxprcssonst
|acc conccntratcs thc ntcnsvc scrcs, n both |orms whch dsturb ts
out|nc and dcprvc t o| ts |caturcs. In ths way thc |acc partcpatcs
n thc non-organc ||c o| thngs as thc prmary po|c o| Lxprcssonsm.
A stratcd, strpcd |acc, caught n a morc or |css |nc nct, catchng thc
c||ccts o| a Vcnctan b|nd, o| a hrc, o| |o|agc, o| sun through trccs. A
vaporous, c|oudy, smokcy |acc, cnvc|opcd by a morc or |css dcnsc
vc|. Att|a's dark and |urrowcd hcad n Lang's DicNibclungcn.ut
at thc maxmum pont o| conccntraton or at thc cxtrcmc |mt o| thc
scrcs, wc mght say that thc |acc s surrcndcrcd to thc ndvsb|c |ght
or to thc whtc qua|ty, as to Krcmh|dc's unshakcab|c rcl|ccton. It
rcgans ts hrm out|nc and passcs to thc othcr po|c, ||c o| thc mnd or
sprtua| non-psycho|ogca| ||c. Jhc rcddsh rc||cctons whch
accompancd thc who|c scrcs o| dcgrccs o| shadow arc rcuntcd, thcy
|orm a ha|o around thc |acc whch has bccomc phosphorcsccnt,
scnt||atng, br||ant, a bcng o| |ght. r||ancc cmcrgcs out o| thc
shadows, wc pass |rom ntcns|caton to rc||ccton. Jhs opcraton
may st|| bc that o| thc dcv|, n thc n|ntc|y mc|ancho|y |orm o| a
dcmon who rcuccts thc g|oom, n a crc|c o| uamcs whcrc thc non-
Gri]]ithendLiscnstcin J
organc ||c o| thngs burns (thc dcmon o| Wcgcncr's Gelcm or o|
Murnau's leust). ut t can bc a dvnc opcraton whcn mnd s
rc||cctcd n tsc||, n thc |orm o| a Grctchcn savcd by a suprcmc
sacr|cc, cctop|asm or photogrammc whch wou|d ctcrna||y consumc
tsc|| n rcachng thc |umnous ntcrna| ||c (n Murnau agan, L||cn o|
Nes]cretu or cvcn Indrc o| Sunrisc).
Lyrca| abstracton n Stcrnbcrg procccds comp|ctc|y d||crcnt|y.
Stcmbcrg s no |css Gocthcan than thc Lxprcssonsts, but hc rcuccts
anothcr aspcct o| Gocthc. Jhs s thc othcr aspcct o| thc thcory o|
co|ours. |ght no |ongcr has to do wth darkncss, but wth thc
transparcnt, thc trans|uccnt or thc whtc. Jhc book trans|atcd nto
Ircnch as Mcmeirs e] e Shedeu Sheumen jSeuvcnirs d`un mentrcur
d'embrcs]s rca||y cntt|cd lunineChincscLeundry jDrlcricsdensunc
blenthisscricthineisc.Lvcrythng happcns bctwccn thc |ght and thc
whtc. lt s Stcrnbcrg's gcnus to havc brought to rca|saton Gocthc`s
spIcndd |ormuIa. 'bctwccn transparcncy and whtc opacty thcrc
cxsts an n|ntc numbcr o| dcgrccs o| c|oudncss jtreublc]. . . . nc
cou|d ca|| whtc thc |ortutous|y opaquc ||ash o| purc transparcncy. ' '
Jhs s bccausc thc whtc, |or Stcrnbcrg, s prmar|y that whch
crcumscrbcs a spacc corrcspondng to thc |umnous. And nto ths
spacc s nscrtcd a c|osc-up |acc whch rc||ccts thc |ght. Jhus
Stcrnbcrg bcgns |rom thc rc||cxvc or qua|tatvc |acc. In ThcSterlct
Lmrcss, wc |rst o| a|| scc thc whtc uendcr"|acc o| thc young gr|
whch nscrts ts out|nc n thc narrow spacc dc|mtcd by a whtc wa||
and thc whtc door whch shc c|oscs agan. ut |atcr, at thc brth o|
hcr son, thc |acc o| thc young woman s caught bctwccn thc whtc o|
a vo|c curtan and thc whtc o| thc p||ow and thc shccts whcrc shc s
rcstng, unt| wc scc thc astonshng magc, whch sccms to havc comc
|rom vdco, whcrc thc |acc s now on|y a gcomctrc ncrustaton o| thc
vo|c. Jhc whtc spacc tsc|| s n turn crcumscrbcd, rcdoub|cd by a
vc| or a nct whch s supcrmposcd, and gvc t a vo|umc, or rathcr
what onc ca||s n occanography (but a|so n pantng) a sha||ow
dcpth. Stcrnbcrg has a grcat practca| know|cdgc o| |ncns, tu||cs,
mus|ns and |accs. hc draws |rom thcm al| thc rcsourccs o| a whtc on
whtc wthn whch thc |acc rcuccts thc |ght. C|audc ||cr has
ana|yscd, n rc|aton to ThcSegee]Hnetehen,ths rcducton o| spacc
by abstracton, ths comprcsson o| thc |ocaton by art|ca|ty whch
dc|ncs a |c|d o| opcraton and |cads us by c|mnaton o| thc who|c
unvcrsc, to a purc woman`s |acc." ctwccn thc whtc o| thc vc| and
thc whtc o| thc background, thc |acc ho|ds tsc|| up |kc a hsh, and
can |osc ts out|nc n gvng way to a so|t |ocus, a b|urrcd shot
j 'beug ' ], wthout |osng anythng o| ts rcucctng powcr. nc
1
Thc e]]cttien-imegc
rcachcs aquarum atmosphcrcs, as n orzagc, anothcr adhcrcnt o|
ths |yrca| abstracton. Jhc ncts and thc vo|c curtans o| Stcrnbcrg
arc thcrc|orc qutc dstnct |rom thc cxprcssonst vc|s and ncts as
hs so|t |ocuscs arc |rom thcr charoscuro.
It s no |ongcr thc strugg|c o| |ght wth darkncss, but |ght`s
advcnturc wth whtc. ths s Stcrnbcrg`s ant-Lxprcssonsm. Wc
shou|d not conc|udc that Stcrnbcrg con|ncs hmsc|| to purc qua|ty,
and to ts rc||cctng aspcct, and that hc s unawarc o| powcrs or
ntcnstcs. ||cr mprcssvc|y dcmonstratcs that thc morc whtc
spacc s c|oscd and cxguous, thc morc prccarous and opcn to thc
vrtua|tcs o| thc outsdc t s. As s sad n Shenghei Gcsturc,
'anythng can happcn at any momcnt' . Lvcrythng s possb|c . . . . A
kn|c cuts thc nct, a rcd-hot ron makcs a ho|c n thc vc|, a daggcr
pcrccs thc papcr partton. Jhc c|oscd wor|d w|| pass through thc
ntcnsvc scrcs, dcpcndng on thc rays, thc pcop|c and thc objccts
whch pcnctratc t. Jhc a||cct s madc up o| thcsc two c|cmcnts. thc
hrm qua||caton o| a whtc spacc, but a|so thc ntcnsc potcnta|saton
o| that whch s gong to happcn thcrc.
Wc can ccrtan|y not say that Stcrnbcrg s gnorant o| shadows
and thc scrcs o| thcr dcgrccs up to darkncss. Hc smp|y bcgns |rom
thc othcr po|c, or |rom purc rc||ccton. As car|y as n ThcDetkse]
Ncu Ierkthc smokc |umcs arc whtc opactcs, whosc shadows arc
on|y conscqucnccs. Jhus vcry car|y on Stcrnbcrg has thc dca o|
what hc wants. Latcr, cvcn n Meteewhcrc thc vc|s, thc ncts and a|so
thc Chncsc havc passcd nto shadow, spacc rcmans dctcrmncd and
dstrbutcd by thc whtc suts o| thc two protagonsts. Jhc pont s
that |or Stcrnbcrg, darkncss docs not cxst by tsc||. t mcrc|y marks
thc p|acc whcrc thc |ght stops. And shadow s not a mxturc, but
mcrc|y a rcsu|t, a conscqucncc - a conscqucncc that cannot bc
scparatcd |rom ts prcmscs. What arc thcsc prcmscs It s transparcnt,
trans|uccnt or whtc spacc that has |ust bccn dchncd. Such a spacc
rctans thc powcr to rc||cct |ght, but t a|so gans anothcr powcr
whch s that o| rc|ractng, by dvcrtng thc rays whch cross t. Jhc
|acc whch rcmans n ths spacc thus rc||ccts a part o| thc |ght, but
rc|racts anothcr part o| t. I rom bcng rc||cxvc, t bccomcs ntcnsvc.
Hcrc thcrc s somcthng unquc n thc hstory o| thc c|osc-up. Jhc
c|assca| Hosc-up cnsurcs a parta| rc|Iccton n so |ar as thc |acc |ooks
n a drccton d ||crcnt |rom that o| thc camcra, and thus |orccs thc
spcctator to rcbound on thc sur|acc o| thc scrccn. Wc arc a|so |am|ar
wth vcry |nc 'camcra-|ooks', as n crgman` s SummcruithMenike,
whch cstab|sh a tota| rc|Iccton and gvc thc c|osc-up a dstancc
whch s propcr to t. ut Stcrnbcrg sccms to havc bccn a|onc n
Thce]]cttes cntity J
doub|ng thc parta| rc||ccton o| a rc|racton, thanks to thc
trans|uccnt or whtc m|cu that hc was ab|c to construct. Proust
spokc o| whtc vc|s 'whosc supcr-mposton on|y rc|racts morc rch|y
thc ccntra| captvc ray whch crosscs thcm' . At thc samc tmc as thc
|umnous rays man|cst a dcvaton n spacc, thc |acc that s, thc
a||ccton-magc s dsp|accd, rascd n thc sha||ow dcpth, darkcncd at
thc cdgcs, and cntcrs an ntcnsvc scrcs dcpcndng on whcthcr thc
|gurc s|dcs towards thc dark cdgc, or thc cdgc s|dcs towards thc
|ght hgurc. Jhc c|osc-ups o| ShengheiLxrcss|orm an cxtraordnary
scrcs o| varatons at thc cdgcs. Irom thc pont o| vcw o| a
prchstory o| co|our t s thc oppostc o| Lxprcssonsm. Instcad o| a
|ght whch cmcrgcs |rom dcgrccs o| shadow by accumu|aton o| rcd
and cxtracton o| br||ancc, wc havc a |ght whch crcatcs dcgrccs o|
b|uc shadow and puts br||ancc nto shadow (n ShergheiGcsturc,thc
shadows a||cct thc zonc o| thc cycs n thc |acc). '"Stcrnbcrg s ab|c to
obtan c||ccts ana|ogous to thosc o| Lxprcssonsm, as n Thc 8luc
Hngcl, but ths s by smu|aton, wth comp|ctc|y d||crcnt mcans,
nasmuch as rc|racton s much c|oscr to a |orm o| Imprcssonsm
whcrc shadow s a|ways a conscqucncc. Jhs s not just a parody o|
Lxprcssonsm, but morc o|tcn a |orm o| rva|ry, that s to say a
producton o| thc samc c||ccts by oppostc prncp|cs.
J 1hr 1[[rtl 1J rBl|l]
Wc havc sccn thc two po|cs o| thc a||cct - powcr and qua|ty and
how thc |acc ncccssar|y passcs |rom onc to thc othcr dcpcndng on
thc partcu|ar casc. What compromscs thc ntcgrty o| thc c|osc-up n
ths rcspcct s thc dca that t prcscnts to us a parta| objcct, dctachcd
|rom a sct or torn away |rom a sct o| whch t wou|d |orm part.
Psychoana|yss and |ngustcs both gct somcthng out o| ths vcw,
thc onc bccausc t bc|cvcs that t has dscovcrcd n t a structurc o| thc
unconscous (castraton) n thc magc, thc othcr that t has dscovcrcd
n t a consttutvc proccdurc o| |anguagc (synccdochc, ersretete).
Whcn crtcs acccpt thc dca o| thc parta| objcct, thcy scc n thc c|osc-
up thc mark o| a |ragmcntaton or a cut, somc sayng that t has to bc
rcconc|cd wth thc contnuty o| thc ||m, othcrs that t shows, on thc
contrary, an csscnta| ||mc dscontnuty. ut n |act, thc c|osc-up,
thc c|osc-up o| thc |acc, has nothng to do wth a parta| objcct (cxccpt
n onc casc that wc w|| scc |atcr). As a|zs has a|rcady accuratc|y
dcmonstratcd, thc c|osc-up docs nettcar away ts objcct |rot a sct o|
whch t wou|d |orm part, o| whch t wou|d bc a part, but on thc

Thce]]cttien-imegc
contraryitebstrettsit]remellsetie-tcmerelte-erdinetcs,thattstosay
ttratscstttothcstatcollnttty. hccosc-uptsnotancnargcmcnt
and, tltt tmp|tcs achangcoldtmcnston,thtstsanabsoutcchangc.a
mutatton olmovcmcnt whtch ccascs to bc transatton tn ordcr to
bccomc cxprcsston.
hccxprcsstonolantsoatcd lacc ts awhocwhtchtstntctgtbc
by ttscl. Wchavcnothtngto addto tt bythought,norhavcwc
anythtngtoaddtothatwhtchtsolspaccorttmc. Whcnalaccthat
wc havc ust sccn tn thcmtddcola crowd ts dctachcd lrom tts
surroundtngs, put tnto rctcl, tt tsas tlwcwcrcsuddcny laccto
lacc wtth tt. Lr mrthcrmorc tl wc havc sccn ttbclorc tn aargc
room,wcwt no ongcrthtnkolthtswhcnwcscruttntscthclacc
tncosc-up. orthccxprcsstonolalaccandthcstgnthcattonolthts
cxprcsstonhavcnorcattonorconnccttonwtthspacc. accdwtth
antsoatcdlacc,wcdonotpcrcctvcspacc.Lurscnsattonolspaccts
abotshcd. A dtmcnston olanothcrordcr ts opcncdto us. '
l
hts ts what lpstctn was suggcsttng whcn hc satd. thts lacc ola
|cctngcoward,assoonas wcscctttncosc-up,wcscccowardtcctn
pcrson,thc'lcctng-thtng' , thccnttty.'' lltttstructhatthcctncmattc
tmagc ts aways dctcrrttortatscd, thcrc ts thcrclorc a vcry spccta
dctcrrttortatsatton whtch ts spcctltc to thc allcctton-tmagc. And
whcn ltscnstctncrtttctscdthcothcrs- Lrtlltth orLovzhcnko- hc
rcproachcd thcm lor havtng somcttmcs latcd tn thctr cosc-ups
bccausc thcy aowcd thcm to havc a connotatton ol thc spatto-
tcmporal co-ordtnatcs ol a pacc, ol a momcnt, wtthout attatntng
whathchtmsclcacdthc'pathcttc'whtchccmcnttsapprchcndcdtn
thc ccstasyor thc allcct. '
Whattscurtouststhathazsdcntcstoothcrcosc-upswhathchas
ust acccptcd lor thc lacc. a hand, a part olthc body oran obcct
woud rcmatn trrcmcdtaby tn spacc, and woud thcrclorc bccomc
cosc-upsony aspartta obccts. htststolattorccogntscboththc
constancyolthccosc-upthroughttsvartcttcsandthcstrcngtholany
obcct lrom thcpotntolvtcwolcxprcsston. trsty,thcrctsagrcat
vartctyolcosc-ups ollaccs.somcttmcsouttnc,somcttmcs lcaturc,
somcttmcsastngclaccandsomcttmcscvcra,somcttmcssucccsstvcy,
somcttmcsstmutancousy.hcycantncudcabackground, notaby
tnthccascoldcptholltcd.hut,tnathcsccascs,thccosc-uprctatns
thc samc powcr to tcar thc tmagc away lrom spatto-tcmpora co-
ordtnatcstnordcrto ca lorththcpurcaIlcctasthccxprcsscd.lvcn
thc pacc, whtch ts stt prcscnt tn thc background, oscs tts co-
Thce]cttescntity 7
ordnatcs and bccomcs 'any spacc whatcvcr' jcsetc qucltenquc]
(whch rcstrcts lscnstcn's obccton). A lcaturc ol lacccty
jvisegit] s no css a compctc cosc-up than a whoc lacc. lt s
mcrcy anothcr poc ol thc lacc, and thcrc s as much ntcnsty
cxprcsscdbyalcaturcasthcrcsquatybythcwhoclacc.bthcrc
arc no grounds lor dstngushng cosc-ups and bg Uosc-ups or
'nscrts' , whch woud ony show apart olthclacc. lnmany cascs
thcrcsnomorcdstnctonbctwccncosc-mcdumshots,two-shots,
andcosc-ups.Andwhywoudapartolthcbody,chn,stomachor
chcstbcmorcparta,morcspato-tcmporaandcsscxprcssvcthan
an ntcnsvc lcaturc ol lacccty or a rchcxvc whoc lacc or
cxampc,thcscrcsollatkuaksnlscnstcn'sThcGcncrelLinc.And
whyscxprcssonnotavaabctothngshcrcarcallcctsolthngs.
thc'cdgc' ,thc'badc',orrathcrthc'pont'ol)ackthcKppcr'sknlc,
snocssanallcctthanthclcarwhchovcrcomcshslcaturcsandthc
rcsgnatonwhch hnay sczcs hod olthc whoc olhs lacc. hc
5tocs showcd that thngs thcmscvcs wcrc bcarcrs oldca cvcnts
whchddnotcxactyconcdcwththcrpropcrtcs,thcractonsand
rcactons. thc cdgc ola knlc . . . .
hcallcctsthccntty,thats owcror_uaty. ltssomcthng
cxprcsscd. thc alIcct docs not cxst ndcpcndcnty ol somcthng
whchcxprcsscs t, athough t s compctcydstnct lromt. What
cxprcsscstsalacc,oralacacquvacnt(alacchcdobcct)or,aswc
wsccatcr,cvcnaproposton.Wccathcsctolthccxprcsscdand
ts cxprcsson, olthcallcctandthclacc, 'con'. hcrcarcthcrclorc
cons ollcaturcand cons oloutnc,orrathcrcvcry con hasthcsc
two pocs. tsthcsgn olthc bpoar composton olthcallccton-
magc. hc allccton- magc s powcr or quaty consdcrcd lor
thcmscvcs,ascxprcsscds.ltsccarthatpowcrsandquatcscanaso
cxstnacompctcydllcrcntway.asactuascd,cmbodcdnstatcs
olthngs. Astatcolthngsncudcsadctcrmnatcspacc-tmc,spato-
tmporaco-ordnatcs,ob cctsandpcop|c,rcaconncctonsbctwccn
athcscgvcns.lnastatcolthngswhchactuascsthcmthcquaty
bccomcsthc 'quac' olanobcct,powcrbccomcsactonorpasson,
allcct bccomcs scnsaton, scntmcnt, cmoton or cvcn mpusc
julsien] n apcrson,thclacc bccomcs thccharactcrormaskolthc
pcrson(tsonylromthspontolvcwthatthcrccanbcmcndacous
cxprcssons).hutnowwcarcnoongcrnthcdomanolthcallccton-
magc, wc havc cntcrcd thc doman ol thc acton-magc. hc
allccton-magc, lor ts part, s abstractcd lrom thcspato-tcmpora
co-ordnatcswhchwoudrcatctto astatcolthngs,andabstracts
thclacclrom thc pcrson to whch t bcongs n thc statcotthngs.
B
Thc e]]cttien-imegc
L.5.ctrcc,whoscgrcattmportancclorthccasstltcattonoltmagcs
andstgnswchavcarcadynotcd,dtsttngutshcdbctwccntwosortsol
tmagcs whtch hc cacd 'trsmcss' and '5ccondncss'. '5ccondncss
was whcrcvcr thcrc wcrc two by thcmscvcs.what ts what tt ts tn
rcattontoasccond.lvcrythtngwhtchonycxtstsbybctngopposcd,
byandtnaduc,thcrclorcbcongstosccondncss:cxcrtton-rcststancc,
actton-rcactton, cxcttatton-rcsponsc,sttuatton-bchavtour,tndtvtdua-
mttcu. . . . lttsthccatcgoryolthcKca,olthcactua,olthccxtsttng,
olthctndtvtduatcd.Andthcltrstltgurcol sccondncsststhattnwhtch
powcr-quatttcs bccomc 'lorccs' , that ts to say arc actuatscd tn
parttcuarstatcsolthtngs,dctcrmtnatcspacc-ttmcs,gcographtcaand
htstortca mttcux, coccttvc agcnts or tndtvtdua pcopc. lt ts hcrc
thatthcactton-tmagctsbornanddcvcopcd.huthowcvcrcoscthcsc
concrctcmtxturcsmaybc, ltrsmcsstsancnttrcydt llcrcntcatcgory,
whtchrclcrs to anothcrtypcoltmagcwtthothcrstgns.ctrccdocs
notconccathclactthathrstncsstsdtlltcuttodcltnc,bccausctttslct,
rathcrthanconcctvcd.ttconccrnswhattsncwtncxpcrtcncc,whatts
lrcsh,|ccttngandncvcrthccss ctcrna. ctrccgtvcs,aswcshascc,
somcvcrystrangccxampcs,butthcyacomcdowntothts. thcscarc
quatttcs orpowcrsconstdcrcdlorthcmscvcs,wtthoutrclcrcnccto
anythtngcsc,tndcpcndcntyolanyqucsttonolthctractuatsatton. lt
tsthatwhtchtsastttslorttsclandtnttscl. ltts,lorcxampc,a'rcd' ,
asprcscnttnthcproposttton 'thts isnetrcd' astn 'thtstsrcd' . llyou
tkc, tt ts an tmmcdtatc and tnstantancous consctousncss, such as ts
tmptcdbycvcryrcaconsctousncsswhtchtsttsclncvcrtmmcdtatc
nor tnstantancous. lt ts not a scnsatton, a lcctng, an tdca, but thc
quatty ola posstbcscnsatton, lcctng or tdca. trsmcssts thusthc
catcgoryolthcosstbc.ttgtvcsapropcrconststcncytothcposstbc,
tt cxprcsscs thcposstbc wtthout actuatstng tt, whtst makng tta
compctcmodc. Now,thtstscxactywhat thc ahcctton-tmagcts .ttts
quattyorpowcr,tt tspotcnttattyconstdcrcdlorttsclascxprcsscd.
hc corrcspondtng stgn ts thcrclorc cxprcsston, not actuatsatton.
Matncdc htranhad arcady spokcn olpurcallccttons,unpaccabc
bccauscthcy havcno rcattonto adctcrmtnatcspacc,prcscnt tnthc
soc lorm ola'thcrcts. . . ' , bccauscthcyhavcno rcattonstoancgo
jmei] (thcpatns olahcmtpcgtc,thchoattngtmagcsollatngasccp,
thc vtstons olmadncss).'hc alIcct ts tmpcrsona and ts dtsttnct
lromcvcrytndtvtduatcdstatcolthtngs.tttsnoncthccsssinguler,and
can cntcr tnto stnguar combtnattons or conuncttons wtth othcr
allccts. hc allcct ts tndtvtstbcand wtthoutparts, butthcstnguar
combtnattons that tt lorms wtth othcr allccts lorm tn turn an
tndtvtstbc quatty, whtch wt| ony bc dtvtdcd by changtng
Thre]]rttesrntity
quattattvcy (thc 'dtvtdua' ). hc allcct ts tndcpcndcnt ol a
dctcrmtnatc spacc-ttmc, but tt ts noncthccss crcatcd tna htstory
whtchproduccs ttasthccxprcsscdandthccxprcsstonolaspaccora
ttmc,olancpochoramttcu (thtstswhythcallcct tsthc 'ncw'and
ncw allccts arc ccasccssycrcatcd, notaby by thc work olart).
'

ln short, allccts, quatty-powcrs, can bc graspcd tn two ways.

ctthcrasactuatscdtnastatcolthtngs,orascxprcsscdbyalacc,alacc-
cqutvacnt or a 'proposttton' . hts ts ctrcc's sccondncss and
lrstncss. lvcrysctoltmagcstsmadcupolltrstncsscs, sccondncsscs
and many othcr thtngs bcstdcs. ut allcctton-tmagcs, tn thc strtct
scnsc, ony rclcr to lrstncss.
htsts a phantasma conccptton olthcallcctwhtchhasttsrtsks.
'andwhcnhcwasatthcothcrstdcolthcbrtdgcthcphantomscamcto
mccthtm. . . ' . Lrdtnarty,thrccrocsolthclaccarcrccogntsabc.ttts
tndtvtduattng (tt dtsttngutshcs or charactcrtscs cach pcrson), tt ts
soctatstng(ttmantlcstasoctaroc),tttsrcattonaorcommuntcattng
(ttcnsurcsnotonycommuntcattonbctwccntwopcopc,butaso,tn
astngcpcrson,thctntcrnaagrccmcntbctwccnhtscharactcrandhts
roc). Nowthclacc, whtchcllccttvcyprcscntsthcscaspccts tnthc
ctncma as cscwhcrc, oscs athrcctnthccascolcosc-up.crgman
ts undoubtcdy thc dtrcctor who has bccn most tnststcnt on thc
lundamcnta tnk whtchunttcsthcctncma,thclaccandthccosc-up:
'Lur work bcgtns wtth thc human lacc. . . . hc posstbttty ol
drawtng ncar tothc human lacc tsthcprtmary ortgtnattyandthc
dtsttncttvc quatty olthc ctncma. ' ' ' A charactcr has abandoncd hts
prolcsston,rcnounccd hts socta roc,hc ts no ongcrabcto,orno
ongcr wants to communtcatc, ts struck by an amost absoutc
mutcncss, hccvcnoscshtstndtvtduatton,tothcpotntwhcrchctakcs
onastrangcrcscmbancctothcothcr,arcscmbanccbydclautorby
abscncc. lndccd,thcscluncttonsolthclaccprcsupposcthcrcattyola
statc olthtngs whcrcpcopc actand pcrcctvc. hcallcctton-tmagc
makcs thcm dtssovc, dtsappcar. Wc rccogntsc onc ol crgman' s
scrtpts.
hcrcts no cosc-upolthclacc. hccosc-upts thclacc, butthc
laccprcctscytnsolarastthasdcstroycdttstrtpclunctton-a nudtty
olthclaccmuchgrcatcrthanthatolthcbody,antnhumanttymuch
grcatcrthanthatolantmas. hcktssarcadytcstthcstothctntcgra
unttyolthclacc,andtnsptrcstnttthcmtcro-movcmcntsthatthcrcst
olthcbodyhtdcs.ut,morctmportanty,thccosc-uptumsthclacc
tnto aphantom,and thc bookolphantoms. hclacctsthcvamptrc,
and thc cttcrs arc hts bats, hts mcans ol cxprcsston. ln Thr
Cmmunitents, 'whtc thc pastor rcads thc cttcr, thc woman tn thc
l OO
Thr e]]rttien-imegr
lorcground spcaks thc scntcnccs wtthout wrtttng thcm' , and, tn
HutumnSenete, 'thctcxtolthccttcrts dtvtdcdbctwccnthcwoman
who wrttcs tt, hcr husband who gcts to know about tt, and thc
addrcssccwhohasnotyctrccctvcdtt'. ' hclaccsconvcrgc,borrow
thctrmcmortcs lromcachothcrandtcndto bccomcmtxcdup. Itts
lruttcsstowondcr,tn|rrsene,tlthcscarctwopcopcwhorcscmbcd
cach othcr bclorc, or who bcgtn to rcscmbc cach othcr, oron thc
contraryastngcpcrson whosptts tntwo.Ittssomcthtngcsc. hc
cosc-up has mcrcy pushcd thc lacc to thosc rcgtons whcrc thc
prtnctpcoltndtvtduattonccascstohodsway.hcyarcnottdcnttca
bccausc thcy rcscmbc cach othcr, but bccausc thcy havc ost
tndtvtduattonnocssthansoctatsattonandcommuntcatton. htsts
thc opcratton olthc cosc-up. hccosc-up docs not dtvtdc onc
tndtvtdua,anymorcthanttrcunttcstwo.ttsuspcndstndtvtduatton.
hcnthcstngcandravagcd laccunttcsapartolonctoapartolthc
othcr. At thts potnt tt no ongcr rc|ccts nor lccs anythtng, but
mcrcy cxpcrtcnccs amutclcar. Itabsorbs two bctngs,andabsorbs
thcmtnthcvotd. Andtnthcvotdtttsttsclthcphotogrammcwhtch
burns,wtthcarasttsonyallcct. hclactacosc-uptsboththclacc
and tts cllaccmcnt. crgman has pushcdthcnthttsm olthc laccthc
lurthcst,thatts tts rcattonshtptnlcartothcvotdorthcabscncc,thc
lcarolthclaccconlrontcdwtthttsnothtngncss. Inawhocsccttonol
hts workcrgmanrcachcsthccxtrcmctmttolthcallcctton-tmagc,
hcburnsthctcon,hcconsumcsandcxttngutshcsthclaccasccrtatny
as cckctt.
lsthtsthctncvttabcroutcuponwhtchthccosc-upascntttyhassct
ushcphantomsthrcatcnusathcmorcasthcydonotcomclrom
thc past. Kalka dsttngutshcd two cquay modcrn tcchnoogtca
pcdtgrccs.onthconchandthcmcansolcommuntcatton-transatton,
whtch cnsurc our tnscrtton and our conqucsts tn spacc and ttmc
(boat, car, tratn, acropanc . . . ), on thc othcr hand thc mcans ol
communtcatton-cxprcsston whtch summon up phantoms on our
routc and turn us oll coursc towards allccts whtch arc unco-
ordtnatcd, outstdc co-ordtnatcs (cttcrs thc tccphonc, thc radto, a
thc tmagtnabc 'gramophoncs' and ctncmatographs. . . ). hts was
not a thcory,but Kalka'sdatycxpcrtcncc.cachttmc oncwrttcsa
cttcr,aphantomconsumcsttsktsscsbclorcttarrtvcs,pcrhapsbclorc
tt cavcs, so that tt ts arcady ncccssary to wrttc anothcr onc. '"ut
what can bc donc to stop thc two corrcattvc scrtcs cadtngto thc
worst, thconcgtvcnupto movcmcntwhtchtstncrcastngymtttary
and potctng, whtch drags puppct-charactcrs tnto rtgtdsoctarocs,
tntocongcacdcharactcrs,whtstthcvotdasccndstnthcothcrscrtcs,
Thce]]ctt d cntity l Ol
allcctngthcsurvvnglaccs wthasngcanddcntcalcarhss
arcadythccascncrgman'sworkcvcnntspotcaaspccts( Thc
Shemc, Thc Scrcnt 's Lgg) but aso n thc Lcrman schoo whch
cxtcndsand rcncws thcprocctolsuch acncmaollcar. romths
pcrspcctvcWcndcrsattcmptsatranspantatonandrcconcatonol
thctwopcdgrccs . ' l'm alrad olbcng alrad. ' lnhsworkthcrcs
oltcn an actvc scrcs whcrc thc movcmcnts ol transaton arc
convcrtcdandntcrchangcd tran,car,mctro,acropanc,boat and
constanty ntcrlcrng, constanty ntcrmngcd, an aIlcctvc scrcs
whcrc onc ooks lor and mccts cxprcssvc phantoms, or onc
summons thcm up wth prntng, photography and cncma. hc
voyagc olntaton Kings e] thcKeedgocs through thc phantom
machncsolthcodprntngworksandolthctravcngcncma.hc
oumcyolHlitcinthcCiticsspunctuatcdbypoarods,tothcpont
whcrcthcmagcs olthc lm arc cxtngushcd atthcsamcrhythm,
untthcmomcntwhcnthcttcgrsays. 'Arcn'tyoutakngphotos
anymorc'cvcnltmcansthatthcphantomsthcntakconanothcr
lorm.
Kalkasuggcstcdmakngmxturcs,puttngphantommachncson
thc apparatuscs oltransaton. ths was vcry ncw lor thc tmc, a
tccphoncnatran,post-boxcsonaboat,cncmananacropanc.'"ls
thsnotasothcwhochstoryolthccncma.thccamcraonras,ona
bcycc,acra,ctc. AndthsswhatWcndcrswantswhcnhcmakcs
thctwo scrcs ntcrpcnctratc n hs hrst lms. hc allccton-magc
andthcacton-magcwbcsavcdsomchoworothcr,thconcbythc
othcr. . . . ut s thcrc notyctanothcrwaynwhchthcallccton-
magcmghtsavctsclandpushbacktsownmt(awayskctchcdn
Wcndcrs' Hmcriten lricnd) hc alIccts woud nccd to lorm
snguar, ambguouscombnatons whch wcrc awaysrccrcatcd, n
suchaway that thcrcatcdlaccsarctumcdawaylromcachothcr}ust
cnoughnotto bcdssovcdandcllaccd. Andmovcmcntntstum
woudnccdtogobcyondthcstatcsolthngs,totraccncsolhght,
ust cnough to opcn up n spacc a dmcnson ol anothcr ordcr
lavourabc to thcsc compostons olallccts. hs s thc allccton-
magc.thasastsmtthcsmpcaIlcctollcarandthccllaccmcntol
laccsnnothngncss.utastssubstanccthasthccompoundallcctol
dcsrcandolastonshmcnt-whchgvcstlc-andthctumngasdc
ollaccs n thcopcn, n thc hcsh.''
Z D0 d00lIOD-IDd0
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hcrcarc luu, thc amp, thc brcad-knlc,)ack thc Ktppcr.pcopc
whoarcassumcdtobcrcawthtndvtduacharactcrsandsoctarocs,
obccts wtth uscs,rcaconnccttons bctwccnthcscobcctsandthcsc
pcopc- tnshort,awhocactuastatcolthngs.utthcrcarcasothc
brghtncssolthc tght onthckntlc,thc badc olthckntlcundcrthc
tght, )ack's tcrror and rcstgnatton, luu's compassonatc ook.
hcsc arc purc stnguarquattcs orpotcntatcs - as ttwcrc,purc
'possbcs' . Ll coursc, powcr-quatttcs do rcatc to pcopc and to
obccts,to thcstatcolthngs,whtcharc,asttwcrc,thcrcauscs.ut
thcscarcvcryspccacllccts.takcna togcthcrthcyonyrclcrback
to thcmscvcs, and consttutc thc 'cxprcsscd' olthcstatc olthngs,
whtst thc causcs, lor thctrpart, ony rclcr back to thcmscvcs tn
constttuttng thc statcolthngs. As aazs says, howcvcrmuchthc
prcctptcc may bc thc causc ol vcrttgo, t docs not cxpatn thc
cxprcsson ttproduccs on alacc. Lr,lyou kc,ttcxpanst,butt
docs not makc t comprchcnstbc. 'hc prccpcc abovc whch
somconccanspcrhapscxpatnshscxprcsstonollrght,butttdocs
not crcatc t. orthccxprcsston cxtsts cvcn wtthoutusttlcaton,t
docsnotbccomccxprcssonbccauscasttuattontsassoctatcdwthttn
thought. ' ' Andolcoursc,powcr-quattcshavcananttctpatoryroc,
stnccthcyprcparclorthccvcntwhtchwtbcactuatscdnthcstatcol
thngs and wt modtly t (thc sash olthc kntlc, thc la ovcrthc
prccptcc). uttnthcmscvcs,orascxprcsscds,thcyarcarcadythc
cvcnt tn tts ctcrna aspcct, tn what anchot cas 'thcaspcct olthc
cvcnt that tts accomptshmcnt cannot rcatsc' . '
Whatcvcrthctrmutuatnvovcmcnts,wccanthcrclorcdtsttngutsh
twostatcsolpowcr-quattcs,thats,olallccts. asthcyarcactuascd
tn an ndvduatcd statc ol thtngs and tn thc corrcspondng rcel
tenncttiens (wtth a parttcuar spacc-tmc, hit ct nunt, partcuar
charactcrs, partcuar rocs, partcuar obccts) and as thcy arc
cxprcsscdlorthcmscvcs,outstdcspato-tcmporaco-ordtnatcs,wth
thctr own tdca snguarttcs and thcr virtueltenunttien. hc hrst
Cemlcx cntity l OJ
dmcnson scsscntato thcacton-magcandtomcdum-shots,but
thcothcrdmcnson consttutcs thcallccton-magcorthccosc-up.
hcpurcallcct,thcpurccxprcsscdolthcstatcolthngsnlactrcatcs
toalaccwhchcxprcsscst(ortoscvcralaccs,ortocquvacnts,orto
propostons). lt s thclacc - orthccquvacnt - whch gathcrs and
cxprcsscs thc allcct as a compcx cntty, and sccurcs thc vrtua
con}unctons bctwccn snguar pontsolths cntty (thcbrghtncss,
thc badc, thc tcrror,thccompassonatcook . . . ).
Allcctsarcnotndvduatcdkcpcopcandthngs,butncvcrthccss
thcy do not bcnd nto thc ndllcrcncc olthc word. hcy havc
snguartcs whch cntcr nto vrtua con}uncton and cach tmc
consttutcacompcxcntty. ltskcpontsolmctng,olbong,ol
condcnsaton, olcoaguaton, ctc. hs swhylaccs whchcxprcss
varousallccts,orthcvarouspontsolthcsamcallcct,donotmcrgc
nto a sngc lcar whch woud obtcratc thcm (obtcratng lcar s
mcrcyamt-casc).hccosc-updocsndccdsuspcndndvduaton
andKogcrlccnhardt,whohatcsthccosc-up,s rghttosaythatt
makcsalaccs ookakc.anon-madc-uplaccsookkclaconctt,
a madc-up oncs kc Larbo. Lnc ony nccd rcca that thc actor
hmscl docs not rccognsc hmscl n thc cosc-up (accordng to
crgman, 'wc wcrcscttngoutto dothccuttngandcdtngandlv
sad.ookatb,shc'sawlu 'andbsadntum.no,t'snotmc,t's
you. . . ' . )hsssmpyto saythatthccosc-upolthclaccactsnot
throughthcndvduatyolarocorolacharactcr,orcvcnthrough
thc pcrsonaty olthc actor - at castnotdrccty.utncvcrthccss
thcy do not a havc thc samc vauc. ll a lacc s ol a knd whch
cxprcsscs somc snguartcs rathcr than othcrs ths s through thc
dllcrcntatonoltsownmatcrapartsandtscapactytomakcthcr
rcatons vary. parts whch arc hard and tcndcr, shadowy and
umnatcd,du andshny,smoothand grany, }aggcdandcurvcd,
ctc.Lncmagncsthcrclorcthatalaccssutcdtooncpartcuartypc
olallcctorcnttyrathcrthanothcrs.hccosc-upmakcsthclaccthc
purc budngmatcra olthc allcct,ts 'hy' .lcnccthcscstrangc
cncmatographcnuptasnwhchthcactrcss provdcs hcr laccand
thcmatcra|capactyolhcrparts,whstthcdrcctornvcntsthcallcct
orthclormolthccxprcssbcwhchborrowsandputsthcmtowork.
hcrc s thus an ntcrna composton olthccosc-up, that s a
gcnuncy allcctvc lramng, cuttng jdteuegc]and montagc. hc
rcatonshp ol thc cosc-up to othcr shots and to othcr typcs ol
magcsmghtbccamcxtcmacompston.utntcrnacomposton
s thc rcatonshp olthc cosc-up, cthcr to othcr cosc-ups, or to
tscl, ts ccmcnts and dmcnsons. hcrc s, morcovcr, no grcat
l O1
/ Thce]]cttien-imegc
dtllcrcnccbctwccnthctwo.thcrccanbcasucccsstonolcosc-ups-
compactor at tntcrvas - butasoa stngc cosc-upcan succcsstvcy
dcvcopparttcuarlcaturcsorpartsolthclaccandaowustowttncss
thctrchangtngrcattonshtps.Andastngccosc-upcanstmutancousy
}otnscvcralaccs,orpartsoldtllcrcntlaccs (andnotonyloraktss).
tnay,ttcantncudcaspacc-ttmc,tndcpthoronthcsurlacc,astltt
hadtomttawaylromthcco-ordtnatcslromwhtchttwasabstractcd.
tt carrtcs ollwtth tt a lragmcnt olthc sky,olcountrystdc orolan
apartmcnt,ascrapolvtstonwtthwhtchthclacctslormcdtnpowcror
quatty.lttstkcashort-ctrcuttolthcncarandthclar.Anltscnstctn
cosc-up. lvan's tmmcnsc proltc, whtst thc stnuous tnc ol thc
mtntaturtscd crowd ol supptcants ts hortzontay opposcd to thc
sharpangcs olthcnosc,thcbcardandthcsku.AnLtvctracosc-
up. thc two laccs olthc man, whtst, tndcpththts ttmc, thc horsc
whtch hasmountcdthcstatrs prcltgurcs thcallccts olthcscductton
andthcmustcartdc. lnlactwchavcsccnthatassoonasthccosc-up
ts dcltncd, not by tts rcattvc dtmcnstons but by tts absoutc
dtmcnston or tts lunctton - tn othcr words, whcn thc allcct ts
cxprcsscdascnttty- tttshardyposstbctodtsttngutshthcbtgcosc-
upjtrsgreslen],thccosc-up,thccoscshot]lenrereth]orcvcn
thctwo-shotjlenemritein].What wccathctntcrnacomposttton
olthc cosc-up wt thcrclorc rcst on thc loowtng ccmcnts. thc
cxprcsscd compcx cnttty, wtth thcstnguartttcsthattttncudcs,thc
lacc or laccs whtchcxprcss tt,wtthparttcuardt llcrcnttatcdmatcrta
parts and parttcuar vartabc rcattonshtps bctwccn thcparts (alacc
hardcns or bccomcs tcndcr), thc spacc ol thc vtrtua con}unctton
bctwccn thc stnguartttcs, whtch tcndsto cotnctdcwtththclacc,or
whtch,onthccontrary,gocsbcyondtt,thctumtngawayjdunmcnt]
ollacc or laccs, whtch opcns and dcscrtbcs thts spacc. . . .
Athcscaspcctsarctnkcd.trsty,turntngawayjdtrncmcnt]ts
not thc opposttc o[ 'tumtng towards' jsc tncr]. oth arc
tnscparabc,thconcwoudbc rathcrthcmotormovcmcntoldcstrc,
and thcothcrthcrchccttngmovcmcntoladmtratton. AsLourthta
shows,thcybothbcongto thclacc,butthcyarcnotopposcdtocach
othcr, thcy arcbothopposcd tothctdca olantndtllcrcnt, dcad and
ltxcd lacc whtch woud obttcratc a laccs and woudcadthcmto
nothtngncss. As ongasthcrcarclaccs,thcytumtkcpanctsaround
altxcdstarand,tnturntng,thcyarcconstantyturntngaway.Avcry
smachangcoldtrccttonolthclaccvartcsthcrcattonshtpolttshard
andtcndcrparts, andsomodtltcsthcallcct.lvcnastngclacc hasa
coclltctcnt oltumtng away and tumtng towards. lt ts by turntng
towards-tumtngawayjtmcnt-duncmcnt]thatthclacccxprcssc
Cemlcx cntity I OJ
thcallcct, tts tncrcascanddccrcasc, whtst obttcrattongocsbcyond
thcthrcshodoldccrcasc, pungcsthcallccttntothcvotdandmakcs
thclaccosctts lcaturcs. lnabst'sLulu)ack'slaccturnsawaylrom
thatolthcwoman,modtltcsttsallcctandmakcstttncrcasctnanothcr
dtrcctton, up to tts bruta dccrcasc tnto nothtngncss. crgman's
ctncmaltndsttscumtnattontnthcobttcrattonollaccs.ttwthavcct
thcm tvc, gtvcn thcm thc ttmc to accomptsh thctr strangc, cvcn
shamcluorhatclu,rcvoutton.hcodwomanwtthbugtngcycsts
tkcthcbacksunaroundwhtchthchcrotncolletcteletcturns,but
whtstturntngaway.hcscrvantgtrtnCricsendhiscrshodsout
hcrbroad,solt,mutclacc,butthctwoststcrsonysurvtvcbytumtng
aroundhcrandturntngaway lrom cach othcr.and tt tsthcmutua
turntng away whtch aso constttutcs thc survtva olthc ststcrs ol
Silcntc,andthcvactattngtlcolthctwoprotagontstsol|crsene.Lp
tothcgortousmomcntwhcnthctumcd-awaylaccsrcgatnthctrlu
lorcc,bcyondnothtngncssand,tnturntngaroundthcmummy,cntcr
avtrtuaconunctton whtchlormsanallcctaspowcrluasawcapon
crosstng spacc, sctttng ltrc to thc unust statc olthtngs tnstcad ol
burntng thc thtngs thcmscvcs, and rcstortng tlctoprtmarytlc, tn
thc lorm ol a hcrmaphrodttc's lacc and a chtd's lacc (lennyend
Hlcxendcr).
hc cxprcsscd cnttty ts what thc Mtddc Agcs cacd thc
'stgntltabc compcx' ol a proposttton, dtsttnct lrom thc statc ol
thtngs. hc cxprcsscd that ts,thcallcct tscompcx bccauscttts
madc up ola sorts olstnguartttcs that tt somcttmcsconncctsand
tntowhtchttsomcttmcsdtvtdcs.htstswhyttconstantyvartcsand
changcs quattattvcyaccordtngtothcconnccttonsthatttcarrtcsout
or thc dtvtstons that ttundcrgocs. hts ts thcOtvtdua,thatwhtch
nctthcrtncrcascsnordccrcascswtthoutchangtngquattattvcy.What
produccs thc untty ol thc allcct at cach tnstant ts thc vtrtua
conuncttonassurcdbythccxprcsston,laccorproposttton.rttancc,
tcrror,dcctstvcncss andcompasston arcvcrydtllcrcntquatttcsand
powcrs whtch arc somcttmcs conncctcd and somcttmcs scparatcd.
hcltrst ts apowcrorquatty 'ol'scnsatton,thcncxtollcctng,thc
ncxtolactonandthcastolstatc.Wcsay 'quattyo]scnsatton' , ctc.
bccauscthcscnsattonorthclcctng,ctc.tsprcctscythattnwhtchthc
powcr-quatty ts actuatscd. Ncvcrthccss, thc powcr-quatty must
not bc conluscd wtth thcstatc olthtngs whtch tt actuatscs tn thts
way. brtghtncss ts not thc samc as a parttcuar scnsatton, nor
dcctstvcncss thc samc as a parttcuar actton. hcy arc purc
posstbttttcs, purc vtrtuatttcs, whtch wt bc accomptshcd tn
parttcuar condtttons by thc scnsatton that gtvcs us thckntlcundcr
l O
/ Thce]]cttien-imegc
thc ght, orbythcactonolthcknlcnourhand. Ascrccwoud
havc sad, a coour kc rcd, a vauc kc brghtncss, a powcr kc
dccsvcncss, a quaty kc hardncss or tcndcrncss, arc prmary
postvcpossbtcswhchrclcronytothcmscvcs.
hcrclorc,ust
asthcycanbcscparatcd lromcachothcr,thcycanbcconncctcdand
canrclcrtooncanothcr,navrtuacon}unctonwhch,ntum,snot
to bcconluscdwththcrcaconncctonbctwccnthcamp,thcknlc
andthcpcopc- athoughthscon}unctonsactuascdhcrcandnow
n ths connccton. Wc must aways dstngushpowcr-quatcs n
thcmscvcs, as cxprcsscd by a lacc, laccs or thcr cquvacnts
(allccton-magc ol hrstncss) and thcsc samc powcr-quatcs as
actuascd n a statcolthngs, n a dctcrmnatc spacc-tmc (acton-
magc olsccondncss).
lnthcallcctvclmercxtcllcntc,Lrcycr's|essiene]]eene]Hrt,
thcrcsawhochstorcastatcolthngs,socarocsandndvduaor
cocctvc charactcrs, rca conncctons bctwccn thcm - )oan, thc
bshop, thc lngshman, thc udgcs, thc kngdom, thc pcopc. n
short, thc tra. ut thcrc s somcthng csc, whch s not cxacty
ctcrnaorsuprahstorca .tswhatguycacd' ntcrna' . ltskc
twoprcscnts whch ccasccssy ntcrscct, oncolwhchs cndcssy
arrvngandthcothcrsarcadycstabshcd.guyasosadthatonc
gocs thc whoccngth olthc hstorca cvcnt, but that oncasccnds
nsdcthcothcrcvcnt.thclrsthasongbccncmbodcd,butthcsccond
contnucsto cxprcsstsclandscvcnstooknglorancxprcsson.
ltsthcsamccvcntbutoncpartoltsproloundyrcascdnastatcol
thngs, whstthcothcr s athcmorcrrcducbctoarcasaton.
hs mystcry olthc prcscnt n guy or anchot - but aso n
Lrcycr and rcsson s thc dllcrcncc bctwccn thc tra and thc
asson, whch arc ncvcrthccss nscparabc. Actvc causcs arc
dctcrmncd n thc statc ol thngs . but thc cvcnt tscl,thcallcctvc,
thc cllcct, gocs bcyond ts own causcs, and ony rclcrs to
othcrcllccts,whstthccauscslorthcrpartlaasdc.lts thcangcre]
thc bshopandthcmartyrdome])oan,but,athatwbc prcscrvcd
lromthcrocsandstuatonswbcwhatsnccdcdlorthcallccttobc
cxtractcd andtocarryouttscon}unctons ths 'powcr'olangcror
ol rusc, ths 'quaty' ol vctm or olmartyrdom. o cxtract thc
assonlromthctra,tocxtractlromthccvcntthsncxhaustbcand
brantpartwhchgocsbcyondtsownactuasaton, 'thccompcton
whchsncvcrcompctcd' . hcallcctskcthccxprcsscdolthcstatc
olthngs, but ths cxprcsscd docs not rclcrtothcstatc olthngs,t
ony rclcrs to thc laccs whch cxprcss t and, comng togcthcr or
scparatng,gvcttspropcrmovngcontcxt.Madcupolshortclosc-
Cemlcxcntity
l O7
ups, thc ltIm took upon ttscllthatpartolthccvcntwhtchdocs not
aIIow ttscllto b actuaItscd tn adctcrmtnatcmtItcu.
hc pcrlcct ht bctwccn thctcchntcalmcansandthtscndts aIso
tmportant.Allccttvclramtngprocccdsbytuttingtlesc-usjgreslrs
teuents] . 5omcttmcshowItngltpsortoothIcsssnccrsarccuttntothc
mass ol thc lacc. bmcttmcs thc lramc cuts a lacc hortzontaIIy,
vcrttcaIly or aslant, obltqucIy. And movcmcnts arc cut tn thctr
coursc,thcconttnuttyshotssystcmattcaIlylaIsc,astlttwasncccssary
to brcak ovcr-rcal orovcr-logtcal connccttons. Also,)oan' slacc ts
oltcnpushcdbacktothcIowcrpartolthctmagc,sothatthccIosc-up
carrtcswtthttalragmcntolwhttcdcor,ancmptyzonc,aspaccol
sky lrom whtch shcdraws an tnsptratton. lt ts an cxtraordtnary
documcnt on thc tumtngtowardandtumtngawayollaccs.hcsc
cutttng lramcs rcspond to thcnotton ol'unlramtng',proposcd by
onttzcr to dcstgnatc unusuaI angIcs whtch arc not compIctcIy
usttltcdbythcrcqutrcmcntsolacttonorpcrccptton.Lrcycravotds
thc shot-rcvcrsc shot jthem-tentrcthr] proccdurcwhtchwould
matntatnarcalrclattonbctwccncachlaccandthcothcr,andwouId
sttII bcpartolan actton-tmagc. lcprclcrs to tsoIatc cach lacc tn a
cIosc-upwhtchtsonIypartIyhIIcd,sothatthcpostttontothcrtghtor
to thc Iclt dtrcctIy tnduccs a vtrtual con}unctton whtch no Iongcr
nccds to pass through thc rcaI conncctton bctwccn thcpcopIc.
Allccttvccutttngtntumprocccds bywhatLrcycrhtmscIlcalIcd
'lIowtng cIosc-ups' . hts ts, undoubtcdIy,aconttnuous movcmcnt
bywhtchthccamcrapasscs lromthccIosc-uptothcmcdtumorluII
shot,buttttsprtmartIyawayoltrcattngthcmcdtumshotandthcluII
shot es closc-ups - by thc abscncc oldcpth or thc supprcsston ol
pcrspccttvc. Nowt tt snotthccloscshotjlenrereth],whtchcan
takconthcstatusolthccIosc-up,butanyktndolshot.thcdtsttncttons
tnhcrttcd lrom spacc tcnd to ladc. y supprcsstng 'atmosphcrtc'
pcrspccttvcLrcycrproduccsthctrtumpholapropcrIytcmporaIor
cvcn sptrttual pcrspccttvc. lIattcntng thc thtrddtmcnston, hcputs
two-dtmcnstonaIspacctntotmmcdtatcrcIattonwtththcallcct,wttha
lourthandltlth dtmcnston,tmcand 5ptrtt. LlcourscthccIosc-up
can,tnprtnctpIc,subordtnatcor}otntnwtththcbackgroundsjenirc-
]ends] by dcpth ol ltcId. ut thts ts not thc casc wtth Lrcycr, tn
whoscworkdcpth, whcnttts tntroduccd, tndtcatcsthcobIttcratton
olacharactcr.Inhtswork,onthccontrary,thcncgattonoldcpthand
ol pcrspccttvc, thc tdcaI planc-ncss ol thc tmagc, alIow thc
asstmtIatton olthc mcdtum or luIlshottothcclosc-up, thcmaktng
cqutvalcntolaspaccorawhttcbackgroundwtththcclosc-up- not
onIytnaltlmItkc]eene]Hrt,whcrcthccIosc-upsdomtnatc,butcvcn
I OB / Thc e]]cttien-imegc
morcsotnthcltmswhcrcthcynoongcrdomtnatc,noongcrnccd
todomtnatc,havtng 'lowcd' sowcthatthcypcrmcatcathcothcr
shots tnadvancc.lvcrythtngtsthcnrcadylorallccttvcmontagc,that
ts,lorthc rcattons bctwccn cutttngsandhowtngs,whtchwtmakc
a shots parttcuar tnstanccs ol cosc-ups, and tnscrtbc thcm or
combtncthcmonthcpanc-ncssolastngcshot-scqucnccwhtchtsby
rtght untmttcd (thc tcndcncy ol Urdct and Gcrtrud). '
Z 1hr J]|t|lu1 1]]rtl 1BJ J]1tr |B UtrJJ6B
Athough thc cosc-up cxtracts thc lacc (or tts cqutvacnt)lroma
spatto-tcmporaco-ordtnatcs,ttcancarrywtthttttsownspacc-ttmc-
a scrap olvtston, sky, countrystdc or background. 5omcttmcs ttts
dcptholltcdwhtchgtvcsthccosc-upabchtnd.5omcttmcs,onthc
contrary, tt ts thc ncgatton ol pcrspccttvc and ol dcpth whtch
asstmtatcs thcmcdtumshotto acosc-up. ut,tlthcallcctobtatnsa
spacclor ttscltnthts way, whycoudttnotdosocvcnwtthoutthc
lacc, and tndcpcndcnty ol thc cosc-up, tndcpcndcnty ol a
rclcrcnccto thc cosc-up
akc,lorcxampc,rcsson'sThcTriele]]eene]Hrt.)can5mou
and Mtchc lstvc havc ccary tndtcatcd tts dtllcrcnccs wtth, and
stmtartttcs to, Orcycr's asston. hc maor stmtartty ts that tt
conccrns thc allcct as compcx sptrttua cnttty. thc whttc spacc ol
conuncttons,mccttngsanddtvtstons,thcpartolthccvcntwhtchts
notrcductbctothcstatcolthtngs,thcmystcryolthtsbcgun-agatn
prcscnt. Howcvcr, thc ltm ts prtmarty madcupolmcdtum shots,
shotsandrcvcrsc-shots,and)oantspcrcctvcdathcrtrtarathcrthan
tn hcr asston, as a prtsoncr who rcststs rathcr than as vtcttm and
martyr. Whtsttttsccrtatnytructhatthtscxprcsscd trtatsnottobc
conluscd wtth thc htstortca trta, tt ts ttscl asston - tnrcssonas
muchastnOrcycr andcntcrstntoavtrtuaconuncttonwtththatol
Lhrtst. ut, tn Orcycr,thcasston appcarcd tn thc'ccstattc'modc
and passcd through thc lacc, tts cxhaustton, tts turntng away, tts
cncountcrwththctmtt. Whtst,tnrcssontttstnttscl'trta'jrets]
that ts helt jstetien], stcp and advancc (Diery e] e Ceuntry |ricst
htghtghtsthts aspcct olstattonsonapathwaytothcLross).lttsthc
constructton ol a spacc, lragmcnt by lragmcnt, a spacc ol tacttc
vauc, whcrc thc hand cnds up by assumtng thcdtrccttng lunctton
whtchrctumstotttn|itketkct,dcthrontngthclacc.hcawolthts
spacc ts 'lragmcntatton' . " abcs and doors arc not gtvcn whoc.
)oan'sroomandthccourtroom,thcdcathcc,arcnotprcscntcdtous
Sirituele]]ctt l O
n Iong shots but succcssvcIy apprchcndcd lrom contnuty shots
whchmakcthcmarcaltywhchscoscdcachtmc,butto nlnty.
lcncc thc spccal rolc ol dclramngs. hc cxtcrnaI world tscll
thcrclorcsccmsto bc a ccll, lkcthcaquarum-lorcstolLentcletdu
Let. lt s as lthcmndcoIldcs wthcachpartas lt wcrcacoscd
anglc, but cnoyng a manual lrccdom n thc Inkng olthcparts.
lndccd, thc lnkng ol ncghbourng arcas can bc donc n many
dllcrcnt ways and dcpcnds on ncw condtons olspccd and ol
movcmcnt, on rhythmc vaIucs whch arc opposcd to all pror
dctcrmnaton - 'Ancwdcpcndcncc. . . . ' longchampandthcLarc
dc lyon n |itketkct arc vast lragmcntcd spaccs, translormcd
through rhythmc contnuty shots whchcorrcspondtothcallccts
ol thc thcl. Kun and saIvaton arcplaycd on an amorphous tabIc
whosc succcssvcparts awatthc connccton whch thcy lack lrom
our gcsturcs,or rathcr lromthcmnd. 5pacctscllhaslcltbchndts
ownco-ordnatcsandtsmctrcrcIatons. ltsatactIcspacc.lnths
wayrcssoncanachcvcarcsuItwhchnLrcycrwasonIyndrcct.
hc sprtuaI allcct s no longcr cxprcsscd by a lacc and spaccno
longcrnccds to bcsubcctcdorassmlatcdtoacosc-up,trcatcdasa
cosc-up. hcallccts nowdrcctIyprcscntcd n mcdum shot, n a
spacc whch s capabIc ol corrcspondng to t. And thc lamous
trcatmcnt ol voccs by rcsson, whtc voccs, not only marks an
upsurgc ol lrcc ndrcct dscoursc n cvcry cxprcsson, but aIso a
potcntalsaton olwhathappcnsandscxprcsscd-ancquvaIcnccol
spacc and thc allcct cxprcsscd aspurc potcntalty.
5paccsnoIongcrapartcuIardctcrmncdspacc,thasbccomceny-
setc-uhtcvcrjcsetcquckenquc],touscascaIAug'stcrm.Lcrtanly,
rcssondocsnotnvcntany-spacc-whatcvcrs(althoughhcconstructs
thcmonhsownaccountandnhsownway).AugwouIdprclcrto
look lorthcrsourccnthccxpcrmcntaIcncma.uttcouIdcqualIy
bcsadthatthcyarcasoIdasthccncmatscIl.Any-spacc-whatcvcrs
not an abstract unvcrsal, n aIl tmcs, n alI placcs. lt s a pcrlcctly
sngular spacc, whch has mcrcIy lost ts homogcncty, that s, thc
prncplcoltsmctrcrcIatonsorthcconncctonoltsownparts,so
thatthc Inkagcs can bc madc n annlntcnumbcrolways. lts a
spacc olvrtuaI conuncton, graspcd as purc locus olthcpossbIc.
Whatnlact manlcststhcnstabIty,thchctcrogcncty,thcabscncc
olInkolsuchaspacc,sarchncssnpotcntaIsorsnguIartcswhch
arc,astwcrc,prorcondtonsolallactualsaton,alIdctcrmnaton.
hsswhy,whcnwcdclncthcacton-magcbyqualtyorpowcras
actualscdnadctcrmncdspacc(statcolthngs),tsnotsullccntto
opposctotanallccton-magcwhchrclatcsqualtcsandpowcrsto
l l O / Thce]]cttien-imegc
thcprcactual statcthatthcyassumconalacc. Wcnowsaythatthcrc
arc two knds ol sgns ol thc allccton-magc, or two hgurcs ol
lrstncss. enthc enc hend thc eucr-quelity cxrcsscd bye]etc eren
cquivelcnt; but en thc ethcr hend thc eucr-quelity rcscntcd in eny-
setc-uhetcvcrjuncsetcqucltenquc] . Andpcrhapsthcsccondsmorc
subtlc than thc hrst, morc sutabIc lor cxtractng thc brth, thc
advanccandthcsprcadolthcallcct.hcpontsthatthclaccrcmans
a Iargc unt whosc movcmcnts, as Lcscartcs rcmarkcd, cxprcss
compound and mxcd ahcctons. hc lamous Koulcchov allcct s
cxplancdIcssbythcassocatonolthclaccwthavarabIcob}cctthan
byanambgutyoltscxprcssonswhchaIwayssutdllcrcntallccts.
Lnthccontrary,assoonaswclcavcthclaccandthcclosc-up,assoon
as wc consdcr complcx shots whch go bcyond thc smpIstc
dstnctonbctwccnclosc-up,mcdumshotandlongshot,wcsccmto
cntcr a 'systcm ol cmotons' whch s much morc subtlc and
dllcrcntatcd, lcss casyto dcntly, capablcolnducngnon-human
allccts. '" 5o that thcallccton-magc would bc lkc thcpcrccpton-
magc.twouldalsohavctwosgns,oncolwhchwouIdbcmcrclya
sgn olbpoIar composton, and thcothcr a gcnctcordllcrcntal
sgn. hc any-spacc-whatcvcr would bcthcgcnctcclcmcntolthc
allccton-magc.
hc young schzophrcnc cxpcrcnccs hs 'hrst lccIngs ol
unrcaIty'bclorctwomagcs.thatolacomradcwhodrawsncarand
whosclacccnlargcscxaggcratcdly (oncmghtsayIkcalon),thatol
a lcld olcorn whchbccomcs boundlcss, 'dazzIngycIIowmmcn-
sty'. ' ' o usccrcc'stcrms,thcsctwosgnsolthcalIccton-magc
wouldbcdcsgnatcdaslollows .lten,lorthccxprcssonolapowcr-
quaIty bya lacc, Quelisign (or|etisign)lortsprcscntaton n any-
spacc-whatcvcr. 5omcol)orgcIvcn'sllmsgvcusandcaolwhata
qualsgn s .
Kein s not a dctcrmncd, concrctc ran whch has lallcn
somcwhcrc.hcscvsuaImprcssonsarcnotunhcdbyspataIor
tcmporal rcprcscntatons. What s pcrccvcdhcrc wth thc most
dclcatcscnsbIty,snotwhatranrcalIys,butthcwaynwhch
t appcars whcn, slcnt and contnuous, tdrpslromlcalto Ical,
whcnthcmrrorolthcpoolhasgoosc-pmplcs,whcnthcsoltary
drop hcstatngly sccks ts pathway on thcwndow-panc, whcn
thcllcolactysrcl|cctcdonthcwctasphalt. . . . Andcvcnwhcn
t's amattcrolaunquc ob}cct, lkcthc8ridgcolKottcrdam,ths
mctalIcconstructonsdssoIvcdnmmatcralmagcs,lramcdna
thousanddllcrcntways.hclactthatthsbrdgccanbcsccnna
Hny-setc-uhetcvcrs l l l
mutpcty ol ways rcndcrs t, as t wcrc, unrca. lt docs not
appcarto us as thccrcatonolcngnccrsamngatadctcrmnatc
cnd, but kc a curous scrcs oloptca cllccts. Jhcsc arc vsua
varatons on whch t woud bc dllcut lor a goods tran to
travc.
l2
Jhssnotaconccptolbrdgc,butncthcrstthcndvduatcdstatc
ol thngs dclncd by ts lorm, ts mctac mattcr, ts uscs and
lunctons. lts apotcntaty. Jhcrapdmontagcolscvcnhundrcd
shotsmcans thatdllcrcntvcwscan bclttcdtogcthcrnan nlntc
numbcrolwaysand,bccauscthcyarcnotorcntcdnrcatontocach
othcr, consttutc thc sct olsnguartcs whch arc combncd n thc
any-spacc-whatcvcr nwhchths brdgc appcarcd as purc quaty,
thsmctaaspurcpowcr,Kottcrdamtsclasallcct.Andncthcrsthc
ranthcconccptolrannorthcstatcolaranytmcandpacc.ltsasct
olsnguartcswhchprcscntsthcranastsntscl,purcpowcror
quaty whch combncs wthout abstracton a possbc rans and
makcsupthccorrcspondngany-spacc-whatcvcr.ltsranasallcct,
andnothngsmorcopposcdtoanabsrractorgcncra dca, athough
t s notactuascdnanndvdua statcolthngs.
J 1hr t6BJltutl|6B 6] 1B]-J]1tr-Lh1lr1rtJ
low can any-spacc-whatcvcr bc constructcd (n thc studo or on
ocaton) low can any-spacc-whatcvcr bccxtractcd lromagvcn
statc ol thngs, lrom a dctcrmnatc spacc Jhc lrst way was
shadow,shadows.aspaccluolshadows,orcovcrcdwthshadows,
bccomcs any-spacc-whatcvcr. Wc havc sccn how lxprcssonsm
opcratcs wthdarkncssandght,thcopaqucbackbackgroundand
thcumnousprncpc.thctwopowcrscoupctogcthcrgrppngkc
wrcstcrs, gvng spacc a grcat dcpth, a promncnt and dstortcd
pcrspcctvc, whch w bc lcd wth shadows, somctmcs n thc
lorm ol a thc dcgrccs ol charoscuro, somctmcs n thc lorm ol
atcrnatngandcontrastcdstrcaks.A 'Lothc'word,whchdrowns
and brcaks thc contours, whchcndows thngs wthanon-organc
lc n whch thcy osc thcr ndvduaty, and whchpotcntascs
spacc,whstmakngtsomcthngunmtcd.Lcpthsthcocatonol
thc struggc, whchsomctmcs drawsspaccntothcbottomcssncss
ola back hoc, and somctmcs draws ttowards thc ght. Andol
coursc, a charactcr may aso bccomc strangcy and tcrrby hat,
aganst thc background ol a umnous crcc, or hs shadow
may osc a ts thckncss, by backghtng jtentrc-eur|,on a whtc
l l Z / Thc e]]cttien-imegc
background, but t s by an 'nvcrson ol thc valucs ol lght
and dark' , by an nvcrsonolpcrspcctvcwhch puts dcpthto thc
lorclront. ' 5hadow thcn cxcrcscs all ts antcpatory luncton,
andprcscntsthcallcctolMcnaccntspurcststatc,lkcthcshadowol
Tertu]]c,thatolNes]cretu,orthatolthcprcstonthcslccpnglovcrs,
n Tebu. hcshadowcxtcndsto nlnty. Inthswaytdctcrmncs
thc vrtual conunctons whch do not concdc wth thc statc ol
thngs or thc poston olcharactcrs whch producc t. n Arthur
Kobson's erning Shedeus, two hands only ntcrtwnc by thc
cxtcnsonolthcrshadows,awomansonlycarcsscdbythcshadow
olthc hands olhcr admrcrs onthcshadowolhcrbody.hs llm
lrccly dcvclops thc vrtual conunctons, by showng what would
happcnlrolcs,charactcrsandthcstatcolthngsddnothnallymclt
awayatthcactualsatonolthccalousy-allcct.tmakcsthcallcctall
thcmorcndcpcndcntolthcstatcolthngs. Inthcnco-Lothcspacc
olhorrorllms,crcncclshcr takcsthsautonomyolthcallccton-
magc a long way whcn hc makcs Lracula pcrsh nalcd to thc
ground, but n vrtual conuncton wth thc sals ol a burnng
wndmllwhchprocctthcshadowolacrossatthccxactplaccolthc
torturc (Thc8ridcs e] Dretule).
lyrcal abstracton s a dllcrcnt mcthod. Wc havc sccn that ts
dclncd by thc rclatonshp ol lght wth whtc, but that shadow
rctans an mportant rolc - albct vcry dllcrcnt lrom ts rolc n
lxprcssonsm.hcpontsthatlxprcssonsmdcvclopsaprncplc
olopposton, olconllctor olstrugglc. strugglc olthcsprtwth
darkncss. Whlclorthcadhcrcntsollyrcalabstracton,thcactolthc
sprt s not a strugglc but an altcrnatvc, alundamcntal ' lthcr . . .
or' . 5hadow s thcrclorc no longcr an cxtcnson to nlnty, or a
rcvcrsaltothclmt.Itnolongcrcxtcndsastatcolthngstonlnty,t
wll, rathcr, cxprcss an altcrnatvc bctwccnthc statcolthngs tscll
and thc possblty, thc vrtualty, whch gocs bcyond t. hus
)acqucs ourncur brcaks wth thc Lothc tradton olthc horror
llm, hs palc and lumnous spaccs, hs nghts aganst a lght
background, makchmarcprcscntatvcollyrcalabstracton. Inthc
swmmng poololCet|celc,thcattacks onlysccnonthcshadows
olthcwhtcwall.stthcwomanwhohasbccomcalcopard(vrtual
conuncton)MmcrclythcIcopardwhchhasccapcd(rcalconncoon)
And n | elkcduith eZembic s ta Zombcn thc scrvcc olthc
prcstcss,orapoorgrlundcrthcnhucnccolthcmssonary'Its
notsurprsngthatwcarclcdtoquotcvcrydvcrscrcprcscntatvcsol
ths 'lyrcal abstracton' . thcy arc no morc dvcrsc than arc thc
lxprcssonsts among thcmsclvcs and dvcrsty ol adhcrcnts has
Hny-setr-uhetrvrrs l l J
ncvcrprcvcntcdaconccptlrombctngconststcnt. Whattnlactsccms
touscsscnttaItnIyrtcaIabstracttontsthatthcsptrtttsnotcaughttna
combatbuttsprcytoanaltcrnattvc.htsaItcrnattvccanbcprcscntcd
tnanacsthcttcorpasstonal (5tcrnbcrg),cthtcal(Lrcycr)orrcltgtous
(rcsson)lorm,orcancvcnpIaybctwccnthcscdtllcrcntlorms.lor
cxamplc, tn 5tcrnbcrg, aIthough thc chotcc that thc hcrotncmust
makc bctwccn a whttc or sctnttIlattng lrozcn androgync and an
amorousor cvcndomcsttcatcdwoman,canonIycxpItcttlyappcaron
ccrtatnoccastons (Merette,8lendrIrnus,ShengheiLxrrss),tttsnonc
thcIcss prcscntthroughouthtswork. ThrSterlrtLmrrsscontatns a
stngIccIosc-updtvtdcdbyshadow,andttts}usthcrcthatthcprtnccss
rcnounccs Iovcand chooscs thccoldconqucstolpowcr,whtIstthc
hcrotncol8lendr I us,onthcothcrhand,gtvcsupthcwhttctuxcdo
tn ordcr to rcdtscovcr domcsttcand matcrnaI lovc. And, aIthough
csscnttalIyscnsuaI,5tcmbcrg'saItcrnattvcsarcnolcsssptrttualthan
thc apparcntly supra-scnsual oncs olLrcycr or rcsson. ' ` ln any
casc, tt ts not onIy a mattcrolpasston or olallcct, tn solaras, tn
Ktcrkcgaard'sphrasc, latth ts sttIl a mattcr olpasston,olalIcctand
nothtngcIsc.
lromttscsscnttaIrclattonwtththcwhttc,Iyrtcalabstracttondraws
twoconscqucnccswhtchacccntuatcttsdtllcrcncclromlxprcsstontsm.
an aItcrnatton ol tcrms tnstcad olan opposttton, an aItcrnattvc, a
sptrttual chotcctnstcadolastrugglcoraltght.Lnthconchandttts
thc whttc-black aItcrnatton.thcwhttcwhtchcapturcsthc ltght, thc
bIack atthcpotntwhcrcthcItghtstopsandsomcttmcsthchaIl-tonc,
thc grcy as tndtsccrnabtltty whtch lorms a thtrd tcrm. hc
altcrnattonsarccstabltshcdbctwccnonctmagcandthcncxt,ortnthc
samctmagc. lnrcsson,thcscarcrhythmtcaltcmattonsastnDierye]
eCeuntry|rirstorcvcn,tnLrtrletduLet,bctwccndayandntght.ln
Lrcycr, thcaItcrnattons rcach ahtghgcomctrtccomposttton, Itkca
'tonaIconstructton'andamosatcolspacc(Deye] reth,Urdrt).Ln
thcothcr hand, thc sptrttuaI aItcrnattvc sccms to corrcspondtothc
aItcrnattonoltcrms,good,cvtlandunccrtatntyortndtllcrcncc,buttn
a vcry mystcrtous way. lt ts tndccd doubtlul whcthcr onc 'must'
chooscthcwhttc.lnLrcycrandrcsson,ccll-ltkcandcItntcalwhttc
hasatcrrtlytng,monstrouscharactcrnoIcssthanthclrozcnwhttcol
5tcmbcrg. hc whttc that Thr Sterlrt Lmrrss chooscs tmpltcs a
crucl rcnunctatton olthcvaIucs oltnttmacy, thatthcblondcVcnus
rcdtscovcrs,howcvcr,byrcnounctngthcwhttc. hcscarcthcsamc
valucs ol tnttmacy that thc hcrotnc olDey e] reth ltnds lor a
momcnt tn tmpcnctrabIc shadow, tnstcad ol thc rcsbytcrtan
whttc. hc whttc whtch tmprtsonsthcltghtts worthnomorcthan
l l 1 I Thc e]]cttien-imegc
thc black, whtch rcmatns lorctgn to tt. tnally, thc sptrttual
altcrnattvcncvcrbcarsdtrcctlyonthcaltcrnattonoltcrms,although
thclattcrscrvcsas ttsbasts. ' Alasctnattngtdcawasdcvclopcdlrom
ascal to Ktcrkcgaard. thc altcrnattvc ts not bctwccn tcrms but
bctwccnthcmodcs olcxtstcnccolthconcwho chooscs. hcrcarc
chotccsthatcanonlybcmadconcondtttonthatoncpcrsuadcsoncscll
that onc has no chotcc, somcttmcs by vtrtuc ola moral ncccsstty
(good,rtght),somcttmcsbyvtrtucolaphystcalncccsstty(thcstatc
ol thtngs, thc sttuatton), somcttmcs by vtrtuc ol a psychologtcal
ncccsstty(thcdcstrcthatonchaslorsomcthtng).hcsptrttualchotcc
ts madcbctwccn thc modcolcxtstcnccolhtmwhochooscs onthc
condtttonolnot knowtngtt,andthcmodcolcxtstcnccolhtmwho
knowsthattttsamattcrolchoostng. Ittsas tlthcrcwasachotccol
chotccernon-chotcc. IlIamconsctousolchotcc,thcrcarcthcrclorc
alrcadychotccsthatIcannolongcrmakc,andmodcsolcxtstcnccthat
I can no longcr lollow - all thosc I lollowcd on thc condttton ol
pcrsuadtngmyscllthat 'thcrcwasnochotcc' . htsts all thatascal' s
wagcr says. thcaltcrnattonoltcrmst stndccdthcalltrmattonolthc
cxtstcnccolLod,ttsncgatton,andttssuspcnston(doubt,unccnatnty),
butthcsptrttualaltcrnattvcts clscwhcrc, tt ts bctwccn thcmodcol
cxtstcncc ol htm who 'wagcrs' that Lod cxtsts and thcmodcol
cxtstcnccolhtmwhowagcrslornon-cxtstcnccorwhodocsnotwant
towagcr. Accordtngto ascal,onlythcltrst ts consctous thattttsa
mattcrolchoostng,thcothcrs arc only ablcto makcthctrchotccon
thc condttton olnot knowtng what ttrclatcs to. Inshort,chotccas
sptrttual dctcrmtnatton has no othcr ob}cct than ttscll. I chooscto
choosc, and by that I cxcludcall chotccmadc onthcmodc olnot
havtng thc chotcc. hts was also to bcthc csscnttal potnt olwhat
Ktcrkcgaard calls 'altcrnattvc', and 5artrc 'chotcc', tn thc athctst
vcrston whtch hcputs lorward.
Awholcltncoltnsptrattoncanbctraccd lrom ascalto rcsson,
lromKtcrkcgaardto Lrcycr. Inthcdtrcctorsollyrtcalabstractton,
thcrctsartchscrtcsolcharactcrswhoercsomanymodcsolconcrctc
cxtstcncc. hcrcarcthc whttc mcnolLod,olLoodandolVtrtuc,
ascal's 'dcvotccs', tyranntcal, hypocrtttcal pcrhaps, guardtans ol
ordcrtnthcnamcolamoralorrcltgtousncccsstty.hcrcarcthcgrcy
mcn olunccrtatnty (ltkcthchcroolLrcycr's Iemyrorrcsson' s
lancclot,orcvcnthchcrool|itketkct,aposstblctttlcolwhtchwastn
lact'Lnccnatnty').hcrcarcthccrcaturcsolcvtl,numcroustnrcsson
(lclcn's rcvcngc tn Ledics e] thc |erk, Lrard's wtckcdncss tn
8elthe:er,thcthcltsol|itketkct, Yvon'scrtmcstnL'Hrgcnt). And,
tn hts cxtrcmc)anscntsm,rcsson showsthcsamctnlamylromthc
Hny-setc-uhetcvcrs
l l J
pcrspccttvcolworks,thatts to say, lromthcpcrspccttvcolcvtIand
good. tn L'Hrgt, thc dcvout luctcn wtII only practtsc chartty tn
tcrmsolthclalsctcsttmonyandthcthcltwhtchhchasscthtmscIlas
condtttons, whtlst Yvon only launchcs tnto thc crtmc on thc
condttton ol thc othcr. Lnc wouId thtnk that thc man olgood
ncccssartIybcgtnslromthcpIaccwhcrcthcmanolcvtIcndsup.ut
whyshouldthcrcnotbc,rathcrthanachotccolcvtlwhtchwouIdsttIl
bcdcstrc,achotcc'lor'cvtltnluIlknowlcdgcolthclactsrcsson's
answcr ts thc samcas that olLocthc's McphtstophcIcs. wc othcr
dcvtls orvamptrcsarclrcclorthcltrstact,buthavcaIrcadybccomc
sIavcslorthcsccond.htstswhatgoodscnscsays(lcsswcIl),ltkcthc
commtsstoncr tn |itketkct. 'you don't stop' , you havc choscn a
sttuatton whtchalrcadynoIongcr aIlows you tochoosc. Ittstnthts
scnsc that thc thrcc prcccdtngtypcs olcharactcr arcpart ola laIsc
chotcc, olthatchotcc whtch ts onlymadconcondtttonoldcnytng
thatthcrcischotcc(orthatthcrctssttIlchotcc).WcundcrstandatIast,
lromthcpotntolvtcwolIyrtcalabstractton,whatthcchotccts,thc
consctousncss olchotccas stcadlastsptrttuaIdctcrmtnatton. Ittsnot
thcchotccolLood,anymorcthanolcvtI.Ittsachotccwhtchtsnot
dcltncdbywhatttchooscs,but by thcpowcrthatttposscsscstob
ablctostartalrcshatcvcrytnstant,olstarttngalrcshttscIl,andtnthts
wayconhrmtng ttscIlbyttscll,byputttngthcwholcstakcbacktnto
pIay cach ttmc. And cvcn tlthts chotcctmpItcs thcsacrtlccolthc
pcrson,thtstsasacrtltccthathconlymakcsoncondtttonolknowtng
thathcwtlIstartttalrcshcachttmc,andthathcdocsttloraIlttmcs
(hcrc agatn, thts ts a vcry dtllcrcnt conccptton lrom that ol
lxprcsstontsm, lor whtch thc sacrtlcc ts oncc and lor aII). In
5tcrnbcrghtmscll,thctrucchotccltcsnotwtththcStrlctLmrcss,nor
wtththconcwhohasmoscnrcvcngctnThcShrgheiGcsturc,butwtth
thconcwhohasmadcthcchotccolscIl-sacrtltcctnShengheiLxrcss.
lc has choscn on a stngIccondttton.not}usttlytnghtmscll, thatol
nothavtngto}usttlyhtmscIl,togtvcaccounts.hccharactcroltruc
chotcctsdtscovcrcdtnsacrtltccorrcdtscovcrcdbcyondthcsacrtlcc
whtch constantIy bcgtnsovcragatntnrcsson,ttts)oanolArc,ttts
thcpcrsoncondcmncdtodcath,thcpartshprtcst.InLrcycr,ttts)oan
olArc agatn, buttttsaIsothcgrcattrtIogy, AnncolDeye] reth,
IngcrolUrdct,ltnaIIyGcrtrud.Alourthtypcmustthcrclorcb addcd
to thc thrccprcccdtngoncs. thccharactcr who makcs an authcnttc
chotcc,orhasthcconsctousncssolchotcc.IttsdchnttcIyaqucsttonol
thc allcct, lor, tlthc othcrs matntatn thc allcct as actuaItty tn M
cstabltshcd ordcr or dtsordcr, thccharactcrwho makcs trucchotcc
ratscs thc allcct to tts purc powcr or potcnttaItty, as tn lanccIot' s
I l / Thre]]rttien-imgr
courtIyIovc,butaIsocmbodtcsttandcarrtcstttntocllcctaIIthcmorc
as tt Itbcratcs tn htm thc part olthat whtch docs not Ict ttscIlb
actuaItscd, ol that whtch gocs bcyond aII cxccutton (thc ctcmaI
rcbtrth). And rcsson adds yct altlthtypc, altlthcharactcr- thc
bcastorthcasstn8elthe:erposscsstngthctnnoccnccolhtmwhodocs
nothavctochoosc.hcassonIyknowsthccllcctolthcnon-chotccs
orchotccsolman,thatts,thclacctolcvcntswhtchtsaccompItshmtn
bodtcsandwoundsthcm, wtthout bctngabIctorcach(but wtthout
btngabIctobctrayctthcr)thatwhtchgocsbcyondcxccutton,orsptrt-
tuaIdctcrmtnatton.usthcasststhcprclcrrmob}otolmm'swtckm-
ncss,butaIsothcprclcrcnttaIuntonolLhrtstorolthcmanolchotcc.
hts cxtrcmc moraItsm whtch ts opposcd to moraItty, thts latth
whtch ts opposcd to rcItgton, ts a strangc way olthtnktng. Ithas
nothtngtodowtthNtctzschc,buthasmuchtncommonwtthascaI
andKtcrkcgaard,wtth)anscntsmandKclormtsm(cvcntnthccascol
mrtrc). It wcavcs a whoIc sct olrcIattons olgrcat vaIucbctwccn
phtIosophy and thc ctncma. ' ' ln Kohmcr as wcII, a whoIc story
jhisteirr]olmodcsolcxtstcncc,olchotccs,ollaIscchotccsandolthc
consctousncss ol chotcc, domtnatcs thc scrtcs ol Merel Telrs
(notabIy My Night et Meud's, and morc rcccntIy Lr brr Meriegr
prcscntsus wtthagtrIwhochooscstogctmarrtcd,andbroadcaststt,
lorthcvcryrcason thatshchaschoscn tttnthcsamcwaythatshc
wouIdhavcbccnabIctochoosc,tnanothcrcpoch,nettomarry,wtth
thcsamcascaItanconsctousncssorthcsamccIatmtothcctcmaI,to
thc tnhnttc). Why havc thcsc thcmcs so much phtIosophtcaI and
ctncmatographtc tmportancc Why do aII thcsc potnts havc to b
cmphastscdlttsbccausc,tnphtIosophyastnthcctncma,tnascaIas
tnrcsson,tnKtcrkcgaardas tnLrcycr,thctrucchotcc,thatwhtch
constststnchoostngchotcc,tssupposcdtorcstorccvcrythtngtous.It
wtIIcnabIcustorcdtscovcrcvcrythtng,tnthcsptrttolsacrthcc,atthc
momcnt ol thc sacrthcc or cvcn bclorc thc sacrthcc ts pcrlormcd.
Ktcrkcgaard satd that truc chotcc mcans that by abandontng thc
brtdc,shctsrcstorcdtousbythatvcryact,andthatbysacrthctnghts
son, Abraham rcdtscovcrs htmthroughthatvcryact. Agamcmnon
sacrtltccshtsdaughtcr,lphtgcnta,butoutolduty,dutyaIonc,andtn
choostngnottohavcthcchotcc.Abraham,onthccontrary,sacrthccs
htsson,whomhcIovcsmorcthanhtmscIl,throughchotccaIonc,and
through consctousncss ol thc chotcc whtch unttcs htm wtth Lod,
bcyond good and cvtI. thus hts son ts rcstorcd to htm. hts ts thc
htstory jhisteirr] olIyrtcaI abstractton.
Wcbcgan lromadctcrmtncdspaccolstatcsolthtngs,madcupol
an aItcmatton whttc-bIack-grcy, whttc-bIack-grcy. . . . And wc
Hny-setc-uhetcvcrs l l 7
sad thc whtc marks our duty, or our powcr, thc back our
mpotcncc,or ourthrst lor cv,andthcgrcyourunccrtanty,our
scckng or our ndllcrcncc. And thcn wc rascd ourscvcs to thc
sprtua atcrnatvc, wchadto choosc bctwccnmodcsotcxstcncc.
5omc, whtc,backor grcy, mpcdthatwcddnothavcthcchocc
(orthatwcnoongcrhadthcchocc),butonyoncothcrmpcdthat
wcchosc to choosc, orthat wchad conscousncss olchocc - purc,
mmancntor sprtua ght,bcyondwhtc,back andgrcy.Assoon
as ths ght s rcachcd t rcstorcs cvcrythng to us. ltrcstorcs thc
whtctous,butawhtcwhchnoongcrconlncsthcght.Itlnay
rcstorcsthcbackD us,thcbackwhchsnoongcrthcccssatonol
ght. ltcvcnrcstorcstousthcgrcy,whchsnoongcrunccrtanty
or ndllcrcncc. Wc havc rcachcd a sprtua spaccwhcrc what wc
choosc s no ongcr dstngushabc lrom thc chocc tscl. lyrca
abstractonsdclncdbythcadvcnturcolghtandwhtc.uttsthc
cpsodcs olthsadvcnturcwhchmcanthat,lrsty,thcwhtcwhch
conlncsthcghtatcrnatcswththcbackwhcrctstops,andthcn,
thcghts bcratcd nanatcrnatvc,whchrcstorcstousthcwhtc
endthc back. Wc havcpasscd, onthc spot, lrom oncspaccto thc
othcr,lromphyscaspacctosprtuaspaccwhchrcstorcsaphyscs
(oramctaphyscs)tous.hclrstspaccscc-kcandcoscd,butthc
sccond s not dllcrcnt, t s thc samc n so lar as t has mcrcy
dscovcrcd thc sprtua opcnng whch ovcrcomcs a ts lorma
obgatons and matcra constrants by a thcorctca or practca
cvason. hs s what rcsson suggcstcd n hs prncpc ol
'lragmcntaton' . wcpass lrom a coscd sct that s lragmcntcdtoan
opcnsprtuawhocthatscrcatcdorrccrcatcd. Lrtakclorcxampc
Lrcycr,whcrcthcossbchasopcncdupspaccasadmcnsonolthc
sprt(lourthor llthdmcnson). Setcisnelengcrdctcrmincd,ithes
bctemc thc eny-setc-uhetcvcr uhith is idcntitel te thc mcr e] thc
sirit,tothcpcrpctuayrcncwcdsprtuadccson.tsthsdccson
whchconsttutcsthcallcct,orthc'auto-allccton' , andwhchtakcs
upon tsclthc nkng olparts.
Larkncssandthcstruggcolthcsprt,whtcandthcatcrnatvcol
thcsprtarcthclrsttwo proccdurcs bywhchspaccbccomcsany-
spacc-whatcvcrandsrascdtothcsprtuapowcrolthcumnous.
Now wc must consdcr yct a thrd proccdurc, coour. hs s no
ongcr thc spacc ol lxprcssonsm, nor thc whtc spacc olyrca
abstracton, but thc coour-spacc ol cooursm. As n pantng,
cooursm s dstnct lrom monochromy or poychromy whch,
arcady n Lrllth or n lscnstcn, mcrcy produccd a coourcd
magcand prcccdcd thc coour-magc.
l l B / Thc e]]cttien-imegc
Inccrtanrcspccts,lxprcssonstdarkncssandIyrcaIwhtcpIaycd
thc roIc ol coIours. ut thc truc coIour-magc consttutcs a thrd
modcolthcany-spacc-whatcvcr.hcprncpaIlormsolthsmagc -
thc surlacc-coIour ol thc grcat unlorm tnts jgrends elets], thc
atmosphcrccoIourwhchpcrvadcsaIIthcothcrs,movcmcnt-coIour
whch passcs lrom onc tonc to anothcr - pcrhaps orgnatc nthc
muscaI comcdy and ts capacty lorcxtractnganunImtcdvrtuaI
worIdlromaconvcntonaIstatcolthngs. Llthcscthrcclormsts
onIy movcmcnt-coIour whch sccms to bcIong to thc cncma, thc
othcrs aIrcady bcng cntrcIy part ol thc powcrs ol pantng.
NcvcrthcIcss,nourvcw,thccoIour-magcolthccncmasccmstob
dclncdbyanothcrcharactcrstc, oncwhchtsharcswthpantng,
but gvcs a dllcrcnt rangc and luncton. hs s thc ebserbcnt
charactcrstc. Lodard's lormuIa, 't's not bIood, t's rcd' s thc
lormuIaolcoIoursm. lnoppostontoasmpIycoIourcdmagc,thc
coIour-magcdocsnotrclcrtoapartcuIarobcct,butabsorbsaIIthat
tcan.tsthcpowcrwhchsczcsaIIthathappcnswthntsrangc,or
thc quaIty common to compIctcIy dllcrcnt ob}ccts. hcrc is a
symboIsm ol coIours, but t docs not consst n a corrcspondcncc
bctwccnacoIourandanallcct(grccnandhopc. . . ).LoIoursonthc
contrary thc ahcct tscIl, that s, thc vrtuaI con}uncton olaII thc
ob}ccts whch t pcks up. hus LlIcr s Icd to say that Agns
Varda'slIms,notabIyLc8enhcur,'absorb' ,andabsorbnotonIythc
spcctator, but thc charactcrs thcmscIvcs, and thc stuatons, n
compIcxmovcmcnts allcctcdbythccompIcmcntarycoIours.' "hs
was aIrcadytruc olLe|eintcteurtcwhcrc thcwhtcand thcbIack
wcrctrcatcdascompIcmcntary,andwhcrcthcwhtctookhoIdolthc
lcmnncaspcct- whtcwork,whtcIovcanddcath- whIstthcbIack
tookthcmaIcaspcct,andthctwoprotagonstsolthc'abstractcoupIc'
traccd out n thcr spccch thc spacc ol thc aItcmatvc or ol
compIcmcntarty. It s ths composton whchrcachcs a coIourst
pcrlccton nLc8enhcurwththccompIcmcntartyolvoIct,purpIc
andorangcd goId, andthcsucccssvcabsorptonolthccharactcrsn
thcmystcrous spaccwhchcorrcspondstothccoIours.Now,lwc
contnucto rclcr to vcry dt llcrcnt drcctors nordcrtocxpIorcthc
possbIcvaIdtyolaconccptmorccIcarIy,tmustbcsadthat,lrom
thc bcgnnng ol a totaI cncma ol coIour, MnncII had madc
absorptonthcpropcrIycncmatographcpowcrolthsncwdmcnson
olthc magc. hs sthcsourccolthcroIcolthcdrcamnhswork.
thcdrcam sonIythcabsorbcntlormolcoIour.lsworknmuscaI
comcdy,butaIsonaIIothcrgcnrcs,loIIowsthcobscssvcthcmcol
charactcrsItcraIIyabsorbcdbythcrowndrcam,andabovcaIIbythc
Hny-setr-uhetrvrrs
l l
drcam olothcrs and thc past olothcrs (Ielendeendthr Thir], Thr
|iretr, Gigi, Mrlinde) by thc drcam ol powcr ol an Lthcr (Lrs
Lnsertrls). And MnncII rcachcs thc hghcst IcvcI wth Thrleur
Hersrmrn e] thr Hetelysr, whcn thc bcngs arc caught up n thc
nghtmarc olwar. hroughouths workthcdrcambccomcsspacc,
butIkcaspdcr'swcb,madcIcsslorthcdrcamcrhmscIlthanlorthc
Ivng prcythathcattracts. Ilstatcsolthngsbccomcmovcmcntol
thc worId, and lcharactcrs bccomc thc lgurc ol a dancc, ths s
nscparabIc lrom thc spIcndour olcoIours, and lrom thcr aImost
carnvorous, dcvourng, dcstructvc, absorbcnt luncton (Ikc thc
brghtycIIow caravan olThrLeng, Leng Treilrr). Its appropratc
that MnncII shouId havc tackIcd a sub}cct whch s dcaI lor
cxprcssngthsadvcnturcwthoutrcturn.thchcstaton,thclcarand
thcrcspcctwthwhchVanLoghapproachcscoIour,hsdscovcry
andthcspIcndourolhscrcaton,andhsownabsorptonnwhathc
crcatcs, thc absorpton ol hs bcng and ol hs rcason n ycIIow
(Lust]erLt/r). '"
Antonon,anothcrolthccncma'sgrcatcst coIoursts, makcsusc
olcoIdcoIourspushcdtothcImtolthcrpIcntudcorntcnslcaton
nordcrtogobcyondthcabsorbcntluncton,whchstIImantancd
thctranslormcdcharactcrsandstuatonsnthcspaccoladrcamora
nghtmarc. In Antonon, coIourcarrcsspaccas lar as thc vod, t
cllaccs whatt has absorbcd.ontzcrsays.
5nccL'Hvvrnture,Antonon'sgrcatpro}ccthasbccnthccmpty
shot,thcdc-pcopIcd jdrshebit]shot. AtthccndolLtlisraIIthc
shots through whch thc coupIc havc passcd arc survcycd and
corrcctcd by thc vod, as thc ttIc ol thc lIm ndcatcs. . . .
Antonon Iooks lor thcdcscrt. KrdDrsrrt, Zebriskir|eint, Thr
|essrngrr. e . jwhch]scompIctcdbyalorwardtravcIIngshoton
thccmpty hcId, nanntcrIacngolnsgnlcanttracks,atthcImt
olthcnon-hguratvc . . . . hcob}cctolAntonon'scncmasto
rcach thc non-hguratvcthroughan advcnturcwhosccnd sthc
ccIpsc olthc lacc, thc obItcraton olcharactcrs. "
It s ccrtanIy truc that thc cncma had succccdcd Iong bclorc n
obtannggrcatcllccts olrcsonanccby}uxtaposngasngIcspacc,at
onctmcpopuIatcdandatanothcrcmpty(notabIy5tcrnbcrg,nThr
8lurHngrl, lorcxampIc,wth loIa'sthcatrc box, orwth thccIass-
room). ut, n Antonon, thcdcatakcsonaprcvousIyunknown
rangc,andtscoIourwhchcontroIsthc}uxtaposton.LoIourcIcvatcs
spacctothcpowcrolthcvod,whcnthatwhchcanbcrcaIscdnthc
cvcntsaccompIshcd.5paccdocsnotcmcrgclromtdcpotcntaIscd,
l ZO / Thce]]cttien-imegc
butonthccontrary,allthcmorcchargcdwthpotcntal.lcrcthcrcs
botha smlartyto andadllcrcncc lromhcrgman.hcrgmanwcnt
bcyondthcacton-magctowardsthcallcctvcnstanccolthcclosc-
uporolthclaccthathcconlrontcdwththcvod.hut,nAntonon,
thclaccdsappcarcd atthcsamctmcasthccharactcrandthcacton,
andthcallcctvcnstanccs that olthcany-spacc-whatcvcr, whch
Antonon n turn pushcs as laras thc vod.
Morcovcr, t sccmsthatthcany-spacc-whatcvcrtakcson a ncw
naturc hcrc. It s no longcr, as bclorc, a spacc whch s dclncd by
parts whosc lnkng up and orcntaton arc not dctcrmncd n
advancc, andcanbcdoncnannlntcnumbcrolways.Itsnowan
amorphous sct whchhas clmnatcd that whchhappcncdandactcd
n t. It s an cxtncton or a dsappcarng, but onc whch s not
opposcd to thcgcnctcclcmcnt. It s clcar that thc two aspccts arc
complcmcntary,andrccprocallyprcsupposccachothcr.thcamorph-
ous sct rn lact saco|lcctonol|ocatonsorpostonswhchcocxst
ndcpcndcntlyolthctcmporalordcrwhchmovcs lromoncpartto
thc othcr,ndcpcndcntly olthcconncctonsandorcntatonswhch
thc vanshcd charactcrs and stuatons gavc to thcm. hcrc arc
thcrclorc two statcs ol thc any-spacc-whatcvcr, or two knds ol
'qualsgns' , qualsgnsoldcconncctonandolcmptncss.hcsctwo
statcsarcalwaysmplcdncachothcr,andwccanonlysaythatthc
oncs 'bclorc'and thcothcr'altcr' . hcany-spacc-whatcvcrrctans
onc and thc samc naturc. t no longcr has co-ordnatcs, t s apurc
potcntal,tshowsonlypurcowcrsand_ualtcs,ndcpcndcntlyol
thcstatcs olthngsormlcuxwhchactualscthcm(havcactualscd
thcm or wll actualsc thcm, or ncthcr thc onc nor thc othcr t
hardly mattcrs).
Its thcrclorc shadows, whtcs and colours whcharccapablcol
producng and consttutng any-spacc-whatcvcrs, dctenncttcd er
cmticdsetcs. hut, wthallthcscmcansandwthothcrsaswcll,altcr
thcwar,aprollcratonolsuchspaccs couldbcsccnbothnllmscts
jdters] and n cxtcrors, undcr varous nllucnccs. hc lrst,
ndcpcndcntolthccncma,wasthcpost-warstuatonwthtstowns
dcmolshcd or bcng rcconstructcd, ts wastc grounds, ts shanty
towns, and cvcn n placcs whcrc thc war had not pcnctratcd, ts
undllcrcntatcd urban tssuc, ts vast unuscd placcs, docks, warc-
houscs,hcapsolgrdcrsandscrapron.Anothcr,morcspcclctothc
cncma, as wc shall scc, arosc lroma crss olthcacton-magc.thc
charactcrs wcrc lound lcss and lcss n scnsory-motor 'motvatng'
stuatons, but rathcr n a statc ol strollng, ol sauntcrng or ol
ramblngwhchdclncd urcetitelendseundsituetiens. hcacton-
Hny-setc-uhetcvcrs l Z l
tmagcthcn tcndcdto shattcr, whtIstthcdctcrmtnatcIocattonswcrc
bIurrcd, Ictttng any-spaccs-whatcvcr rtsc up whcrc thc modcrn
allccts ollcar, dctachmcnt, but aIso lrcshncss, cxtrcmc spccd and
tntcrmtnabIc watttngwcrcdcvcIoptng.
InthclrstpIacc,tlItaItannco-rcaItsmwasopposcdtorcaItsm,thts
tsbccauscttbrokcwtthspattaIco-ordtnatcs,wtththcoIdrcaItsmol
pIaccs,andmtxcdupthcrclcrcnccs whtchgavcthcltImmovcmcnt
(as tnthcmarshcsorthclortrcsstnKosscIItnt's|eise),orconstttutcd
vtsuaI 'abstracts' (thc lactory olLuree 'l) tn thc tndcltnttc Iunar
spaccs. ' ' hc lrcnch Ncw Wavc aIso brokc shots opcn, ob-
Ittcratcd thctr dtsttnct spattaI dctcrmtnatton tn lavour ol a non-
totaItsabIc spacc. lor cxampIc Lodard's unlntshcd apartmcnts
pcrmtttcd dtscordanccs and vartattons, Itkc aII thc ways olpasstng
through a door wtth a mtsstng pancI, whtch takcs on an aImost
mustcaIvaIucandscrvcsasaccompantmcnttothcallcct(LcMris).
5traubconstructsastontshtngamorphousshots,dcscrtcd,ambtguous
or dccpcncd gcoIogtcaI spaccs, thcatrcs cmpttcd olthc opcrattons
whtch took pIacc thcrc.'' hc Lcrman schooI ol lcar - notabIy
lassbtndcr and LantcI 5chmtd - workcd out tts cxtcrtorsas ctty-
dcscrts, tts tntcrtors dtvtdcdtntwobymtrrors,wtthamtntmumol
rclcrcncc potnts and a muIttpItcatton ol potnts olvtcw wtth no
conncctton (5chmtd's Iielente). hc Ncw York schooI tmposcd a
hortzontaIvtcwolthcctty,atgroundIcvcI,whcrccvcntsarcbornon
thcpavcmcnt andnow onIy havcan undtllcrcnttatcdspaccasthctr
Iocatton, as tn lumct. Lassavctcs provtdcsancvcnbcttcrcxampIc.
lc bcgan wtth ltIms domtnatcd by thc lacc and thc cIosc-up
(Shedms, letcs) constructcd dcconncctcd spaccs, wtth a strong
allccttvctcnor( Thc Killing e] eChincsc 8eekic, TeeLetc8lucs). lc
thuspasscdlromonctypcolthcallcctton-tmagctothcothcr.htsts
bccauscttwasamattcrolundotngspacc,noIcssasaluncttonolalacc
whtch ts abstractcd lrom spatto-tcmporaI co-ordtnatcs than ol an
cvcntwhtchcxcccds ttsactuaItsattontnaIIways,somcttmcsbccausc
ttprocrasttnatcsanddtssoIvcs,somcttmcsonthccontrarybccausctt
comcstntovtcwtooqutckIy.'InGlerie,thchcrotnchasIongpcrtods
olwatttng, but aIsohas notgotthcttmcto Iook back,hcrpursucrs
arcaIrcadythcrc,as tlthcyhadbccnscttIcdthcrcthcwhoIcttmc,or
rathcrast lthcIocattonttscIlhadabruptIychangcdco-ordtnatcs,was
no Iongcr thc samc Iocatton and yct at thcsamcpIacc as thcany-
spacc-whatcvcr. hts ttmc, tt ts thc cmptyspacc whtch ts aII ola
suddcn hIIcd. . . q
WcwtII havcoccastontorcturntoccrtatnolthcscpotnts. utthts
proItlcrattonolany-spacc-whatcvcrspcrhapshasoncolttspotntsol
l ZZ / Thc e]]cttien-imegc
ortgtn,asasca Augsays,tnthccxpcrtmcntactncmawhtchbrcaks
wtth thc narratton ol acttons and thc pcrccptton ol dctcrmtnatc
paccs. llthc cxpcrtmcnta ctncma tcnds towards a pcrccptton as tt
wasbclorcmcn (oraltcr),ttasotcndstowardsthccorrcatcolthts,
thatts,towardsanany-spacc-whatcvcrrccascdlrom ttshumanco-
ordtnatcs. Mtchac 5now's Thc Ccntrel Kcgien docs not ratsc
pcrccptton to thc untvcrsa vartatton ol a raw and savagc mattcr
wtthout aso cxtracttng lrom tt a spacc wtthout rclcrcncc potnts
whcrc thc ground and thc sky, thc hortzonta and thc vcrttca,
tntcrchangc.Nothtngncss ttscltsdtvcrtcdtowardsthatwhtchcomcs
outolttorlasbackontt,thcgcncttcccmcnt,thclrcshorvantshtng
pcrccptton,whtchpotcnttatscsaspaccbyrctatntngonythcshadow
orthc account olhuman cvcnts. ln evclcngth5nowuscsalorty-
ltvcmtnutczoomtnordcrtocxporc roomcngthwtsclromonccnd
to thc othcr, as laras thc wa on wntch a photograph olthcsca ts
stuck.lromthtsroomhccxtractsapotcnttaspacc,whoscpowcrand
quattyhcprogrcsstvcycxhausts.'5omc gtrs comctotstcntothc
radto, thcyhcaramanctmbthcstatrsandcoapsctothchoor,but
thczoomhasarcadypasscdhtm,gtvtngwaytooncolthcgtrswho
tsdcscrtbtngthc cvcnt onthctccphonc. A phantom olthcgtr, tn
ncgattvc supcrtmposttton, rcdoubcs thc sccnc, whtst thc zoom
conttnucsas larasthcltnatmagcolthcscaonthcwawhtchtthas
now rcachcd agatn. hc spacc rc-cntcrs thc cmpty sca. A thc
prcccdtng ccmcnts olthc any-spacc-whatcvcr, thc shadows, thc
whttcs, thc coours, thc tncxorabc progrcsston, thc tncxorabc
rcductton,ccvattonpancjurc], thcdtsconncctcdparts,thccmpty
sct. a comctntopayhcrctnwhat,accordtngto5tmcy,dcltncsthc
'structura ltm'.
MargucrttcLuras'Hgethectscslctturcsillimitcsloowsastmtar
structurc by gtvtng tt thc ncccsstty olan account or rathcr ola
rcadtng (rcad thc tmagc and not ony scc tt). ltts as tlthccamcra
bcgan lromthc bottom ola argc, cmpty, unuscd room whcrc thc
twocharactcrswtonybcthctrownphantom,thctrshadow.Atthc
opposttc cnd, thcrc ts thccmptybcach, on to whtch thc wtndows
ook. hcttmcthatthccamcratakcstogolromthccndolthcroom
tothcwtndowsandtothcbcach,wtthpauscsandrcturns,tsthcttmc
olthcaccount.Andthcaccountttscl,thcsound-tmagc,unttcsattmc
olaltcr andattmcolbclorc,movcs lromthclormcrtothcattcr.a
ttmcolaltcrmcn,stnccthcaccountrcportsthchtstoryolaprtmordta
coupcwhtchtsarcadyltntshcd,andattmcolbclorcmcn,whcrcno
prcscncc troubcd thc bcach. lrom thc lormcr to thc attcr, a sow
cccbratton olthc allcct, hcrcthctnccst olbrothcrandststcr.
d IOD d00l lO d0lIOD
D0 IDU$0IDd0
1lut1|Jm
Whcnquatcs andpowcrsarcapprchcndcdasactuascdnstatcsol
thngs, nmcux whch arc gcographcay and hstorcaydctcr-
mnabc, wccntcrntothcrcamolthcacton-magc.hcrcasmol
thc acton-magcsopposcdtothc dcasm olthcallccton-magc.
lowcvcr,bctwccnthctwo,bctwccnhrstncssandsccondncss,thcrc
s somcthng whchskcthc'dcgcncratc'allcct,orthc'cmbryonc'
acton. ltsnoongcrthcallccton-magc, butsnotyctthcacton-
magc. Aswchavcsccn,thclormcrsdcvcopcdnthcAny-5pacc-
Whatcvcrs/Allccts par. hc sccond w bc dcvcopcd n thc
Lctcrmncd Mcux/Modcs ol chavour par. ut, bctwccn thc
two,wccomcacross astrangcpar. Lrgnary Words/lcmcntary
lmpuscs. An orgnary word s not an any-spacc-whatcvcr
(athoughtmayrcscmbconc),bccausctonyappcarsnthcdcpths
oldctcrmncd mcux, but ncthcr s t adctcrmncdmcu,whch
onydcrvcslromthcorgnaryword. Anmpuscs notanallcct,
bccausc t s an mprcsson n thc strongcst scnsc and not an
cxprcsson. ut ncthcr s t kc thc lccngs or cmotons whtch
rcguatcanddcrcguatcbchavour. Nowwcmustrccognscthatths
ncwsctsnotamcrcntcrmcdary,apaccoltranston,butposscsscs
apcrlcctconsstcncyandautonomy,wththcrcsutthatthcacton-
magc rcmans powcrcss to rcprcscnt t, and thc aIlccton-magc
powcrcss to makc t lct.
akc a housc, a country or a rcgon. hcsc arcrcamcux ol
gcographca|andsocaactuasaton.uttooksasl,nwhocorn
part, thcy communcatc lrom wthn wth orgnary words. hc
orgnarywordmaybcmarkcdbythcartlcatyolthcsct(acomc
opcra kngdom, a studo lorcst, or marsh) as much as by thc
authcntctyolaprcscrvcdzonc(agcnuncdcscrt,avrgnlorcst).lt
srccognsabcbytslormcsscharactcr. lts apurcbackground,or
rathcr a wthout-background, composcd ol unlormcd mattcr,
skctchcs or lragmcnts, crosscd by non-lorma lunctons, acts, or
cncrgy dynamsms whch do not cvcn rclcr to thc consttutcd
sub}ccts. lcrc thc charactcrs arc kc anmas. thc lashonabc
gcntcmanabrdolprcy,thcovcragoat,thcpoormanahycna.hs
I Z+
8 H]]rtt teettien
ts not bccauscthcy havc thctr lorm orbchavtour,but bccauscthctr
actsarcprtortoaIdtllcrcnttattonbctwccnthchumanandthcantmaI.
hcscarchumanantmaIs.AndthtstndccdtsthctmpuIsc.thccncrgy
whtch sctzcs lragmcnts tn thc ortgtnary worId. 5trtctIy spcaktng,
tmpuIscs andlragmcnts arc corrcIatcs. Llcoursc, tmpuIscs arcnot
IacktngtntntcIItgcncc.thcycvcnhavcadtaboItcaItntcIItgcnccwhtch
Icadscachtochooscttspart,awattttsmomcnt,dclcrttsgcsturc,and
borrowthcoutItncsollorm whtch wtII bcstcnabIctttopcrlormtts
act.NctthcrdocsthcortgtnaryworIdIackaIawtogtvcttconststcncy.
It ts, ltrst ol aII, lmpcdocIcs' worId, madc up ol outItncs and
lragmcnts, hcads wtthoutnccks, cycs wtthout laccs, arms wtthout
shouIdcrs,gcsturcs wtthout lorm. uttttsaIsothcsctwhtchunttcs
cvcrythtng,nottnanorgantsatton,butmaktngaIIthcpartsconvcrgc
tn an tmmcnsc rubbtsh-dump or swamp, and aII thc tmpuIscs tn a
grcatdcath-tmpuIsc. hc ortgtnary worId ts thcrclorc bothradtcaI
bcgtnntngandabsoIutccnd,andltnaIIyttItnksthconctothcothcr,tt
puts thc onctnto thcothcr, accordtng to a Iaw whtchtsthatolthr
strrrstsler.IttsthusaworId olavcryspcctaIktndolvtoIcncc(tn
ccrtatnrcspccts,tttsthcradtcaIcvtI),buttthasthcmcrttolcaustngan
ortgtnarytmagcolttmcto rtsc,wtththcbcgtnntng,thccnd,andthc
sIopc, aII thccrucIty olLhronos.
htstsnaturaItsm. IttsnotopposcdtorcaItsm,butonthccontrary
acccntuatcs tts lcaturcs by cxtcndtng thcm tn an tdtosyncrattc
surrcaItsm. NaturaItsmtnIttcraturctscsscnttaIyZoIa.hchadthctdca
olmaktngrcaImtItcuxruntnparaIIcIwtthortgtnaryworIds.Incach
olhtsbooks,hcdcscrtbcsaprcctscmtItcu,buthcaIsorxheuststt,and
rcstorcstttothcortgtnaryworId,tttslromthtshtghcrsourccthatthc
lorcc ol rcaItst dcscrtptton dcrtvcs. hc rcaI, actuaI mtItcu ts thc
mcdtum ol a worId whtch ts dcltncd by a radtcaI bcgtnntng, an
absoIutccnd, a Itncolthc stccpcst sIopc.
hts ts thc csscnttaI potnt, thc two wtII not Ict thcmscIvcs bc
scparatcdanddonottakcondtsttnctlorm.hcortgtnaryworIdhas
no cxtstcncc tndcpcndcnt olthc gcographtcaI and htstortcaI mtItcu
whtch scrvcs as tts mcdtum. It ts thc mtItcu whtch rccctvcs a
bcgtnntng, an cnd and abovc aII, a sIopc. hts tswhytmpuIscs arc
rxtrettrdlromthc rcaImodcs olbchavtourcurrcnttnadctcrmtnatc
mtItcu, lrom thc passtons, lccItngs and cmottons whtch rcaI mcn
cxpcrtcncc tn thts mtItcu. And thc lragmcnts arc ten]remob}ccts
whtchhavccllccttvcIybccnlormcdtnthcmtItcu. ltmtghtbcsatdthat
thc ortgtnary worId onIy appcars whcn thc tnvtstbIc Itncs whtch
dtvtdc upthcrcaI,whtchdtsIocatcmodcs olbchavtourandob}ccts,
arc supcrchargcd, ltIIcd out and cxtcndcd. Acttons go bcyond
Neturelism l ZJ
thcmsclvcstowardsprmordalactswhcharcnotthcrcomponcnts,
ob}ccts towards lragmcnts whch wouId not rcconsttutc thcm,
pcopIc towards cncrgcs whch do not 'organsc' thcm. hc
orgnaryworIdonlycxstsandopcratcsnthcdcpthsolarcalmIcu,
and s only vaId through ts mmancncc n ths mlcu, whosc
volcnccandcruclty trcvcals.utatthcsamctmcthcmIcuonly
prcscntstscllasrcaIn ts mmancnccnthcorgnaryworld, thas
thc status ol a 'dcrvcd' mlcu, whch rcccvcs a tcmporaIty as
dcstny lromthc orgnary world. Actons ormodcs olbchavour,
pcoplc and ob}ccts, havc to occupy thc dcrvcd mIcu, and arc
dcvclopcdthcrc, whlcmpulscsandlragmcntspcopIcthcorgnary
worId whch carrcs thc whoIc aIong wth t. or ths rcason,
naturalst authors dcscrvc thc Nctzschcan namc 'physcans ol
cvIsaton' . hcy dagnosc cvIsaton. hc naturaIst magc, thc
mpulsc-magc,hasnlacttwosgns.symptoms,anddoIsorlctshcs.
5ymptoms arcthcprcscncc olmpulscs nthc dcrvcd world,and
dols and lctshcs, thc rcprcscntaton olthc lragmcnts. hs s thc
world ol Lan, thc sgns ol Lan. ln short, naturaIsm rclcrs
smuItancousIytolourco-ordnatcs.orgnaryworId/dcrvcdmIcu,
mpulscs/modcs olbchavour. lct usmagncawork nwhchthc
dcrvcdmlcu andthcorgnaryworldarcrcalIydstnctandwclI-
scparatcd. AIthoughthcymayhavcalIkndsolcorrcspondcnccs,t
wouldnot bc anaturalstwork. '
hcrcwcrctwogrcatmastcrsol naturalsmnthccncma.5trohcm
and uucl. ln thcr works thc nvcnton olorgnary worIds can
appcarnIocalscd lorms whcharcvcryvarcd, artlcalornatural.
ln5trohcmthcrcsthcmountanpcakn8lindHusbends,thcwtch's
hut n leelish ivcs, thc paIacc olQuccn Kclly, thc swamp n thc
Alrcan cpsodcolthcsamc llm, thcdcscrt atthccndolGrccd. ln
uuclthcrcsthcstudo}ungIcnDcethinthcGerdcn,thcdrawng-
room n ThcLxtcrminetingHngcl,thcdcscrtolcolumnsnSimene]
thc Dcscrt, thc rock gardcn ol Thc Geldcn Hgc. lvcn though t s
Iocalscd,thcorgnaryworIdsstllthcovcrllowngIocatonwhcrc
thcwhoIclImhappcns,that s, thc world whch s rcvcalcd atthc
bass ol thc socal mlcux whch arc so powcrlulIy dcscrbcd. or
5trohcmanduuclarcrcalsts.ncvcrhasthcmlcubccndcscrbcd
wth so much volcncc or crucIty, wth ts dual socaI dvson
'poor-rch' , 'goodmcn-cvldocrs' . utwhatgvcsthcrdcscrpton
suchlorccs,ndccd,thcrwayolrcIatngthclcaturcstoanorgnary
world,whchrumblcsnthcdcpthsolallthcmlcuxandrunsaIong
bcncath thcm. hs worId docs not cxst ndcpcndcntIy ol thc
dctcrmnatc mIcux, but convcrscIymakcs thcm cxst wthcharac-
I Z S H]]ctt tee:tien
tcrstcs and lcaturcs whchcomclrom abovc,orrathcr, lromastll
morctcrrblcdcpth.Jhcorgnaryworldsabcgnnngolthcworld,
butalsoancndolthcwor|d,andthcrrcsstblcslopclromonctothc
othcr,tcarrcsthcmlcualongandalsomakcstntoacloscdworld,
absolutclycloscdoll,orclscopcnstupontoanunccrtanhopc.Jhc
rubbshtpwhcrcthccorpscwll bcthrown s thcmagccommonto
leelish ivcs and Thc Ieung end thc Demncd. Mlcux constantly
cmcrgclromthcorgnaryworldandrctrcatntot.thcyonIybarcly
cmcrgc lrom t, lkc skctchcs whch arc alrcady doomcd, aIrcady
scrbblcd ovcr, to rcturn to tcvcnmorcdclntvclylthcydo not
attanthcsalvatonwhchtscllcanonIycomclromthsrctumtothc
orgn. 5uchsthcswampnthcAlrcancpsodcolQuccnKclly,and
abovc all thc cnc-novcI |ete-|ete, whcrc thc suspcndcd lovcrs,
boundlacctolacc,awatthcasccntolthccrocodlcs.'lcrcj. . .]thc
lattudc s zcro j. . . ]. lcrc j. . . ] no tradton, no prcccdcnt j. . . ].
lcrcj. . . ] cach actsaccordng to thcmpulscolthcmomcntj. . . ]
anddocs what oto-oto mpcIs hm to do j. . .]. oto-oto s our
only law. j . . . ] And hc s also our cxccutoncr j. . . ]. Wc arc all
condcmncdtodcath. ' Zcrolattudcsalsothcprmordallocatonol
Thc Lxtcrmineting Hngcl. Jhs was orgnaIly cmbodcd n thc
mystcrously closcd bourgcos drawng-room, thcn, whcn thc
drawng-room hadscarcclybccnrc-opcncd,twasrc-cstablshcdn
thc cathcdral, whcrc thc survvors arc oncc agan untcd. lt s thc
prmordal locaton ol Distrcct Cherm e] thc 8rgceisic, whch s
rcconsttutcd n all thc succcssvcdcrvcdIocatons, to prcvcnt thc
cvcnt whch s cxpcctcdthcrc. Jhshadalrcadybccnthcmatrx ol
ThcGeldcnHgc,whchpunctuatcdallhumanty'sdcvcIopmcntsand
rc-absorbcdthcmwhcn thcy had barcly cmcrgcd.
Wth naturalsm, tmc makcsavcrypromncnt appcaranccnthc
cncmatographcmagc.MtrywasrghttosaythatGrccdsthclrst
llm whch tcsthcs to a 'psychologcal duraton' as cvoluton or
ontogcncssolcharactcrs.Andtmcsnolcssprcscntnuucl,but
as phyIogcncss, pcrodsaton ol thc agcs ol man (not only
promncntly, as n Thc Geldcn Hgc, but n ThcMilky ey, whch
borrowsclcmcntslromallpcrods,playnghavocwththcrordcr).
lowcvcr, n thc lrst placc, naturaIst tmc sccms to bc undcr an
nscparablccursc.Wcmghtsayol5trohcmwhatJhbaudctsadol
laubcrt.lorhm,duratonslcssthatwhchlormstsclljsc ]eit]than
thatwhchundocs tsclljscd]eit],andaccclcratcsnundongtscll. lt
s thcrclorc nscparablc lrom an cntropy, a dcgradaton. And t s
ndccdnthswaythat5trohcmscttIcshsacountwthlxprcssonsm.
Aswchavcsccn,whathcsharcswthlxprcssonsmsatrcatmcntol
Neturelism
I Z 7
lghtandshadcwhchputshmonaparwthlangorMumau.ut,
nthcsclattcr,tmconlycxstcdnrclatontolghtandshadcsothat
thcdcgradatonolacharactcronlycxprcsscdalallntodarkncss,nto
ablack holc(hcnccMurnau's ThrLestLeugh,butalsoabst's Lulu,
and cvcn 5tcrnbcrg's Thr8lurHngrl,nhscxcrcscnmtatonol
thclxprcssonsts).Whlc n5trohcm t sthcrcvcrsc.hccontnually
modcllcd lght and shadc on thc stagcs ol a dcgradaton whch
lascnatcdhm,hcsubordnatcslghttoatmcconccvcdascntropy.
lnuucl,thcphcnomcnon oldcgradatondocsnotassumclcss
autonomy - pcrhaps cvcnmorc - sncc t s a dcgradaton whch
cxtcnds cxplctly to thc human spcccs. Thr Lxtrrmineting Hngrl
shows a rcgrcsson at lcast cqual to that olthc charactcrs nGrrrd.
lowcvcr thc dllcrcncc bctwccn 5trohcm and uucl s that n
uucl thcdcgradaton sconccvcdlcssasaccclcratcdcntropythan
asaprccptatngrcpctton,ctcrnalrcturn.hcorgnaryworldthus
mposcs upon thc succcssvc mlcux not cxactly a slopc, but a
curvaturcorcyclc.ltstructhatacyclc-unlkcadcsccnt- cannotbc
cntrcly 'bad' , as n lmpcdoclcs, taltcrnatcsLoodand lvl, lovc
and latc andndccdthc lovcr, thcgoodman and cvcn thcsantly
man takconanmportanccnuuclwhchthcylackn5trohcm.
ut, nsomcrcspccts,thsrcmanssccondary,lorthcmalcorIcmalc
lovcr, thc holy man hmscllarc - accordng to uucl - no lcss
harmlulthanthcpcrvcrt orthcdcgcncratc (Ne:erin). Whcthcrts
tmcolcntropy,ortmcolctcrnalrcturn,nbothcascstmclndsts
sourcc n thc orgnary world, whchconlcrs upon t thc rolc ola
dcstnywhchcannotbccxpatcd.Lurlcdupnthcorgnaryworld
whch s lkc thc bcgnnng and thc cnd oltmc, tmc unravcls n
dcrvcd mlcux. hs s almost anco-latonsm oltmc. And t s
undoubtcdly onc olthc naturalst cncma's grcat achcvcmcnts to
havc comc so closc to a tmc-magc. lowcvcr, what prcvcntcd t
lrom rcachng tmc as purc lorm wasts oblgaton to kccp tmc
subordnatc to naturalstc co-ordnatcs, to makc t dcpcndcnt on
mpulsc. Lonscqucntly, naturalsm could only grasp thc ncgatvc
cllccts oltmc, attrton,dcgradaton,wastagc,dcstructon, loss, or
smply oblvon. (Wc wll sccthatwhcnthccncmaconlrontsthc
lorm oltmc drcctly, t can onlyconstructts magcby brcakng
wth thc naturalstc conccrn lor thc orgnary world and ts
mpulscs. )
l nlactnaturalsm'smostmportantclcmcnt sthcmpulsc-magc.
hs cmbraccs tmc, but only asthcdcstnyolthcmpulscandthc
bccomngoltsobcct. Alrstaspcctconccrnsthcnaturcolmpulscs.
lor,lthcyarc'clcmcntary' or 'raw', nthcscnscthatthcyrclcrto
l ZB S H]]cttteettien
ortgtnary worlds, thcy can assumc conltgurattons whtch arc vcry
complcx, btzarrc and unusual tn rclatton to thc dcrtvcd mtItcux tn
whtchthcyappcar. Lcrtatnly,thcyarcoltcnrclattvcIystmplc- ltkc
thctmpulscolhungcr,tmpulscstonourtshmcnt,scxualtmpuIscs,or
cvcnthctmpulsclorgoldtnGrccd. utaIrcadythcyarctnscparabIc
lrom thc pcrvcrsc modcs ol bchavtour whtch thcy producc and
antmatc. canntbaltsttc, sado-masochtsttc,nccrophtltac,ctc. . . . uucl
was to cxpand thc nvcntory by taktng tnto account sttII morc
compIcx, propcrlysptrttualtmpulscsandpcrvcrstons.Andthcrcarc
no ltmtts tn thcsc btopsychtc pathways. Marco lcrrcrt ts wtthout
doubtoncolthclcwrcccntdtrcctorsto havctnhcrttcdanauthcnttc
naturaltsttctnsptratton andthcartolcvoktnganortgtnaryworIdat
thchcartolrcaltsttcmtltcux(thusKtngKong'scnormouscorpscon
thc sttcolthcgrcatmodcrndcvcIopmcntorthcthcatrc-muscumol
Kvcdcsingc).hcrchctmpIantsstrangctmpulscs,ltkcthcmatcrnal
tmpuIscolthcmaIctnKvcdcsingc,orcvcnthctrrcststtbIctmpuIsc
to whtstIc tnaballoon tn 8rcek L.
hcsccondaspccttsthcob}cctolthctmpulsc,thatts,thclragmcnt
whtch stmultancously bclongs to thc ortgtnary world and ts torn
lromthcrcalob}cctolthcdcrtvcdmtltcu.hcob}cctolthctmpuIscts
aIways thc 'parttal ob}cct' , or thc lcttsh, a haunch olmcat, a raw
morscl, a scrap, a woman's brtcls, a shoc. hcshocas scxual lcttsh
gtvcsrtsctoconlrontattonbctwccn5trohctmanduucI,parttcuIarly
tn thc lormcr's Thc Mcrry ideu, and thc Iattcr's Diery e] e
Chembcrmeid.5othatthctmpuIsc-tmagctsundoubtcdlythconlycasc
tnwhtchthcclosc-upcllccttvclybccomcsparttalob}cct,butthtstsnet
bccauscthccIosc-up 'ts'parttalob} cct,tttsbccauscthcparttaIob}cct
bctngthat olthc tmpulscthcncxccpttonallybccomcs closc-up.hc
tmpulsctsanact whtchtcarsaway,rupturcs,dtslocatcs.crvcrstonts
thcrclorc not tts dcvtatton, but tts dcrtvatton, that ts, tts normaI
cxprcsston tn thc dcrtvcd mtltcu. t ts a constant prcdator-prcy
rclattonshtp.hctnvaltdtsthcprcyercxtcllcntc,stnccwcnolongcr
know whattslragmcnttnhtm thcpartwhtchtsIacktng,orthcrcst
olhts body. ut hc ts aIso prcdator and thcnon-sattslacttonolthc
tmpuIsc,thchungcrolthcpoor,tsnolcsslragmcnttngthanthcsattcty
ol thc rtch. hc quccn tn Quccn Kclly rummagcs tn a box ol
chocoIatcs ltkc a bcggar tn a dustbtn. hc tnvaltd and thc monstcr
gatn suchprcscncctnnaturaItsmbccauscthcyarcboththcdclormcd
ob}cct ol whtch thc act olthc tmpuIsc takcs posscsston and thctlI-
lormcd skctch,whtchscrvcs as thc sub}cct olthts act.
In thcthtrdplacc, thclaworthcdcsttny olthctmpulscts to takc
posscsston through gutIc, but vtolcntly,olcvcrythtngthattttentn
Neturelism I Z
agvcnmIcu,and,ltcan,topasslromoncmIcutoanothcr.hs
cxpIoraton,thscxhaustonolmIcux, s constant. lachtmc, thc
mpuIscscIcctstslragmcntnagvcnmIcuandycttdocsnotscIcct
t, t takcs ndscrmnatcIy lromwhatthcmIcuollcrs t,cvcn lt
thcnmcansgongonmrthcr.Asccncncrcncclshcr's Thc8ridcs
e]Druleshowsthcvamprcscckngthcvctmwhchhchaschoscn,
butmakngdowthanothcrwhcnhclaIstohndhcr.lorhsmpuIsc
lorbIoodmustb satslcd.hssanmportantsccnc,lortshowsan
cvoIutonnthchorrorlImlromthcLothctothcnco-Lothc,lrom
lxprcssonsmtonaturaIsm. WcarcnoIongcrnthccIcmcntolthc
allcct, wc havc passcd nto thc mIcu ol mpuIscs (mpuIscs, n
anothcr way, aIso anmatc thc cxccIIcnt work olMaro ava). In
5trohcm'slxlish ivcs,thcscduccrhcromovcslromthcmadscrvant
tothcsocctyIady,to hnshupwththcsckIynvaId,drvcnbythc
cIcmcntaIlorccolaprcdatorympuIsc,whchIcadshmtocxpIorcaII
mIcuxandtotcarawaywhatcachoncollcrs.uucI 'sSuseneaIso
achcvcs thccompIctccxhaustonolamIcu.mothcr,scrvant, son
andlathcr.`hcmpuIscmustbccxhaustvc.ltsnotcvcnsullccnt
to saythatthc mpuIsccontcnts tscIlwthwhatamIcugvcs tor
Icavcs tot.hs contcntmcnt snot rcsgnaton, but agrcat}oyn
whch thc mpuIsc rcdscovcrs tspowcrolchocc, snccts, atthc
dccpcst IcvcI, thc dcsrc to changc mIcu, to scck a ncw mIcuto
cxpIorc, to dsIocatc, cn}oyng aII thc morcwhatths mIcu ollcrs,
howcvcr Iow, rcpuIsvc or dsgustng t may bc. hc }oys olthc
mpuIsc cannot bc mcasurcd aganst thc allcct, that s, aganst thc
ntrnsc quaItcs olthc possbIcob}cct.
hc orgnary worId aIways contans a cocxstcncc and a
succcssonoldstnctrcaImIcux,ascanbccIcarIysccnn5trohcm
andcvcnmorcnuucAndhcrc,wcmustdstngushbctwccnthc
stuaton olthcrchandthatolthcpoor, olthcmastcrsandolthc
scrvants. ltsmorcdllcuItlorapoorscrvanttocxpIorcandcxhaust
a rchmIcuthanlora rchpcrson- whcthcrgcnuncorlaIsc- to
pcnctratc a Iow mIcu, to sczc hs prcy lrom among thc poor.
NcvcrthcIcss, wc must trcat thc cvdcncc wth cauton. 5trohcm
prmarIykccpstothccvoIutonolthcrchmannhsownmIcuand
hsdcsccntntothcIowcrdcpths.uucI(IkcloscyIatcr)consdcrs
thc rcvcrscphcnomcnon, whchs pcrhapsmorctcrrlyngbccausc
morc subtIc, morc nsnuatng, cIoscr to thc hycna or thc vuIturc
whchknowhowtowat- thcnvasonolthcpoormanorthcscrvant,
hs nvcstmcnt olthc rch mIcu and thc spccaI way n whch hc
cxhausts t. not }ust Susene, but aIso thc bcggars and thc scrvant
womanolIiridiene. Inthcpoororthcrch,mpuIscshavcthcsamc
l JO
S H]]cttteettien
goal and thc samc dcsttny. to smash tnto lragmcnts, to tcar oll
lragmcnts, gathcr up thcscraps, lorm thc grcat rubbtsh dump and
brtng cvcrythtng togcthcr tn a stnglc and tdcnttcal dcathtmpulsc.
Lcath, thc dcath tmpulsc - naturaltsm ts saturatcd wtth tt. lcrc tt
attatnsttscxtrcmcolbascncss,althoughthtstsnotttslastword.And,
bclorcthclastword-whtchtsnotasdcspcratcasmtghtbccxpcctcd-
uuclalsoaddsthts.tttsnotonlythcpoorandrtchwhoparttctpatc
tnthcsamcworkoldcgradatton,butsodogoodandholymcn. lor
thcy also brccdonscraps andrcmatn stuckto thclragmcnts whtch
thcy carry away. hts ts why uucl's cyclcs lorm as much ola
gcncraltscddcgradattonasdocs5trohctm' scntropy.castolprcyor
parasttc- cvcryonctsbothstmultancously.Adtaboltcalvotcccantcll
thc holy man Nazartn, whosc good works constantly hastcn thc
dcgradattonolthcworld.'youarcasusclcssasmc',youarcnothtng
but a parasttc. hc rtch, bcauttlul, good Vtrtdtana only cvolvcs
throughthcconsctousncss thatshcgatnsolhcrownusclcssncssand
parastttsm,whtcharctnhcrcnttnthctmpulscsolthcLood.Thcrcisen
idcntiteleresititimulsccvcryuhcrc.htststhcdtagnosts.lcnccthc
two polcs olthc lcttsh, lcttshcs olLood and lcttshcs ollvtl,holy
lcttshcsandlcttshcsolcrtmcandscxualttyalsomcctandtntcrchangc,
ltkc uucl's wholc scrtcs ol grotcsquc Lhrtsts, or thc daggcr-
cructltxolIiridiene. hclormcrmtghtbccallcdrcltcs,andthclattcr,
tnthcvocabularyolsorccry, 'vults'orvoodooob}ccts.hcyarcthc
twoaspcctsolthcsamcsymptom.lvcnthctwolovcrsolThcGeldcn
Hgclollowthc upwardcourscolthc world|cssthanttsdownward
slopc, attachtng thcmsclvcs to lcttshcs whosc posscsston thcy
dtsputc, cach lorcscctng ttmc's attrtttonon thc othcr, or thc luturc
acctdcntandalrcadyscparatcd.AsLrouzysays, tttsstrangcthatthc
surrcaltsts thought tt was an cxamplcolmad lovc. It ts truc that,
lrom thc start, uucl's rclatton to surrcaltsm was a|most as
ambtguousas5trohctm'stolxprcsstontsm.hcmakcsuscoltt,butlor
quttc dtlIcrcnt cnds whtch arc thoscolan omntpotcnt naturaltsm.
Z , th1t1tlrt|Jl|t 6[ Uul!ur J L6tk. ]6Lrt 6[
tr]rl|l|6B |B lhr |m1r
hcrcarcncvcrthclcsgrcatdtllcrcnccsbctwccn5trohctm'snaturaltsm
and that ol uucl. In lttcraturc, thcrc ts pcrhaps somcthtng
analogoustnthcrclattonshtpbctwccnLolaandluysmans.luysmans
satd that Zola only tmagtncd tmpulscs olthc body tn stcrcotypcd
soctal mtltcux, whcrc man was only rcunttcd wtth thc ortgtnary
8uucl \uerk I J l
worId olanmaIs. lorhs part, hcwantcd anaturaIsmolthcsouI,
whchwoudbcttcrrccognscthcarthcaIconstructonsolpcrveson,
but aIso pcrhaps thc supcrnaturaI unvcrsc ol lath. 5marIy, n
uuc, thcdscovcry olmpuIscs propcr tothcsouI - as strong as
hungcrandscxuaItyandmadcupolthcm-wastogvcpcrvcrsona
sprtua rocwhchtIackcdn5trohcm. And,abovcaI,thcradca
crtquc olrcIgon wouId gan nourshmcnt lromthc sourccs ola
possbclath,thcvoIcntcrtqucolLhrstantyasnsttutonwouId
gvcachancctoLhrstaspcrson.hoscwhohavcsccnanntcmaI
dcbatcwthaLhrstanmpuscnuucI'sworkarcnotwrong. thc
pcrvcrsc and, abovc aII, Lhrst, skctchouta bcyondrathcrthan a
wthnandgvcrcsonancctoaqucstonwhchscxprcssmasthatol
saIvaton,cvcnluucIhasstrongdoubtsabutcacholthcmcansol
ths saIvaton, rcvoIuton, ovc, lath.
Wc can scarccIy prcudgc how 5trohcm's work mght havc
cvoIvcd.'utnthcworkswhchcxst,thcmndamcntaImovcmcnts
that whch thc orgnary word mposcs on mIcux, that s, a
dcgradaton,adcsccntorancn.ropy.LonscqucntIy,thcqucstonol
saIvatoncanonybcposcdnthclormolaIocaIncrcascolcntropy,
whchwouIdndcatcacapactyolthcorgnaryworIdtoopcnupa
mcu,nstcadolcIosngt.husthclamoussccncolthcpurcstIovc
among thc appc trccs n bIoom n Thc cdding Merth, andthc
sccondpart, ThcHencymeen,whchwaspcrhapstohavccvokcdthc
brtholasprtuaIlc.ut,nuucI,aswchavcsccn,cntropywas
rcpIaccd bythccycIcorthcctcrnaIrcturn.Now,thcctcmaIrctum
laIcdtobcascatastrophcascntropy,ustasthccycclaIcdtobcas
dcgradng n aI ts parts, but noncthcIcss thcy cxtract a sprtua
powcr olrcpctton, whch poscs n a ncw way thc qucston ola
possbcsaIvaton.hcgoodman,thcsantIyman,arcmprsonmn
thccycIc,noIcssthanthcthugandthccvIdocr.utsnotrcpctton
capabIcolbrcakngoutoltsowncycIcandol'Icapng'bcyondgood
and cvI lt s rcpctton whch runs and dcgradcs us, but t s
rcpctton whchcan savcus and aIow ustocscapclromthcothcr
rcpctton. Kcrkcgaard had aIrcadyopposcdalcttcrng,dcgradng
rcpctton olthc past to a rcpctton ollath,drcctcdtowards thc
luturc, whchrcstorcd cvcrythng to us na powcrwhchwas not
that ol thc Lood but ol thc absurd. o thc ctcrnaI rctum as
rcproductonolsomcthngawaysaIrcady-accompIshcd,sopposcd
thc ctcmaI rctum as rcsurrccton, a ncw glt ol thc ncw, ol thc
possbc. Loscrto uucI,KaymondKousscI,anauthordcartothc
surrcaIsts,dcvcopcd'sccncs'orrcpcttonstoIdtwccovcr.nLems
selus,cghtcorpscsnagasscagcrcproduccthccvcntolthcrIlc,and
l JZ
8 H]]rttteattim
lucus lgrozard, artst and schoIar ol gcnus, who has gonc mad
altcrthcmurdcrolhsdaughtcr,rcpcatsndchntcIythccrcumstanco
ol thc murdcr untI hc nvcnts a machnc to rccord thc vocc ola
sngcr, dclorms t,and rcstorcs so accuratcIythcvocc olhs dcad
chIdthathcrcganscvcrythng.daughtcr,happncss. ltmovcslrom
anndchntcrcpcttontorcpcttonasdccsvcnstant,lromacIoscd
rcpctton to an opcn rcpctton, lrom a rcpctton whch notonIy
laIs,butnduccslaIurc,toarcpcttonwhchnotonIysuccccds,but
rccrcatcsthcmodcIorthcorgnary."WccouIdmstakctloroncol
uucI's scrpts. In lact thc bad rcpctton docs not occur smpIy
bccauscthccvcntlaIs. ItsthatwhchmakcsthccvcntlaI,asnTbr
Distrrrt Cbrm e] tbr 8eurgreisir, whcrc thc rcpctton olIunch
pursucs ts work ol dcgradaton through aII thc mIcux whch t
cIoscsontothcmscIvcs(Lhurch,army,dpIomacy. . . ). And,nTbr
LxtrrminetingHngrl,thcIawolbadrcpcttonkccpsthcguctsnthc
room whosc boundarcs cannot bc crosscd, whIc good rcpctton
sccms to aboIsh thc Imts andopcn thcm onto thc worId.
ln uucI, as n KousscI, bad rcpctton appcars nthc lorm ol
ncxacttudc or mpcrlccton. thc ntroducton ol thc samc two
gucstsn TbrLxtrrminetingHngrlsononcoccasonwarm,andon
thc othcrlrgd, or takcthchost's toast, whch s madconccn an
atmosphcrcolndllcrcncc,thcothcrtmcnoncolgcncraIattcnton.
lowcvcr, rcpctton whch savcsappcars to bccxact, andthconIy
oncwhch s cxact. tswhcnthcvrgn hasoIlcrcd hcrscIlU thc
Lod-hostthat(hcgucstsrcdscovcrcxactIythcrhrstpstonandat
IasthndthcmscIvcslrcc.utcxacttudcsalaIsccrtcron,standngn
lorsomcthngcIsc. hcrcpcttonolthcpastspossbIcmatcraIIy,
butsprtuaIIympossbIc,nthcnamcolmc.onthccontrary,thc
rcpcttonollath,drcctcdtowardsthcluturc,sccmstobcmatcraIIy
mpossbIc,butsprtuaIIypossbIc, bccausctconsstsnbgnnng
cvcrythngagan,nasccndngthcpathwhchsmprsoncdbythc
cyc|c, by vrtuc ola crcatvc nstant oltmc. Arc thcrc thus two
rcpcttonswhchconlrontcachothcr,IkcadcathmpuIscandaIlc
mpuIsc uucI Icavcs us n a statc ol thc grcatcst unccrtanty,
bcgnnng wth thc dstncton or thc conmson ol thc two
rcpcttons. c AngcI`s gucsts want to commcmoratc, thats,to
rcpcatthcrcpcttonwhchhassavcdthcm,butnthswaythcylaII
back nto a rcpctton whch runs thcm. Lathcrcd togcthcr n thc
church lor a Tr Drum, thcy hnd thcmscIvcs prsoncrs agan n a
dccpcrandgrcatcrway,asthcrcvoIutonrumbIcs.lnTbrMilkyey
LhrstaspcrsonhasIongmantancdthcchanccolanopcnng-upol
thc worId, through thc varcd mIcux through whchthcpIgrms
Di]]itultye] bcing neturelist
l J J
pass.butatthccnd,tttndccdsccmsthataIIcIoscsupagatnandthat
Lhrtst ts htmscIl an cncIosurc tnstcad ol a hortzon." o rcach a
rcpcttttonwhtchsavcs,orwhtchchangcsItlc,bcyondgoodandcvtI,
wouId tt not bcncccssary to brcak wtththcordcr oltmpuIscs,to
undo thc cycIcs olttmc,rcachan cIcmcntwhtchwouIdbcItkcatruc
'dcstrc', or Itkc a chotcc capabIc olconstantIybcgtnntng agatn (wc
havc aIrcady sccn thts tn rcspcct olIyrtcaI abstractton)
uucI ncvcrthcIcss gatncd somcthtng by maktng rcpctttton,
rathcr than cntropy, thc Iaw olthc worId. Hc inctts thcmcre]
rcctitien inte thc tincmetegrehit imegc. ln thts way hc ts aIrcady
gotngbcyondthcworIdoltmpuIscs, to knockonthcdoorsolttmc
and lrccttlromthcsIopcorthccycIcswhtchsttIIsubugatcdtttoa
contcnt. uucI docs not cItng to symptoms and to lcttshcs, hc
cIaboratcs anothcr typcolstgn whtch mtghtbc caIIcd 'sccnc' and
whtchpcrhaps gtvcsusadtrcctttmc-tmagc.htsts anaspcctolhts
work whtch wc wtII comc across Iatcr, stncc tt gocs bcyond
naturaItsm.uttttslromtnstdcthatuucIgocsbcyondnaturaItsm,
wtthoutcvcr rcnounctng tt.
J 1hr J|[[|tul] 6[ r|B B1lut1|Jl
lorthc momcnt what tntcrcsts us tsnotthcwayto gct outstdcthc
Itmtts olnaturaItsm, but rathcr thc manncr tn whtch somc grcat
dtrcctorshavclatIcdtocomcwtthtnthcmdcspttcrcpcatcdattcmpts.
htstsbccausc,whtIcthcywcrcobscsscdbythcortgtnaryworIdol
tmpuIscs,thctrparttcuIargcntusnoncthcIcssdtrcctcdthcmtowards
othcr probIcms. Vtscontt,lorcxampIc,lrom hts ltrstltImto htsIast
(Ubscssien and Thc |nnetcnt) trtcs to rcach raw and prtmordtaI
tmpuIscs.ut,too'artstocrattc',hcdocsnotsuccccd,bccauschtstruc
thcmc ts cIscwhcrc, and ts tmmcdtatcIy conccrncd wtth ttmc.
Kcnotr'scascts dt llcrcntbutanaIogous.KcnotrtsoltcnIcdtowards
pcrvcrsc and brutaI tmpuIscs (notabIy tn Nene, Thc Diery e] e
Chembcrmeiand ThcHumen8cest),buthcrcmatnstnltnttcIycIoscr
to Maupassant than to naturaItsm. lndccd, aIrcady tn Maupassant,
naturaItsm ts nothtng but a laadc. thtngs arc sccnas tlthrougha
wtndow-pancoronthcstagcolathcatrc,prcvcnttngdurattonlrom
lormtngacoarscsubstancctnthcproccssoldcgradatton, andwhcn
thc panc thaws, tt gtvcs way to runntng watcr, whtch cannot bc
lurthcr rcconctIcd wtth ortgtnary worIds, thctr tmpuIscs, thctr
lragmcnts and thctr outItncs. hus, cvcrythtng whtch tnsptrcs
Kcnotr turns htm away lrom thc naturaItsm whtch, noncthc Icss,
conttnucdtotormcnt htm.
I J1
8 H]]rtt tettin
lnaIIy,thc Amcrcandrcctors.5omcolthcm- notabIyluIIcr -
arcdccpIyobscsscdbynaturaIsmandthcworIdolLan.'"utthcy
laItoachcvcthsbccauscthcyarccaughtupnrcaIsm,thats,nthc
constructon ol a purc acton-magc whch must bc drcctIy
apprchcndcd n thc cxcIusvc rcIatonshp bctwccn mIcux and
modcs olbchavour (a typc olvoIcncc compIctcIy dllcrcnt lrom
naturaIstvoIcncc). hcacton-magcrcprcsscs thc mpuIsc-magc,
whchs too ndcccntbccauscolts brutaIty,tsvcryrcstrant,and
ts Iack olrcaIsm. IlthcrcarcnaturaIstprcssurcs nthcAmcrcan
cncma, thcy arc pcrhaps to bc lound n ccrtan lcmaIc roIcs and
throughthcntcrmcdary olccrtanactrcsscs. Indccd, thcdcaolan
orgnarywomanscascrtoassmIatcthanaIIthcothcrcIcmcntsol
naturaIsm, and n partcuIar lor thc Amcrcans. ZoIa ntroduccd
Nanaas'thcprncpaIlIcsh','thclcrmcnt','thcgoIdcnhy' ,abascaIIy
goodgrI,butoncwhocorruptsaIIthatshctouchcs,drawngtnto
anrrcsstbIcdcgradatonwhch wIIrcboundagansthcr.Anothcr
typcolorgnarywoman,mpcraIandathIctc,soltcnportraycdby
A vaLardncr.thrcctmcsmpuIscdrawshcrrrcsstbIytomarrythc
dcadormpotcntman (lcwn' s|rdre, Mankcwcz'sThr8err]t
Cntrsse,lcnry Kng'sThrSunHlsKisrs). utthconIyAmcrcan
drcctor who kncw how to dcvcIop around a hcronc a whoIc
orgnaryworIdsccthngwthvoIcntmpuIscswas KngVdor,n
thcvcrypost-warpcrodwhcnhcdstanccdhmscIllromloIIywood
andlromrcaIsm. In KubyGrntry,thcgrIolthcswamps Qcnnlcr
)oncs) pursucs hcr rcvcngc and managcs to dcstroy thc aIrcady
cxhaustcd mIcu olthc cty and olmcn, makng swamp rcturn to
swamp.oncolthcbcststudoswampscvcrconstructcd.hssaIso
thccascnDurlinthrSun,anaturaIstWcstcm,and8ryndthrlrrst,
whcrc thc charactcrs sccm to obcy 'a sccrct, not yct dcntlabIc
lorcc' .
l l
What makcs thc mpuIsc-magcsodllcuIt to rcach andcvcn to
dclncordcntly,sthattssomchow'stuck'bctwccnthcallccton-
magc and thc acton-magc. NchoIas Kay's cvoIuton wouId bca
good cxampIc ol ths. It s truc that hs nspraton hasoltcn bccn
dcscrbcdas'IyrcaI' .hcbcIongstoIyrcaIabstracton.lscoIoursm,
whchgvcscoIoursamaxmumolabsorbngpowcr- asmuchasn
MnncII - docs not canccI outwhtc and bIack, but trcatsthcm as
gcnunc coIours. And, lrom ths pcrspcctvc, darkncss s not a
prncpIc, but a conscqucncc whch lIows lromthc rcIatonshp ol
IghtwthcoIoursandwthwhtc.lvcnthcshadowolLhrst,nthc
IumnouscxtcrorsolKing]Kings,sprcadsoutnchasngawaythc
darkncss. and n ThrSevegr |nntrntsthc mmobIc shotspckup a
Di]]itultye] bcing neturelist l JJ
Iumtnous whttcncss,whtchrclcrsbacktothcdarkncssolthcWhttcs'
ctvtItsatton (thc ItaItan vcrston ts caIIcd hitc Shedeu). It ts as tl
vtoIcncc ts gonc bcyond. tn thts, NtchoIas Kay's Iast pcrtod, thc
charactcrs havc mastcrcd thc IcvcI olabstracttonand scrcntty, thc
sptrttuaIdctcrmtnattonwhtchaIIowsthcmtochoosc,andncccssartIy
to chooscthcstdcwhtchaIIows thcmtorcncw,torccrcatcthcsamc
chotccconstantIy,whtIstatthcsamcttmcacccpttngthcworId.What
wassoughtbythccoupIctn]ehnnyGuiterorthconctnKun]erCevcr
andwhtchthcyhadbcguntoobtatn,tsluIIyachtcvcdbythccoupIc
tn|ertyGirl.thatrccrcattonolachoscnItnkwhtchwouIdothcrwtsc
laIItntodarkncss.InaIIthcscscnscs,IyrtcaIabstracttonappcarsasthc
purc cIcmcnt whtch Kay constantIy wantcd to rcach. lvcn tn hts
carIyhImswhcrcntghtlcaturcssopromtncntIy,thcnocturnaIItlcol
thc hcrocs ts onIy aconscqucnccolthts, and thc young man onIy
takcs rclugctn thc shadc as a rcactton. hc housctn UnDengcreus
GreundthatshcItcrs thcbItnd gtrI andthctrrcsponstbIcmurdcrcr,ts
Itkcthcrcvcrsc olthcwhttcsnowscapcthatwtIIbcdarkcncdbythc
shadowy Iynch mob.
KayncvcrthcIcsshadtogothroughasIowcvoIuttontomastcrthts
cIcmcnt ol IyrtcaI abstractton. ' ' lc madc hts ltrst ltIms on thc
Amcrtcan modcI olthc actton-tmagc,whtchbroughthtm cIosc to
Kazan.thc youngman'svtoIcnccts an acttvcvtoIcncc,avtoIcnccol
rcacttonagatnstthcmtItcu,agatnstsoctcty,agatnstthclathcr,agatnst
povcrty and tn}usttcc, agatnst soIttudc. hc young man vtoIcntIy
wantstobccomcaman,buttttsthtsvcryvtoIcnccwhtchgtvcshtmas
htsonIychotccctthcrdytngorrcmatntngachtId.hcmorcvtoIcnt
hcts,thcmorcolachtIdhcbccomcs(thtsrcmatnsthcthcmcolKcbcl
itheuteCeusc,aIthough thchcrosccmstosuccccdtnhts wagcrto
'bccomcamantnaday',hcdocs sotooqutckIyto bcpacthcdbytt).
Asccondpcrtod,manyolwhosccIcmcntshadbccncmbryontctnthc
ltrst, was tomodtlythctmagcolvtoIcnccandolspccdproloundIy.
hcyccasctobcarcacttonItnkcdtoasttuatton.thcybccomctntcrnaI
andnaturaItothccharactcr,tnnatc. ItmtghtbcsatdthatthcrcbcIhas
choscn, not cxactIy cvtI, but 'lor' cvtI, and thathc attatns a sortol
bcautythrough and tn a pcrmancnt uphcavaI. htstsnoIongcran
actcd,butacomprcsscd vtoIcncc,lromwhtchonIy abrupt,cllccttvc
and cxact, oltcn tcrrtbIcacts whtch showaraw tmpuIsc, dcrtvc. In
|ertyGirl,tttscxprcsscdtnthcItlcanddcatholthcgangstcrlrtcnd,
but aIso tn thc lurtous Iovc olthccoupIc, tn thc tntcnstty olthc
woman'sdanccs. Andttts,abovcaII,thcncwvtoIcnccolindHtress
thcLvcrgledcs,whtchmakcsthtsltImamastcrptcccolnaturaItsm.thc
ortgtnary worId, thc swamp ol thc lvcrgIadcs, tts Iumtnous
l J 8 H]]ctt teetti
grccncry, ts grcat whtc brds, thc Man olmpuscswho wants to
'shoot Lod rght n thc lacc' , hs band ol 'brothcrs olLan', brd-
kcrs. And thcr drunkcnncss rcsponds to thc hurrcanc and thc
thundcrstorm. ut arcady thcsc magcs must bc gonc bcyond.
arcadythcwagcrrcatcs to thcwayoutolthcswamp,cvcnatthc
prcc ol dcath, rcvcang thc possbty ol an acccptancc, a
rcconcaton. lnay, thc surmountcd vocncc and cstabshcd
scrcnty w consttutcthcutmatclorm olachoccwhchchooscs
tscland ccasccssybcgns tsclagan, brngngtogcthcrnahna
pcrodathcccmcntsolthcyrcaabstractonwhchthcrcasmol
thc lrst and thc naturasm olthc sccond had sowycaboratcd.
It s dlhcut to rcach thc purty ol thc mpusc-magc and
partcuary to stay thcrc, to hnd n t sullccnt opcnng and
crcatvty. hc grcat drcctors wcca naturasts arc thconcs who
dd. loscy (Amcrcan, but so sghty . . . ) s nlactthc thrd, thc
cqua ol5trohcm and uuc. ls whoc work s stuatcdwthn
naturastco-ordnatcs,whchcrcncwsthcmnhsownway,asdd
hs two prcdcccssors. ln loscy, whatappcars lrsts avcryspcca
vocnccwhchpcrmcatcsorcngulsthccharactcrs,andprcccdcsany
acton (an actor kc 5tancy akcr sccms gltcd wth ths vocncc
whch sngcs hm out lor loscy). lt s thc oppostcolthcrcast
vocnccolacton. ltsavocnccnact jcnettc],bclorccomngnto
acton. lt s no morc nkcd to an magc olacton than t s to thc
rcprcscntatonolasccnc. ltsavocnccwhchsnotmcrcyntcrna
or nnatc, but stetit, whosc ony cquvacnt s that ol acon n
pantng,whcnhcsummonsupan'cmanaton' whcharscslroman
mmobc charactcr, or that ol)can Lcnt n tcraturc, whcn hc
dcscrbcs thc cxtraordnary vocncc whch can bc contancd n a
motoncsshandatrcst.'Timcuitheut|ityshowsayoungdclcndant
whom, wc arc tod, s not mcrcy nnoccnt, but gcntc and
allcctonatc,andyctthcspcctatortrcmbcs- asmuchasthccharactcr
hmscl trcmbcs wth vocncc undcr thc nhucncc ol hs own
contancd vocncc.
ln thc sccond pacc, ths orgnary vtocncc, ths vocncc olthc
mpuscgraduaypcnctratcs agvcnmcu,adcrvcdmcu,whch
t tcraycxhausts n a ongproccssoldcgradaton. loscy nths
rcspccthasaprcdcctonlora'Vctoran'mcu,aVctoranctyor
housc,whcrcthcdramatakcspacc,andwhcrcthcstarcascsassumca
lundamcnta mportancc, nasmuch as thcy dcncatc a linc e] thc
stcccstslec.hcmpuscscoursthcmcu,knowngnosatslacton
othcrthanthatoltakngposscssonolthatwhchsccmstobccoscd
to t,to bcongbyrghtsto anothcrmcu,to ahghcrcvc.lcncc
Di]]itultye] bringneturelist l J7
pcrvcrson n loscy, whch conssts both n ths propagaton ol
dcgradaton and nthccIcctonorchoccolthc'lragmcnt' whch s
thcmostdlhcuItto attan. ThrSrrventIIustratcsthsnvcstmcntol
thc mastcr and thc housc by thc scrvant. It s a worId ol
prcdators. Srtrrt Crmeny brngs scvcraI typcs ol prcdator nto
conlrontaton,thcIon,thctwobrdsolprcyandthchycna,humbIc,
ahcctonatc and vcngcluI. ThrGe-8rturrn muItpIcs ths proccss,
sncc thc larmcr not onIy takcs posscsson olthc daughtcr olthc
housc, but thctwo Iovcrs takcposscsson olthc chId,constrancd
and lascnatcd, pctrlynghmnhsroIcasgo-bctwccn,subcctng
hmtoastrangcvoIatonwhchrcdoubIcsthcrpcasurc.Inloscy's
worIdolmpuIscs, pcrhapsoncolthcmostmportants 'scrvIty' ,
rascdtothcstatcoltruccIcmcntaryhumanmpuIsc.'nact' jrnettr]
nthcscrvant,butIatcntandcruptngnthcmastcr,thcIovcrsandthc
chId(cvcnDenGievennisnotcxcmptlromths).'lkcparastsm
n uucI, scrvIty s a lcaturc ol mastcr as wcI as scrvant.
LcgradatonsthcsymptomolthsunvcrsaImpuIsctoscrvIty,to
whchcorrcspond thc cnsnarngmrrors and spcI-workngstatucs,
Ikcsomanylctshcs. lctshcscvcnappcarnthcdsturbnglormol
'vuIts' , wthMrKlrin'sKabbaIa,or,abovcaII,thcbcIIadonnaolThr
Ge-8rturrn.
Il naturaIst dcgradaton wcnt through a knd ol cntropy n
5trohcm,andthroughacycIcorrcpcttonnuucI,tnowtakcs
onanothcrconhguraton.hsswhatmghtbccaIcd- nthcthrd
pIacc - thcrcvcrsa aganstscIl. lcrc ths noton takcs onasmpIc
mcanng, pccuIar to loscy. hcorgnary voIcncc olmpuIscs s
aIways'nact',buttstoogrcatloracton.Wcmghtsaythatthcrcs
noactongrcatcnoughto bcts cquvaIcntnthcdcrvcdmIcu. A
prcytothcvoIcnccolthcmpuIschmscIl,thccharactcrtrcmbIcson
to hmscIl, and n ths scnschcbccomcs thc prcy, thcvctm olhs
ownmpuIsc.loscythussctstrapswhcharcsomanypsychoogca
msntcrprctatons ol hs work. hc charactcr may gvc thc
mprcsson olbcng awcakIng whocompcnsatcslorhs wcakncss
byanapparcntbrutaty,towhchhcabandonshmscIlwhcnhcno
ongcr knows what to do, cvcn though hc may brcak down
mmcdatcyaltcrwards. hsarcadysccmcdtobcthccascnTimr
uitheut |ity, and, morc rcccnty, n Thr Treut.lachtmcthcaduIt
kIs naposton olmpotcnccandbrcaksdownIkcachId. ut,n
rcaIty, loscysnotdcscrbnganypsychoIogcaImcchansm,hcs
nvcntng an cxtrcmc ogc ol mpuIscs. It s pontcss to taIk ol
masochsm.lundamcntaIIythcrcsthcmpuIsc,whch,bynaturc,s
toostronglorthccharactcr,whatcvcrhspcrsonaIty.hsvoIcncc
I JB
8 H]]rtt teettien
s wthn hmand slar lrom bcngan appcarancc, buttcannotbc
awakcncd - that s, rcvcaI tscIl n thc dcrvcd mIcu - wthout
shattcrngthccharactcratastrokc,orcntangInghmnabccomng
whch sthatolhsowndcgradatonanddcath. loscy's charactcrs
arcnotbogus hardmcn, but bogus wcakIngs.thcyarccondcmncd
nadvancc by thcvoIcnccwhchdwcIIs nthcmand whm mpcIs
thcmtogotothcImtolamIcuwhchthcmpuIsccxpIorcs,butat
thcprccolmakngthcmdsappcarthmscIvcswththcrmIcu.Mr
Klrins,toagrcatcrcxtcntthananyolloscy'sothcrhIms,thcprmc
cxampIcolsuchabccomng,whchsctsthctrapolpsychoIogcaIor
psychoanaIytcaI ntcrprctatons. hc hcro s ndccd that kcg ol
voIcnccwhchwcaIwayshndnloscy(AIanLcIonhasthatstatc
voIcnccwhchaloscyactornccds) . utwhatspccuIartoMrKlrin
sthatthcvoIcnccolthcmpuIscswhch dwcII nhmdrawhmnto
thcstrangcstbccomng.takcnlora)cw,mstakcnlora)cwundcrthc
Nazoccupaton, hc bcgns by protcstng, and puts aII hs gIoomy
voIcnccnto a court nqury, n whch hc wants to dcnounccthc
nustccolthatassmIaton.uttsnotnthcnamcolthcIaw,orol
arccogntonolamorclundamcntaIustcc,butpurcIynthcnamcol
thcvoIcnccwthnhmthathcgraduaIIymakcsadccsvcdscovcry.
cvcnlhcuesa)cw, aII hs mpuIscs wouIdstIIbcopposcdtothc
dcrvcdvoIcnccolanordcrwhchsnotthcrs,butthcsocaIordcrol
adomnantrgmc.5othatthccharactcrbcgnslOassumcthatstatcol
)cwshncss whchsnothsownandconscntstohsdsappcarancc
among thc mass ol)cws Icd oll to thcr dcaths. It s cxactIy thc
bccomng-)cwolanon-)cw.hcroIcolthcdoubIc,andthccoursc
olthccourtnqurynMrKlrinhasbccnwdcIycommcntcdon.o
us thcsc thcmcsappcarsccondary and subordnatcto thc mpuIsc-
magc, that s, to thc statc voIcncc ol thc charactcr, whosc onIy
outIctnthcdcrvcdmcusarcvcrsaI agansthmscIl,abccomng
whch Icads hm to dsappcarancc, as to thc most ovcrwhcImng
assumptonolrcsponsbIty.
IsthcrcasaIvatonnloscy,cvcnoncasambguousasn5trohcm
oruucI Ilthcrcsonc,wcwouIdhavctoIooklortnthcwomcn.
It sccms that thc worId olmpuIscs and thc mIcu olsymptoms,
cncIosc thcmcn hcrmctcaIIy, dcIvcrngthcm upto a sort olmaIc
homoscxuaI gamc lrom whch thcy do not cmcrgc. Ln thcothcr
hand, thcrc s no orgnary woman n loscy's naturaIsm (cxccpt
Medrsty8leisr,womanolmpuIscsandlctshcs,butwhosprcscntcd
asaparody).LltcnwomcnnloscysccmnadvanccolthcmIcu,n
rcvoIt aganst t and outsdc thc orgnary worId olthc mcn - ol
whchthcywIIonIybcthcvctm,orthcuscr.Itsthcywhotracca
Di]]itultye] bringneturelist l J
Inc ol cxt, and who wn a lrccdom whch s crcatvc, artstc, or
smpIy practcaI. thcy havc ncthcr shamc, nor guIt, nor statc
voIcncc whch wouId rcvcrsc tscIl aganst thcm. hts s thc casc
wth thc scuIptrcss n ThrD=nrd,but aIso Lvrand thc ncw lvc
whomloscydscovcrsnThrTreut.hcyIcavcnaturaIsmtorcach
IyrcaI abstracton. hcsc advanccd womcn arc rathcr smIar to
omas lardy's,wthanaIogous lunctons.
lnscparabIclrom dcrvcdmIcux,loscy'sorgnaryworIdshavc
partcuIar lcaturcs whchbcIongto hs styIc. hcscarcthcstrangc,
hat spaccs, oltcn, but not aIways, ovcrhangng, rocky or pcbbIy,
crss-crosscd wth canaIs, gaIIcrcs, trcnchcs,tunncIswhch lorm a
horzontaI Iabyrnth. thc cIIlol Thr Demnrd, thchghpIatcauxol
ligurrsineLendster,thcIoltytcrraccol8eem|ut,onaIowcrIcvcI,
thcycanbcthc'ncarIyprchstorc'ghosttown,thcVcnccolLvr,a
pcnnsuIawhchrcscmbIcsanoutcrcdgcolthcworId,thcNorloIkol
Thr Ge-8rturrn, M ltaIanatc gardcn lor Den Gievenni,aonc-tmc
park, Ikcthatnwhchthchcro olTimruitheut|ityhassctuphs
busncssandracng-track,asmpIcgravcIIysquarc,asnThrSrrvent,
acrckctptch(whchloscyIovcshImng,aIthoughhcdocsnotIkc
thcgamc),awntcrcycIc-racngtrackwthtstunncIs nMrKlrin.
hcorgnaryworIds throngcd wth grottocs andbrds,butaIso
wthlortrcsscs,hcIcoptcrs,scuIpturcs,statucs,andwcdonotknowl
ts canaIs arcarthcaI or naturaI, Iunar. hus thcorgnaryworId
docsnotopposcNaturctothcconstructonsolman.tsobIvousto
thsdstncton,whchsvaIdonIyndcrvcdmIcux.ut,rsngup
bctwccn amIcu whch has not hnshcd dyngand anothcr whch
docs notsuccccd n bcngbm,tappropratcsboththcrcmansol
thclormcrandthcoutIncsolthcIattcr,tomakcthcmntots'morbd
symptoms' ,asLramscputs tnalormuIawhchscrvcsascxcrguc
to Den Gievenni. hc orgnary worId cmbraccs lutursm and
archasm.AIIthatsactorgcsturcolthcmpuIscbcIongstot,asto
thc madmastcr olthc cIll. And,lromhcghtsto dcpths, aIongthc
sIopngpathswhcharcthstmcvcrtcaI,orlromthcoutsdctothc
nsdc,thcorgnaryworIdcommuncatcs wththcdcrvcdmIcux,
bothas prcdator whchchoscstsprcythcrcand asparastcwhch
hastcnstsdcgradaton.hcmIcusthcVctoranhousc,ustasthc
orgnary worId sthcwIdrcgonwhchovcrhangsandsurrounds
t.
hs s how thclourco-ordnatcs olnaturaIsmarcorganscdn
loscy. lc cIcarIy shows t hmscIlnrcIatonto ThrD=nrd, by
dchnng a doubIc uxtaposton. on onc hand thcortIand cIlls,
'thcr prmtvc Iandscapc and thcr mItary nstaIIatons' , thcr
I 1O
8 H]]rttteetti
mutant,radtoacttvcchtIdrcn(ortgtnaryworId),butaIso'thcpathcttc
Vtctortan styIc ol thc ItttIc hoItdayrcsortolWcymouth' (dcrtvm
mtItcu),onthcothcrhand,thcgrcatlgurcsolbtrdsandhcItcoptcrs
and thc scuIpturcs (tmagcs and acts ol tmpuIscs), but aIso thc
motorbtkcgangwhoschandIcbarsarcItkcwtngs(pcrvcrscacttonstn
thcdcrtvcdmtItcu). 'hclourdtmcnstonsvarylromlImtohImand
cntcrtntovartousrcIattonshtpsoloppostttonandcompIcmcntartty,
dcpcndtng on what loscy wants to say and show.
D0 d0lIOD-IDd0
D0 dI0 lOID
t6m J|lu1l|60 l6 1tl|60. `Jrt60J0rJJ
Wc arc approachng a doman whch s cascr to dclnc. dcrvcd
mcux asscrt thcr ndcpcndcncc and start to bccomc vad lor
thcmscvcs. _uatcs and powcrs arc no ongcr dspaycd n any-
spacc-whatcvcrs, no ongcr nhabt orgnary words, but arc
actuascd drcctyndctcrmnatc,gcographca,hstorcaandsoca
spacc-tmcs. Allccts and mpuscs nowonyappcarascmbodcd n
bchavour, n thc lorm ol cmotons or passons whch ordcr and
dsordcr t. hs s Kcasm. It s truc that thcrc arc a knds ol
possbc transtons. hcrc was arcady a tcndcncy lor Lcrman
lxprcssonsmtonstatsshadowsandtscharoscuronphyscay
andsocaydclncdspaccs(lang,abst).Lonvcrscy,adctcrmnatc
mcucanactuascsomuchpowcrthattstsclvadasanorgnary
wordoranany-spacc-whatcvcr.wccansccthsn5wcdshyrcsm.
ltsncvcrthccsstructhatrcasmsdclncdbytsspcchccvc.Ln
thscvc,tdocsnetcxcudclctonorcvcnthcdrcam.Itcanncudc
thclantastc,thccxtraordnary,thchcrocandabovcamcodrama.
Itcanncudccxaggcraton andackolmodcraton, as ongasthcsc
arcoltsowntypc. Whatconsttutcs rcasms smpy ths.mcux
and modcs ol bchavour, mcux whch actuasc and modcs ol
bchavourwhchcmbody.hcacton-magcsthcrcatonbctwccn
thc two and a thc varctcs olths rcaton. It s ths modc whch
produccdthcunvcrsatrumpholthcAmcrcancncma,tothcpont
olactngas apassport lor lorcgn drcctors who contrbutcd tots
lormaton.
hcmcuawaysactuascsscvcraquatcsandpowcrs.Itcarrcs
out a goba synthcss ol thcm, t s tscl thc Ambancc or thc
lncompasscr jLnglebent|,whstthcquatcs and thc powcrs havc
bccomc]ertcs n thc mcu. hc mcu and ts lorccs ncurvc on
thcmscvcs, thcy act on thc charactcr, throw hm achacngc, and
consttutcastuatonnwhchhcscaught.hccharactcrrcactsnhs
turn(actonpropcryspca|ng)soas torcspondtothcstuaton,to
modly thcmcu,or hs rcatonwththcmcu,wththcstuaton,
wthothcrcharactcrs.lcmustacqurcancwmodcolbng(hebitus)
or rasc hs modcolbcngto thc dcmands olthcmcu andolthc
l 1Z Thcettien-imegc
stuaton.Lutolthscmcrgcsarcstorcdormodhcdstuaton,ancw
stuaton.lvcrythngsndvduatcd.thcm|cuasapartcuIarspacc-
tmc, thc stuaton asdctcrmnngand dctcrmnatc, thcco||cctvcas
wc||asthcndvdua|charactcr. And,aswchavcsccn,accordngto
crcc' s c|asslcaton ol magcs, t s thc rcgn ol 'sccondncss',
cvcrythng hcrc s two by tsc|l. A|rcady, n thc m|cu, wc
dstngush thc powcr-quaItcs and thc statc ol thngs whch
actua|scsthcm.hcstuaton,andthccharactcrorthcacton,arcIkc
two tcrms whch arc smuItancous|y corrc|atvc and antagonstc.
hcactonntscIlsaducIollorccs,ascrcsolducIs.duc|wththc
mIcu, wththcothcrs,wthtscIl. lna||y, thcncwstuatonwhch
cmcrgcslromthcactonlormsacoup|cwththcntaIstuaton.hs
s thcsct jcnscmblc]olthcacton-magc, orat Icasttslrstlorm. It
consttutcs thcorgancrcprcscntaton, whchsccmstobccndowcd
wth brcath or rcspraton. lor t cxpands towards thc m|cu and
contractslromthcacton. MorcprccscIy,tcxpandsorcontractson
cthcrsdc, accordngtothcstatcsolthcstuatonandthcdcmandsol
thc acton.
Inthcsct,ncvcrthcIcss, tcanbcsadthatthcrcarc,astwcrc,two
nvcrsc spraIs, olwhch oncnarrowstowardsactonandthcothcr
broadcnstowardsthcncwstuaton.alorm|kcanhour-g|ass,oran
cgg-tmcr, whch ncIudcs both spacc and tmc. hs organc and
spra| rcprcscntaton has, as ts lormu|a, 5A5 (lromthcstuatonto
thc translormcd stuaton va thc ntcrmcdary ol thc acton). hs
lormu|a sccms to us to corrcspond to whaturchcaI|cd 'thc Iargc
lorm' . 'hsacton-magcororgancrcprcscntatonhastwopoIcs,or
rathcrtwosgns,olwhchoncrclcrsprmarIytothcorganc,andthc
othcr to thcactvc or lunctonaI. WccaI|thclrstsynsign,npartaI
conlormty wth crcc. thc synsgn s a sct olpowcr-qua|tcs as
actua|scdnam|cu,nastatcolthngsoradctcrmnatcspacc-tmc.'
And wc shouId Ikc to ca|I thcothcrbinemiel,nordcrtodcsgnatc
cvcryducI,thatsto say,whatspropcrIyactvcnthcacton-magc.
hcrcsa bnoma| assoonasthcstatcolalorccrcIatcs backto an
antagonstclorcc,andpartcu|arIywhcn- onc(orboth)olthclorccs
bcng 'spontancous' - t nvoIvcs n ts vcry cxcrcsc M cllort to
lorcsccthccxcrcscolthcothcr lorcc.thcagcntactsasalunctonol
whathcthnksthcothcrsgongtodo.lcnts,parrcsandtrapsarc
thcrclorcgood||ustratons olbnoma|s. InaWcstcrn,thcmomcnt
ol thc ducI - whcn thc strcct cmptcs, whcn thc hcro comcs out,
wa|kngwthavcrydstnctvcstcp,tryngtogucsswhcrcthcothcr
sand what hc's gongto do - s a bnoma| rcxtcllcntc.
akc|orcxamp|c5strm' sThcind(hs |rstAmcrcan|m).
Situetien teettien
I 1J
hc wnd ncvcr stops bIowng across thc pIan. It s aImost an
orgnary naturaIst worId, or cvcn an lxprcssonst any-spacc-
whatcvcr, thcspaccolthc wnd as allcct. utthcrcsaIsoawhoIc
statcolthngswhchactuaIscsthspowcr,combncst wththatol
thcprarc, n adctcrmnatcspacc, Arzona. a rcaIstmIcu. AgrI
lromthc5outharrvcs nthscountry,whchshcsnotuscdto,and
lnds hcrscIlcaught n a scrcs olducIs, a physcaI ducI wth thc
mIcu,apsychoIogcaIducIwththchostIclamIywhchtakcshcr
n,ascntmcntaIducIwththcroughcowboywhosnIovcwthhcr,
a bodIy ducI wth thc cattIcdcaIcr who trcs to rapchcr. lavng
kIIcdthcdcaIcrshctrcsdcspcratcIytoburyhmnthcsand,butthc
wnduncovcrsthccorpsccachtmc. hssthcmomcntatwhchthc
mIcu throws downthc strongcst chaIIcngc to hcr, and whcrc shc
rcachcs thc csscncc jend] olthc ducI. KcconcIaton thcn bcgns.
wth thc cowboy who undcrstands and hcIps hcr, wth thcwnd,
whoscpowcr shc comprchcnds as shc lccIs a ncw modcolbcng
growngwthn hcr.
lowdocsthstypcolacton-magcdcvcIopthroughanumbcrol
grcat cncmatographc gcnrcs In thc hrstpIacc, thc documcntary.
oynbcchasdcvcIopcdapragmatcphIosophyolhstoryaccordng
to whchcvIsatons wcrcanswcrs to thcchaIIcngcsthrowndown
bythcmIcu. WhIcthcnormaIorrathcrnormatvccascsthatol
communtcsconlrontng chaIIcngcswhch arc grcat, butnot grcat
cnough to absorb aII thc capactcs ol man, onc can conccvc two
othcrcascs.thconcnwhchthcchaIIcngcsolthcmIcuarcsostrong
thatmancanonIyrcspondtothcmorparrythcmusngaIIhscncrgy
(cvIsaton ol survvaI), and thc onc n whch thc mIcu s so
lavourabIc that man can dcvotc hmscIl to Ivng (cvIsaton ol
Icsurc). lIahcrty'sdocumcntarcsconsdcrthcsccascs,anddscovcr
thcnobItyolthcsccxtrcmccvIsatons.lcsthcrclorcunconccmm
by crtcsms that hc s Kousscaust, that hc ncgIccts thc poItcaI
probIcms poscd byprmtvcsocctcsandthcroIcolWhtcs nthc
cxpIotatonolthcscsocctcs. hswouIdbctontroduccathrd,a
thrdncss whch has nothng to do wth thc condtons lxcd by
IIahcrty.tocapturcnthcrawattc-a-ttcwththcmIcu(cthoIogy
rathcrthancthnoIogy).Nxke]thrNerthbcgnswththccxposton
olthcmIcu, whcnthclskmo approachcs wthhslamIy.Anm-
mcnscsynsgnolthcopaqucskyandthcccsIopcwhcrcNanookwns
hsstruggIclorsurvvaIn9hostIcmIcu.thcducIwththccctobuId
thcgIooandabovcaII,thclamousducIwththcscaI.lcrcwchavca
grandosc 5A5 structurc, or rathcr 5A5, sncc thc grandcur ol
Nanook's actons Ics Icss n modlyng thc stuaton than n
I 11 Threttien-imegr
survvng n an mpcrvous mcu. Lonvcrscy, Meene shows us
cvsatonwthoutchacngclromNaturc.ut,aslmancanonybc
manthroughcllortandrcsstancctopan,hcmustcompcnsatcloran
ovcr-bncvocnt mcu by nvcntng lor hmscl thc tra ol
tattoong,whchcnabcshmtogvchmscluptoalundamcntaduc
wth hmscl.
lnthcsccondpacc,consdcrthcpsycho-soca hm. nthcwhoc
rcastpart olhs work Kng Vdorwasabcto sctupgrcatgoba
synthcscs, movng lrom thc cocctvty tothcndvduaandlrom
thcndvduatothccocctvty.5uchalormcanbccacd'cthca' .
Morcovcr t mposcs tscl ncvcry gcnrc, nasmuch as thc cthos
dcsgnatcs smutancousy thc ocaton or thc mcu, thc stay n
amcu,andthchabtorthchabtus,thcmodcol bcng.hscthcaor
rcastlorm,lar lromcxcudngthcdrcam,cmbraccsthctwopocsol
thc Amcrcan Lrcam. on thc onc hand thc dca ol a unanmst
communty or ol a naton-mcu, mctng pot and luson ola
mnortcs(thcunanmousburstolaughtcratthccndolThrCrmd,
orthcsamccxprcssonwhchbrcaksoutonthclaccolaLhnaman,a
ack and a Whtc, nStrrrtStrnr),on thc othcrhandthcdcaola
cadcr,thats,amanolthsnatonwhoknowshowtorcspndtothc
chacngcs olthcmcuastothcdllcutcsolastuaton(UurDeily
8rred,HnHmrritenKentr).hs wcdrcctcdunanmsmcrcuatcs
cvcn through thc most scrous crscs and cavcs a pacc onyto bc
lormcdagancscwhcrc.ostbythccty,tpasscsntothcagrcutura
communtcs,thcncaps 'lromcorntostcc' , toargc-scacndustry.
Noncthccssthcunanmtycanbclascandthcndvduaclttohs
ownrcsourccs. Wasthsnotprccscythccascn ThrCrmd,whcrc
thctownwasonyahuman,arthcaandndllcrcntcocctvtyand
thc ndvdua, an abandoncd bcng, dcprvcd ol rcsourccs and ol
rcactons hc hgurc 5A5, n whch thc ndvdua modlcs thc
stuaton,hasastsoppostcastuaton,5A5,suchthatthcndvdua
no ongcr knows whatto do and atbcst hnds hmscln thc samc
stuatononcc morc. thcAmcrcannghtmarcn Thr Crmd.
lt may cvcn bc that thc stuaton gcts worsc, and that thc nd-
vdua las owcr and owcr, n a dcsccndng spra. 5A5. hc
Amcrcan cncma admttcdy prclcrs to prcscnt charactcrs who
arc arcady dcgradcd, kc loward lawks' acohocs, whosc
struggctorscaganw!ormthcstory.utcvcnwhcntshowsthc
proccssoldcgradaton thcapproach sccarycompctcydllcrcnt
lromthatollxprcssonsmornaturasm. ltsnoongcramattcrola
la nto a back hoc, nor ol an cntropy as a dccnc n mpusc
(athough Kng Vdorcamc coscto ths naturast pontolvcw).
Situetien teettien I 1J
KcaIstdcgradaton- nthcAmcrcanmanncr- wasto sIpntothc
mIcu-bchavour, stuaton-acton, mouId. It docs not cxprcss a
dcstnyolthcalIcctoradcstnyolmpuIsc butapathoIogy olthc
mIcu and a bchavouraI dsordcr. It s hcr to a dazzIngItcrary
tradton, that olltzgcraId or)ack london. 'Lrnkngwas oncol
thcmodcs olcxstmccthat I was Icadng, ahabt olthcmcn wth
whomIwasmxcdup. . . . 'Lcgradatonmarksamanwholrcqucnts
mIcuxwthoutIaw,ollaIscunanmtyorlaIsccommunty,andcan
onIymantanlaIscIyntcgratcdlormsolbchavour,crackcdwaysol
bchavng whch can no Iongcr succccd n organsng thcr own
scgmcnts.hsmansa'bomIoscr','takcsttoohard' . ItsthcworId
olthcbarsnWIdcr'sLest rrkrnd(nsptcolthchappycndng),t
sthcworIdolbIIardsnKosscn'sThrHustlrr,andtsabvcaIIthc
crmnaI worId Inkcd to prohbton, whch was toconsttutcthc
grcat gcnrc olthc]ilmneir. lrom thspont olvcw, thc]ilmneir
dcscrbcs thc mIcu, scts out stuatons, hoIds tscIl back n
prqaraton loracton andactonwhchsprccscIyorganscd (thc
modcI olthchoId-up lor cxampIc),and lnaIIycmcrgcsntoancw
stuaton,thcmostcommonbcngrc-ctabIshcdordcr.ut,nlact,l
thcgangstcrsarcbmIoscrs-nsptcolthcpowcrolthcrmIcuand
thccllcctvcncssolthcractons- tsbccauscsomcthngcatsawayat
both,rcvcrsngthcspraItothcrcost.Lnthconchandthc'mIcu's
alaIsccommunty,nlactaungIcwhcrccvcryaIIanccsprccarous
andrcvcrsbIc,onthcothcrhand,thcmodcsolbchavour,howcvcr
studcdthcyarc,arcnottruchabts,trucrcsponscstostuatons,but
concIalauItorcrackswhchcauscthcmtodsntcgratc.hssthc
story ollawks' Ster]etr, whcrc aII thc hcro's cracks, aII thc IttIc
lauIts whch madc hm takc ttoo hard, convcrgc nthcappaIIng
crsstowhchhcsuccumbsonthcdcatholhssstcr.Lr, nadllcrcnt
way,n luston'sHshelt]unglr, thcdoctor's cxtrcmc attcnton to
dctaI and thc kIIcr's skII cannot rcsst thc trcason ol a mnor
maractcrwhoopcnsupnthconcthcIttIccrackolcrotcsm,andm
thcothcrthcnostaIgalorhsnatvccountry,andIcadsthcmbthto
laIurcordcath.ArcwcU concIudcthatsocctysmadcnthcmagc
olts crmcs, and thataIImIcuxarcpathoIogcaI,andaIImodcsol
bchavourarccrackcdhswouIdbcIoscrtolangorabst.ut
thc Amcrcancncma had thc mcans to savc ts drcambypassng
throughnghtmarcs.
hcWcstcm s a lourthgrcatgcnrc,andssoIdIyanchorcdna
mIcu.5nccIncc,andaccordngtothclormuIa5A5(wcwIIsccthat
ths s not thc onIy lormuIa ol thc Wcstcrn), thc mIcu s thc
Ambancc or thc lncompasscr. lcrc, thc prncpaI quaIty ol thc
I 1 Threttien-imegr
magc s brcath, rcspraton. ItnotonIynsprcsthchcro,butbrngs
thngstogcthcrnawhoIcolorgancrcprcscntatonandcontractsor
cxpands dcpcndng on thc crcumstanccs. Whcn coIour takcs
posscsson ol ths worId, t loIIows a chromatc scaIc whcrc t
dlluscs, and whcrc thc saturatcd jsetur] rcsonatc wth thc lant
jlevr (wc wII rcdscovcr ths ambant coIour n thc artlcaI scts
jdts] ol lord's Hm Grrrn r My Iellry). hc uItmatc
cncompasscrsthcskyandtspuIsatons,notonIynlord,butaIson
lawks who makcs onc olthccharactcrs n 8igSkysay. ts abg
country,thconIythng whchsbggcrsthcsky . . . . lncompasscd
bythcsky, thcmIcu n turn cncompasscs thccoIIcctvty. Itsas
rcprcscntatvcolthccoIIcctvtythatthchcrobccomcscapabIcolan
acton whch makcs hm cquaI to thc mIcu and rc-cstabIshcs ts
accdcntaIIy or pcrodcaIIy cndangcrcd ordcr. mcdatons ol thc
communty and olthclrdarcncccssarynordcrto lormaIcadcr
andrcndcranndvduaIcapabIcolsuchagrcatacton.Wcrccognsc
thcworId ollord, wththc ntcnsccoIIcctvcmomcnts (marragc,
lcstvaI,danccsandsongs),thcconstantprcscnccolthcIandandthc
mmancnccolthcsky. bmchavconcIudcdlromthsthatthcrcsa
cIoscdspaccnlord,wthoutrcaImovcmcntortmc. ltsccmstous,
rathcr,thatmovcmcnts rcaIbut,nstcadolhappcnnglrompartto
pan, or n rcIaton to a whoIc whosc changc t wouId cxprcss, t
happcns in an cncompasscr, whosc rcspraton t cxprcsscs. hc
outsdccncompasscsthcnsdc,bothcommuncatc,andwcadvancc
by passng lrom thc onc to thc othcr n bothdrcctons, as nthc
magcs olStegrteeth whcrcthcdIgcncc nsdcaItcrnatcswththc
dIgcncc sccn lrom thc outsdc. Lnc can go lrom a known to an
unknown pont,thcpromscd Iand, as n egenmestrr.thccsscntaI
pont rcmans thc cncompasscr whch ncIudcs both and whch
cxpandsasoncadvanccspanluIIyandcontractswhcnoncstopsand
rcts. lord's orgnaIty Ics n thc lact that onIy thccncompasscr
gvcs mcasurc to movcmcnt, or thc organc rythmn. It s thus thc
mcItng pot olmnortcs, that s, whatbrngsthcmtogcthcr,what
rcvcaIsthcrcorrcspondcnccscvcnwhcnthcyappcartoboppscd,
whataIrcadyshowsthclusonbctwccnthcmncccssarylorthcbnh
olanaton.lorcxampIc,thcthrccgroupsolpcrsccutcdpcopIcwho
mcct n egenmestrr thcMormons,thctravcIIngpIaycrsandthc
Indans.
Iloncrcmansatthslrstapproxmaton,oncsnan5A5structurc
whch has bccomc cosmcorcpc - thc hcro bcomcs cquaI to thc
mIcu vathcntcrmmaryolthccommunty,anddocsnotmodly
thcmIcu,butrc-cstabIshcscycIcordcrnt.lowcvcr,twouIdb
Situetien teettien I 17
dangcrous torcscrvcancptcgcntuslorlnccandlord,attrtbuttngto
othcr morc rcccnt dtrcctors thc tnvcntton ol a tragtc or cvcn a
romanttc Wcstcrn. hcappItcattonollcgcI'sandlukcs' lormuIa
olthc succcsston olthcsc gcnrcs works badIy lor thc Wcstcm. as
Mttry has shown, lrom thc outsct thc Wcstcm cxpIorcs aII thc
dtrccttons - cptc,tragtc, romanttc- wtthcowboyswho arcaIrcady
nostaIgtc, soIttary, agctng, or cvcn brn Ioscrs, or rchabtIttatcd
lndtans.'hroughouthtswork, lordconstantIygraspsthccvoIutton
ol a sttuatton, whtch tntroduccs a pcrlcctIy rcaI ttmc. hcrc ts
ccrtatnIy a grcat dtllcrcncc bctwccn thc Wcstcrn and whatcan bc
caIIcdthcnco-Wcstcm,buttttsnotcxpItcabIctntcrmsolasucccsston
olgcnrcs,orolatranstttonlromthccIoscdtothcopcntnspacc.ln
lord, thc hcro ts not contcnt to rc-cstabItsh thc cptsodtcaIIy
thrcatcncdordcr.hcorgantsattonolthcltIm,thcorgantcrcprcsm-
tatton,tsnotactrcIc,butasptraIwhcrcthcsttuattonolarrtvaIdtllcrs
lrom thc sttuattonoldcparturc.5A5. lttsancthtcaIrathcrthanan
cptc lorm. lnThrMen heShetLibrrty Ielentrthc bandtt ts ktIIcd
andordcrrc-cstabItshcd.butthccowboywhohasktIIcdhtmaIIows
us to thtnk that tt ts thc luturc scnator, thus acccpttng thc
translormattonolthcIawwhtchccascstobcthctacttcptcIawolthc
Wcst tnordcr to bccomcthc wrtttcn ornovcItsttcIawoltndustrtaI
ctvtItsatton. 5tmtIarIy, tn Tue Kedr Tegrth, whcrc thts ttmc thc
shcrtllgtvcsuphts }obandrcluscstoacccptthccvoIuttonolthcsmaII
town. lnbothcascslordtnvcntsantntcrcsttngproccdurc,whtchts
thcmodthcdtmagc.antmagctsshowntwtcc,butthcsccondttmc,tt
s modhcd or compIctcd n such a way as to makc us lccI thc
dtllcrcnccbctwccn5and5.lnLibrrtyIelentrthccndshowsthctruc
dcath ol thc bandtt and thc cowboy who shoots, whtIst wc had
prcvtousIysccnthctruncatcdtmagcwhtchthcolltctaIvcrstonwouId
sttckto (tttsthcluturcscnatorwho ktIIcdthcbandtt).lnTueKedr
Tegrthrr,wcarcshownthcsamcstIhoucttcolthcshcrtlltnthcsamc
posturc,buttttsnoIongcrthcsamcshcrtll.lttstructhatbctwccnthc
two,bctwccn5 and5,thcrctsaIotolambtguttyandhypocrtsy.hc
hcro ol Librrty Ielentr ts bcnt on cIcanstng htmscIlolthc crtmc tn
ordcrtobccomcarcspcctabIcscnator,whtIstthc}oumaItstsarcbcnt
onIcavtnghtmhtsIcgcnd,wtthoutwhtchhcwouIdbcnothtng.And
as Koyhasshown, TueKedrTegrthrrhasasttssubcctthcsptraIol
moncy whtch, lromthcstart,undcrmtncsthccommunttyandgocs
onto cnIargctts cmptrc.
utoncmtghtsaythat,tnbothcascs,whatcountslorlordtsthat
thccommunttycandcvcIopccrtatntIIustonsaboutttscIl.htswouId
bcthcgrcatdtllcrcnccbctwccnhcaIthyandpathogcntcmtItcux.)ack
I1B 9 Threttien-imegr
london wrotc hnc passagcs n ordcr to show that, |naIIy, thc
aIcohoIc communty has no IIusons about tscIl. lar lrom
producngdrcams,aIcohoI'rcluscstoIctthcdrcamcrdrcam' , tactsas
a 'purc rcason' whch convnccs us that Ilc s a masqucradc, thc
communty a }ungIc, Ilc a dcspar (hcncc thc snccrng ol thc
aIcohoIc).hcsamccouIdbcsad olcrmnaIommuntcs.Lnthc
contrary, a communty s hcaIthy n so lar as a knd olconscnsus
rcgns,aconscnsus whchaIIowstto dcvcIopIIusonsabouttscIl,
aboutts motvcs, abouttsdcsrcs andts cupdty,abuttsvaIucs
and ts dcaIs. 'vtaI' IIusons, rcaIst IIusons whch arcmorctruc
than purc truth. " lord aIso took ths pont ol vcw, and n Thr
|n]0,showmthcaImostlxprcssonstdcgradatonolatrchcrous
nlormcrnsolarashccannoIongcrhavcanyIIusons.Lnccannot,
thcrclorc,crtcscthcAmcrcandrcam lorbcngonIy adrcam.ths
swhatt wantsto bc,drawngaIItspowcrlromthclactthattsa
drcam. lor lord, as lor Vdor, soccty changcs,anddocsnotstop
changng,buttschangcstakcpIaccnanlncompasscrwhchcovcrs
thcm and bIcsscs thcm wth a hcaIthy IIuson as contnuty olthc
naton.
lnaIIy, thc Amcrcan cncmaconstantIy shoots and rcshoots a
sngIc lundamcntaI lIm, whch s thcbrth ola naton-cvIsaton,
whosclrstvcrsonwasprovdcdbyLrllth.Ithasncommonwth
thcbvctcncmathcbcIclnalnaItyolunvcrsaIhstory,hcrcthc
bIossomng ol thc Amcrcan naton, thcrc thc advcnt ol thc
proIctarat. ut, wth thc Amcrcans, organc rcprcsmtaton s
obvousIy unawarc oldaIcctcaI dcvcIopmcnt,tandtaIonc sthc
whoIc ol hstory, thc gcrmnatng stock lrom whch cachnaton-
cvIsatondctachcstscIlasanorgansm,cachprchgurngAmcrca.
hs sthcorgnolthcdccpIyanaIogcaIorparaIIcIstcharactcrol
thsconccptonolhstory,astsloundnLrlhth's|ntelrrentrwhch
ntcrspcrscs lour pcrods, or n thc hrst vcrson ol LccI . Lc
MIIc'sTrnCmendmrnts,whchputstwopcrodsntoparaIIcI,thc
Iattcrbcng Amcrca. hcdccadcntnatonsarcsckorgansms,Ikc
Lrllth'sabyIonorLcMIIc'sKomc.IlthcbIcslundamcntaIto
thcm,t s bccauscthclcbrcws,thcnthcLhrstans,gavcbrthto
hcaIthynaton-cvIsatonswhchaIrcadydspIaycdthctwocharac-
tcrstcs ol thc Amcrcan drcam. that ol a mcItng pot n whch
mnortcs arc dssoIvcd and thatolalcrmmtwhchcrcatcIcadcrs
capabIc ol rcactng to aII stuatons. LonvcrscIy, lord's lncoIn
rccaptuIatcs bbIcaI hstory, }udgng as pcrlcctIy as 5Iomon,
brngngabout, Ikc Moscs, thctranstonlrom thcnomadctothc
wrttcn Iaw,|romnomos to Iogos, cntcrng thcctyonhsassIkc
Situetien teettien I 1
Lhrst ( IngMrLinteln). And lthc hstorcaI hIm thus lorms a
grcat gcnrc ol thc Amcrcan cncma, t s pcrhaps bccausc, n thc
condtons pccuIar to Amcrca, aII thc othcr gcnrcs wcrc aIrcady
hstorcaI,whatcvcrthcrdcgrccollcton.crmcwthgangstcrsm,
advcnturc wth thc Wcstcrn, had thc status ol pathogcnc or
cxcmpIary hstorcaI structurcs.
It scasytomakclun olloIIywood's hstorcaI conccptons. It
sccms to us, on thc contrary, that thcy brng togcthcr thc most
scrous aspccts ol hstory as sccn by thc nnctccnth ccntury.
Nctzschcdstngushcdthrccolthcscaspccts,'monumcntaIhstory',
'antquaran hstory' and 'crtcaI ',or rathcr cthcaI, hstory. '"hc
monumcntaI aspcct conccrns thcphyscaIandhumancncompasscr,
thc naturaI and archtccturaI mIcu. abyIon and ts dclcat, n
Lrllth,thclcbrcws,thcdcscrtandthcscawhchopcns,or,nLccI
. Lc MIIc, thchIstncs, Lagon's tcmpIcandtsdcstructonby
5amson, arc mmcnsc synsgns whch makc thc magc tscIl
monumcntaI. hc trcatmcnt can bc vcry dllcrcnt, whcthcr grcat
lrcscosn ThrTrnCemmrdmrnts,orascrcsolcngravngsnSrsen
endDrlileh, thc magcrcmans subImc,andaIthoughthctcmpIcol
LagoncantrggcrollourIaughtcr,tsanLIympanIaughtcrwhch
takcshoIdolthcspcctator.Accordngto Nctzschc's anaIyss,such
an aspcct olhstory lavours thc anaIogcs orparaIIcIs bctwccnonc
cvIsaton and anothcr. thc grcat momcnts olhumanty, howcvcr
dstant thcy arc, arc supposcd to communcatc va thc pcaks, and
lorma'coIIcctonolchcctsnthcmscIvcs'whchcanbcmorccasIy
comparcd and act aII thcmorcstrongIyonthcmndolthcmodcrn
spcctator. MonumcntaI hstory thus naturaIIy tcnds towards thc
unvcrsaI, and hnds ts mastcrpccc n |ntelrrentr, bccausc thc
dllcrcnt pcrods do not smpIy loIIow onc anothcr, but aItcrnatc
throughancxtraordnaryrhythmcmontagc(ustcrKcatongvcsa
comc vcrson ol t n Thrrr Hgrs). And, n whatcvcr manncr t
procccdcd, a conlrontaton olpcrods contnucdto bcthc drcam ol
thcmonumcntaIhstoryhImcvcnnlscnstcn.' ' hsconccptonol
hstoryhas,howcvcr,abgdsadvantagc.thatoltrcatngphcnomcna
as cllccts n thcmscIvcs, scparatc lrom any causc. Nctzschc had
aIrcady pontcd ths out and t s what lscnstcn crtcscs n thc
Amcrcan hstorcaI and socaI cncma. Not onIy arc cvIsatons
consdcrcd to bc paraIIcI, but thc prncpaI phcnomcna ola sngIc
cvIsaton, lor cxampIc, thcrchendthcpoor, arc trcatcd as 'two
paraIIcIndcpcndcntphcnomcna',aspurccllcctsthatarcobscrvcd,l
ncccssary wth rcgrct,but ncvcrthcIcss wthout havng any causc
assgncdtothcm.lcncc,tsncvtabIcthatcauscsarcrccctcdlrom
I JO
9 Thr ettien-imegr
anothcrpcrspccttvc,andonIyappcartnthclormoltndtvtduaIducIs
whtch somcttmcs opposc a rcprcscntattvc ol thc poor and a
rcprcscntattvc olthc rtch, somcttmcs a dccadcnt and aman olthc
mturc, somcttmcsa }ustmanandatrattor, ctc. ltscnstctn'sstrcngth
thus Itcs tn showtngthat thc prtnctpaI trthnitelesrttsolAmcrtcan
montagc stnccLrtlltth- thcaItcrnatcparaIIcI montagcwhtchmakcs
upthcsttuatton,andthcaItcrnatcconcurrcntmontagcwhtchIcadsto
thc ducI - rcIatc back to thts soctaI and bourgcots htstortcaI
conccptton.IttsthtscsscnttaIdclcctthatltscnstctnwantstorcmcdy.
hc dcmands a prcscntatton oltruc causcs, whtch wouId havc to
sub}cctthcmonumcntaIto a 'dtaIccttcaI'constructton (tn anycvcnt,
thc struggIc olcIasscs tnstcad olthat olatrattor, adccadcntoran
cvtIdocr).
l 2
IlmonumcntaI htstory constdcrs cllccts tnthcmscIvcs,andt lthc
onIy causcs tt undcrstands arc stmpIc ducIs oppostng tndtvtduaIs,
anttquartan htstory must occupy ttscIl wtth thcsc as wcII, and
rcconstttutc thctr lorms whtch arc habttuaI tothccpoch. wars and
conlrontattons, gIadtator combats, chartot raccs, toumamcnts, ctc.
AndanttquartanhtstorytsnotsattshcdwtthducIstnthcstrtctscnsc,
ttstrctchcs outtowardsthccxtcrnaIsttuattonandcontracts tntothc
mcansolacttonandtnttmatccustoms,vast tapcstrtcs,cIothcs,hncry,
machtncs,wcaponsortooIs,}cwcIs,prtvatcobccts.hcorgyaIIows
gtganttsmand tnttmacyto cocxtst.hcanttquartanrunsparaIIcIto
thc monumcntaI. lcrc agatnlactIctrontcaIrcmarks arcmadc about
loIIywoodrcconstructtons,andthc 'brand-ncw' appcaranccolthc
props.thcncwts,astnthcanttquartan,thcstgnolthcactuaItsattonol
thc cpoch. hc labrtcs bccomc a lundamcntaI cIcmcnt ol thc
htstortcaI hIm, cpcctaIIy wtth thc coIour-tmagc, as tn Semsen rd
Drlileh, whcrc thc dtspIay olcIoth by thcmcrchant and 5amson's
thclt ol thc thtrty tuntcs, constttutc thc two pcaks ol coIour.
MachtncsaIsolormapcak,whcthcrthcygtvcbtrthtoancwnatton-
ctvtItsatton,orwhcthcronthccontrarythcyannounccttsdccItncor
dtsappcarancc. InhtsonIyhtstortcaIltImstrtctIyspcaktng,Lrde]thr
|hreehs, lawks onIy sccms to bc tntcrcstcd tn onc momcnt, thc
whoIccndtng, whcrcthc archttcct has bccomc ancngtnccras wcII,
andhassctupancxtraordtnaryncwmachtnclorthcharaohwhtch
combtncs sand and stonc, lIowtng sand and dcsccndtng stonc, so
that thc pyramtd's luncraI chambcr can babsoIutcIyhcrmcttcaIIy
cIoscd.
ltnaIIy,tttstructhatthcmonumcntaIandanttquartanconccpttons
olhtstorywouIdnotcomctogcthcrsowcIIwtthoutthccthtcaItmagc
whtchmcasurcsandorgantscsthcmboth. AsLcctI.LcMtIIcsays,
Luse] ergenit temesitien I Jl
tsamattcrol Loodandlv,wthaIthctcmptatonsorthchorrors
ollvI(thcbarbarans,thcunbccvcrs,thcntocrant,thcorgy,ctc. ).
hcanccntorrcccntpastmustsubmttotraI,gotocourt,nordcr
to dscosc what t s that produccs dccadcncc and what t s that
produccsncw lc,whatthclcrmcntsoldccadcnccandthcgcrmsol
ncwIlcarc,thcorgyandthcsgnolthccross,thcomnpotcnccolthc
rch and thc mscry olthc poor. A strong cthcaI udgcmcnt must
condcmnthc nustcc ol'thngs' , brngcompasson,hcradthcncw
cvIsatononthcmarch,nshort,constantyrcdscovcrAmcrca. . .
morccspccaIyas,lromthcbcgnnng,aIcxamnatonolcauscshas
bccndspcnscdwth.hcAmcrcancncmascontcnttoIIustratcthc
wcakcnng ola cvIsaton nthc mIcu, andthcntcrvcnton ola
tratornthcacton.utthcmarvcIsthat,wthaIIthcscImts,thas
succccdcd n puttng lorward a strongand cohcrcnt conccpton ol
unvcrsaI hstory, monumcntaI,antquaranand cthca. '
Z 1hr 1LJ 6[ 6t10|t t6m]6J|l|60
What arc thc Iaws olthc acton-magc across aIthcscgcnrcshc
lrst conccrns thc acton-magc as organc rcprcscntaton n ts
cntrcty jrnsmblr]. It s structura bccausc thc pIaccs and thc
momcnts arcwcIIdclncdnthcroppostonsandthcrcompIcmcn-
tartcs.lromthcpontolvcwolthcstuaton(5),lromthcpontol
vcw olspacc, olthc lramcandolthcshot, torganscsthcwayn
whchthcmIcucarrcs scvcraIpowcrsntocllcct,thcwcght gvcn
to cach onc. lor cxampIc, n lord's skcs, thc conlIct or thc
agrccmcnt olthcsc powcrs, thc partcuar roIc olthccarth, olthc
Iand, whch s both onc powcr among othcrs, andthc Iocaton ol
conlrontatonorolrcconcIatonolaIolthcm,butasothcwayn
whchthcwhoIcncurvcstsclaroundthcgroup,thccharactcrorthc
homc, consttutng an cncompasscr lrom whch thc hostIc or
lavourabclorccsarcdctachcd,thcwaynwhchthcIndansappcar
ontopolahI,atthcboundarybtwccncarthandsky. . . . And,lrom
thcpntolvcwoltmcorolthcsucccssonolshots,torganscsthc
passagclrom5to5,thcgrcatrcspraton,thcaItcrnatonolmomcnts
ol contracton and ol cxpanson, thc aItcrnatons ol outsdc and
nsdc,thcdvsonolthcprncpastuatonntosccondarystuatons
whcharckcsomanyttcocaImssonswthnthcgIobaImsson.
InaIthcscrcspccts,organcrcprcscntatonsaspraIoldcvcIopmcnt
whch ncIudcs spataI and tcmpora cacsuras. Wc rcdscovcr ths
conccpton n lscnstcn, aIthough hcconccvcs olthcdstrbuton
I JZ 9 Thretti-imegr
and succcsston ol vcctors on thc sptraI cnttrcIy dtllcrcnt|y. lor
Lrtlltth and thc Amcrtcan ctncma, aItcrnatc paraIIc| montagc ts
sulltctcnt to organtsc cmptrtcaIIy thc mutuaI |tnk bctwccn thc
vcctors.
A|tcrnatcmontagctncIudcsanothcrltgurc,no|ongcrpara|Ic|,but
concurrcnt or convcrgcnt. hc passagc lrom 5 to 5 takcs pIacc
throughthctntcrmcdtaryolA,thcdcctstvcactton,mostoltcnpIaccd
vcryc|oscto5.hcsynstgnmustcontracttntoabtnomta|orducItn
ordcrlorthcpowcrs whtchttactuaItscs to bcrcdtstrtbutcdtnancw
way, to bcpactltcdorto rccogntsc thctrtumpholoncolthcm.hc
sccond Iaw thcrclorc govcms thc passagc lrom 5 to A. Now thc
dcctstvcacttonorthcducIcanonIyartsctl,lromvartouspotntsolthc
cncompasscr,Itncs olactton cmanatcconvcrgtngonthtsoccastonto
makc posstb|cthcuIttmatctndtvtdua|conlrontatton,thcmodtlytng
rcactton.hcscarcthcItncsolacttonwhtcharcthcobcctola|tcrnatc
convcrgcnt montagc, thc sccond ltgurcolmontagctnLrtlhth. ut
pcrlcctton was, pcrhaps, achtcvcd by lang, tn M (whtch, tn lact,
prcparcd lang's dcparturc lor Amcrtca). lt ts tn anaIystng thc
convcrgcntmontagcolthtshImthatNo|urchadvanccsthcnotton
ol'Iargclorm' . lndccd,thcgIoba|sttuattontshrstolaIIdtspIaycdtna
dctcrmtncd and tndtvtduatcd spacc-ttmc. thc courtyard ol thc
butIdtngtnthc town, thc|andtngandthckttchcnolanapartmcnttn
thc butIdtng, thc ourncy lrom thc apartmcnt to thc schooI, thc
postcrsonthcwa||s,pcopIc'scxcttcmcnt. . . . utvcryqutckIytwo
potnts cmcrgclrom thts mtItcu,thcntwo|tncsolacttonwhtchwtII
aItcrnatcconstantIytnconvcrgtng,wtthconttnuaI'rhymcs'lromonc
to thcothcrand lorm aptnccr to grab thccrtmtna| . thc |tnc olthc
po|tccandthc|tncolthcundcrwor|d(whtchlcarsthatthcchtId-ktI|cr
wtIIharmttsacttvtttcs). ltwIIbnotcdthat,byvtrtucol thcstrongIy
structura| charactcr ol organtc rcprcscntatton, thc ncgattvc or
postttvc hcro's pIacc has bccn prcparcd |ong bclorc hc comcs to
occupy tt and cvcn bclorc hc knows hc ts to occupy tt.hcncc thc
progrcsstvc unmasktng ol thc murdcrcr. And tt ts whcn thc
undcrworId Iays hands on htm that wc wttncss thc rcaI actton and
rcaIIy knowthcmurdcrcr. ltts M' sduc|wtththctrtbunaIolbandtts
andbcggars.hcdoub|cItncwtthttscacsurasandttsrhymcshasIcd
ustothcsttuattonolthcducI,lromthcsynstgntothcbtnomta|.hc
organtcrcprcscntatton,tttstruc,rctatnsttsltnaIambtgutty.lor,whcn
thcpo|tcccatchupwtththcundcrwor|d,andsnatchthcktIIcrlromtt
to brtnghtmbclorc a IcgaI trtbuna|, wcdo notknowwhcthcr thc
sttuattonwt|Icmcrgclromttmodtltcd,rc-cstab|tshcd,cIcanscdolthc
crtmc, or whcthcr nothtng wtII bc Itkc tt was bclorc, and crtmc,
Leuse]ergrittemesitien I JJ
aways dcstncdto takconncwlorms('now,wcwhavctokccpa
coscr cyc on thc ttc oncs' ). 5or5
hc thrd aw s kc thc rcvcrsc olthc sccond. ln lact, whc
atcrnatc montagc s absoutcy ncccssary to thc passagc lrom
stuaton to acton, t sccms that n thc acton whch s thus
comprcsscd, at thc vcry root olthc duc, thcrcs somcthng whch
rcbcsaganstanymontagc. Wcmghtcathsthrdaw,azn'saw
orthcawol'lorbddcnmontagc'.Andraznshowcdthatltwo
ndcpcndcntactonswhchconcdcatthcproductonolancllcctarc
amcnabc to montagc, thcn n thccllcct produccd thcrcmust bc a
momcntwhcrctwotcrmsconlrontcachothcrlacctolaccandmust
bc sczcd n M rrcducbc smutancty, wthoutthc possbty ol
rcsortngto amontagc,orcvcntoashot-rcvcrscshot.aznctcsas
an cxampc Lhapn's Thr Cirtus. a trck shots arcpcrmttcd, but
Lharcrcayhastogo nto thcon'scagcand bcwththconna
sngc shot. Nanook andthcscamustasoconlrontoncanothcrn
thcsamcshot.'hsawolthcbnomanoongcrconccrns55,nor
5A, but A lor tscl.
hc duc s morcovcr not aunquc and ocascd momcnt olthc
acton-magc.hcducstakcsoutthcncsolacton,awaysmarkng
thcncccssarysmutanctcs.hcpassagclromstuatontoactons
thus accompancd by a dovctang ol ducs n cach othcr. hc
bnoma s a poynoma. lvcn n thc Wcstcrn, whch prcscnts thc
ducntspurcst statc, tsdllcuttomarkouttsboundarcsnthc
hna nstancc. ls thcducthatolthccowby wththcbandtorthc
lndan Lr wththc woman, wththcboylrcnd,wththcncwman
whowsupcrscdchm(asnLibrrty IdenO)lnM,sthcrcaduc
bctwccn M and thc pcc orsoccty,orrathcrbctwccnM andthc
undcrwordwhchdocsnotwanthmLocsnotthcrcaducrcman
cscwhcrclnay,tmghtbccxtcrnatothclm,athoughntcrna
to thc cncma. lnthc sccnc olthc undcrwordtrbuna, thcbandts
andthcbcggars vndcatcthcrghtsolthccrmchabtusormodcol
bchavour, crmcasratonaorgansaton,andcrtcscM loractng
through passon. o whch M rcpcs that ths s what makcs hm
nnoccnt. hc cannot do othcrwsc, hconyactsthroughmpuscor
allcct, and at prccscy ths momcnt, and ony at thsmomcnt thc
actoractsnanlxprcssonst way. lnay,snotthctrucducnM
bctwccn lang hmscl and lxprcssonsm lt s hs larcwc to
lxprcssonsm, t s hs cntry nto rcasm as Thr Trstemrnte]Dr
Mebusrwconhrm(nwhchMabuscdsappcars,gvngwaytothc
lrgd rcast organsaton).
ut lthcrc snths waya whocdovctang olducs,tsby
I J1 9 Threttien-imegr
rcason ol a llth aw. thcrc s ncccssary a big ge bctwccn thc
cncompasscr and thc hcro, thc mcu and thc bchavour whch
modlcs t, stuaton and acton, whch can ony bc brdgcd
progrcssvcy,throughoutthccngtholthclm. Lnccanmagnca
stuaton whch woud bccomc nstantancousy convcrtcd nto a
duc,butthswoudbc'burcsquc' . Inashortmastcrpccc(Thrletel
Glesse]8r),lcdsopcnsthcdoorolhscabnnthclrozcnNorth
at rcguar ntcrvas protcstng 't's not ht to put a dog out', and
mmcdatcy rcccvcs two anonymous snowbas rght n thc lacc.
ut,normay,thcpathlromthcmcutothchnaducsaongonc.
hs s bccausc thc hcro s not mmcdatcy rpc lor acton, kc
lamct,thcactontobcundcrtakcnstoogrcatlorhm.Itsnotthat
hcswk.hcs,onthccontrary,cquatothccncompasscrbutony
potcntay.lsgrandcurandhspowcrmustbc actuascd.lcmust
gvcuphswthdrawaandhsntcrnapcacc,orhcmustrmscovcr
thc strcngths ol whch thc stuaton has dcprvcd hm, or hc must
awat thc tavourabc momcnt whcn hc w rcccvc thc ncccssary
support ola communty and ola tcam. Indccd, thc hcro nccds a
pcopc,alundamcntagroupwhchgvcshmtsbcssng,butasoa
makcshlt group whch hcps hm, whch s smacr and morc
hctcrogcncous. lcmust copcwththclangsandthcbctrayasol
thconcaswththccvasonsolthcothcr.hcscarcvarabcsthatarc
lound n thc hstorca hm as wc as n thc Wcstcm. lvcn n
lscnstcn,what5ovctcrtcs ddnotapprccatcwasthclamctan
charactcr ol 0m thr Trniblr. thc two grcat momcnts ol doubt
throughwhchhcpasscs, kctwocacsuras olthc hm, andaso hs
arstocratcnaturcwhchmcans that thc pcopccannotscrvcasthc
mndamcntagroup lorhm, butonyasamakcshltgroupwhchhc
uscs as a too. In gcncra thc hcro must pass through momcnts ol
mpotcncc,ntcrnaorcxtcma.WhatproduccsthcntcnstyolLcc
. LcMc'sSemsenendDrlileharcthcmagcswhchshow5amson
bndandturnngthcmstonc,thcnwcghcddownwthchansand
pushcd nto thctcmpccncosurc, gropnghswayaong, hoppng
aboutundcrthcgnashngawsolthccatswhoarcbcngcxctcdby
thc grotcsqucdwarvcs, lnay,a hs powcr rcgancd, makng thc
cnormouscoumnolthctcmpcsdcontspnth,nanmagcwhch
'rhymcs'wththatolhscxtrcmcpowcrcssncss,whcnhcmakcsthc
grndng mstonc tum. Lonvcrscy, thccat's aws whchbtcthc
powcrcss5amsonrhymcwththcass's}awboncwhchthcpowcrlu
5amson uscdatthcbcgnnngto knockouthsattackcrs. Inshort,a
whoc spato-tcmpora advancc s ntcrtwncd wth thc proccss ol
actuasaton,bywhchthchcrobccomcs 'capabc'olacton,andhs
Srnsery-meterlink l JJ
powcrbccomcscquatothatolthccncompasscr. Lccasonayonc
cvcnsccs arcaybctwccntwocharactcrs, suchthatthconcoscshs
capabtyasthcstatcolthngs tsclcvovcs, whstthcothcrgans
that
capabty. lrom Moscs to)oshua. lord s lond olths duast
structurcwhchndcatcsanothcrbnoma.thcmanolawwhotakcs
ovcrlromthcmanolthcWcstnLibrrtyIelentr,or,n
ThrGrerse]
reth,thcmatrarchamothcrolthcagrcuturalamy,whoccascs
'tosccccary' asthcgroupdccays,whcthcsonbcgnstosccccary
as hc undcrstands thc mcanng and sgnlcancc olthc ncw hght.
lromathcscpontsolvcw,organcrcprcscntatonsrucdbyths
ast aw oldcvcopmcnt.thrrrmustbrebiggebrturrnthrsituetmn
endthrettien tetemr, butthisgeenlyrxiststebr]illrd,byaproccss
markcd bycacsuras, as so many rctrogrcssons and progrcssons.
J 1hr JOJ6t]-m6l6t lBk
hc acton-magc nsprcs a cncma olbchavour (bchavoursm),
sncc bchavour s an acton whch passcs lrom onc stuaton to
anothcr,whchrcspondstoastuatonnordcrtotrytomodlytor
tosctupancwstuaton.Mcrcau-ontysawnthsrscol bchavour
asgncommontothcmodcmnovc,tomodcm psychoogyandto
thc sprt olthc cncma. ' `ut lrom ths pcrspcctvc, thc scnsory-
motornkmustbcvcrystrong,bchavourmustbctruystructurcd.
hcgrcatorgancrcprcscntaton,5A5,mustnotonybccomposcd,
but cngcndcrcd. on thc onc hand thc stuaton mustpcrmcatcthc
charactcr dccpy and contnuousy, and on thc othcr hand thc
charactcr who s thus pcrmcatcd must burst nto acton, at
dscontnuous ntcrvas. hs s thc lormua ol rcast vocncc,
compctcydllcrcntlromnaturastvocncc.hcstructurcsthatol
ancgg. a vcgctabcorvcgctatvcpoc (pcrmcaton) and an anma
poc (actng-out). Wc know that thc acton-magc, n ths scnsc,
loundtssystcmatsatonnthcActors5tudoandnKazan'scncma.
Itshcrcthatascnsory-motorschcmatakcsposscssonolthcmagc,
andthatagcnctcccmcnttcndstocmcrgc.lromthcoutsct,thcrucs
olthcActors5tudoappcdnotonytothcactor'sactngoutbutaso
to thcconccptonandunlodngolthchm,tslramngs,tscuttng,
tsmontagc.Wcmustnlcrthconclromthcothcr,thcrcastnaturc
olthclmlromthcactngolthcactorandconvcrscy.^owtsccar
thatthcactorsncvcrncutra,andncvcrstatonary. Whcnhcsnot
burstng out hcsbcngpcrmcatcdandncvcrrcmanstranqu. lor
thc actor as lor thc charactcr, thc basc ncuross s hystcra. hc
I J 9 Thr ettien-imegr
vcgctatvcpolc'smovcmcnt onthcspot sn lact}ustas grcatasthc
vocnt movcmcnt ol thc anma poc. 5pongy pcrmcaton has as
much ntcnsty as actng-out, as suddcn cxtcnson. lor ths vcry
rcasonths structural andgcnctcrcprcscntatonolthcacton-magc
gvcs rsc to a lormua whoscappcatons arctrulynlntc. Kazan
advscd that pcoplc n conllct should bcmadcto cat togcthcr. thc
commonabsorptonwoudmakcthccruptonolduclscvcnstrongcr.
lctusconsdcrarcccntlmwhchapplcsthcMcthodorthc5ystcm.
Arthur cnn's Grergie. Lnc sccnc shows a dnncr whch brngs
togcthcr thc grl's mut-monarc lathcr and thc mmgrant
prolctaran lanc, wc scc thc tcnson bcng ntcrnalscd n thc
protagonsts,thcnthclathcrsays,' l'mnotnthchabtolgvngaway
whatbcongs to mc', and thcsc words arc lkcan cxposon whch
modly thcstuaton bccausc thcy ntroduccthcncwclcmcntolan
nccstuous rcaton bctwccn lathcr and daughtcr. latcr, at thc
cngagcmcntparty,thclathcr,amostmpcrccptbc,blurrcdbchnda
grcat bay wndow, sccms to bccomc pcrmcatcd wththc stuaton
kcaposonous pant,onyasmalchdnotccs andwats lorhm,
andthclathcrrushcsoutsdc,klshsdaughtcrandgravcywounds
thc lanc, aganmodlyng thcstuatonbythsanmalactng-out.
hs s kc thc dllcrcntaton olIlc accordng D crgson.thc
plant, or thc vcgctablc, undcrtakcs thc task ol accumuatng thc
cxplosvc,onthcspot,whlstthcanmaundcrtakcstsdctonaton,n
suddcnmovcmcnts.
!
lullcr'sorgnaltywaspcrhapstohavctakcn
thsdllcrcntaton aslaras twouldgo,cvcnltmcantprocccdng
byltsandstartsandbrcakngupscqucnccs. hcwarlmlavours
thswthts ntcrmnablcwatngandtspcrmcatonsolatmosphcrc
onthconchandandonthcothcrtsbrutalcxplosonsandtsactng-
out. Atthclmt lucr wastolndthclgurcs olhsvolcnccnthc
vcgctatvcmadmcn whostand kc pants nthccorrdorolCerrider
Shetk and n thcracst dog ol hitrDeg whchcxpodcs nacts ol
attack. lt s truc that madmcn havc thcr own unlorcsccabc
dctonatons, and that thc dog had ts ong mystcrous pcrod ol
pcrmcaton. 'l cxpancd to thc dog that t was an actor. . . .' ut
lullcralsoknowshowtocxpanttopants. Whatcountslorhms
thscxtrcmcdssocatonwhchrcncwsandaugmcntscacholthctwo
aspcctsolthcvolcncc,andwhchsomctmcscarrcsoutannvcrson
olthcpocs.tsthcstuatonwhchthcnattansasombrcnaturalsm.
Kazansalsoabctodssocatcthcpolcs,and8ebyDellsoncol thc
hncstvcgctatvcllms,cxprcssngboththcsowandposonousllcol
thc5outh andthc vcgctablc cxstcncc olthcyoungwomanatthc
cradIc.utwhatntcrcstsKazan,andwhatdctcrmncsthccvoIuton
Srnsery-meterlink I J7
ol hs work, s thc nkngol pcrmcatons and cxposons so as to
obtan a contnuous structurng rathcr than a structurc wth two
pocs.hccongatcdlormatol cncmascopcrcnlorccsthstcndcncy.
And ths s thc orthodoxy olthc Actors 5tudo. a grcat 'goba
msson' , 5A5, s dvdcd nto succcssvc and contnuous 'oca
mssons' (s ! , a l , s2, a2, sJ. . . ). lnHmrrite,Hmrritecachscqucncc
has ts gcography, ts socoogy, ts psychoogy, ts tonaty, ts
stuaton whch dcpcnds on thcprcccdng acton, andwhchgvcs
rsc to a ncwacton,drawngthc hcro ntumntothc succccdng
stuaton, cach tmc by pcrmcaton and cxposon, unt thc lna
cxposon (nvovngthc Ncw York watcrlront). undcrcd, pros-
ttutcd, murdcrcr, lanc, trator, thc hcro movcs through thcsc
scqucnccs whcharc a cncompasscd n thcgrcatmsson whchs
prcscnt throughout, to cscapc Anatoa (5) n ordcrtorcach Ncw
York(5).Andthccncompasscr,thcgrcatmsson,sancthcsthchcro
or at cast acquts hm ol a hc had to do both hcrc and thcrc.
dshonourcd cxtcrnay,hchas savcdhsnwardhonour,thcpurty
olhshcartandthcluturcolhslamy.Notthathclndspcacc.lts
thcwordolLan,ts thcsgnolLan,whchknowsnopcacc,but
makcs nnoccncc and gut, shamc and honourcorrcspond to cach
othcr n a hystcrca ncuross. what s and rcmans humatonn a
partcuar oca stuaton s aso thc hcrosm rcqurcd bythc grcat
goba stuaton, thc prcc that must bc pad. Un thr etrr]rent
abundantydcvcopsths thcoogy.lldon'tbctrayothcrs,lbctray
myscl and l bctray ustcc. Lnc has to go through many drty
pcrmcatngstuatons,andthroughmanyhumatngcxposons,n
ordcr to catch a gmpsc through thcm olthc mprcsson whch
ccanscsusandthcdctonatonwhchsavcsorpardonsus.Leste]Ldrn
s thc grcat bbca lm, thc story ol Lan and olbctraya, whch
obscsscs,ndIIcrcnt ways, NchoasKayandmmuclucr. ' 's
thcmc had aways bccn thcrc n thc Amcrcan cncma and n ts
conccptonollstory, sacrcd andprolanc. utnowthasbccomc
thc csscnta pont. Lan has turncd rcast. What s curous, wth
Kazan, s thc way n whch thc Amcrcan Lrcam and thc acton-
magc grow toughcr togcthcr. hc Amcrcan Lrcam s allrmcd
morc and morc to bc a drcam, nothng othcr than a drcam,
contradctcd bythclacts, but t draws lrom ths a suddcn burst ol
ncrcascd powcr sncc tnowcncompasscs actons suchasbctraya
and caumny (thc vcry oncs that thc drcam had thc purposc ol
cxcudngaccordngtolord).Andtsprccscyaltcrthcwar-atthc
vcrymomcntwhcnthcAmcrcanLrcamscoapsng,andwhcnthc
acton-magc s cntcrng a dclntvc crss,as wcwscc- thatthc
I JB 9 Threttien-imegr
drcam lnds ts most lcrtclorm, and acton ts most vocnt,most
dctonatng,schcma.hssthclnaagonyol thcactoncncma,cvcn
ll|ms olths typcgo on bcng madclor a ong tmc yct.
hc cncma olbchavour s not contcnt wth a smpcscnsory-
motorlormua,cvcnolthccondtoncdrclcxarctypc. ltsamuch
morc compcx bchavoursm whch csscntay took nto account
ntcma lactors.'" lndccd, what must appcar onthcoutsdcswhat
happcnsnsdcthccharactcr,atthcntcrscctonolthcstuatonwhch
pcrmcatcs andthcactonwhchstodctonatc.hssthcrucolthc
Actors 5tudo.enly thrinnrrteunts, but thsnncrsnotbcyondor
hddcn,t snotthcsamcasthcgcnctcccmcntolbchavour,whch
mustbcshown.hssnotapcrlcctngolacton,tsthcabsoutcy
ncccssary condton olthc dcvcopmcnt olthc acton-magc. hs
rcast magcndccdncvcrlorgctsthattsprcscntngbydclnton,
lcttousstuatonsandshamacton. oncdocsnot'rcay'lndoncscl
nadcspcratcstuatonandoncdocsnotkoroncdocsnot'rcay'
drnk. lt s ony thcatrc or cncma. hc grcat rcast actors arc
pcrlccty conscous ol ths and thc Actors 5tudo ollcrs thcm a
mcthod.Lnthconchandascnsorycontactmustbccstabshcdwth
thcobcctsadaccnttothcstuaton.cvcnanmagnarycontactwtha
matcra,wthagass,apartcuarsortolgass,oralabrc,acostumc,
an nstrumcnt, somcchcwnggumtochcw. Lnthcothcrhandthc
obcctmust,nthsway,awakcnanallcctvcmcmory,rcactuasc an
cmoton whch s notncccssary dcntca, butsanaogoustothat
whch thc roc cas up. ' "landng a ncarby obcct, awakcnngan
cmoton corrcspondng to thc stuaton - t s by ths ntcma nk
bctwccn thcobcct andthccmotonthatthccxtcrnankngolthc
hcttous stuaton andthcsham acton w takcpacc. hcActors
5tudodocsnot nvtcthcactortodcntlyhmsclwthhsrocany
morc than any othcr mcthod, what charactcrscs t s thc rcvcrsc
opcraton,bywhchthcrcastactorssupposcdtodcntlythcroc
wthccrtannncrccmcnts that hcposscsscs andscccts nhmscl.
utthcnncrccmcntsnotmcrcythcactor'stranng,tappcars
nthcmagc - hcnccthcconstantagtatonolthcactor.ltsntscl,
and drccty, an ccmcnt ol bchavour, scnsory-motor tranng. lt
adusts pcrmcaton and cxposon to cach othcr. hcparolobcct
andcmotonthusappcarsnthcacton-magcastsgcnctcsgn.hc
obcct w bc graspcd n a ts vrtuatcs (uscd, sod, bought,
cxchangcd, brokcn, acccptcd, rccctcd . . . ) at thcsamctmcas thc
corrcspondng, actuascd, motons.lorcxampcnHmite,Hmite,
thcknlcgvcnbythcgrandmothcr,thcabandoncdshocs,thclczand
thcstrawhatwhchcorrcspondto5and5'.hcrcsnathcsccascs
Srnsery-meterlink I J
an cmoton/obcct par whch bcongs to rcasm aonc, but s
cquvacntn tsownwaytothatolthcmpuscandthclctsh,orol
thc allcct and thc lacc. Not that cncma olbchavour ncccssary
avodsthccosc-up(acuranayscsavcrylncmagcn8ebyDell
whcrcthcmantcray'cntcrs'thccosc-upolthcyoungwoman,hs
handvcnturngacrossthclacc,hspsatthccdgcolthchar).'"lts
ncvcrthccss tructhatthccmotonahandngolanobcct,anactol
cmotonnrcatontothcobcct,canhavcmorccllcctthanacosc-up
n thc acton-magc. lna stuaton n Unthr etrr]rent, whcrc thc
woman bchavcs ambvacnty, and whcrc thc man lccs tmd and
guty,hcpcksupthcgovcthatshchasdroppcd,kccpstandpays
wth t, hnay sppng t on to hs hand. '' lt s kca gcnctc or
cmbryoncsgnlorthcacton-magc, thatcoudbcacd|mrrssien
(cmotonaobcct) andwhcharcadylunctonsas 3 'symbo'nthc
sphcrcolbchavour. ltsmutancousybrngstogcthcr,nastrangc
way, thcunconscous olthcactor,thcpcrsonagutolthcdrcctor,
thc hystcra olthc magc, such as thcburnthand,lorcxampc,thc
mprcsson whch constanty arscs nLmytryk'shms. lntsmost
gcncra dclnton, thc mprcsson s thc nncr, but vsbc, nk
bctwccn thcpcrmcatngstuatonand thc cxposvcacton.
D0 d0lIOD-IDd0
D0 $Ddh OID
t6m 1tl|6B l6 J|lu1l|6B
Wc must now consdcr a compctcy dllcrcnt aspcctolthcacton-
magc. As thc acton-magc on a ts cvcs aways brngstogcthcr
'two', t s not surprsng that t shoudhavctwo dllcrcnt aspccts
tscl.hcargclorm- 5A5-movcdlromthcstuatontothcacton,
whch modhcd thc stuaton. utthcrcs anothcrlorm,whch,on
thccontrary, movcs lromthcactontothcstuaton,towardsancw
acton.A5A.hstmctsthcactonwhchdscoscsthcstuaton,a
lragmcnt or an aspcct ol thc stuaton, whch trggcrs oll a ncw
acton. hcactonadvanccs bndyandthcstuatonsdscoscdn
darkncss, or n ambguty. lrom acton to acton, thc stuaton
graduaycmcrgcs, varcs,andlnaycthcrbccomcsccarorrctans
tsmystcry. Wchavccacdthcacton-magcwhchmovcslromthc
stuatonas cncompasscr (synsgn) to thcactonasduc (bnoma)
thc 'argc lorm' . lor convcncncc, wc w gvcn thc namc 'sma
lorm' to thcacton-magc whchmovcs lrom an acton, amodcol
bchavour, or a 'habtus', to a partay dscoscd stuaton. lt s a
rcvcrsm scnsory-motor schcma. A rcprcscntaton kc ths s no
ongcr goba butoca. lts no ongcr spra but cptca. lts no
ongcr structura butconstructcdroundcvcnts jvnrmrntirllr].lts
no ongcr cthca, but comcdc (wc say 'comcdc' , bccausc ths
rcprcscntaton gvcs rsctoacomcdy,athoughttnotncccssary
comc, and maybc dramatc). hcsgnolwhchths ncw acton-
magc s madc up s thc ndcx.
hs acton-magc sccms to havc bccomc partcuary scl-
conscousn|ublitUinien,thclmwhchLhapn drcctcd,butdd
notappcarn,andnthcwhocollubtsch'swork.lvcnatthccvc
ola supcrlca anayss, wc can sccthatthcrcarctwo sorts ortwo
pocsolthcndcx.lnalrstcasc,anacton(orancquvacntolacton,
a smpc gcsturc) dscoscs a stuaton whch s not gvcn. hc
stuatonsthusdcduccdlromthcacton,bymmcdatcnlcrcncc,or
by rcatvcycompcxrcasonng. 5nccthcstuatonsnotgvcnlor
tscl, thc ndcx hcrc s an ndcx ol ack, t mpcs a gap n thc
narratvc, and corrcsponds to thc lrst scnsc olthc lrcnch word
'rllisr'.' lorcxampc,n|ublitUinien,Lhapnnsstcdonthcgap
Httmn tesituetien I I
ol aycar,whchwasnotlcdbyanythng,butwhchwccannlcr
lromthcncwbchavourandcothcsolthchcronc,whohasbccomca
rch man's mstrcss. 5mary, thc laccs dd not mcrcy havc an
autonomous cxprcssvc or allcctvc vauc, but ncthcr dd thcy
smpy ndcatc what was gong on olI scrccn. thcy rcay dd
lunctonasndccsolagobastuaton.husthclamousmagcolthc
tran,whoscarrvawconyscclromthcghtswhchpassacrossthc
woman'slacc,orthccrotcmagcswhchwccanonynlcrlromthc
spcctators. hc cxampcs arc cvcn morc strkng whcn thc ndcx
nvovcs a proccss ol rcasonng, howcvcr rapd t may bc. thus 'a
chambcr mad opcns a chcst ol drawcrs, and a man's coar
accdcntaylasonthchoor,rcvcangldna'sason' . 'lnlubtsch,
wcconstantylndthcsc rapd rcasonngproccsscsntroducmnto
thc magc tscl, whch thcn lunctons as an ndcx. ln Drsign]ot
Living, a lm whch hasrctancda ts audacty, snccthchcronc
ayscamngcnuousyorunallcctcdytothcrghttovcandcohabt
wthtwoovcrs,oncolthcmsccsthcothcrnthccarymomngna
dnncr ackct. lc concudcs lrom ths ndcx (and so docs thc
spcctator),thathslrcndhasspcntthcnghtwththcyoungwoman.
cndcxthusconsstsnthcloowng.thatoncolthccharactcrss
'too'drcsscdup,toowc-drcsscdncvcnngcothcs,lorhmnotto
havc spcntthcnghtnavcry ntmatcstuatonwhchhasnotbccn
shown. hs s a rcasonng-magc.
hcrc s a sccond, morc compcx typc ol ndcx, an ndcx ol
cquvocty,whchcorrcspondstothcsccond(gcomctrca) scnscol
thc word 'cpsc' . ln|ublit Uinien, many ndccs olthchrsttypc
cadusto thnkthatthchcroncsnotvcryattachcdtothcmanwho
ovcs hcr(hcrttccngmatcsmcs). Lnthcothcrhand, shchas a
morc puvoca rcatonshp wth hcr rch ovcr, whch cads thc
spcctator to wondcr constanty whcthcr shcsattachcd to hm by
lortunc,uxury,andaccrtancompcty,orwhcthcrshcovcshm
wth a much morc prolound and a-cmbracng ovc. hc samc
qucstonarscs nlubtsch's8lurbrd'Lighth i]r. lnthcsccascs,
wcarcmadctohcstatcbyawhocwordoldctas,anothcrtypcol
ndccs, not bccauscolsomcthngwhchsackng,orwhchsnot
gvcn, but by vrtuc olancquvoctywhchcompctcy bcongs to
thcndcx (thusthcsccncolthcncckaccthrownolIandrccovcrcdn
|ublitUinien).ltsaslanacton,amodcolbchavour,conccacda
sght dlIcrcncc, whch was ncvcrthccss sullccnt to rcatc t
smutanousy to two qutcdstantstuatons, stuatonswhcharc
wordsapart. Lras ltwoactons,two gcsturcs,wcrcvcrysghty
dllcrcnt,andncvcrthccssnthcrnlntcsmadllcrcncc,rclcrrmto
I Z I 0 Thr ettien-imegr
two opposabcoropposngstuatons. hc two stuatons may bc
suchthatoncsrcaandthcothcrapparcntorusory,butthcymay
bothbcrcaandlnay,thcycan ntcrchangcto suchancxtcntthat
thconcbccomcsrcaandthcothcrapparcnt,andvccvcrsa. 5omcol
thcsc cascs arc commonpacc n any knd ollm. lor cxampc thc
nnoccntmanassumcdtobcguty(amanhodsaknlcbyacorpsc.s
tbccauschchaskcdhm,orhashcustpucdthcknlcout). hc
morc compcx cascs whch wc havc ust mcntoncd arc morc
ntcrcstng.hcyaowustodcntlythcawolthcncwndcx.evrry
slightdi]]rrrntrinthrettien,erbrturrntueettiens,lredsteevrrygrret
distentrbrturrntuesituetiens.hs sanrllisr,nthcsccondscnscol
thcword- agcomctrcalgurc- snccthcdstantstuatonsarckca
doubcccntrc.ltsanndcxolcquvocty,oroldstancc,rathcrthan
bcng onc ol ack. lt mattcrs ttc that onc ol thcsc stuatons s
contradctcd ordcncd, lorths happcns ony altcr ts luncton has
bccn cxhaustcd, and ncvcr to such an cxtcnt that t cmnatcs thc
cquvoctyolthcndcxandthcdstanccbctwccnthcstuatonswhch
arccvokcd. lnTe 8rUrNetTe 8rlubtschundoubtcdyachcvcsa
pcrlccthandngolthcsccompcxndccs. 5omctmcsnrrcsovabc
magcs, lorcxampc, whcnaspcctatorcavcshsscatassoonasthc
actor bcgns hs monooguc. s t bccausc hc has had cnough, or
bccausc hc has a rcndczvous wth thcactor's wlc 5omctmcs n
rcaton to thc whoc [rnsrmblr] olthc pot, whch brngs a thc
montagcntopay.thcvcry sght dllcrcnccnthcgcsturc,butaso
thccnormtyolthcdstanccbctwccntwostuatons,dcpcndngon
whcthcrthctroupcolactorsspayngthcrocolLcrmansnlrontol
athcatrcaudcnccor,onthccontrary,s'dong'Lcrmansnlrontol
Lcrmans who,conscqucnty, sccmtobcpayngthcrownroc. A
qucston ol lc or dcath. thc dstancc bctwccn thc stuatons s
proportonatc to thc cxtcnt to whch thc charactcrs know that a
hangs on vcry sma dllcrcnccs n bchavour.
ln any casc, n thc sma lorm, wc dcducc thc stuaton, or thc
stuatons, lrom thcacton. hs lorm sccmsto bc css cxpcnsvcn
prncpc,morccconomca. hus Lhapn cxpans that hchas kcpt
thcghtandshadowrclcctcdlromthctranonalaccbccauschcdd
not havc a rca lrcnch tran to show drccty. . . . hs ronca
rcmark s mportant, bccausc t rascs a gcncra probcm. thc cllcct
thatmovcsorowbudgctlmshadonthcnvcntonsolthcmagc
nthccncma.lconomcconstrantsundoubtcdygavcrsctolashcs
olnspratonandmagcsdrcamcdupwthavcwtocconomycoud
havc unvcrsa rcpcrcussons. hcrc wcrc to bcmany cxampcs ol
thsnnco-rcasmandnthcncwwavc,buttappcstoapcrods,
Httien tesituetien l J
andwccanohcnsccthcmovcasanactvccmtrcol cxpcrmmtaton
andcrcaton.Ncvcrthccss,thc'smaIlorm'docsnotncccssarIyhavc
tsorgnandccrtanydocsnothndtsluIIcxprcsson,nIowbudgct
hIms. It hnds as many lactors ol cxprcsson n cnmascopc, n
coour,nIavshstagngandnsctsasthcIargclormtscIl.AIthough
wccaItthcsmaIlorm,thssntscIlnadcquatc.wcdosomcrcyto
contrastthctwolormsolthcacton-magc- 5A5andA5A.Inothcr
words, to contrastthcunvocaI Iargcorgansm whch cmbraccsthc
organs and lunctonsto thcactonsandorganswhcharcgraduaIy
lormcd n an cquvoca organsaton.
Its, thcrclorc, casyto workoutwhchgcnrcsorstatcsolgcnrc
corrcspondto thctwolormuIasolthcacton-magcandarcnsprm
by thcm. Whatwchavcustsccn s thc comcdy olmanncrsolthc
smaIIlorm A5A,consdcrmasdstnctlromthcpsycho-socaI hIm
olthcargclorm 5A5.utananaIogousdstnctonoroppostons
appcabIc n thcmost varcd arcas. lct us hrst olaIIrctum to thc
grcat 5A5 hstorca lIm, thc lIm olmonumcntaI andantquaran
hstory.othssopposcdatypcollImwhchsnoIcsshstorcaI -
anA5AhIm- whchhasaptIybccncaIIcdthc'costumchm'.Inths
cascthccostumc,thcdrcssandcvcnthclabrcslunctonasmodcsol
bchavour or 'habtus' and arc ndccs ola stuaton whch thcy
dscIosc.hssqutcdlIcrcntlromthchstorcaIlImwhcrc- aswc
havcsccn- thclabrcsandcostumcshavcgrcatmportancc,butonIy
n so lar as thcy arc ntcgratcdntoa monumcntaI andantquaran
conccpton.lcrctsamodstormodcIIstconccpton,asthoughthc
drcssmakcr,thcdcsgncrhadtakcnthcpaccolthcarchtcctandthc
antquaran. In thccostumclIm, as nthc comcdyolmanncrs,thc
'habtus' arc nscparabIc lrom thc outhts jhebits], thc actons arc
nscparabIc lrom thc statc ol thc costumcs whch consttutc thcr
lorm,and thc stuaton whchloIowslromths s nscparabIclrom
thc labrcs and hangngs. It s not surprsng that lubtsch n hs
carIcstwork- hsLcrmanlxprcssonstpcrod-shouIdhavcmadc
costumc hIms (Hnnr 8elryn, Medr r Duberry and, abovc aI, thc
orcnta lantasy Sumurun) whch aIrcady borc thc mprnt ol hs
partcuIargcnus - thc labrcs,thcoutlts,thcstatcsoldrcsswhosc
tcxturc,mattorIumnous,hcwasabIctorcproduccnthcmagcand
whch lunctoncd as ndccs.
In thc lcd olthcdocumcntary, thclngshschooolthc l Js
was opposcd to thc grcat lIahcrty-documcntary. Lrcrson and
Kotha crtcscd lIahcrty lor hs soca and potcaI ndlIcrcncc.
Instcad olstartnglromancncompasscr,lromamIcu lromwhch
thcbchavourolmcnwasnaturaIIydcduccd,twasncccssarytostart
l 1
I0 Tmatt-magr
lrommodcsolbhavour,tonlcrlromthcmthc socaI stuatonwhm
was not gvcn as an n-tscl, but whch tscl rclcrrcd back to
struggcs andmodcsolbchavourwhchwcrcawaysnactonorn
translormaton. c'habtus'thusndtmdllcrcnccsolcvIsaton,
anddhcrcnccswthnasngccvsaton.husoncmovcdlromthc
bchavour to thc stuaton nsucha way that, lromthc oncto thc
othcr,thcrcwasthcpossbtyola'crcatvcntcrprctatonolrIty'.
hs movcmcnt woud bc takcn up agan n othcr condtons by
drcct cncma and cnma-vrt.
hcrc s aso thc dctcctvc hm, as dstnct lromthccrmc hm.
hcrc may, olcoursc, bcdctcctvcs nthccrmc hm,ustasthcrc
may not bcany n thc dctcctvc hm. What dstngushcs thctwo
typcs s that n thc crmc lormua 5A5 onc movcs lrom thc
stuaton,orthcmcu,towardsactonswhcharcducs,whcnthc
dctcctvclormua A5A oncmovcslrombndactons,asndccs,
to obscurc stuatons whch vary cntrcy or whch huctuatc
compctcy, dcpcndng on amnuscucvaraton nthc ndcx. hc
novcst lammctt's lormua cxprcsscs ths typc ol magc cxacty.
'puttngaspanncrnthcworks'. Itsthcbndgcsturcwhchshattcrs
thccompctcybackstuaton,tcarsawaythcshrcdsolthcstuaton.
5omclnclms rcsutcd lromths.lawks' Thr8igSlrr,luston's
ThrMaltrsrlalt(thcsamcdrcctorswhoasocxcccdthcmscIvcs
n thc argc lorm ol thc crmc Im). lang pcrhaps achcvcd thc
mastcrpcccolthcgcnrcn8rydaKrasablrDbt.thchcro,nthc
contcxtolacampagnaganstaudcacrror,labrcatcslascndccs
whchaccuschmolacrmc,butsnccthccvdcnccolthclabrton
hasdsappcarcd,hclndshmsclnthcstuatonolbcngarrcstmand
scntcnccd. lowcvcr, onthcvcrgcolbcngrcprcvcd,durngahna
vst by hs hancc, hc gvcs hmsclaway, and cts sp an ndcx
whch makcs hcr rcasc that hc s guty, and has gcnuncy
commttcdmurdcr. hclabrcatonolthclascndccswasawayol
obtcratngthctruconcs,butrcsutcd,byaroundaboutroutc, nthc
samcstuatonasthctruconcs.Noothcrhmsurrcndcrstscltoths
dancc ol ndccs wth such mobty and convcrtbty oloppscd
dstantstuatons.
Z 1hr WrJlrtB |B 1LkJ.[uBtl|6B1|Jm
lnay, thc Wcstcrn poscs thc samcprobcm n partcuary lcrtc
condtons. Wchavc sccn that thcargc 'rcspraton' lorm was not
contcnt wth thc cpc but, throughout ts varctcs, sustanm an
Thr rstrrn inHeuks
l 5
cncompassngmcu,agobastuaton,whchwoudgvcrsctoan
acton, capabc n ts tum olmodlyngthcstuaton lrom wthn.
hsgrcatorgancrcprcscntaton- lorcxampcnlord- hadprccsc
charactcrstcs.tcomprscdoncorscvcralundamcntagroups,cach
wc-dclncd, homogcncous, wth ts ocatons, ts ntcrors, ts
customs (thus, thc lvcgroups n egenmrt),tasocomprscda
makcshltgroup,throwntogcthcrbychanccorcrcumstancc,morc
hctcrogcncous,ncongruous,but mnctona. lnay,thrrruesebig
gebrturrnthrsituetienendthrettientebrundrrtekrn,butthisgeenly
rxistrdtebr]illrd. hchcro had to actuascthcpowcrwhchmadc
hmcquatothcstuaton,hchadtobccomccapabcolthcacton,and
bccamc so graduay n so lar as hc rcprcscntcd thc 'good'
lundamcntagroupandloundthcncccssarysupportnthcmakcshlt
group (thc acohoc doctor, thc whorc wth a hcart olgod, ctc.
provcdto bccllcctvc). Andts rcmarkabcthatlawkssubscrbcs
tothsorgancrcprcscntaton,butsubcctsttosuchatrcatmcntthat
tcmcrgcsproloundyallcctcd,dclormcd. lntslucxprcsson,asat
thc start olKrdKiv,whcrcthccoupcoutncdaganstthcskys
cquatothcwhocolNaturc,thcmagcstoostrongtobcabctoast.
And, whcn t docs ast, t s n anothcr modc. thcmagcnccds to
bccomclud, thchorzon onswththcrvcr,asmuchnKrdKivrr
as n Thr8igSky. Wcmghtsaythatnlawksthccarthyorganc
rcprcscntaton tcnds to cmpty tscl, cavng nothng but amost
abstract hud lunctons whchcomctothclorclront.
lrstola,thcocatonsoscthcorganclcwhchcncompassm
thcm,travcrsmthcmandstuatmthcmnasct.thcpurcylunctona
prsonn Kie8revedocs notcvcnnccdto showus tsprsoncr,thc
church n Ll Derede no ongcr bcars wtncss to anythng but an
abandoncd luncton,thctownolKieLebesrcduccdto 'adagram,
now ony showng mnctons, a boodcss town condcmncdbythc
wcghtolapast' . Atthcsamctmc,thclundamcntagroupbccomcs
vcryvaguc,andthconycommuntywhchsstwc-dclncdsthc
ncongruousmakcshltgroup(anacohoc,anodman,ayoungboy
. . . ),tsamnctonagroupwhchnoongcrhastsloundatonnthc
organc. ltlnds tsmotvatonsnadcbttobcdschargcd,amstakc
to bc rcdccmcd, a downh sopc nto dcgradaton to bc cmbcd
agan, and ts lorccs or mcans n thc nvcnton ol an ngcnous
machnc, rathcr than n thc rcprcscntaton ol a cocctvty (thc
cataput-trcc n Thr 8ig Sky, thclna hrcworks n Kie8reveand,
cavng Wcstcms, lrom thc sccntsts' machnc n8elle]lirrto thc
grtnvcntonmLe]thr|herhs).Inlawks,purcmnctonasm
tcndstorcpaccthcstructurcolthccncompasscr.hccaustropha
l I 0 Thr ettien-imegr
olccrtanollawks'lmshasoltcnbccnnotccd.notabyLende]thr
|hareehs,whcrcthcnvcntonconsstsnockngthcluncrachambcr
lrom thc nsdc, but aso n Kie 8reve, whch coud bc cacd a
'chambr Wcstcrn' . hs s bccausc n thc obtcraton ol thc
cncompasscr,thcrcsnoongcr(asnlord)communcatonbctwccn
an organcaystuatcd ntcror and an outsdc whch surrounds t,
gvng t a vngmcu whch sa sourcc olassstancc asmuch as
aggrcsson. lcrc, onthccontrary,thcuncxpcctcd, thcvocnt,thc
cvcnt,comclromthcntcrorwhstthccxtcrorsrathcrthcocaton
olthccustomaryorprcmcdtatcdacton, nacurousrcvcrsaolthc
outsdcandthcnsdc.`lvcryonccntcrsandpasscsthroughthcroom
whcrc thc shcrlls havng abath, as though twcrcapubcpacc
(LlDerede).hccxtcrna mcu oscs ts curvaturcandassumcsthc
lgurcolatangcntlromapont,orlromascgmcntwhchlunctonsas
ntcrorty. hc outsdc and thc nsdcthus bccomc cxtcrna teenr
enethrr, thcy cntcr nto a purcy ncar rcatonshp, whch makcs
possbc a lunctona pcrmutaton ol thc oppostcs. lcncc thc
constant mcchansm olrcvcrsas n lawks whch opcratcs qutc
opcny,ndcpcndcntyolasymbocbackground,cvcnwhcnthcydo
not just rcatc to thc outsdcand thcnsdcbut, as nthccomcdcs,
conccrnathcbnaryrcatons. llthcoutsdcandthcnsdcarcpurc
lunctons thc nsdc can assumcthclunctonolthc outsdc. utthc
womancanasoassumcthclunctonolthcmannthcrcatonshpol
scducton,andthcmanthatolthcwoman(8ringingu8eby,|ese
Melr ar 8ridr, and thc lcmac rocs n lawks' Wcstcrns). hc
aduts or od pcopc havc thc lunctons olchdrcn, andthcchda
monstrouslunctonolthcmaturcadut(8elle]lirr,Grntlrmrn|rr]rr
8lendrs). hcsamcmcchansmcancomcntopaybctwccnovcand
moncy,nobcanguagcandsang.Aswcshascc,thcscrcvcrsas,as
lunctona pcrmutatons, lorm vcrtabc ligurrs cnsurng a trans-
lormaton olthc lorm.
lawkssurrcndcrshmscltoatopoogcadclormatonolthcargc
lorm. hs s why lawks' lms prcscrvc a grcat 'rcspraton' (as
Kvcttc cas t), athough t has bccomc hud, cxprcssng thc
contnutyandpcrmutaton ollunctons morcthanthcuntyolan
organclorm.ut,dcsptctsdcbttolawks,thcnco-Wcstcrntakcs
anothcrdrccton.t borrows thc 'sma lorm'drccty,cvcnonthc
bg scrccn. hc cpsc rcgns and rcpaccs thc spra and ts
procctons. Itsnoongcramattcrolthcgobaorntcgraaw5A(a
bggap whchonycxststobclcd),butadllcrcntaawA5.thc
smacst dstancc, whch cxsts ony to bc ncrcascd, U gvc rscto
vcrydstantoropposabcstuatons. lnthclrstpacc,thcIndansno
Thr rstrn in Heuks l 7
Iongcrappcaratthctopol thchIIoutIncdaganstthcsky,butsprng
uplromthctaIIgrass,lromwhchthcywcrcndstngushabIc.hc
Indan aImost bIcnds nto thc rock bchnd whch hc wats (Martn
Ktt'sHbrr), and thccowboy has somcthngmncraI abouthm
whchmakcshmbIcndntothcIandscapc(AnthonyMann'sMeno]
thr rst). 'VoIcnccbccomcsthcprncpaImpctus, andgans lrom
ths as much n ntcnsty as n uncxpcctcdncss. In octtchcr' s
Srminolr,pcopIcdclromthcbIowsolannvsbIcadvcrsaryhddcn
nthcswamps. NotonIyhasthclundamcntaIgroupdsappcarcdn
lavourolncrcasngIyncongruousandmxcdmakcshltgroupsbut
thcIattcr,nproIlcratng,havcIostthccIcardstnctonwhchthcy
stII had n lawks. thcrc arc somanyrcIatons and such compIcx
aIIanccs bctwccn mcn n thc samc group and thosc n dllcrcnt
groups that thcy arc scarccIy dstngushabIcand thcroppostons
constantIy shlt (ccknpah' s Meor Dundrr and Thr Bld8unth).
hcdllcrcnccbctwccnthchuntcrandthchuntcd,butaIsobctwccn
WhtcManand Indan,bccomcssmaIIcrandsmaIIcr.nMann'sThr
Nekrd Sur, thc bounty-huntcr and hs prcy do not sccm vcry
dllcrcnt,andncnn'sLittlr8igMen,thchcrosconstantIywhtc
wth thc WhtcMcn, Indanwththc Indans, crossng amnuscuIc
lrontcr n bth drcctons, at thcpromptng olactons whcharc
barcIydstngushabIclrom oncanothcr.hs sbccauscthcacton
canncvcrbcdctcrmncdbyandnaprcccdngstuaton - ts,onthc
contrary,thc stuaton whchlIowsprogrcssvcIylromthcacton -
octtchcruscdtosaythathscharactcrsarcnotdchncdbya'causc',
butbywhatthcydotodclcndt.And,whcnLodardanaIyscdlorm
nAnthonyMann,hccxtractmalormuIaA5A,whchhcopposcdto
thcIargclorm5A5.thcmisr-rn-stnr'consstcdndscovcrngetthr
srrtimrspcclyng,whIc,nacIasscaIWcstcn,thcmisr-rn-stnr
consstsndscovcrng,thrnnspcclyng' .ut,lthcstuatontscIl
dcpcnds on thc acton n ths way, thc acton n ts turn must
ncccssarIybc rcIatcd to thcmomcntoltsbrth,tothcnstant,thc
sccond, thc smaIIcst ntcrvaI as thc dllcrcntaI whch scrvc as ts
mpctus.
InthcsccondpIacc,thsIawolthcsIghtdllcrcnccsonIyvaIdn
solarastproduccsstuatonswhcharcIogcaIIyvcrydstant.hc
stuaton olLittlr 8ig Men rcaIIy changcs cntrcIydcpcndngon
whcthcrtsmpcIIcdbythc IndansorthcWhtcMan.And,lthc
nstant s thc dllcrcntaI olthc acton, at cacholthcsc nstants thc
acton can swng nto a compIctcIy dllcrcnt oropposcd stuaton.
Nothngscvcrwon.hus,laIngs,doubts,lcarnoIongcrhavcthc
samc scnsc as thcy do n thc organc rcprcscntaton. thcy arc no
l U I 0 Threttin-imegr
ongcr thc stcps - cvcn panlu oncs - whch lll thc gap, through
whchthchcrorscstothcdcmandsolthcgobastuaton,actuascs
hsownpowcrandbccomcscapabcolsuchagrcatacton.lorthcrc
sno ongcranygrandoscacton ata,cvcnlthchcrohasrctancd
cxtraordnarytcchncaquatcs.Atthcmt,hcsoncolthc'oscrs',
as ccknpah prcscnts thcm. 'thcy havcnoladc, thcy havcnota
sngc uson clt.thusthcyrcprcscntdsntcrcstcdadvcnturc,lrom
whch no advantagc s to bc gancd cxccpt thcpurcsatslacton ol
rcmanng avc. ' hcyhavckcptnothng olthcAmcrcan drcam,
thcy havc ony kcpt thcr vcs, but at cach crtca nstant, thc
stuaton to whchthcractongvcsrsccanrcboundaganstthcm,
makngthcmoscthconcthngthcyhavcclt. Inshort,thcacton-
magchassgnsas ndccs,whcharcbothndccsolack- ustratcd
by thc bruta cpscs n thc story - and ndccs ol dstancc or
cquvocty - ustratcd by thc possbty and rcaty ol suddcn
rcvcrsas olthc stuaton.
Itsnotmcrcyacascolhcstatonbctwccntwostuatonswhch
arcdstantoropposcd,butsmutancous.hcsucccssvcstuatons,
cacholwhchsarcadycquvocantscl,wlormnturnwthonc
anothcr, and wth thc crtca nstants whch gvc rsc to thcm, a
brokcn nc whosc path s unprcdctabc, athough ncccssary and
rgorous.hssastrucolocatonsasolcvcnts. Inccknpah,thcrc
snoongcramcu,aWcst,butWcsts.ncudngWcstswthcamcs,
Wcsts wthLhnamcn,thats, totatcsjrnsrmblrs]olocatons,mcn
andmanncrswhch 'changcandarccmnatcd'nthcsamclm. In
Mann and aso n Lavcs, thcrcsa 'shortcrroutc', whchsnotthc
straght nc, but whch brngs togcthcractonsorparts,A andA,
cach oncolwhch rctans ts ndcpcndcncc, cach oncolwhch sa
hctcrogcncous crtca nstant, 'a prcscnt sharpcncd to ts own
cxtrcmcpont' . "Itskcaknottcdropc,twstngtsclatcachtakc,at
cach acton,at cach cvcnt. hus contrary to thcrrsiretin-setrol
thc organc lorm, a qutcdllcrcnt spacc s lormcd.askrlrtn-setr,
wth mssng ntcrmcdarcs, hctcrogcncous ccmcnts whch ump
lromonctothcothcr,orwhchntcrconncctdrccty. Itsnoongcr
anambcntspacc,butavcctoraspacc,avcctor-spacc,wthtcmpora
dstanccs. Itsnoongcrthccncompassngstrokcolagrcatcontour,
butthcbrokcn strokcola ncolthcunvcrsc,acrossthchocs.hc
vcctorsthcsgnolsuchanc.Itsthcgcnctcsgnolthcncwacton-
magc, whst thc ndcx was thc sgn olts composton.
Smell]omendburlrsqur l
J 1hr 1L 6[ lhr Jm1[6tm 1BJ 0utrJgur
Wc havc sccn how thc cassca gcnrcs olthc cncma coud, n a
summarylashon,bcassgncdtooncolthctwolormsolthcacton-
magc. hcrcsoncgcnrcwhchsccmsto bccxcusvcydcvotcdto
thcsmalorm,tothccxtcntolhavngcrcatcdt,andolhavngscrvcd
asthccondtonlorthccomcdyolmanncrs- thcburcsquc.lntthc
lormua ol thc lorm A5 s most my dcvcopcd. a vcry sght
dllcrcnccnthcacton,orbctwccntwoactons,whchbrngsoutan
nlntc dstancc bctwccn two stuatons, and whch cxsts ony to
brngoutthatdstancc. lctustakc somclamouscxampcslromthc
LharcLhapnscrcs.vcwcdlrombchnd,Lharc,dcscrtcdbyhs
wlc,sccmstobcshakngwthsobs,butassoonashcturnsroundwc
sccthathcs n lact shakng hmsclacockta . 5mary, nbattc,
Lharcscorcsapontlorhmsclcachtmchclrcsashot.butthcnan
cncmy buct rcpcs, and hc subtracts a pont. hc mportant
ccmcnt, thc burcsquc proccss tscl, conssts n ths. thc acton s
lmcdlromthcangcolthcsmacstdllcrcncclromanothcracton
(lrng a gun - payng a shot), but n ths way t dscoscs thc
cnormtyolthcdstanccbctwccntwostuatons (gamcolbards-
war). WhcnLharchangsonto asausagcsuspcndcd nabutchcr's
shop, hc draws an anaogy whch cquay cvokcs a thc dstancc
whchscparatcsabutchcr'sshoplromatramcar.hsswhatwclnd
n most dvcrsons ol cvcryday obccts. a vcry sght dllcrcncc
ntroduccd nto thc obcct w nducc opposabc lunctons or
opposmstuatons.hssthcpotcntatyoltoos. andcvcnwhcn
Lharc comcs laccto lacc wth machncs, hccngsto thcdcaola
hugc too whch s automatcay convcrtcd nto thc opposng
stuaton. lcnccLhapn's humansm, dcmonstratng that a 'mcrc
nothng' scnough to sct thc machnc aganst man, to makc t an
nstrumcnt olmprsonmcnt, mmobsaton, lrustraton and cvcn
torturc, at thc cvc olthc most ccmcntary nccds (thc two grcat
machncs ol Modrrn Timrs conlront man's smpc nccd to cat by
scttng up nsupcrabc dlhcutcs). lnthc Lharc scrcs,wcdonot
mcrcydscovcrthcawsolthcsmalorm,rathcrwcgraspthcmat
thcrsourcc.conluson,dcnthcatonwththcmcu(Lharcnthc
sand, Lharc-statuc, Lharc-trcc, rc-ncarnatng thc prophccy ol
Macbcth . . . ), thc sght dllcrcncc whch makcs thc stuaton
luctuatc,kcthcpcrsonatysptolapvotacharactcrnGoldKush
orCityLights,thcnstantascrtcamomcntolopposabcstuatons.
Lharc caught nthcnstant,movnglromoncnstanttothcncxt,
cachrcqurnghslupowcrsolmprovsaton,hnay,thcncolthc
l 7
I 0 Threttion-imegr
unvcrsc whch hc dcscrbcs n ths way, thcbrokcn strokcwhch
makcstscllctcvcnnthcanguarswcrvcsolhswak,whchony
hnaybrngstsscgmcntsanddrcctonstogcthcrbyagnngthcm
onthcongroad,whcrcLharc,sccnlromthcrcar,pungcsbctwccn
tccgraphpcsandcahcsstrccs,orcsczgzaggngaongthclrontcr
bctwccnAmcrca,whcrcthcpccarconthc ookout lorhm,and
Mcxco,whcrcbandtsarcwatnglorhm.hcsgnolthcburcsquc
s thus consttutcd by thc whoc pay olndccs and vcctors, thc
'cpsc' n both scnscs.
lndcm, thc aw olthcndcx - thc sght dIlcrcncc n thc acton
whchbrngsoutannlntcdstanccbctwccntwostuatons- sccms
tobcomnprcscntnburcsqucngcncra.larodloyd,pancuary,
dcvcopsavarantwhchmovcsthcproccssonlromthcacton-magc
tothcpurcpcrccpton-magc. A hrstpcrccpton sgvcntous, lor
cxampc larod na uxurous car, broughttoa standst atastop
sgn, thcn a sccond pcrccpton appcars whcn thc car stans up,
rcvcanglarodonapoorman'sbcycc.lchadonybccnlramcd
n thc car wndow, and thc nlntcy sma dlIcrcnccbctwccn thc
two pcrccptons brngs homc to us a thc morc luy thc nhntc
dstancc bctwccn thc two stuatons olrch-poor. 5mary n an
cxcccntsccnclromSe]rtyLest,alrstpcrccptongvcsusascatcd,
hunchcd-up man, bars, a dangng sp-knot, a woman cryng, a
pcadng prcst, whc thc sccond pcrccpton rcvcas that t sony
a goodbyconastatonpatlorm,whcrccachccmcnthastspropcr
pacc.
IlwcwanttodclncLhapn'sorgnaty,to hndwhatgavchm
anncomparabcpaccnthcburcsquc,wcmustookcscwhcrc.lor
Lhapnkncwhowtosccctgcsturcswhchwcrccosctocachothcr
and corrcspondng stuatons whch wcrc lar apan, so asto makc
thcrrcatonshpproduccapartcuaryntcnsccmotonatthcsamc
tmcasaughtcr,andtorcdoubcthcaughtcrthroughthscmoton.
Ilasghtdllcrcnccnthcactonnduccsvcrydstantoropposabc
stuatons- 5 and5-andmakcsthcmatcmatc,oncolthcscstuatons
wbc'rcay'touchng, horrhcandtragc(andnotmcrcythrough
anoptcauson,asnlarodloyd). lnthcprcvouscxampcol
ShouldrrHrms,warsthcrcaandprcscntstuaton,whcrcasthcgamc
olbardsrcccdcstonlnty.lowcvcrtdocsnotrcccdccnoughto
stopusaughng.convcrscy,ouraughtcrdocsnotstand nthcway
ol cmoton bclorc thc magc ol war whch mposcs tscl and
dcvcops, cvcn nto thc loodcd trcnchcs. In short, thc nlntc
dstanccbctwccn5and5(thcwarandthcgamcolbards)movcs
us a thc morc as thc convcrgcncc ol thc two actons, thc sght
Smell]erm endburlrsqur l 7 l
dllcrcnccnthcactonmakcsusIaughmorc.ccauscLhapInknows
how to nvcnt thcmnmum dllcrcncc bctwccn two wcII-choscn
actons,hc saIsoabIctocrcatcthcmaxmumdstanccbctwccnthc
corrcspondng stuatons, thc onc achcvng cmoton, thc othcr
rcachngpurccomcdy. ItsaIaughtcr-motoncrcut,nwhchthc
onc rclcrs to thc sIght dllcrcncc, thcothcr to thc grcat dstancc,
wthout thc onc obItcratng or dmnshng thc othcr, but bth
ntcrchangngwthoncanothcr,trggcrngcachothcrollagan.No
cascnbcmadcloratragcLhapIn. hcrcsccrtanIynocasclor
sayngthatwcIaugh,whcrcaswcshouIdcry.LhapIn'sgcnusIcsn
dongbothtogcthcr,makngusIaughasmuchasmovngus. InCity
LightsthcbIndgrIandLharIcdonotdvdcupthcroIcsbctwccn
thcm. InthcunravcIIngsccnc- bctwccnthcunsccngactonwhch
tcndstocradcatcanydhcrcnccbctwccnoncthrcadandanothcr,and
thc vsbIcstuaton,whchscompIctcIytranslormmdcpcndngon
whcthcr a LharIc, assumcd to bc rch, s hoIdng thc skcn, or a
povcrty-strckcn LharIc s Iosng hs rag ol cIothng - thc two
charactcrs arconthcsamccrcut,botholthcmcomcandmovng.
LhapIn'sIasthImsbthdscovcrsoundandputLharIctodcath
(tsnotmcrcIythat VcrdouxbccomcsLharIcwhcnhcgocstohs
dcath,butthcdctatorwhomountsthcrostrummcrgcsntoLharIc
asccndngthcscalloId).McrcthcsamcprncpIcsccmstoganancw
powcr. azn nsstcd that ThrGrretDitteterwouIdnothavcbcn
possbIchadltIcrnot, nrcaIty,appropratcdandstoIcnLharIc's
moustachc.' hcdlIcrcnccbctwccnthcIttIc)cwshbarbcrandthc
dctatorsassIghtasthatbctwccnthcrtwomoustachcs.lowcvcr,
two stuatons arsc lrom ths whch arc nhntcIy lar apart, as
opposabIc as thosc olthc vctm andthc cxccutoncr. lkcwsc n
MansirurIrrdeuxthcdllcrcnccbuwccnthctwoaspcctsormodcsol
bchavour ol thc samc man - thc woman-kIIcr and thc Iovng
husband olan nvaId - s so sIcndcr that hs wlc ncms aII hcr
ntutonto scnscwhcnhchas 'changcd' . As MrcIIclatI says,t
wasnotthroughncapacty,butbyastrokcollortuncthatLhapIn
'scarccIyvarcdthc appcaranccolthccharactcr,andncvcrchangcd
hs styIc olactng' n prtrayng Vcrdoux'stwoaspccts . ' ' A grcat
dstancc bctwccn thc opposng stuatons cmcrgcs lrom thc sIght,
cvancsccntdllcrcncc,IIustratcdbythclrcnctccomngsandgongs
bctwccn thclaIscdomcIcsandthctruchomc. InthcsctwolIms,
docsLhapInwanttotcIIusthatthcrcsaltIcr,apotntaImurdcrcr
n cacholusAndthatts onIy stuatons whch makcusgoodor
cvI, vctms or cxccutoncrs, capabIc ol Iovng or dcstroyng
Whcthcr ornotsuchdcas arcproloundorpIattudnous,thsdocs
l 72
I 0 Threttion-imegr
notsccmconsstcntwthLhapIn'swayolIookngatthngs,cxccpt
na vcry sccondary way. lor whatsstIImorcmportantthanthc
two opposng stuatons ol good and cvI arc thc undcrIyng
distoursrs, whcharccxprcsscdassuchatthccndolthcsclIms.lor
thsvcry rcasonthcsclImsprocccdsmuItancousIytoaprogrcssvc
conqucstolthctaIkc,andto a progrcssvccImnaton olLharIc.
Whatthcdscourscssay,nThrGrretDittetorandMonsirurIrrdoux,
sthat5occtyputstscIlnthcstuatonolmaknganypowcrluIman
nto a bIoody dctator, any busncssman a murdcrcr, ItcraIIy a
murdcrcr,bccausctgvcsustoomuchnccntvctobccvI,nstcadol
gvng rsc to stuatons whcrc lrccdom and humanty wouId bc
boundupwthourntcrcstorourreisond'trr.hssandcacIoscto
Kousscau,andtoaKoussuwhoscsocaIanaIysswasmndamcntaIIy
rcaIst.LonscqucntIywcsccwhathaschangcdnLhapIn'sIasthIms.
LscourscbrngsthcmacompIctcIyncwdmcnson,andconsttutcs
'dscursvc' magcs.
Wc arc no Iongcr mcrcIy dcaIng wth two opposng stuatons
whch appcar to bc bm out ol mnuscuIc dllcrcncc bctwccn
actons,bctwccnmcn,ornthcsamcman.Itsacascoltwostatcsol
soccty, two opposabIc 5occtcs, oncolwhch makcs thc sIght
dllcrcncc bctwccn mcn nto thc nstrumcnt olM nlntc dstancc
bctwccnstuatons (tyranny),andthcothcrwhch wouIdmakcthc
sIght dllcrcncc bctwccn mcn thc varabIc ol a grcat stuaton ol
communtyandcommunaIty (Lcmocracy) . ' I nthcscrcs olsIcnt
LharIchIms,LhapIncouIdonIyrcachthsthcmcthroughdyIIcor
drcammagcs (thcgrcatdrcamnLesyStrrrtorthcdyIIcmagcol
Modrn Timrs). utt s thc taIkc, nthclorm oldscoursc,whch
wastogvcthsthcmcarcaIstlorcc.WcmghtsaythatLhapInsat
oncconcolthcdrcctorswhomostmstrustmthctaIkc,andoncol
thosc who madc a radcaI, orgnaI usc ol t. LhapIn uscs t to
ntroduccthclgurcoldscourscntothccncma,thustranslormng
thc ntaI probIms ol thc acton-magc. lcncc thc partcuIar
mportanccolThrGrretDittetor,whcrcthchnaIdscoursc(whatcvcr
ts ntrnsc vaIuc) s dcntlcd wthaIIhuman Ianguagc, rcprccnts
cvcrythngthatmancansay,ncomparsonwththclaIscIanguagcol
nonscnscand tcrror, soundandlurythatLhapInhasthcgcnusto
nvcnt and put nto thc mouth olthctyrant. hc smaII burIcsquc
lormIackcdnothng,but,nhsIasthIms,LhapInpushcsttoaImt
whchInkstupaganwthaIargclormwhchnoIongcrnccdsthc
burIcsquc, but whch rctans ts powcr and tssgns. Indccd, t s
aIwaysthcsIghtdllcrcnccwhchappcarsntwoncommcnsurabIc
or opposng stuatons. (hs gvcs rsc to Limrlight's ncsvc
Smell]rmendburlrsqur l 7J
qucston. whatsths 'mcrcnothng' , ths lracturcolagc,thssIght
dllcrcnccolwcarandtcarwhchtumsancxccIIcntcIown'sactntoa
IamcntabIcspcctacIc)ut,nthcIasthIms,andaganpartcuIarIyn
Limrlight, thc sIghtdllcrcnccs bctwccn mcn, orn thcsamcman,
bccomcstatcs olIlconthcrownaccount,cvcnatthcIowcstIcvcI,
varatons ol a vtaI lorcc that thc cIown can mmc, whIc thc
opposabIc stuatons bccomc two statcs olsoccty, thconcptIcss
andIlc-dcnyng,thcothcr,whchthcdyngcIowncanstIIlorcscc
andcommuncatctothccurcdwoman. Andts agannLimrlight
that cvcrythng s convcycd through thc ntroducton ol thc
dscoursc, n a 5hakcspcaran modc, thc most 5hakcspcaran ol
LhapIn'sthrccdscourscs.LhapInwastorccaIIthswhcnHKingin
NruIrkIaunchcs nto lamIct'sdscoursc,whchsIkcthcrcvcrsc
ordamctrcaIoppostcolAmcrcansoccty(dcmocracyhasbccomc
'kngdom' sncc Amcrca has bccomca soccty olpropaganda and
poIcc).
ustcr Kcaton's poston, howcvcr, s vcry dllcrcnt. Kcaton's
paradox s that ol nscrtng burIcsquc drcctIy nto a Iargc lorm.
WhIc t s tructhat thc burIcsqucbcIongs csscntaIIyto thcsmaII
lorm,thcrcsnKcatonsomcthngwhchsncomparabIc,cvcnwth
LhapIn who onIy conqucrs thc Iargc lom through thc lgurc ol
dscoursc and thc rcIatvc cllaccmcnt olthc burIcsquc charactcr.
ustcrKcaton'sproloundorgnaItyIcsngvngthcIargclorma
burIcsquccontcntwhchtapprcdtochaIIcngc,nhavngrcconcIcd
- aganst aIIthcodds- thcburIcsqucandthcIargclorm.hchcros
Ikc amnuscuIcdotcncompasscd byan mmcnscandcatastrophc
mIcu, n a translormaton-spacc jrsetr a trens]rmetin] . vast,
changngIandscapcsanddclormabIcgcomctrcstructurcs,rapdsand
watcrlaIIs, a grcat shp drltng on thc scas, a town swcpt by thc
cycIonc, a brdgc coIIapsng Ikc a lattcncd paraIIcIogram. . . .
Kcaton's gazc, as cnayoun dcscrbcs t, sccn luII onornprolIc,
somctmcs sccs cvcrythng, n apcrscopc poston, somctmcs sccs
lar, n a scntncI'sposton. ' Its a gazcmadc lorgrcatntcrnaI or
cxtcrnaI spaccs. At thc samc tmc, a typc ol magcs whch arc
uncxpcctcd n thc burIcsquc rsc up bclorc our vcry cycs. lor
cxampIc,thcopcnngscqucnccolUurHsitelity,wththcnght,thc
thundcrstorm, thc Ightnng, thc doubIc murdcr and thc tcrrlcd
woman.purcLrllth. AImthccycIoncnStrembet8ill]unir,thc
dvcr's sullocaton at thc bottom olthc sca n ThrNevigetr, thc
crushngolthctranandthcloodnThrGrnrrel,thctcrrbIcboxng
matchn8ettling8utlrr.LccasonaIIyts,npartcuIar,ancIcmcnt
l 71 l 0 Threttion-imegr
olthcmagc. thcsabrc-badcabouttobcthrustntoancncmy'sback,
nThrGrnrrel,orthcknlcwhchThrCemrremenspsntothchand
ola Lhncsc dcmonstrator. akc, lorcxampc, thcboxngmatch,
snccaburcsqucshavcuscdthsthcmc.LharcLhapn' smatchcs
corrcspondwcto thcawolthcsghtdllcrcncc.abact-match,or
domcstc-match. ut n 8ettling 8utlrr thcrc arc thrcc contcsts. a
match whchappcars to bc gcnunc, pcrccvcd n a ts vocncc, a
tranng scsson, trcatcd n a tradtona burcsquc lashon, wth
Kcatonkcancxctcdchdcapngaround,thcnbcngthrcatcncdby
thclathcr-trancr,thcnhnaythcscttngolscorcsbctwccnKcaton
and thc champon n a ts ugncss. thc bodcs tosscd about, thc
dstortonandcrumpngollcshundcrthcbows,thchatrcdwhch
appcarsonthcrlaccs.Itsoncolthcgrcatcstndctmcntsolboxng.
LncolKcaton'sanccdotcsthusbccomcsccarcr.wantngtoncudc
ahood,hcranupaganstthcproduccr' sobcctonthatthngskcthat
donotmakcpcopcaugh.lcrcpcdthatLhapnhadgotaughsout
olthclrstWordWar,butthcproduccrhcdlastandonyacccptcda
cyconc (bccausc hc dd not sccm to havc rcascd thc numbcr ol
dcaths whch cyconcs can causc). ' hsproduccr' sntuton was
corrcct. lorlLhapncoudgctaughslromthclrstWordWar,ts
bccausc, as wchavcsccn, hcrcatcs thctcrrbcstuatontoasght
dllcrcnccwhchstscludcrous.Kcaton,howcvcr,gvcshmscla
sccncorstuatonoutsdcthcburcsquc,amt-magc.nthccyconc
as much as nthc lght. lt s no ongcr a casc ol a sght dllcrcncc
whch brngs out thcopposabcstuatons, t s acascolaargcgap
bctwccn thcgvcnstuatonandthcantcpatcdcomcacton(awol
thc argc lorm). low wthcgapbcbrcachcd,notustsothatthc
comcactons'ncdcntay' producm, but sothattdomnatcsand
carrcsaongthc stuaton nts cntrcty, and concdcswthtLnc
woudnotsayolKcaton,anymorcthanolLhapn,thathcstragc.
ut thcprobcm s qutcdllcrcnt n both drcctors.
Whats unqucto ustcrKcatonsthcwaynwhchhcrascsthc
burcsquc drccty to thc argc lorm. lowcvcr, hc uscs scvcra
mcthods.hclrstswhatLavd Kobnsoncasthc'tracctorygag',
whchbrngsntopay awhocartolrapdmontagc.thusascaryas
n Thr Thrrr Hgrs thc hcro (as anccnt Koman) cscapcs lrom a
dungcon,sczcsashcd,runsupastarcasc,grabsaancc,umpsonto
ahorsc,andstandngup capsthroughahghwndow,pushcsasdc
twopars,brngngthcccngdown,carrcsollthcgr,sdcsaong
thcanccandumpsntoattcrwhchsustbcngcarrcdoll.Lrcsc
thcmodcrnhcrocapslromthctopolonchousctoanothcr,butlas,
savnghmsclbygrabbnghodolacanopy,tumbcsdown3 ppc
Smell]rmendburlrsqur l 75
whch comcs oosc, procctng hm down two storcys nto a hrc
staton,whcrchcsdcsdownthcpoctoumpontothcbackolthc
lrc-cngnc,whchsaboutto sctoll. lnothcrburcsqucs,ncudng
thoscolLhapn,thcrcarcvcrylastchascsandraccs,wthcontnuty
n thc varcty, but ustcrKcatonspcrhapsaoncn carryngout
purccontnuoustracctorcs. hclastcstsuchtracctorysachcvcd
n ThrCemrremen, whcrc thc gr tccphoncs thc hcro, who rushcs
ntoNcwYorkandsarcadyathcrpaccwhcnshcputsthcrcccvcr
down. LrnShrrltk]unirwhcrc,wthoutmontagc,nasngcshot,
Kcatongctsontothcroololthctranthroughatrapdoor,capslrom
onccarragctothcncxt,grabsthccordolawatcrtankthatwcsawat
thcstart,scarrcddownontothctrackbythctorrcntolwatcrwhch
hcuncashcs,andrunsollntothcdstancc,whctwomcnarrvcon
thc sccnc and gct drcnchcd. Lr, yct agan, thc tracctory gag s
achcvcdbyachangcolshot,thcactorrcmanngmmobc.thusthc
lamous drcam-scqucncc n Shrrltk]unir, whcrc cuttnggvcs us
succcssvcythcgardcn,thcstrcct,thcprccpcc,thcsand-dunc,thc
rcclwashcdbythcsca,thcsnowypan,andhnaythcgardcnoncc
agan (kcwsc thc passagc through a changc ol sccncry nto a
statonary car). ' `
Anothcr mcthod mght bc cacd thc machnc gag. Kcaton's
bographcrs and commcntators havc cmphasscd hs kng lor
machncs, and hsalhnty n ths rcspcct wth Ladasmrathcr than
5urrcasm.thchousc-machnc,thcshp-machnc,thctran-machnc,
thc cncma-machnc. . . . Machncs and not toos. ths s thc lrst
mportantaspcctolhsdllcrcncc lrom Lhapn, who advanccs by
mcansoltoos,andissrdtthcmachnc.ut,nthcsccondpacc,
Kcatonmakcsmachncshsmostprccousaybccauschscharactcr
nvcntsthcmandbccomcspartolthcm,machncs 'wthoutamothcr'
kcthoscolcaba.hcymaygctoutolcontro,bccomcabsurd,or
bc absurd lromthcstart, compcatcthcstraghtlorward, butthcy
ncvcrccasc to scrvc a sccrct hghcr hnaty whchsatthchcartol
Kcaton's work. hc modc housc n Unr rrk, whoscparts havc
bccnputtogcthcrndsordcrandwhchbccomcs amacstrom, Thr
Sterrtru, whcrc thc sngc-roomcd housc ' wthout a mothcr'
muddcs cach potcnta room wth anothcr, cach cogwhcc wth
anothcr, stovc and gramophonc, bath and couch, bcd and organ.
hcscarc thchousc-machncs whch Kcaton,thcLadastarchtcct
errxtrllrntr,dcsgns.ut;nthcthrdpacc,thcythcmscvcscadus
to thc qucston, what s ths hnaty ol thc absurd machnc, ths
dstnctvclormolnonscnscnKcatonhcyarcbothgcomctrca
structurcs and physca causatcs. ut, n thc whoc olKcaton' s
I 7 I 0 Thr ettion-imegr
work,thcrpartcuartysthatthcyarcgcomctrcastructurcswtha
'mnorng' luncton, or physca causatcs wth a 'rccurrcnt'
luncton.
lnThrNevigetthcmachncsnotmcrcythcgrcatncrbytscl.
ts thcncrapprchcndcd na'mnorng'luncton,nwhchcachol
tsccmcnts,dcsgncdlorhundrcdsolpcopc,comcstobcadaptcdto
asngcdcsttutccoupc.hcmt,thcmt-magcsthusthcobcct
olascrcswhchdocsnotsctouttobrcacht,orcvcntorcacht,but
toattractt,topoarsct. ywhchsystcmcanattccggbccookcd
nahugcpot lnKcaton,thcmachncsnotdclncdbymmcnsty.It
mpcs mmcnsty, but n nvcntngthc 'mnorng' lunctonwhch
translorms t, by vrtuc ol an ngcnous systcm whch s tscl
machnc,bascdonthcmassolpucys, wrcsandcvcrs. '
lkcwsc,
n ThrCrnrrel,oncshoudnotustthnkthatthcgrwholccdsthc
tran's bcr wth ttcpcccsolwood s bchavng na cumsy and
ncpt way. hs s olcoursctruc, but shcaso brngs torcasaton
Kcaton's drcam ol takng thc bggcst machnc n thc word and
makng t workwththctncstccmcnts,thusconvcrtngt lorthc
usc olcachoncolus, makng t thcpropcrtyolcvcryonc.Kcaton
somctmcs passcs drccty lrom thc grcat, rca machnc to ts
rcproducton as toy, lorcxampc, at thc cnd ol Thr8letksmith.Co
rstcllccts vcry varcd 'mnoratons', lromthcmnuscucrcvovcr
tothcttccalwhohasthctaskolroundngupthcvasthcrd.hss
thc lnatyolthcmachnctscl. t docs not }ustcomprsctsman
partsandmcchansms,tcomprscstsconvcrsonntomnaturc,ts
convcrson to thc mnaturc, thc mcchansm ol a translormaton
whchadaptstto asotaryman,toaostcoupc,bcyondsksand
spccasatons.hsmustlormpartolthcmachnc.nthsrcspcctwc
cannotbcccrtan thatKcatonacks a potcavsonthats,onthc
contrary, prcscnt n Lhapn. hcrc arc rathcr two vcry dllcrcnt
'socast'vsons,thconccommunst-humanstnLhapn,thcothcr
anarchstc-machnc n Kcaton (rathcr kc Ich, who was to ay
camto thc rght to usc, orthc 'mnoraton' olbg machncs).
hcsc'mnoratons'canonytakcpaccthroughthcproccsscsol
physcacausaty, whchpassthroughdctours,cxtcnsons,ndrcct
paths, asons bctwccn hctcrogcncous ccmcnts, provdng thc
absurdccmcntwhchsndspcnsabctothcmachnc.Arcadynthc
'Macc' scrcs,ThrHighSignputslorwardabzarrcabrdgcmcntol
thc causa scrcs. a shootngmachnc n whchthchcro prcsscs hs
loot onahddcn cvcr,sothatasystcmolwrcsandpucysbrngs
downaboncwhchadogtrcstorcachbypungacordsothatthc
bconthctargctrngs(acatscnoughtothrowthcmcchansmoutol
Smeh]ermemburlrsqur
l 77
gcar). Wc arc rcmndcd olthcdrawngs olKubc Lodbcrg - aso
Ladast - thc prodgous causa scrcs whcrc 'postng a cttcr' , lor
cxampc,passcsthroughaongsucccssonoldsparatcmcchansms,
cachcngagngwththcothcrs,bcgnnngwthabootwhchscndsa
rugbybantoatub,and,passngthroughntcrockngmcchansms,
hnshcsby unravcngbclorcthcscndcr'scycsascrccnonwhchs
wrttcn ISeMeilthetLrttrr. lach ccmcntolthcscrcsssuch
thatthasnoluncton,norcatonshptothcgoa,butacqurcsoncn
rcaton to anothcr ccmcnt whch tscl has no mncton or
rcaton. . . . hcsccausatcsopcratcthroughascrcsoldsconncc-
tons. kc Kcaton' s, somc olngucy's machncs strngtogcthcr
scvcrastructurcs,cachncudnganccmcntwhchsnotlunctona
butwhchbccomcssonthconcthatloows(thcgrandmothcrwho
pushcsthcpcdasnthccardocsnotmakcthcvchccmovclorward,
buttrggcrsollanapparatuslorsawngwood. . . ).hcscrccurrcnt
causatcs makc possbc thc appropraton ol argc gcomctrca
structurcsand thcdcvcopmcnt olgrcat tracctorcs. A structurcs
thc skctch olatracctory,butatracctorys nocssthcoutncola
machnc.lachtracctorytsclconsttutcsamachnc,nwhchmans
acogbctwccnthcdllcrcntccmcnts.kcthcmcchancscatcdonthc
drvng shalt olthc ocomotvc whch draws hs motoncss bdy
ntoascrcsolarcs olacrcc.hctwocsscntalormsolthcgagn
Kcaton- thctracctory-gagandthcmachnc-gag- arctwoaspcctsol
asamcrcaty,amachncwhchproduccsman'wthoutamothcr',or
thcman olthcluturc. hcbggapbctwccnthcmmcnscstuaton
and thcmnuscuchcro w bclmbythcc'mnorng'lunctons
andthcscrccurrcntscrcswhchmakcthchcrocquatothcstuaton.
Inthsway,Kcatonnvcntsaburcsqucwhchdclcsathcapparcnt
condtonsolthcgcnrcandnaturay takcsastslramcworkthcargc
lorm.
IUI0$,
OI lD0 lIdD$lOIDdlIOD Ol lOID$
1hr]aJ1r[t660r[0 ml6106lhrt|0L|Jr0Jlr|0
hcdstnctonbctwccnthctwolormsolactons ntsclccarand
smpc, but ts appcatons arcmorccompcatcd. Aswchavcsccn,
hnanca consdcratons coud ntcrvcnc, butwcrcnotdctcrmnng,
sncc thc sma lorm - as much as thc argc - nccds a argc scrccn,
avshsctsandcoourstocxprcssanddcvcoptscl.lcrconcshoud
bcarnmndthat5maandlargcarcuscdnato'sscnsc.lcmadc
two dcas corrcspondto thcm. and ndccdthcdcas lrstolathc
lormolacton. hshasconscqucnccslorthccncma.5omcdrcctors
ccary havca prclcrcncc ora vocaton lor oncorothcrolthctwo
lorms. Ncvcrthccss,lromtmctotmcthcyborrowthcothcrlorm,
whcthcrtorcspondtoncwmpcratvcs,ortochangc,tohavcabrcak,
totcstthcmscvcsnanothcrway,ortotrysomcthngout.lord,lor
cxampc,s amastcrolthcargclorm,wthsynsgnsandbnomas.
ncvcrthccss hccrcatcdmastcrpcccsolthcsmalorm,usngndccs
(assthccascnThrLongIoyegrHr,whcrcthcacropancs'attack
sndcatcdonybythcsound,andthcuncashngolthcscabywavcs
comng ovcrthc shp's lorccastc). Lthcrdrcctorspasscasylrom
onclormto thc othcr, as lthcyhadnoprclcrcncc.Wcsawths n
lawks']ilms noirs, butths wasbccauschc kncw howto nvcntan
orgna lorm, a dclormng lorm gormr 4 d]ormetion],capabc ol
payngonthctwoothcrs,ashsWcstcrns ustratc.Wccathcsgn
ol such dclormatons, translormatons or transmutatons ligurr.
hcrc archcrca kndsolacsthctcandcrcatvccvauatons,whch
gobcyondthcqucstonolthcacton-magc,andwhchccaryarsc
not ony n thc contcxt ol thc Amcrcan cncma, but conccm a
cpchs olthc unvcrsa cncma.
hcpontsthat5maandlargcdonotmcrcydcsgnatclormsol
acton,butconccptons,waysolconccvngandsccnga'sub}cct',a
storyorascrpt. hssccondscnscolthcldca,thcconccpton,sa
thcmorccsscntatothccncmanthattgcncrayprcccdcsthcscrpt
and dctcrmncs t, but, cquay, t can comc altcrwards (lawks
strcsscd thspont, thc ncutraty olthcscrptwhchhccoudtakc
rcady-madc).hcconccptonharncsscsamisr-cn-stnr,acuttngand
a montagc whch arc not smpydcpcndcnt on thcscrpt. Mkha
Unr toenothrrinLisrnstrin I 7
Kommrccordsaconvcrsatonwhchhchadwthlscnstcnwhcnhc
was makng 8oulr dr sui], bascd on Maupassant's short story. '
lscnstcnbcganbyaskngwhcholthctwopartsol thcstoryhcwas
takng. Koucn, thc Lcrman occupaton and thc whoIc rangc ol
charactcrs, or thc taIc olthcdIgcncc KommrcpIcdthat hc was
takngthcdIgcncc,thc'IttIctaIc' . lscnstcnsadthathcpcrsonaIIy
wouId havc takcn thc lormcr, thc Iargc onc. ths s a pcrlcct
aItcrnatvcbctwccnthctwolormsolacton-magc,5A5andA5A.
hcn lscnstcn askcdKomm lor hs 'cxpIanaton olthcmisr-rn-
stnr'.KommrcpIcdbycxpIanngthcscrpt,butlscnstcnsadthat
thswasnotwhathchadmcantataII.hcqucstonwashowKomm
conccvcdolthcscrpt,howhcsawthclrstmagc,lorcxampIc.'hc
corrdor, thc door, cIosc-up, boots bythcdoor',hcsad. lscnstcn
concIudcd. 'WcII, at Icast hImthcboots so that t makcs a strkng
magc,cvcnlyoudonothngcIsc. . . .'hssccmstoustomcan.l
youchooscthcsmaIIlormA5A,thmmakcanmagcwhchsrIIy
an ndcx, whch lunctons as an ndcx. crhaps lscnstcn was
rccaIIng a succcssluI cxampIc ol that gcnrc, udovkn's shocs n
Storm0M Hsie. udovknhmscIlcxpIansths.hc'hasthcdca'ol
hs hIm, hc rcaIIy conccvcs t, not lrom thcscrpt, butwhcnhc
magncs an lngIsh soIdcr, uprght and wcII-waxcd, who s
normaIIycarcluInottogcthsshocsdrtywhcnhcwaIks,butwho
Iatcr nthchIm gocsdownthcsamcstrcct squcIchngthroughthc
mudwthcompIctcdsrcgard.'hatsan'cxpIanatonolthcmisr-rn-
stnr' . uwccnthctwomodcsolbchavour,AandA,somcthnghas
happcncd.thcsoIdcrmusthavcloundhmscIlnadsturbng,aImost
dshonourabIcstuaton(thcMongoI'scxccuton),whoscndcxsA.
AndthssthcmostgcncraIproccdurcnudovkn'swork.howcvcr
grcatthc mIcuprcscntm, 5tctcrsburgorthc MongoIan pIans,
whatcvcrthcgrandcurol thcrcvoIutonaryactontobcachcvm,wc
movclrom a sccnc whcrcmodcs olbchavourdscIoscanaspcctol
thc stuaton, to anothcr sccnc, cach onc markng a dctcrmncd
momcntolconscousncss,andconncctngupwththcothcrstolorm
thcprogrcssonolaconscousncsswhchbccomcscquaItothcwhoIc
jrnsrmblr]olthcdscIoscdstuaton.Komms,toalargrcatcrcxtcnt
thanhcthnks,adscpIcoludovkn(nagcncratonlorwhomthc
IargclormsoltcnmcrcIyarcIc,oraconstrantmposcdby5taIn).
Komm'sNinr Deys o] Unr Irer procccds bycIcarIy dstngushm
days, cach ol whch has ts ndccs, and thc whoIc olwhch s a
progrcsson n tmc. And, oncc agan, what hc wantcd n Urdinery
lestism was amontagc ol documcnts, whch couId stccr cIcar ola
hstory ollascsmorarcconstructonolgrcatcvcnts.lascsmwouId
l U
I I ligurrs,]ems
nccd to bc shown as a stuaton whch dscIoscd tscIl through
ordnary bchavour, cvcryday cvcnts, pcopIc's atttudcs, or thc
gcsturcs olthcIcadcrapprchcndcdnthcrpsychoIogcaIcontcnt,as
momcnts olan acnatcd conscousncss.
Wchavcsccnthat5ovcthIm-makcrswcrcdchncdbyadaIcctcaI
conccpton olmontagc. hs, howcvcr, was a nomnaI dchnton,
whch was sullccnt to dstngush thcm lrom thc othcr grcat
tcndcnccs n thc cncma, but whch dd not prcvcnt thcm lrom
havng prolound dlIcrcnccs lrom cachothcr,andcvcn opposng
postons, sncc cachoncwas ntcrcstcd n apartcuIaraspct,ora
spccaI'Iaw'olthcdaIcctc. lorthcmthcdaIcctcwasnotaprctcxt,
ncthcrwastathcorctcaIandrxest]etterchcxon.twasprmarIy
aconccptonolmagcsandthcrmontagc.Whatntcrcstsudovkn
sthcawolquanttyandquaIty,olthcquanttatvcproccssandthc
quaItatvc cap. what aII hs lIms show us arc thcmomcntsand
dscontnuous Icaps ola dawn olconscousncss, n so lar as thcy
assumc a contnuous ncar dcvcIopmcntandaprogrcssonntmc,
butaIsorcactuponthcm.JhssasmaIIlorm- A5A- wthndccs
and vcctors, a skcIcton, but luI oldaIcctcs. thc brokcn Inc has
cscdtob unprcdctabIc,andbccomcsthcpoItmandrcvoutonary
'nc'. It s ccar that Lovzhcnko conccvcs olanothcraspcctolthc
daIcctc,thcawolthcwhoIc,sctandparts.howthcwhoIcsaIrcady
prcscntnthcpartsbutmustmovclromthcn-tscIltothclor-tscIl,
lromthcpotcntatothcactuaI,lromthcodtothcncw,lromIcgcnd
to hstory, lromdrcamtorcaIty, lromNaturctoman. Itsthcsong
olthccarth,whchstransmttcdthroughaIIhumansongs-cvcnthc
saddcst- andwhoscrclranrcturnsnthcgrcatrcvoIutonaryhymn.
WthLovzhcnko,thcIargclorm- 5A5-rcccvcslromthcdaIcctca
'rcspraton' , an oncrc and symphonc powcr ovcrhowng thc
boundarcs olthc organc.
Aslorlscnstcn,hcrcckonshmscIltob thcmastcrolaIolthcm,
bccauschcs ntcrcstcdnathrdIaw,thatoloppostondcvcIopcd
and ovcrcomc (how Lncbccomcs two n ordcrto producca ncw
unty). Ll coursc thc othcrs arc not hs dscpIcs. ut lscnstcn
rghtIyconsdcrshmscIltohavccrcatcdatrens]erming]ermjermr4
trens]ormetion],mpabcolpassnglrom5A5toA5A.Indccdhc'scc
bg', as hsconvcrsatonwthKomm rcmnds us. ut, startngout
lromthcargcorgancrcprcscntaton,lromts spraIorrcspraton,
hcsubcctsthcmto atrcatmcntwhchrcIatcsthcspraItoacauscor
aw ol 'growth' (godcn sccton) and thus dctcrmncs as many
cacsuraswthnthcorgancrcprcscntatonasntcrvaIsolrcspraton.
AndwccanscchowthcsccacsurasmarkcrscsorprvIcgcdnstants
Unr tenthrr in Lisrnstrin l 8 l
whch,onthcrownaccount,cntcrntorcatonshpswthcachothcr
accordng to vcctors. hs s thc pathctc, whch undcrtakcs thc
'dcvcopmcnt' by carryng out quatatvc caps bctwccn two
momcntscarrcdtothcrpcak.hsnkbctwccnthcpathctcandthc
organc,ths'pathctsaton'aslscnstcnputst,saslthcsmalorm
graltcd tscllrom thc nsdcon to thc argc lorm. hc aw ol thc
sma lorm (quatatvc caps) constanty combncs wth thc aw ol
thcargclorm(thcwhocrcatcdtoacausc).Lonscqucntywcpass
lromgrcatduc-synsgnstovcctor-ndccs.n8ettlrshi|trmkinthc
andscapcandthc shp's shoucttc nthc log arc synsgns,butthc
cycgass olthccaptanwho swaysamongthcropcssanndcx.
lscnstcn's translormng lorm oltcn dcmands a morccompcx
crcut. thctranslormatons ndrcctandthusathcmorccllcctvc.
lcrc wc arc conccrncd wth thc dllcut qucstonol'montagcol
attractons' . Wchavcarcadyanayscdanddclncdtbythcnscrton
olspccamagcs,somctmcsthtrmorsccnographcrcprcscntatons,
somctmcs scuptura or pastc rcprcscntatons, whch sccm to
ntcrrupt thccourscolthcacton. wcc, nartwo ol|ven thr
Trrriblr, thc stuaton s takcn ovcr by a thcatrca rcprcscntaton
whchrcpaccs thc acton orprclgurcs thc acton to comc. on onc
occason,tsthcboyarssanctlyngthcrcompanonswhohavcbccn
bchcadcd,onanothcrtslvanwhoprovdcshs ncxtvctmwthan
nlcma pcrlormancc by cowns and crcus. Lonvcrscy, an acton
can bc cxtcndcd n pastc and scuptura rcprcscntatons, whch
dstancc us lrom thc prcscnt stuaton. thc obvous cxampc s thc
stoncons n8ettlrshi|trmkin,butthcrcsasothcscupturascrcs
ol Uttbrr (thc countcr-rcvoutonarcs' appca to rcgon, lor
cxampc,scxtcndcdntoascrcsolAlrcanlctshcs,lndugodsand
Lhncscuddhas).lnThrGrnrrelLinr,thssccondaspcctassumcsts
lu mportancc. thc acton s suspcndcd - s thc crcamcr gong to
work Adroplas,thcnaloodolmk,tobccxtcndcdnmagcsol
strcamsolwatcrandsubsttutvcstrcamsollrc(alountanolmk,
an cxposon olmk). sychoanayss has subcctcd thcsc lamous
magcsolthccrcamcrandwhatloowstosuchpucrctrcatmcntthat
t hasbccomchardto rcdscovcrthcrsmpcbcauty. hctcchnca
cxpanatons whch lscnstcn hmsclgvcs arc abcttcr gudc. lc
saysthattsacascol'pathctsng'somcthnghumbcandcvcryday.
tsnoongcrthcstuatonol8ettlrshi|trmkin,whchwasbytscl
pathctc. ltsthcrclorcncccssarythatthcquatatvccapshoudno
ongcrbcpurcymatcra,rcatngtothccontcnt,butshoudbccomc
lorma and pass lrom onc magcto aqutcdllcrcntmodcolmagc
whchhasonyanindirrttrr]lrxivrrrletinshiwththcntamagc.
I BZ l l ligurrs,]orms
lscnstcn adds that hc had thc chocc bctwccn a thcatrca
rcprcscntatonandapastcrcprcscntatonlorthsothcrmodc.buta
thcatrcarcprcscntaton,suchaspcasantsdancngonadMountan,
woudhavcbccnrdcuousand,morcovcr,hchadarcadyuscdthc
thcatrcamodclorancarcrsccncnthcsamclm.lcthcrclorcnow
nccdcd a pastc rcprcscntaton strongcnoughto bc abcto rcturn
through tsdctourtothc acton. hs wasthcrocolthcwatcrand
thc lrc.
Wc must rcconsdcr thc two cascs. Ln thc onc hand, n thc
thcatrcarcprcscntaton,thcrcastuatondocsnotmmcdatcygvc
rsc to an acton whch corrcsponds to t, but s cxprcsscd n a
hcttousactonwhchw|mcrcyprclgurcapro}cct,orarcaacton
to comc. lnstcad ol5 A, wc havc. 5 A (lcttous thcatrca
acton),Aconscqucntyscrvngasndcxtothcrcaacton,A,whch
s bcng prcparcd (thc crmc). Ln thc othcr hand, n thc pastc
rcprcscntaton,thcactondocsnotmmcdatc ydscoscthcstuaton
whch t cnvcops, but s tscl dcvcopcd n grandosc stuatons
whch cncompass thc mpcd stuaton. lnstcad olA 5,wchavc
A 5 (pastclguraton),5 scrvngas synsgnorcncompasscrol
thc rca stuaton 5, whch w ony bc dscovcrcd through ts
ntcrmcdary(thcrc}ocngolthc vagc). lnonccasc,thcstuaton
rclcrs back to an magc othcr than that olthc stuaton whch t
ndcatcs. ltthusappcarsthat,nthclrstcasc,thcsmalormsast
wcrc n}cctcd nto thcargc lorm through thcntcrmcdary olthc
thcatrcarcprcscntatonand,nthcsccondcasc,thatthcargclorms
n}cctcd nto thc sma lorm through thc ntcrmcdary ol thc
scuptura orpastcrcprcscntaton. lnanycasc,thcrcsnoongcra
drcct rcaton bctwccn a stuaton and an acton, an acton and a
stuaton.bctwccnthctwomagcs,orbctwccnthctwoccmcntsolthc
magc, a thrd ntcrvcncs to cnsurc thcconvcrson olthc lorms. lt
mghtbcsad that thc lundamcnta duatywhchcharactcrscdthc
acton-magctcndstogobcyondtscltowardsahghcrnstancc,asa
'thrdncss' capabcolconvcrtngthcmagcsandthcrccmcnts.akc
an cxampc borrowcd lrom Kant. thc dcspotc 5tatc s drccty
prcscntcd n ccrtan actons, such as a savc-bascd and mcchanca
organsaton ol abour, but thc 'wndm' woud bc thc ndrcct
hguraton n whch that 5tatc s rchcctcd. lscnstcn's mcthod n
Strikrscxactythcsamc.thctsarst5tatcsprcscntcddrcctynthc
shootngolthcdcmonstrators,butthcabattorsthcndrcctmagc,
whch both rchccts that 5tatc and rcprcscnts ths acton. Whcthcr
thcy arc thcatrcaorpastc, lscnstcn'sattractonsdo notmcrcy
cnsurcthcconvcrsonolonclormolactonntothcothcr.thcycarry
Onr tenthrrin Lisrnstrin I 8J
stuatons andactons to an cxtrcmcmt, thcy rascthcmtoathrd
whch gocs bcyond thcr consttutvc duaty. hc authortcs
controng 5ovct cncma wcrc not ncccssary rcccptvc to thcsc
ndrcct magcs and coud cvcn scc thcm as a dangcrous and
dcvatonstmcthod. hustsnQurviveMrxitthatlscnstcnwas
abc to achcvc a lrcc dcvcopmcnt ol thcatrca and pastc
rcprcscntatons whch rclcct thc dca ollc anddcath n Mcxco,
combnng thc stagcs and thc lrcscos, thc scupturcs and dramatc
cllccts,thcpyramdsandthcgods.thccruclxon,thcbu-lght,thc
cruclcd bu, thcgrcatdanccoldcath. . . .
lgurcs arc thcsc ncw attractvc, attractona magcs, whch
crcuatcthroughthcacton-magc.Indccd,whcnl ontancrattcmptm
hs grcat casslcaton ol ' lgurcs ol dscoursc' at thc start ol thc
nnctccnth ccntury, thcsclgurcs arcprcscntcdnlour lorms. nthc
hrstcasc,tropcsstrcty spcakng, awordtakcnnahguratvcscnsc
rcpaccs anothcr word (mctaphors, mctonymcs, synccdochcs), n
thc sccond casc, mpcrlcct tropcs, t s a group ol words, a
proposton,whchhasthclguratvcscnsc(acgory,pcrsonlcaton,
ctc.), n thc thrdcasc,thcrcissubsttuton,butts nthcrstrcty
tcra scnsc that thc words arc subjcctcd to cxchangcs and
translormatons(rcvcrsasoncolthcscproccdurcs), thcastcascs
that ol hgurcs ol thought whch do not pass through any
modlcaton ol words (dcbcraton, conccsson, support, proso-
popoca, ctc. ). `At ths cvc olouranayss,wcarcnotposngany
gcncraprobcmaboutthcrcatonshpolthccncmaandanguagc,ol
magcs and words, wc arc smpy notng that cncmatographc
magcs havc lgurcspropcrtothcmwhchcorrcspondn thcrown
way to lontancr's lour typcs. lscnstcn's scuptura or pastc
rcprcscntatonsarcmagcswhchrcprcscntanothcrmagc,andhavca
vauc oncby onccvcnwhcnthcyarctakcn n scrcs. utthcatrca
rcprcscntatonsprocccdnscqucncc,andtsthcscqucnccolmagcs
whchhasthclguraroc.Wccanrccognscthclrsttwoolthclour
abovccascs.hcothcrcascsarcoladllcrcntnaturc.ltcralgurcs
opcratng lor cxampc throughrcvcrsa- havcaways bccnwdcy
dcvcopcdnthccncma,notabynthcburcsqucparody.ut,aswc
havc sccn, t s n lawksthatthcmcchansmsolrcvcrsa rcachthc
statcolan autonomous andgcncrascdlgurc.As lor thclgurcsol
thought- whcharcarcadyprcscntnLhapn'stakcs- wcwnot
bc abc to dscovcr thcr naturc and luncton unt a atcr chaptcr
bccauscthcyarcnoongcrcontcnttopayonthcmtsolthcacton-
magc, butcvovcnancwtypcolmagcwhchs onypromscdby
thc prcccdng hgurcs.
I 81 I I ligurrs, ]orms
Z 1hr]|utrJ 6] lhrL1tr1BJlhrm1|Brt26
Asldcas,thc5malandthclargcdcsgnatcbothtwolormsandtwo
conccptons. hcsc arc dstnct, but capablc olpassng nto onc
anothcr. hcyhavc yct a thrd scnscanddcsgnatc Vsons whch
dcscrvccvcnmorctobccallcdldcas.And,athoughthsstrucola
thc drcctors that wc arc studyng, wc shoud kc to consdcr
lcrzog's acton cncma as an cxtrcmc casc n ths rcspcct. lorhs
work dvdcs upaccordngtotwoobscssvcthcmcs,whcharclkc
vsua and musca motls. ln onc, a man who s argcr thanlc
lrcqucnts a mcu whch s tsclargcr than llc,anddrcamsupan
actonasgrcatasthcmlcu.ltsan5A5lorm,butavcryspccalonc.
thc acton, n cllcct, s not rcqurcd by thc stuaton, t s a crazy
cntcrprsc,bornnthchcadolavsonary,whchsccmstobcthconly
onccapabcolrvalngthcmlcuntscntrcty.Lrrathcr,thcacton
dvdcsntwo.thcrcsthcsubmcacton,alwaysbcyond,butwhch
tscllcngcndcrs anothcracton, ahcrocacton whchconlrontsthc
mlcu on ts ownaccount,pcnctratngthcmpcnctrablc, brcachng
thc unbrcachabc. hcrc s thus both a halucnatory dmcnson,
whcrc thc actng sprtrascstscltoboundlcssncss nnaturcanda
hypnotcdmcnsonwhcrcthcsprtrunsupaganstthcmtswhch
Naturcopposcsto t. Andthctwoarcdllcrcnt,thcyhavcalgura
rcatonshp. lnHguirrr, ret/o]Godthchcrocacton,thcdcsccnt
ol thc rapds, s subordnatcd to thc submc acton, thc ony onc
whchscquatothcvast,vrgnlorcst.Agurrc'spantobcthcony
rator, tobctraycvcryoncatoncc Lod,thcKng,mcn nordcr
to lound a purc racc n an nccstuous unon wth hs daughtcr, n
whch lstory wll bccomc thc 'opcra' ol Naturc. And, n
lit:terreldothchcrocscvcnmorcdrcctlythcmcansolthcsubmc
(thc crossngolthcmountanbythchcavyboat),thcwholcvrgn
lorcst bccomcs thc tcmplc ol Vcrd's opcra and Laruso's vocc.
lnaly, n Hrert o] Gless, thc avaran landscapc harbours thc
hypnotc crcaton ol thc glass ruby, but gocs stl lurthcr bcyond
tscllnto haucnatory andscapcs whchsummontothcscarchlor
thcgrcatabyssolthcLntvcrsc.lcnccthclargcsrcalscdaspurc
ldca, n thc doublc naturc olthc landscapcs and thc actons.
ut n thcothcrthcmc, or lollowng thcothcrlacct ollcrzog's
work,tsthc5mallwhchbccomcsthcldca, andsrcalscd,lrstly,n
dwarvcs who'a|sostartcdsmal',andscxtcndcd nmcnwhohavc
smlar|ynotccascdtobcdwarvcs.Noongcrarcthcy'conqucrorsol
thcusclcss',butbcngsncapabcolbcnguscd. No longcrarcthcy
vsonarcs,butwcakngsanddots.hcandscapcsarcdwarlcdor
ligurrsLergrendSmell Hrrzog
I 8J
hattcncd, thcy tum sad and dsmaI, cvcn tcnd to dsappcar. hc
bcngs who lrcqucnt thcm no IongcrhavcVsonsatthcrdsposaI
but nstcad sccmrcduccd to ancIcmcntary scnscoltouch, Ikcthc
dcalmutcsolLendo]SilrntrendDrknrss,andwaIkcIosctothccarth,
loIIowng an unccrtan Inc whch onIy aIIows thcm a pausc, a
rcmnantolvsonbctwccntwotormcnts,tothcrhythmolthcrstcps
or thcr monstrous lcct. hs s thc trcad olKesrHtsrr n thc
prolcssor's gardcn. hs s Stroszrk, wth hs dwarlandhs whorc,
andhsIncollIghtjlignrdr]uitr]lromLcrmanytowardsaptabIc
Amcrca. hs s Nos]etu, who s trcatcd nthcoppostc way to
Mumau's charactcr, caughtnautcrncrcgrcsson,aloctusrcducm
to ts lccbIc body and to what t touchcsandsucks,whowIIonIy
propagatchmscIlnthcunvcrscnthclormolhssucccssor,atny
pont hccng towards thc horzon ola lIat carth. hs s oyzrck,
aIwaysrcducmto hs ownasson,whcrcthccarth,thcrcdmoon,
thcbIackpooIarcnownlcrrcdonIylromstaccatondccsnstcadol
grandosc synsgns.' hus, on ths occason, t s thc smaII lorm
A5A,butrcduccdn tstumto ts most lccbIcaspcct. lor, nboth
cascs - thcsubImatonolthcIargclormandthccnlccbIcmcntolthc
smaIIlorm- lcrzogsamctaphyscan.lcsthcmostmctaphyscaI
olcncma drcctors (aIthough Lcrman lxprcssonsmhad aIrcady
bccn mbucd wth mctaphyscs, ths was wthn thc conlncs ol a
probIcm olLood and lvI to whch lcrzog s ndllcrcnt). Whcn
runo asks thcqucston. 'WhcrcdoobcctsgowhcnthcynoIongcr
havcanyusc'wcmghtrcpIythatthcynormaIIygonthcdustbn,
butthatrcpIywouIdbcnadpuatc,snccthcqucstonsmctaphyscaI.
rgsonaskmthcsamcquctonandrqImmctaphyscaIIy.thatwhch
has ccascd to bc uscluI smpIy bgns to br. And whcn lcrzog
rcmarksthat'hruhouelksisdr]rntrlrss' , wcmghtsaythatthcwaIkcr
IacksanystrcngthncomparsonwthcarsandacropIancs.ut,thcrc
agan, thcrcmarkwasmctaphyscaI.

'AbsoIutcIydclcnccIcss'sthc
dclntonwhch runo gavc olhmscIl. hc waIkcr s dclcnccIcss
boauschcshcwhosbcgnnngtobc,andncvcrlnshcsbcngsmaII.
ItsKaspar'strcad,thctrcadolthcunnamcabIc.Wccanscchowthc
5maIIcntcrsntoarcIatonshpwththclargcsuchthatthctwoIdcas
communcatc and lorm hgurcs n ntcrchangng. hc vsonary's
subImc pIan laIcd n thc Iargc lorm and hs whoIc rcaIty was
cnlccbIcd.AgurrccndcdaIonconhssImyralt,wthonIyacoIony
ol monkcys as hs racc, as hs hnaI pcrlormancc, ltzcarraIdo
provdcd a mcdocrctroupc olsngcrsn lrontolasparscaudcncc
andabIack pgIct, andthclrcatthcgIass-workshadnoconcIuson
othcr than workmcn pckng up thc pcccs. ut, convcrscIy, thc
l U I I ligurrs,]orms
wcakngs wakng n thc smalormhavcsuchtactcrcatonshps
wththcwordthatthcynlatcandnsprcthcmagctscl,aswhcn
thcdcal-mutcchdtouchcsatrccoracactus,orwhcnWoyzccklccs
thcpowcrs olthclarth rsng up at thc touch olthcwood hc s
cuttng. Andthsbcratonoltactcvaucsdocsnotmcrcynsprc
thcmagc, tpartayopcnst,tonscrtvasthaucnatoryvsonsol
lght, asccnt orpassagc, kcthc rcd skcr nmd-}ump n Lendo]
SilrntrendDerknrss, orthc thrcc grcatdrcamsolandscapcs nThr
Lnigmeo]KesrHeusrr.lcrcaganwcthcrclorc wmcssadvdng-
n-two anaogous to that olthcsubmc, and thc whocsubmcs
rcdscovcrcdonthcsdcolthc5ma.hsattcr,asnato,snocss
Idcathansthclargc. Inbothscnscs,lcrzogwhavcshownthat
thcabatross' bg lcctand ts grcat whtcwngsarcthcsamcthng.
J 1hrlL6J]1trJ.lhrtr1lh-LBt6m]1JJrt, 1BJlhr
lBr 6[ lhr LBl1rtJr
lnay,thc bascdomanswhcrcthcsmaandargclormsmanlcst
boththcrrcadstnctonandathcrpossbctranslormatonsmust
bcdctcrmncd.hcrcs,hrsty,thcphysco-boogcadomanwhch
corrcspondstothcnotiono]miliru.lorths,nahrstscnsc,dcsgnatcs
thc ntcrvabctwccntwobodcs,orrathcrthat whch occupcsthat
ntcrva,thcludwhchtransmtsthcactonoloncbodyonthcothcr
atadstancc(thcactonolcontactthus mpyngan nlntcy sma
dstancc). WcthcrclorclndourscvcsnacharactcrstcA5Alorm.
ut thc mcu thcn dcsgnatcs thc ambancc or thc cncompasscr
whchsurroundsabodyandactsont,cvcnthoughthcbodyrcts
onthcmcu.an5A5lorm. Wcmovccasylromoncscnsctothc
othcr,butthccombnatonsdonotcrascthcdstnctorgnolthctwo
dcas, thconcbcongng to amcchancsolluds, thcothcrtoabo-
anthropoogca sphcrc."
hcmathcmatcadomanwhchcorrcspondstothcnotiono]setr
aso gvcs rscU twodstnctconccptons.Aconccptonwhchstarts
oll lrom a sct whosc structurc s gvcn, n ordcr to dctcrmnc a
unvocapaccandlunctonolthcccmcntswhchbcongtothatsct
(cvcn bclorc ts naturc s known) w bc cacd 'goba' . It s an
ambancc-spacc whch can undcrgo ccrtan translormatons n
rcaton to thc lgurcs whcharcsubmcrgcdn t.5A5.hc 'oca'
conccpton,onthcothcrhand,startsolllromannhntcsmaccmcnt
whchlorms,wthts mmcdatcsurroundngs,alragmcntolspacc,
but thcsc ccmcnts, or thcsc lragmcnts, arc not nkcd up to onc
Tusetrs l 87
anothcrasIongasaIncolconncxonbytangcntvcctorshasnotbccn
dctcrmncd(A5A).ltwIIbcnotcdthatthctwoconccptonsarcnot
opposcd Ikc thc whoIc and thc part, but rathcr as two ways ol
consttutngthcrrcIatonshp.'"ltsacascoltwospaccs whcharc
dllcrcnt n naturc and do nothavcthcsamcImt. hcImtolthc
lrst wouId bc cmpty spacc, but that ol thc sccond wouId bc
dsconncctcd spacc whosc parts can Ink togcthcr n an nhntc
numbcrolways.hcrcarcncvcrthcIcsscondtonsundcrwhchonc
can movc lrom onc spacc to thc othcr and thc two Imts arc
thcmscIvcs rc-untcd n thcnoton olthc any-spacc-whatcvcr. ut
thcscarcspaccswhcharcvcrydllcrcntnorgnandconccpton.l l
thc Wcstcrn had a purcgcomctrcaI rcprcscntaton, thctwoaspccts
whch wc havc anaIyscd wouId corrcspond to thcsc two spataI
lorms.
hrdIy,wcwIIconsdcrthcacsthctcdomanwhchcorrcspond
g
to thcnti]lendster.Lhncscand)apancscpantng nvokctwo
lundamcntaI prncpIcs. on onc hand thc prmordaI vod and thc
brcath olIlc whch pcrmcatcs aII thngs n Lnc, untcs thcm n a
whoIc, andtranslormsthcmaccordng to thc movcmcnt olagrcat
crcIcoranorgancspraI,onthcothcrhand,thcmcdanvodandthc
skccton, thc artcuaton, thc jonts, thc wrnkc orbrokcn strokc
whch movcs lrom onc bcng to anothcr by takng thcm at thc
summtolthcrprcscncc,loIIowngaIncolthcunvcrsc. lnthconc
casctsthcunonwhchcounts,dastoIcandsystoIc,butnthcothcr
t s rathcrthc scparaton nto autonomous cvcnts, aII olwhcharc
dccsvc. lnthconccasc,thcprcscnccolthngssnthcr'appcarng',
but nthc othcr prcscncc tscIlIcs na 'dsappcarng', Ikcatowcr
whosctop s Iost n thc skyandwhoscbascs nvsbIc,orIkcthc
dragon conccaIcd bchnd thc cIouds. ' ' hc two prncpIcs arc
ccrtanIynscparabIcandthclormcrs domnant. 'lts advsabIcthat
thcstrokcs shouIdbcntcrruptcd,wthoutthcbrcathbcng,thatthc
lormsshouIdbcdscontnuouswthoutthcsprtbcng' . 'AIIthcart
olcxccutonsnlragmcntarynotatonsandntcrruptons,aIthough
thcamstoacI)cvcatotaIrcsuIt. . . . 'lowcanoncpantthcpkc
wthoutdscovcrngthcbrokcnIncolthcunvcrscwhchInkstto
thcrock tbrushcsnthcdcpthsolthcwatcr,andtothcrccdsolthc
bank whcrctIurks uthowcanoncpanttwthoutanmatngt
wththccosmc brcath, olwhch t s onIyapart,an mprcsson
lvcnso,undcrbothprncpIcs,thngsdonothavcthcsamcsgn,and
spaccs do not havc thcsamc lorm. synsgns lor thc brcath orthc
spraI,vcctorslorthcIncsolthcunvcrsc.thc'sngIcstrokc'andthc
'wrnkIcd strokc`.
l 88 II ligurrs,]erms
lscnstcn was lascnatcd by Lhncsc and )apancsc andscapc
pantng, bccauschcsawn taprchguraton olthccncma.'utn
thc)apancsccncmatscl,cacholthctwogrcatdrcctorscoscsttous
has gvcnprortytooncolthctwoactonspaccs.Kurosawa'swork
sanmatcdbyabrcathwhchlsthcducsandbattcs.hsbrcaths
rcprcscntcd by a sngc strokc, both assynsgnolthcworkandas
Kurosawa'spcrsona sgnaturc. Imagnca thck vcrtcancwhch
runs lrom top to bottom olthcscrccn, whch s crosscd bytwo
thnncrhorzonta ncs, lromrghttocltand lromclttorght. In
Kegrmushe ths s thc cnvoy' s magnlccnt dcsccnt, constanty
dvcrtcdtocltandrght.Kurosawasoncolthcgrcatcstlm-makcrs
olran. n ThrSrvrn Semurei a dcnsc ran las whc thc bandts,
caughtnatrap, gaoponhorscbacklrom onccndolthcvagcto
thc othcr and back agan. hccamcraangcoltcnlorms ahattcncd
magc, whch brngs out thc constant atcra movcmcnts. Wc can
undcrstandthsgrcatbrcath-spacc- whcthcrcxpandcdorcontractcd
- lwc rclcr to a )apancsc topoogy. Lnc docs not bcgn wth an
ndvdua, gong onto ndcatcthcnumbcr, thcstrcct,thcocaty,
thctown, oncstartsoll,onthccontrary,lromthc was, thctown,
thcnoncdcsgnatcsthcargcbock,thcnthcocaty,lnaythcspacc
nwhchtoscckthcunknownwoman.'Lncdocsnotmovclroman
unknownwomantothcgvcnscapabcoldctcrmnnghcr.oncstarts
olllromathcgvcns,andoncmovcs down lromthcmtomarkthc
mts wthn whch thc unknown woman s contancd. hs, t
woudsccm,sancxtrcmcypurc5Alormua.oncmustknowathc
gvcnsbclorcactngandnordcrtoact.Kurosawasaysthatthcmost
dlhcuttmclorhms'bclorcthccharactcrstartstoact.togcttothat
pont I nccdtothnklorscvcramonths'. ' ut,ndccd,thssony
dllcutbccausctsdllcutlorthccharactcrhmscl.hclrsthadto
havc a thc gvcns. hs s why Kurosawa' slmsoltcn havctwo
ccarydstnctparts,thclrst,aongcxpostonandthcsccondwhcn
scnsccss,brutaactonbcgns (StreyDeg,HrevrnendHrh).hss
aso why Kurosawa's spacc can bc a contractcd, thcatrca spacc
whcrcthchcrohasathcgvcnsbclorchmandkccpsthcmnvcwn
ordcr to act (Thr 8edyguerd). ' hs s why, hnay, thc spacc
cxpandsandlormsagrcatcrccwhch}onsthcwordolthcrchand
thcwordolthcpoor,thchcghtsandthcdcpths,hcavcnandhc.An
cxporatonolthcowcrdcpthsmusttakcpaccatthcsamctmcasan
cxpostonolthchcghtsnordcrtotraccthscrccolthcargclorm,
crosscd atcray by a damctcr n whch thc hcro s and movcs
(HrevrnendHrh).
ut, l thcrc wcrc nothng csc, Kurosawa woud mcrcy bc a
Tu setrs l U
dstngushcd drcctor who dcvcopcd thc argc lorm and coud b
undcrstood accordng to thc Wcstcrn crtcra whch havc bccomc
cassca. Hs cxporaton ol thc owcr dcpths mght corrcspond
accuratcytothccrmnaor'mscrabst'lm.lsgrcatcrccolthc
wordolthcpoorandthcwordolthcrchmghtrchcctthcbcra
humanst conccpton whch Lrllth was abc to mposcboth as a
gvcnolthc Lnvcrscandasaloundatonolmontagc- and, ndccd,
thsLrllthanvcrson cxsts n Kurosawa. thcrcarcrchandpoor,
and thcy ought to undcrstand cach othcr, comc to a mutua
agrccmcnt. . . . Inshort,thcrcqurcmcntolancxpostonbclorcthc
acton woud corrcspond cxacty to thc 5A lormua. lrom thc
stuatontothcacton. Wthnthccontcxtolthsargclormthcrcarc,
howcvcr,scvcraaspcctswhchbrwtncsstoaproloundorgnaty
whchcanccrtanybcnkcdto)apancsctradtons,butwhchmay
aso bc attrbutcd to Kurosawa's owngcnus. Inthchrstpacc,thc
gvcns,olwhchthcrcmustbcacompctccxposton,arcnotsmpy
thoscol thcstuaton,Jhcyarcthcgivrns]equrstinwhchshddcn
nthcstuaton,wrappcdupnthcstuaton,andwhchthchcromust
cxtractnordcrtobcabctoact,nordcrtobcabctorcspondtothc
stuaton.hc'rcsponsc'thcrclorcsnotmcrcythatolthcactonto
thcstuaton,but,morcproloundy,arcsponsctothcqucston,orto
thcprobcmthatthcstuatonwasnotsullccnttodscosc.Ilthcrcs
accrtanallntybctwccn KurosawaandLostocvsky,tsprccscy
on thspont. InLostocvsky,thcurgcncy ola stuaton, howcvcr
grcat,sdcbcratcygnorcdbythchcro,wholrstwantstoooklor
aqucstonwhchsstmorcprcssng.hsswhatKurosawaovcs
n Kussan tcraturc, thc connccton whch hc cstabshcs bctwccn
Kussaand)apan.Lncmusttcarlromastuatonthcqucstonwhch
t contans, dscovcr thc gvcns olthc sccrct qucston whch aonc
pcrmtarcsponsctotandwthoutwhchcvcnthcactonwoudnot
bc a rcsponsc. Kurosawa sthus nhs own waya mctaphyscan,
nvcntng an cxpanson ol thc argc lorm. hc gocs bcyond thc
stuaton towards a qucston and rascs thc gvcns to thc status ol
g vcns olthcqucston, no ongcr olthcstuaton. lcncctmattcrs
ttcthatthcqucstonsomctmcsappcarsdsappontng,bourgcos,
born ol an cmpty humansm. What counts s ths lorm ol thc
cxtractonolanany-qucston-whatcvcr,tsntcnstyrathcrthants
contcnt,tsgvcnsrathcrthantsobcct,whchmakct,nanycvcnt,
nto a sphnx' squcston, a sorccrcss's qucston.
Hcwhodocsnotundcrstand,hcwhosnahurrytoactbccauschc
bccvcshcposscsscsathcgvcnsolastuatonandscontcntwth
ths, w pcrsh, by a wrctchcddcath.nThr Cestlr ] thrSidrr's
l I I ligurrs,]orms
rb, thc brcath-spacc s translormcd nto a spdcr's wcb whch
cntraps Macbcthbccauschchasnotundcrstoodthcqucston,whosc
sccrct was hcd bythcsorccrcss aonc. Inasccondcasc,acharactcr
bccvcs t s cnough to grasp thc gvcns ol a stuaton. hc cvcn
procccds to draw a thcr conscqucnccs, but notccs that thcrc s a
hddcnqucston,whchhcsuddcnyundcrstandsandwhchchangcs
hs dccson.hus,Krd8rerd'sdcputyundcrstandsthcstuatonol
sck pcopc and thc gvcns olmadncss sccnthcay,hcprcparcsto
cavc hs mastcr whosc practccs sccm authortaran, archac, and
barcy sccntlc. ut hc mccts a madwoman and n hcr compant
apprchcnds what was ncvcrthccss arcady prcscnt n a thc othcr
madwomcn, thc ccho ol an nsanc, unlathomabc qucston, whch
gocs nlntcy bcyond any obcctvc orobcctlabc stuaton. lc
suddcnyundcrstandsthatthcmastcr'undcrstood'thcqucston,and
thaths practccscxporcdts bass,hc wthcrclorcstaywthKcd
card(nanycasc,nohghts possbcnKurosawa'sspacc).What
was partcuaryncvdcncchcrcwasthatthcgvcnsolthcqucston
nthcmscvcs mpcdthcdrcamsandnghtmarcs,dcasandvsons,
mpctuscsandactonsolthcsubcctsnvovcd,whcthcgvcnsol thc
stuatonmcrcycontancdcauscsandcllcctsaganstwhchonccoud
ony struggc by wpngoutths grcatbrcath, whchborcboththc
qucston andts rcsponsc. Inrcaty,thcrc w bcnorcsponsclthc
qucstonsnotprcscrvcdandrcspcctcd,cvcnnthctcrrbc,scnsccss
and pucrc magcs n whch t s cxprcsscd. hs s thc orgn ol
Kurosawa's oncrsm, such that thc haucnatory vsons arc not
mcrcy subcctvc magcs, but rathcr hgurcs olthc thought whch
dscovcrs thc gvcns ola transccndcnt qucston, n so lar as thcy
bcongtothcword,tothcdccpcstpartolthcword( Thr|diot).hc
rcspraton n Kurosawa's lms docs not socy consst n thc
atcrnatonbctwccn cpc and ntmatc sccncs, ntcnsty andrcsptc,
trackng-shotandcosc-up,rcastcandunrcastcscqucnccs,butto
ancvcngrcatcrcxtcntnthcmanncrnwhchoncsccvatcdlroma
rca stuaton to thc ncccssary unrca gvcns ola qucston whch
haunts thc stuaton. '
In a thrd casc t s ccary ncccssary that thc charactcr shoud
absozbathc gvcns. ut, sncctrclcrs to aqucstonrathcrthana
stuaton,thsrcspraton-absorptondllcrsproloundylromthatol
thc Actors 5tudo. Instcad ol absorbng a stuaton n ordcr to
producc a rcsponsc whch s mcrcy an cxposvc acton, t s
ncccssaryto absorbaqucstonnordcrtoproduccanactonwhch
woudtruybcaconsdcrcdrcsponsc.Lonscqucnty,thcsgnolthc
mprcsson had an unprcccdcntcd dcvcopmcnt. In Kegrmushe thc
Tuo setrs l l
doubc must absorb cvcrythng surroundng thc mastcr, hc must
hmsclbccomc mprcssonandpassthroughthcvarousstuatons
(thcwomcn,thcsmachd,andabovcathchorsc).Lncmghtsay
thatWcstcrnlmshavctakcnupthcsamcthcmc.ut,nthscasc,thc
doubc has to absorb a thc gvcns olthc qucston that ony thc
mastcr knows, ' last as thc wnd, scnt as thclorcst,tcrrbcaslrc,
mmobcasthcmountan'.hssnotadcscrptonolthcmastcr,t
sthccngmawhoscrcsponschcposscsscsandcarrcsoll. larlrom
makng mtaton ol hm cascr, t s ths whch makcs hm
supcrhumanorsccurcslorhmacosmcrccvancc.lcrc,tsccms,wc
runupaganstancwmt.hcwhoabsorbsathcgvcnswmcrcy
bcadoubc,ashadownthcscrvccolthcmastcr,olthcWord.Dsu
L:ele,mastcrolthclorcstmprcssons,spsnto thc statc olshadow
hmsclwhcnhscycsghtlasandhccannoongcrhcarthcsubmc
qucston whch thc lorcst asks mcn. lc w dc, athough a
comlortabc 'poston' has bccn arrangcd lor hm. And ThrSrvrn
Semurei.lthcytakcsoongtogathcrnlormatononthcstuaton,l
thcy absorb not mcrcy thc physca gvcns ol thc vagc hut thc
psychoogcagvcnsolthcnhabtants,tsbccauscthcrcsahghcr
qucston whch can ony bc cxtractcd graduay lrom a thc
stuatons. hs qucston s not 'Lanthc vagc bc dclcndcd ' but
'Whatsasamuratoday,atthspartcuarmomcntollstory'And
thc rcsponsc, whch comcs wth thc qucston, oncc t s lnay
rcachcd,wbthatthcsamurahavcbccomcshadowswhonoongcr
havcapacc,cthcrwththcrchorwththcpoor(thcpcasantshavc
bccnthctrucvctors).
utnthoscvcrydcaths,thcrcssomcthngappcascdwhchaows
a morccompctc rcsponsctobcprcsagcd. A lourthcasc,ncllcct,
aowsustorccaptuatcthcwhoc.ToLivr,oncolKurosawa'shncst
hms, asks thc qucston, 'What s a man who knows hc s aowcd
ony alcwmorc months ollctodo' lvcrythngdcpcndsonthc
gvcns.5houdwcundcrstandttobc,'Whatshoudoncdotoknow
pcasurcatast'hcman,astonshcdandncpt,duydocsthcrounds
olthchauntsolpcasurc,barsandstrp-cubs.Locsthsgvcthcrca
gvcns lora qucston Istnotrathcrarcstcssncsswhchobscurcs
andhdcstlccngastrongallcctonloragr,thcmancarnslrom
hcrthatncthcrs taqucstonolaast-mnutcovcallar. 5hcctcs
hcrowncxampc,cxpansthatshcmakcsttcmcchancarabbtson
aproducton-nc,andshappyknowngthatthcywla ntothc
hands olunknownchdrcn,andnthswaypassaroundthctown.
Andthcmanundcrstands.thcgvcnsolthcqucston'Whats tobc
donc 'arcthoscolausclutasktobcpcrlormcd.lcthcrclorctakcs
I Z I I ligurrs,]erms
uphspIanlorapubIcparkaganandbclorchcdcsovcrcomcsaIIthc
obstacIcstot.hcrcagan,oncmghtsaythatKurosawasgvngus
alarIymundanchumanstmcssagc.utthclImssomcthngqutc
dllcrcnt.thcdoggcdscarchlorthcqucstonandtsgvcnsthrough
thc stuatons. And thc dscovcry olthc rcsponsc, graduaIIyasthc
scarch progrcsscs. hconIy rcsponsc conssts n provdng gvcns
agan, rc-stockng thc worId wth gvcns, puttng somcthng nto
crcuIaton, as much as possbIc, howcvcr IttIc t may bc n sucha
waythatthroughthcscncworrcncwcdgvcns, qucstonswhcharc
Icss crucIarscandarcdsscmnatcd,qucstonswhcharcmorcoyluI,
cIoscrtonaturcandtoIlc.hsswhatLcrsuLzaIawasdongwhcn
hcwantcdthchuttobcprcparcdandaIttIcloodIcltaround,sothat
thcncxttravcIIcrsmghtsurvvcandcrcuIatcnthcrturn.hcnonc
may bc a shadow, oncmaydc.butoncwII havcgvcnback somc
brcath to spacc, onc wII havc rcgancd thcbrcath-spacc, onc wII
havc bccomc park or lorcst, or mcchancaI rabbt, n thc scnsc n
whchlcnryMIIcrsadthatlhchadtobcrcncarnatcd,hcwouId
bc rcncamatm as a park.
hccontrastbctwccnKurosawaandMzoguchsaswcIIknown
asthatbctwccnLorncIIcandKacnc(thcchronoIogcaIordcrbcng
rcvcrscd). Kurosawa'saImostcxcIusvcIymascuIncworIdsopposcd
to Mzoguch'slcmnncunvcrsc.Mzoguch' swork bIongstothc
smaIIlorm,asmuchasKurosawa'sbcIongstothcIargc,Mzoguch' s
sgnaturcsnotthcsngIcstrokc,butthcwrnkIcdstrokc,asonthc
Iakc n Chrenitlr e] thrMeyKein, whcrc thc wrnkIcs olthc watcr
occupy thc whoIc magc. hctwodrcctors provdccvdcncclora
cIcar dstncton bctwccn thc two lorms, rathcr than lor thc
compIcmcntartywhchconvcrtsoncntothcothcr. utKurosawa,
throughhstcchnqucandhsmctaphyscs,subcctsthcIargclormto
abroadcnngwhchopcratcsasatranslormatononthcspot.Lnthc
othcr hand, Mzoguch sub}ccts thcsmaII lorm to a Icngthcnng, a
drawng-outwhchtranslormstn tscIl. Itsobvous lromscvcraI
pontsolvcwthatMzoguchstartsolllromthcsccondprncpIc.no
Iongcr s tthc brcath, but thcskcIcton,thcIttIclragmcntolspacc
whchmustbcconncctcdtothcncxtlragmcnt.lvcrythngstartsout
lrom thc 'background' , that s, thc lragmcnt olspacc rcscrvcd lor
womcn,'thcpartolthchouscwhchslurthcstback',wthtsdcIcatc
lramcworkandvcIs. InHStery]remChikemetsuthcacton- thats,
thcwlc'slIght - s nauguratcd bycvcnts nthcwomcn'srooms.
Indcm,cvcnnthchouscawhoIcsystcmolconncxonssactvatcd,
thankstothcrcmovabIcsIdngparttons.uttsnrcIatontothc
strcct that thc probIcm ol thc Inkng olonc lragmcnt olspacc to
Tuosetrs I J
anothcrs hrstcstabIshcd,and,morcgcncraIIy,manymcdanvods
arc ntcrposcdbctwontwo lragmcnts olspacc, acharactcrhavng
Icltthclramc,orthccamcrahavngabandoncdthccharactcr.Ashot
dclncsaImtcdarca,IkcthcvsbIcportonolthcIakccovcrcdovcr
bythcmstn LgrtsuMonegetmi,orcIscahIIobstructsthchorzon
and thc transton lrom onc shot to thc ncxt ruIcs out ladng,
alhrmngacontgutywhchsopposmtocontnuty.AIthoughts
aqucstonolaconstantscparaton,wcwIInotspcakolalragmcntcd
spacc.utcachsccnc,cachshot,mustcarryacharactcrorancvcntto
thc pcak ol hs autonomy, ol hs ntcnsvcprcscncc. hs ntcnsty
mustbcmantancd,proIongcdcvcntothcpontoltslaII" ,whch
bcIongsto tntsownrghtanddocsnotconlusctwthanyothcr,
so that thc vod s a consttucnt ol cach ntcnsty, Ikc thc
'dsappcarng', amodc mmancnt to cach prcscncc (ths, aswcwII
scc,s qutc dllcrcnt lromwhathappcns n Lzu). ' 'hcmorcthc
lragmcnts thus dclncd arcthcproccss olonsttutonolthcspacc,
thcIcsstsalragmcntcdspacc.thcspaccsnotconsttutcdbyvson,
but by progrcsson, thc unt olprogrcsson bcng thc arca or thc
lragmcnt. lnoppostontoKurosawa- nwhomIatcraImovcmcnt
owcd aII ts mportancc to thc lactthattmctupnbothdrcctons
wththcImtsolagrcatcrorIcsscrcrcIcolwhchtwasthcdamctcr
- Mzoguch's IatcraI movcmcntmovcsbydcgrccs nadctcrmncd
butunImtmdrccton,whchcrtcsthcspaccnstdol prcsuppsng
t. And thc dctcrmncd drccton n no way mpIcs a unty ol
drccton, sncc thc drccton varcs wth cach lragmcnt, a vcctor
bcngattachcdtocachonc(ths varatonoldrcctons cuImnatcs n
LrHrossetrilgr( l JJ) .hssnotasmpIcchangcolIocaton.lt
s thc paradox ol a succcssvc spacc as spacc, whcrc tmc s luIIy
allrmcd,butnthclormolalunctonolthcvarabIcsolthatspacc.
thus n LgrtsuMegeteriwcsccthchcrobathngwthalary,thcn
thcovcrIIow whch lormsastrcamnthclcIds,thcnthclcIdsanda
pIan, and lnaIIya gardcnwhcrcwcagan hnd thccoupIc, havng
dnncr, 'scvcraImonths Iatcr'
l 8
lnaIIythcprobIcms,byondthcInkng-upstcpbystcp,thatol
agcncraIscdconncxonolthclragmcntsolspacc. lourproccdurcs
convcrgctothscllcct,onccagandclnngamctaphyscsasmuchas
a tcchnquc. thc rcIatvcIy hgh poston ol thc camcra, whch
produccsthccllcctolahgh-angIcshotnpcrspcctvc,cnsurngthc
dcpIoymcntolasccncnanarrowarca,thcmantcnanccolthcsamc
angIc lor contguous shots, whch produccs a sIdng cllcct,
ovcrIayng thc cuts, thc prncpIc ol dstancc whch rcmscs to go
bcyond thc mcdum shot and aIIows crcuIar movcmcnts ol thc
l 1
I I ligurrs,]oms
camcra,notncutraIsngasccncbut,onthccontrary,mantanngand
proIongng ts ntcnsty to thc vcry cnd n spacc (lor cxampIc, thc
woman'sagonynThrStyo]thrLestChrysenthrmums),lnaIIy,and
mostmportantIy,thcscqucncc-shotasthasbccnanaIyscdbyNoI
urch,nthcpartcuIarlormwhchtassumcsnMzoguch.thatola
gcnunc 'roIIng shot' , whch unravcIs thc succcssvc lragmcnts ol
spacc, to whch arc ncvcrthcIcss attachcd vcctors ol a dllcrcnt
drccton (thclncstcxampIcs,accordngtourch,bcngnSistrrso]
thrGion,andThrStoryo]thrLestChrysenthrmums). ' "Andthssccms
to us to bc thc csscntaI cIcmcnt n what havc bccn caIIcd thc
cxtravagant camcra-movcmcnts n Mzoguch. thc scqucncc-shot
cnsurcsasortolparaIIcIsmolvcctorswthdllcrcntorcntatonsand
thus consttutcs a conncxon olhctcrogcncous lragmcnts olspacc,
gvnga vcryspccaIhomogcnctyto thcspaccthus consttutcd. ln
thsunImtcdIcngthcnngordrawng-out,wctouchonthcuItmatc
naturc ol thc spacc ol thc smaII lorm. t s ndccd no Iongcr any
smaIIcrthanthatolthcIargclorm.lts'smaII'bytsproccss,butts
mmcnsty dcrvcs lrom thc conncxon ol thc lragmcnts whch
composct,lromthcpIacngnparaIIcIolthcdllcrcntvcctors(whch
rctanthcrdllcrcnccs),lromthchomogcnctywhchsonIylormcd
progrcssvcIy.hs sthcorgnolMzoguch' sntcrcst,atthccndol
hsIlc,ncncmascopc,hsntutonthathcmghtdrawlromtncw
rcsourccs,asalunctonolhsconccptonolspacc.hsconccptons
thcrclorcthatolthc'wrnkIcdstrokc',orthcbrokcnstrokc.Andthc
wrnkIcd orbrokcnstrokc s thc sgn oloncorscvcraIIncsolthc
unvcrsc,thcuItmatcnaturcolthssIopcolspacc. ltwasMzoguch
whoattancdthcIncs olthcunvcrsc,thclbrcsolthcunvcrsc,and
who constantIytraccdthcmnaIIhshIms.lnthsway,hcgvcsthc
smaII lorman ncomparabIc rangc.
lt s not thc Inc whch untcs nto a whoIc, but thconcwhch
conncctsorInksupthchctcrogcncouscIcmcnts,whIckccpngthcm
hctcrogcncous. hc Inc olthcunvcrscInks upthcback rooms to
thcstrcct, thcstrcct to thcIakc,thcmountan,thclorcst. ltInksup
man and woman and thc cosmos. lt connccts dcsrcs, sullcrng,
crrors, traIs, trumphs, appcascmcnts. ltconnccts thcmomcntsol
ntcnsty,assomanypontsthroughwhchtpasscs.ltconncctsthc
Ivngandthcdcad.IkcthcvsuaIandaudtoryIncolthcunvcrsc
whchbndsthcoIdcmpcrortothcmurdcrcdcmprcssnYengKuri
lri, Ikcthcpottcr'sIncolthcunvcrscnLgrtsuMregeteri,whch
passc through thcscductvclarytolndthcdcadwlconccmorc,
whosc'dsappcarng'hasbccomcpurcntcnstyolprcscncc.thchcro
cxpIorcs aIIthcroomsolthchousc,cmcrgcslromthcm,andrcturns
Tu setrs l J
tothchallway,whcrcthcghost,nthcmcantmc,hasappcarcd.lach
oncolus has hsownlncolthcunvcrscto dscovcr,but ts only
dscovcrcd through tracngt, throughtracng ts wrnklcd strokc.
lncsolthcunvcrschavcbothaphyscs- whchrcachcstspcakn
thc scqucncc-shot and thc trackng-shot - and a mctaphyscs,
consttutcd by Mzoguch' s thcmcs. ut t s hcrc that wcrunup
aganstthcworstobstaclc.atthcprccscpontatwhchmctaphyscs
comcs lacc to lacc wth socology. hs conlrontaton s not
thcorctcal.ttakcsplaccnthc)apancschousc,whcrcthcbackrooms
arcsubccttothchcrarchyolthclront,nthc)apancscspaccwhcrc
thcconncxonolthclragmcntsmustbcdctcrmncdaccordngtothc
dcmandsolthchcrarchcalsystcm.Mzoguch' ssocologcaldcas,
nthsrcspcct, bothsmplcandcxtrcmclypowcrlul.lorhmthcrcs
nolncolthcunvcrscwhchdocsnotpassthroughwomcn,orcvcn
whchdocs not ssuc lrom thcm, and yctthcsocal systcmrcduccs
womcn to a statc ol opprcsson, oltcn to dsguscd or ovcrt
prosttuton. hc lncs olthc unvcrscarc lcmnnc, but thc socal
statc s prosttutonal. hrcatencd to thc corc, how could thcy
survvc,contnuc,orcvcncxtractthcmsclvcsInThrStry]thrLest
Chrysrthrmumsts ndccdthcwomanwho draws thcmanontoa
lncolthc unvcrsc, and translormsthccxccrablcactorntoagrcat
mastcr. but shc knows that thc vcry succcss wll shattcr thc lnc,
gvnghcrnothngbutalonclydcath. InHStry]rmChikemetsuthc
couplc, who arc unawarc olthcr lovc, onlydscovcrtwhcnthcy
bothhavctohcc,thcrlncolthcunvcrscalrcadynomorcthanalnc
ol dght [lignr dr ]uitrJ, ncccssartly doomcd to laIurc. Mow
splcnddarcthcscmagcswhcrcwcarcprcscntatthcbrtholalnc,
obscsscd atcachmomcntby ts own brutal tcrmnaton. lts cvcn
worsc n ThrLt/r ]Uheru,n whchthclncolthcunvcrscwhch
gocs lrommothcr to son s rrcvocably barrcd by thc guards who
scparatcthcunlortunatcwomanscvcraltmcslromthcyoungprncc
whomshcbroughtntothcworld.And,lMzoguch' s'gcsha'hlms
constantlyconurcuplncsolthcunvcrsc,tsnolongcrcvcnn a
dsappcarng, whchwouldstll bcamodcolthcrprcscncc,butna
blockng at thcsourccwhchonly allows thcmto subsstnanccnt
dcspar or, ndccd, thc modcrn callousncss ola prosttutc as a last
rclugc.Mzoguchthusrcachcsancxtrcmclmtolthcacton-magc.
whcnaworldolmscryundocsallthclncsolthcunvcrsc,allowng
arcaltytosurgclorthwhchsnolongcranythngbutdsorcntcd,
dsconncctcd.Kurosawalorhspart,conlrontcdthccxtrcmclmtol
thcacton-magc'sothcraspcct.whcnthcworldolmscryroscupto
such an cxtcnt that t causcd thc grcat crclc to crack, rcvcalng a
I I I ligurrs,/ems
chaotcrcatythatwasnoongcranythngbutdspcrsvc(Dmrs'Ke-
Drn, wth ts shanty town whch has as ts ony unty thc IatcraI
movcmcnt olthc hal-wt who crosscs t bccvng hmsclto ba
tram).
Z DO 0II$I$ 0l lDO d0lI0D-IDdO
rlttrJ `lhltJ0rJJ10Jmr0l1 tr1ll60J
Altcr havng dstngushcdbctwccnallccton and acton,whchhc
caslrsmcssand5ccondncss,crccaddcdathrdkndolmagc.thc
'mcntaI'orhrdncss. hcpontolthrdncsswasatcrmthatrclcrrcd
to a sccondtcrmthroughthcntcrmcdaryolanothcrtcrmortcrms.
hs thrd nstancc appcarcd n sgnhcaton, Iaw orrcIaton. hs
may sccm to bc aIrcady ncIudcd n acton, but ths s not so. An
acton,thatstosayaducoraparollorccs,obcysawswhchmakc
tpssbc,butts ncvcrtsawwhchmakcstact.Anactondocs
havcasgnlcaton,butthssnotwhatconsttutcstscnd,thccnd
and thc mcans do not ncudc sgnlcaton. An acton rcIatcs two
tcrms, but ths spato-tcmpora rcIaton (lor cxampIc, opposton)
must not bc conluscd wth a ogcaI rcaton. Ln thc onc hand,
accordng to crcc, thcrc s nothng bcyond thrdncss. bcyond,
cvcrythngsrcducbctocombnatonsbctwccnl , Z,J . Lnthcothcr
hand, thrdncss, that whch s thrcc by tscIl, wII not ct tsclbc
rcduccdto duaItcs.lor cxampIc, lA 'gvcs'toL,tsnotaslA
thrcw(lrstpar)andLpckcdup(sccondpar),lAand makc
an'cxchangc',tsnotaslAandpartcdwth,rcspcctvcIy,e andb,
andtook posscsson ol, rcspcctvcy, b ande. ' hcrclorc thrdncss
gvcsbnhnottoactons butto 'acts' whchncccssarIycontanthc
symboIccIcmcntolaIaw(gvng,cxchangng),nottopcrccptons,
but to ntcrprctatons whch rclcr to thc cIcmcnt olscnsc, not to
allcctons,buttontcIcctuaIlccngsolrcIatons,suchasthclccIngs
whch accompany thc usc ol thc ogcaI conunctons 'bccausc',
'aIthough', 'sothat', 'thcrclorc', 'now' ,ctc.
hrdncss pcrhaps lnds ts most adcquatc rcprcscntaton n
rcaton, lor rcaton s aways thrd, bcng ncccssarIy cxtcrnaI to
ts tcrms. And phIosophcaI tradton dstngushcs two knds ol
rcatons,naturaIandabstract rcIatons - sgnlcatonbcIongngto
thclrstkndandIaworscnsc bcongngtothcsccondknd.ythc
hrstknd,oncpasscsnaturaIIyandcasylromoncmagctoanothcr.
lor cxampc lrom a ponrat to tsmodcI, thcn tocrcumstanccs n
whch thc portrat was donc, thcn to thc pIacc whcrc thcmodcI s
now,ctc.hcrcsthusthclormatonolasucccssonorhabtuaIscrcs
ol magcs. hs s, howcvcr, not unImtcd, lor thc rcaIsaton ol
I B l Z Crisise]ettien-imegr
natura rcatons s cxhaustcd quckycnough. hc sccond knd ol
rcatons,abstractrcaton,dcsgnatcsonthccontraryacrcumstancc
through whch onc comparcs two magcs whch arc not naturay
untcd n thc mnd (lor cxampc, two vcry dllcrcnt hgurcs, but
whch havc as thcr common crcumstancc bcng conca scctons).
lcrc thcrc s thc consttuton ola whoc, not thc lormaton ola
scrcs. '
crcc nsstsonthcloowngpont. llrstncsss'onc' bytscl,
sccondncsstwo, andthrdncssthrcc,t s ncccssarythat,nthctwo,
thclrsttcrmshoud'rccaptuatc' jrrrrnnr]lrstncssntsownway,
whstthcsccondalhrmssccondncss. And,nthcthrcc,thcrcwbc
a rcprcscntatvc ol hrstncss, oncolsccondncss, thcthrdallrmng
thrdncss.hcrcsthcrclorcnotmcrcy I , Z, J, butI , ZnZand I , Z, J
n J. Lnccoudscchcrcakndoldacctc,buttsdoubtluthatthc
dacctcncudcsathcscmovcmcnts.Lncwoudsayrathcrthatts
an ntcrprctaton olt - a vcry nadcquatc ntcrprctaton.
hc allccton-magc undoubtcdy arcady contans somcthng
mcnta(apurcconscousncss). Andthcacton-magcasompcstn
thc cnd ol thc acton (conccpton), n thc chocc ol mcans
(udgcmcnt), nthcsctolmpcatons (rcasonng). And,olcoursc,
thc 'lgurcs' ntroduccd thc mcnta nto thc magc. ut ths s
compctcydllcrcntlrommakngthcmcntathcpropcrobcctolan
magc, a spcchc, cxpct magc, wth ts own hgurcs. Locs ths
amountto sayngthatthsmagcoughttorcprcscnttoussomconc's
thought,orcvcnapurcthoughtandapurcthnkcrLbvousynot,
athoughattcmptshavcbccnmadcnthsdrccton.Lnthconchand
thcmagc woudbccomcrcaytooabstract,orrdcuous. Andon
thc othcr hand thc allccton-magc, thc acton-magc, arcady
contancdqutccnoughthought(lorcxampc,thcrcasonngsnthc
magc n lubtsch). Whcn wc spcak olmcnta magc, wc mcan
somcthng csc. t s an magc whch takcs as obccts e] thought,
obccts whch havcthcrowncxstcnccoutsdcthought,ustasthc
obcctsolpcrccptonhavcthcrowncxstcnccoutsdcpcrccpton.|t
isenimegruhithtekrsesitsebrtt,rrletiens,symbocacts,ntccctua
lccngs.Itcanbc,butsnotncccssary,morcdlhcutthanthcothcr
magcs. It w ncccssary havc a ncw, drcct, rcatonshp wth
thought, a rcatonshp whchscompctcydstnctlromthatolthc
othcr magcs.
WhathasathsgottodowththccncmaWhcnLodardsays I ,
Z, J. . . tsnotmcrcyamattcroladdngmagcstooncanothcr,butol
casslyngtypcsolmagcsandolcrcuatngnthcsctypcs.akcthc
cxampc olburcsquc. Ilwc cavcasdcLhapn and Kcaton, who
lrirtr's 'thirdnrss' l
carrcd thc two lundamcnta| lorms ol bur|csquc pcrccpton to
pcrlccton, wc can say. l s langdon, Z laurc and lardy, J thc
Marxrothcrs. langdon, ndccd, s thc allccton-magcnapurcr
statc than t s actua|scd n any othcrmattcr or m|cu, so that t
nsprcs nhmanrrcsstbcsccp.utnlaurc|andlardythcrcs
thcacton-magc,thcpcrpctuaduc|wthmattcr,thcm|cu,womcn,
othcrpcopcandwthcachothcr,thcywcrcab|cto dccomposcthc
duc|, bybrcakng a smutancty nspaccand substtutnglorta
succcssonntmc,ab|owloronc,thcnab|owlorthcothcr,sothat
thcducpropagatcstsc|ltonlnty,andtscllcctsncrcascbybcng
pcdonnstcadolbcngwcakcncdbylatguc.laurcskcthcl ol
thccoupc,thcallcctvcrcprcscntatvc,thconcwhogocscrazyand
uncashcspractca|catastrophc,butsgltcdwthannspratonwhch
cnab|cshmtogctthroughthcman-trapsolmattcrandmcu,whst
lardy, thc Z, thcman olacton,soacks ntutvcrcsourccs, s so
muchundcrthcswayolbrutcmattcr,thathclasntoathctrapsol
thc actons lor whch hc takcs rcsponsb|ty, and nto a| thc
catastrophcs that laurc| has uncashcd wthout la||ng nto thcm
hmscl. hc Marx brothcrs, lna|y, arc J . hc thrcc brothcrs arc
dstrbutcd n such a way that larpo and Lhco arc most oltcn
groupcdtogcthcr,Lroucho lorhspartoomngupnordcrtocntcr
ntoakndola|anccwththctwoothcrs.Laughtnthcndsso|ubc
groupolJ, larpo s thc l , thcrcprcscntatvcolcccstaallccts,but
a|so a|rcadyolnlcrnampu|scs,voracousncss,scxuaty,dctructon.
Lhcos Z.tshcwhotakcsonacton,thcntatvc,thcducwththc
mcu, thc stratcgy ol cllort and rcsstancc. larpo hdcs, n hs
mmcnsc rancoat, a knds olobccts, bts andpcccswhchcanbc
usm lor any knd ol acton, but hc hmsclon|y uscs thcm n an
allcctvc or lctshstc way and t s Lhco who uscs thcm lor
organscd acton. lna|y, Lroucho s thc thrcc, thc man ol
ntcrprctatons,olsymbocactsandabstractrc|atons. Ncvcrthccss
cacholthcthrcccquaybcongstothcthrdncssthatthcymakcup
togcthcr. larpo and Lhco arcady havc a rc|atonshp such that
Lhcothrowsauordtolarpowhohastoprovdcthccorrcspondng
obcct, n a scrcs whch s constantydcnaturcd (lor cxampcthc
scrcs]lesh-]ish-]lrsh-]lesk-]lush . . . n HnimelCretkrrs),convcrscy
larpoproposcs to Lhcothccngmaolaanguagcolgcsturcs,na
scrcsolmmcsthatLhcomustconstantygucssnordcrtocxtracta
roositionlromthcm.utLrouchopushcsthcartolntcrprctaton
to tshnadcgrcc,bccauschcsthcmastcrolrresoning,olargumcnts
andsyogsmswhchlndapurccxprcssonnnonscnsc.'lthcrths
mansdcad,ormywatchhasstoppcd'(hcsays,lccnglarpo'spusc
ZOO lZ Crisiso]ettion-imegr
nHDeyetthrKetrs). Ina thcsc scnscs,thc grcatncss olthcMarx
rothcrs s to havc ntroduccd thc mcnta magcnto burIcsquc.
ItwasaIsoltchcock'stasktontroduccthcmcntamagcntothc
cncmaandtomakctthccompctonolthccncma,thcpcrlcctonol
aII thc othcr magcs. As Kohmcr and LhabroI sayolDiel M]or
Murdrr, 'thc whoc am ol thc lIm s ony thc cxposton ol a
rcasonng,and ncvcrthcIcssthcattcntonncvcrwandcrs' . Andths
docsnotmcrcycomcatthccnd,tstartslromthcbcgnnng.wthts
lamous laIsc hash-back, Stegrlrightbcgns wthan ntcrprctaton,
whch s prcscntcd as a mcmory ol rcccnt cvcnts, or cvcn a
pcrccpton. In ltchcock, actons, allcctons, pcrccptons, aII s
ntcrprctaton, lrom bcgnnng to cnd. Thr Kor s madc up ola
sngIc shot n so laras thc magcs arc ony thc wndng paths ola
sngIcrcasonngproccss.hcrcasonlorthsssmpIc.nltchcock's
lmsanacton,oncctsgvcn(nprcscnt,luturcorpast),stcraIy
surroundcdbyasctolrcIatons, whchvarytssub}cct,naturc,am,
ctc. Whatmattcrs s not whoddthcacton - whatltchcockcaIs
wth contcmpt thcuhodunit butncthcrs tthcactontscIl.ts
thc sctolrcIatons n whchthcacton and thconcwhoddt arc
caught. hssthcsourccolthcvcryspccaIscnscolthclramc.hc
skctchcslorlramng,thcstrctdcmtatonolthclramc,thcapparcnt
cImnaton ol thc out-ol-lramc, arc cxpIancd by ltchcock's
constant rclcrcncc, not topantng or thc thcatrc, but totapcstry-
makng, that s,towcavng.hclramcsIkcthcposts whchhoId
thc warp thrcads, whst thc acton consttutcs mcrcy thc mobIc
shuttIcwhchpasscsabovcand bcIow. Wccanthusundcrstandthat
ltchcockusuaIIyworkswthshortshots,asmanyshotsasthcrcarc
lramcs,cachshotshowngarcIatonoravaratonolthcrcIaton.ut
thcthcorctcaIysngIcshotolThrKorsnocxccptontothsruc.t
svcrydllcrcnt lromthcscqucncc-shotolWcIIcsorLrcycr,whch
tcnds n two ways to subordnatc thc lramc to a whoc, whIst
ltchcock's sngIc shot subordnatcs thc whoIc (rcatons) to thc
lramc,bcngcontcnttoopcnths lramcIcngthways,provdcdthatt
rcmans coscd brcadthways, cxacty as n a wcavng proccss
producng an nhntcy Iong tapcstry. hc csscnta pont, n any
cvcnt,sthatacton,andaIsopcrccptonandahccton,arclramcdna
labrc olrcIatons. Its thschanolrcatons whchconsttutcsthc
mcntamagc,noppostontothcthrcadolactons,pcrccptonsand
allcctons.
ltchcock wI,thcrclorc,borrowapartcuarIystrkngactonol
thctypc'kIIng','stcang'lromthcdctcctvcorthcspyhm.Asts
cngagcdnasctolrcatonsthatthccharactcrsdonotknow(butthat
|rirtr1 'thirdnrss' ZOl
thc spcctator aIrcady knows orwII dscovcrbclorc thcm),t onIy
appcarstobcaducIwhchgovcrnsaIIacton.tsaIrcadysomcthng
cIsc, sncc thcrcIatonconsttutcs thc thrdncsswhchcIcvatcstto
thc statc olmcntaI magc. lt s thcrclorc not sulhccnt to dclnc
ltchcock's schcma by sayng thatannnoccntmansaccuscdola
crmc that hchas not commttcd, ths wouId mcrcIy bcancrrorol
'coupIng', a laIsc dcntlcaton olthc 'sccond',what wccaIIcd an
ndcx olcquvocty. Ln thc contrary, Kohmcr and LhabroI havc
anaIyscdltchcock'sschcmapcrlcctIy.thccrmnaIhasaIwaysdonc
hs crmc]ranothcr, thc truc crmnaI has donchs crmc lorthc
nnoccntmanwho,whcthcrwcIkc tornot,snnoccntnoIongcr.
ln short, thccrmcs nscparabIc lrom thcopcraton by whchthc
crmnaIhas 'cxchangcd'hscrmc,asnStrengrrsneTrein,orcvcn
'gvcn' and 'dcIvcrcd up' hs crmc to thc nnoccnt, asn|Cn]rss.
Lnc docs not commt acrmcnltchcock,oncdcIvcrstup, onc
gvcstoronccxchangcst.lnourvcwthssthcstrongcstpontn
Kohmcr and LhabroI's book. hc rcIaton (thccxchangc, thcglt,
thcrcndcrng. . . )docsnotsmpIysurroundacton,tpcnctratcstn
advancc and n aII ts parts, and translorms t nto a ncccssarIy
symboIcact.hcrcsnotonIythcactngandthcacton,thcassassn
and thc vctm, thcrc s aIways a thrd and not an accdcntaI or
apparcnt thrd, as a suspcctcd nnoccnt wouId smpIy bc, but a
lundamcntaIthrdconsttutcdbythcrcIatontscIl,thcrcIatonolthc
assassn,olthcvctmorolthcactonwththcapparcntthrd.hs
pcrpctuaI trpIng aIso takcs ovcr obccts, pcrccptons, allcctons.
lach magcntslramc,bytslramc,mustcxhbtamcntaIrcIaton.
hccharactcrscanact, pcrccvc, cxpcrcncc,butthcycannottcstly
to thc rcIatons whch dctcrmnc thcm. hcsc arc mcrcIy thc
movcmcnts olthccamcra,andthcrmovcmcnts towardsthccamcra.
lcncc,thcoppostonbctwccnltchcockandthcActors5tudo,hs
rcqurcmcntthatthcactoractsnthcmostsmpIc,cvcnncutraI,way,
thccamcraattcndngtowhatrcmans.hsrcmandcrsthccsscntaI
or thc mcntaI rcIaton. lt s thccamcra, and not a daIoguc, whch
rxleinswhythchcroolKrerinduhasabrokcnIcg(photosolthc
racngcar,n hsroom,brokcncamcra). lts thccamcranSebtegr
whch mcans thatthcwoman,thcman andthcknlcdonotsmpIy
cntcr nto a succcsson olpars, but nto atrucrcIaton (thrdncss)
whch makcs thc woman dcIvcr up hcr crmc to thc man.` ln
ltchcockthcrcs ncvcrducIor doubIc.cvcnnShedu]eDbt,
thc twoLharIcs, thcuncIcand thcnccc, thcassassnandthcgrI,
bothappcaItothcsamcstatcolthcworIdwhch,lorthconc,ustlcs
hscrmcs,and,lorthcothcr,cannotbcustlcdnproducngsucha
Z0Z I2 Crisis/ ettin-imegr
crmna.And,nthchstoryolthccncmaltchcockappcarsasonc
whonoongcrconccvcsolthcconsttutonolalmasalunctonol
twotcrms- thcdrcctorandthclmtobcmadc- butasalunctonol
thrcc.thcdrcctor,thclmandthcpubcwhchmustcomcntothc
hm, or whosc rcactons must lorm an ntcgratng part olthc lm
(thssthccxpctscnscolsuspcnsc,snccthcspcctatorsthclrstto
'know' thc rcatons). '
hcrcarcmanycxcccntcommcntatorsonltchcock(lornohm
drcctorhasbccnthcob}cctolsomanycommcntarcs)andthcrcsno
nccdtodccdcbctwccnthoscwhoscchmasaproloundthnkcr,and
thoscwho scchmmcrcyas agrcatcntcrtancr.hcrcs,howcvcr,
nonccdtomakcltchcockaatoncandLathocmctaphyscan,as
do Kohmcr and Lhabro, or apsychoogst olthcdcpths, as docs
Louchct.ltchcockhasavcrysoundconccptonolthcorctcaand
practcarcatons.NotonylcwsLarro,butthcwhocollngsh
thoughthas shownthatthcthcoryolrcatonssthckcyccmcntol
ogcand canbcboththcdccpcstandthcmostamusngccmcnt. l l
thcrcarcLhrstanthcmcs nltchcock,bcgnnngwthorgnasn,
tsbccauscthcscthcmcshavclromthcbcgnnngposcdthcprobcm
olrcaton,asthclngshogcanswckncw.ltchcock,nhsturn,
bcgns lrom rcatons, thc mcnta magc, lrom what hc cas thc
postuatc. ltslromthsbascpostuatcthatthchmsdcvcopcdwth
amathcmatca or absoutc ncccssty, dcsptc thcmprobabtcsol
thc pot and thc acton. Now,lonc bcgns lrom rcatons, what
happcns, by vrtuc ol thcr vcry cxtcrorty lt may bc that thc
rcaton vanshcs, suddcny dsappcars, wthout thc charactcrs
changng, but cavng thcm n thc vod. thc comcdy Mr end Mrs
Smith bcongs to ltchcock's ocuvrc, prccscy bccauscthccoupc
carn a ola suddcn that, thcr marragcnotbcng cga, thcyhavc
ncvcr bccn marrm. lt may bc, on thc contrary, that thc rcaton
prolcratcsand mutpcs tscl,accordngto thctcrms nvcwand
thc apparcnt thrds whch arsc to }on up wtht, subdvdngtor
orcntatngtnancwdrccton( ThrTrublruithHerry).lnay,t
maybc that thcrcatontsclpasscsthroughvaratons,dcpcndng
onvarabcswhchcarrytout,andcntangchangcsnoncormorc
charactcrs. ln ths scnsc ltchcock's charactcrs arc ccrtany not
ntccctuas,buthavclccngsthatcanbccacdntccctualccngs,
rathcr than allccts, n thatthcy arcmodccd on a varcd pay ol
cxpcrcnccdcon}unctons,bccausc. . . athough. . . sncc. . . l. . .
cvcn l+ . . (SrtrrtHgrnt,Ntrius,Susitin). lnathcsccascsthc
rcatonntroduccsancsscntanstabtybctwccnthccharactcrs,thc
rocs,thcactons,thcsct[dtr].hcmodcolthsnstabtywbc
|rirtr\ 'thirdnrss' ZOJ
thatolthcguItyandthcnnoccnt.ut,aIso,thcautonomousIlcol
thc rcIaton wIImakc ttcnd towards a knd olcquIbrum, cvcn
though t may bc dcvastatcd, dcspcratc or cvcn monstrous. hc
nnoccnt-guIty cquIbrum, thc rcsttuton to cach olhs roIc, thc
rctrbutonuponcachlorhsacton, wIIbcachcvcd,butatthcprcc
ola ImtwhchrskscorrodngandcvcnclIacngthcwhoIc- Ikc
thc ndllcrcnt lacc olthcwlc whohasgonccrazy n Thr rong
Men. It s n ths rcspcct that ltchcock sa tragc drcctor. nhs
workthcshot,asaIwaysnthccncma,hastwolaccs,thconctumcd
towards thccharactcrs,thcobcctsandthcactonsnmovcmcnt,thc
othcr turncd towards a whoIcwhchchangcsprogrcssvcIyasthc
hIm gocs on. ut, n ltchcock, thc whoIc whch changcs s thc
cvoIutonolrcIatons,whchmovclromthcdscquIbrumthatthcy
ntroducc bctwccn charactcrs to thc tcrrbIc cquIbrum thatthcy
attann thcmscIvcs.
ltchcockntroduccsthcmcntaImagcntothccncma.hats,hc
makcsrcIatontscIlthcobcctolanmagc,whchsnotmcrcIyaddcd
to thc pcrccpton, acton and allccton magcs, but lramcs and
translorms thcm. Wth ltchcock, a ncw knd ol' hgurcs' appr
whcharchgurcsolthoughts.Inlact,thcmcntaImagctscIlrcqurcs
partcuIarsgnswhcharcnotthcsamcasthoscolthcacton-magc.It
has oltcn bccn notccd that thc dctcctvc onIy has a mcdocrc and
sccondary roIc (cxccpt whcn hccntcrs luIIynto thc rcIaton, asn
8letkmeil),andthatndccshavcIttIcmprtancc.Lnthcothcrhand,
ltchcockproduccsorgnaIsgns,naccordanccwththctwotypcs
olrcIatons, naturaI and abstract. In accordancc wth thc naturaI
rcIaton,atcrmrclcrsbacktoothcrtcrmsnacustomaryscrcssuch
thatcachcan b 'ntcrprctcd'bythcothcrs. thcscarcmerks,butts
aIways possbIc loroncolthcsctcrms to Icap outsdc thcwcband
suddcnIyappcarncondtonswhchtakctoutoltsscrcs,orscttn
contradcton wth t, whch wc wII rclcr to as thc drmerk. It s
thcrclorc vcry mportant that thc tcrms shouId b compIctcIy
ordnary, nordcrthatoncolthcm,hrstolaII,candctachtscIllrom
thc scrcs. as ltchcock says, Thr 8irds must bc ordnary brds.
Lcrtan olltchcock's dcmarks arc lamous, Ikc thc wndmII n
lorrignCorrrsondrntwhoscsaIstumnthcoppostcdrcctontothc
wnd, or thc crop-sprayng pIanc n North by Northurst whch
appcarswhcrcthcrcarcnocropstospray.5mIarIy,thcgIassolmIk
madc suspcct by ts ntcrnaI Iumnosty n Susition, or thc kcy
whchdocs not ht thcIock n Diel M]or Murdrr. 5omctmcs thc
dcmark s consttutcd vcry sIowIy, as n 8letkmeil, whcrc onc
wondcrs whcthcr thccgarbuycr s, nthcnormaI way,part olthc
21
IZ Crisis o]ettion-imegr
scrcs ccnt-chocc-prcparatons-ghtng, or l hc s a mastcr-
backmacr who s usngthccgarand ts rtua nordcrtoprovokc
thc young coupc. Ln thc othcr hand and n sccond pacc, n
accordanccwththcabstractrcaton,whatwcwcaasymbolsnot
an abstracton, but a concrctc objcct whch s a bcarcr ol varous
rcatons,orolvaratonsolasngcrcaton,olcharactcrwthothcrs
andwthhmscl."hcbraccctssuchasymbonThrKing,kcthc
handculls n Thr Thirty-Ninr Strs or thc wcddng rng olKrer
indm. Lcmarks and symbos can convcrgc, partcuary n
Notorious.thcbottcgvcsrsctosuchcmotonnoncolthcspcsthat
tsprngsoutoltsnaturawnc-ccar-dnncrscrcs,andthckcyto
thcccarthatthchcronchods n hcr coscd handbcarsthcsctol
rcatons that shc mantans wthhcrhusbandlromwhomshchas
stocnt, wthhcr ovcrtowhomshcwgvct,wthhcrmsson
whch cs n dscovcrng whatthcrcs n thcccar. Wc sccthata
sngc ob}cct - a kcy, lorcxampc- can,accordngtothcmagcs n
whch t s caught, luncton as asymbo(Notorious)orasadcmark
(DielM]or Murdrr). In Thr 8irds, thc lrst gu whch strkcs thc
hcronc s a dcmark, sncc t vocnty cavcs thc customary scrcs
whchuntcsttotsspcccs,tomanandtoNaturc,utthcthousands
olbrds,aspcccsbroughttogcthcr,graspcdnthcrprcparatons,n
thcr attacks, n thcrmomcnts olrcst, arc a symbo. thcscarcnot
abstractons or mctaphors, thcy arcrca brds, tcray, butwhch
prcscnt thc nvcrtcd magcolmcn'srcatonshpswthNaturc,and
thc naturascd magc olmcn's rcatonshps bctwccn thcmscvcs.
Athoughdcmarksandsymbosmaysupcrlcayrcscmbcndccs,
thcyarccompctcydllcrcntlromthcm,andconsttutcthctwogrcat
sgns olthcmcnta magc. Lcmarks arc cashcs olnatura rcatons
(scrcs), and symbos arc nodcs olabstractrcatons (sct).
lnvcntng thc mcnta magc or thc rcaton-magc, ltchcock
makcsuscoltnordcrto coscthcsctolacton-magcs,andasool
pcrccptonandallcctonmagcs.lcncchsconccptonolthclramc.
And thcmcnta magcnot ony lramcs thcothcrs, buttranslorms
thcm by pcnctratng thcm. lor ths rcason, onc mght say that
ltchcock accompshcs and brngsto compctonthcwhocolthc
cncma by pushng thc movcmcnt-magcto ts mt. Incudngthc
spcctator n thc lm, and thc lm n thcmcnta magc, ltchcock
brngs thc cncma to compcton. lowcvcr, somc ol ltchcock's
lncst hms gvc us a gmpsc ol a lundamcnta qucston. Irrtigo
communcatcs a gcnunc magc to us, and, ccrtan|y, what s
vcrtgnous, s,nthc hcronc'shcart,thcrcatonolthc5amcwth
thc5amcwhchpasscsthroughathcvaratonsoltsrcatonswth
Urigino] thrtrisis ZOJ
othcrs(thcdcadwoman,thchusband,thcnspcctor).utwccannot
lorgctthcothcr,morcordnary,vcrtgo-thatolthcnspcctorwhos
ncapabcolcmbngthcbc-towcrstarcasc,vngnastrangcstatc
ol contcmpaton whch s communcatcd to thc whoc hm and
whch s rarc n ltchcock. And n lemily |lotthc dscovcry ol
rcatons rclcrs,cvcn l}okngy,to acarvoyantluncton. lnast
morcdrcct waythchcro olKrer indou has acccssto thcmcnta
magc,notsmpybccauschcsaphotographcr,butbccauschcsna
statcolmmobty.hcsrcduccdastwcrctoapurcoptcastuaton.
Iloncolltchcock'snnovatons was tompcatcthcspcctatorn
thc lm, ddnotthccharactcrs thcmscvcs havcto bccapabc- na
morcorcssobvousmanncr- olbcngassmatcdtospcctatorsut
thcn t may bc that onc conscqucnccappcars ncvtabc.thcmcnta
magc woud thcn bc css a brngng to compcton olthc acton-
magc,andolthcothcrmagcs,thanarc-cxamnatonolthcrnaturc
and status, morcovcr,thcwhocmovcmcnt-magcwhch woud bc
rc-cxamncd through thc rupturc olthc scnsory-motor nks n a
partcuarcharactcr.Whatltchcockhadwantcdtoavod,acrssol
thctradtonamagcolthccncma,woudncvcrthccsshappcnnhs
wakc, and n part as a rcsut olhs nnovatons.
Z 1hr 6t||0 6[ lhr tt|J|J. H1|10 0r6-tr1|Jm 10J
lhr tr0th 0rL L11r
utcanacrss olthcacton-magcbcprcscntcdassomcthngncw
Wasthsnotthcconstantstatcolthccncmahcpurcstactonlms
havc aways had vauc n cpsodcs outsdc thc acton, or n dc
pcrods bctwccn actons, through a whoc sct olcxtra-actons and
nlra-actonswhchcannotbccutoutnmontagcwthoutdslgurng
thclm(hcnccthclormdabcpowcrolproduccrs).Atatmcstoo,
thccncma'spotcntatcs, ts vocatonlorchangcsolocaton,havc
causcd drcctors to wsh to mt or cvcn to supprcssthc unty ol
acton, to undothcacton,thcdrama, thcpotorthc storyand to
carry lurthcr an ambton wth whch tcraturc was arcady
pcrmcatcd. Ln thc onchand, thc5A5 structurc lound tsclcacd
nto qucston. thcrc was no gobasngstuatonwhchwasabcto
conccntratctsclnadccsvcacton,butactonorpotwcrconyto
bcacomponcntnadspcrsvcsct,nanopcntotaty.)canMtrys
rght n ths scnsc to show that Lcuc, scrptwrtcr olLcrmanc
Luac'sLe|trrsegnolr,arcadywantcdtopungcthcdramantoa
'mutpcty ol lacts' , nonc ol whch woud bc prncpa or
2 I Z Crisiso] ettion-imegr
sccondary, so thattcoudonybcrcconsttutcdloowngabrokcn
ncltcdlromamongathcponts andathcncsolthcwhocol
thclcstva.' Lnthcothcrhand,thcstructurcA5Awassub}cctcdto
an anaogous crtquc. ln thc samc way as thcrc was no prcvous
hstory, thcrc was no prclormcd acton whosc conscqucnccs on a
stuaton coud bc lorcsccn, and thc cncma coud not transcrbc
cvcntswhchhadarcadyhappcncd,but ncccssary dcvotcdtclto
rcachngthc cvcntnthccourscolhappcnng,somctmcsbycuttng
across an 'actuaty' , somctmcs by provokng or producng t.
Lomo has shown ths vcry wc. howcvcr lar thc work ol
prcparaton n many drcctors gocs, thc cncma cannot avod thc
'dctour through thc drcct'. hcrc s aways a momcnt whcn thc
cncmamcctsthcunlorcscbcorthcmprovsaton,thcrrcducbty
ol a prcscnt vng undcr thc prcscnt ol narraton, and thc camcra
cannotcvcnbcgn ts work wthoutcngcndcrngts ownmprovs-
atons, both as obstaccs and as ndspcnsabc mcans' ' hcsc two
thcmcs,thcopcntotatyandthccvcntnthccourscolhappcnng,arc
part olthc proloundcrgsonansm olthc cncma ngcncra .
Ncvcrthccss, thc crss whch has shakcn thc acton-magc has
dcpcndcd onmanylactorswhchonyhadthcrlucllcct altcrthc
war,somcolwhchwcrcsoca,cconomc,potca,moraandothcrs
morcntcrna to art, to tcraturcandtothccncmanpartcuar. Wc
mght mcnton, nnopartcuarordcr, thcwarandtsconscqucnccs,
thc unstcadncssolthc 'AmcrcanLrcam'natsaspccts,thcncw
conscousncss olmnortcs, thcrscandnlatonolmagcsbothn
thccxtcma wordandnpcopc'smnds,thcnlucncconthccncma
olthcncwmodcsolnarratvcwthwhchtcraturchadcxpcrmcntcd,
thc crss ol loywood and ts od gcnrcs. . . . Lcrtany, pcopc
contnuc to makc 5A5 and A5A hms. thc grcatcst commcrca
succcsscs aways takc that routc, but thc sou ol thc cncma no
ongcr docs. hc sou olthc cncma dcmands ncrcasng thought,
cvcnlthoughtbcgnsbyundongthcsystcmolactons,pcrccptons
and allcctons on whch thc cncma had lcd up to that pont. Wc
hardybcvcanyongcrthatagobastuatoncangvcrsctoanacton
whch s capabc olmodlyngt- nomorcthanwcbccvcthatan
acton canlorccastuatontodscosctscl,cvcnpartay.hcmost
'hcathy'usonsla.hchrstthngstobccompromscdcvcrywhcrc
arc thc nkagcs ol stuaton-acton, acton-rcacton, cxctaton-
rcsponsc, n short, thc scnsory-motor nks whch produccd thc
acton-magc. Kcasm, dcsptcatsvocncc- orrathcrwthats
vocnccwhchrcmansscnsory-motor- sobvoustothsncwstatc
ol thngs whcrc thc synsgns dspcrsc and thc ndccs bccomc
Urigin o] thrtrisis ZO7
conIuscd.Wcnccdncwsgns. Ancwkndolmagcsbornthatonc
can attcmpt to dcntly n thc post-war Amcrcan cncma, outsdc
loywood.
lnthclrstpacc,thcmagcnoongcrrclcrstoastuatonwhchs
gobasngor synthctc, but rathcrtooncwhchsdspcrsvc.Jhc
charactcrs arc mutpc, wth wcak ntcrlcrcnccs and bccomc
prncpaorrcvcrttobcngsccondary.ltsncvcrthccssnotascrcsol
skctchcs,asucccssonolshortstorcs,snccthcyarcacaughtnthc
samc rcaty whch dspcrsc thcm. Kobcrt Atman cxporcs ths
drccton n H rdding and partcuary n Neshvillr, wth thc
mutpc sound-tracks and thc anamorphc scrccn whch aows
scvcra smutancous stagngs. Jhc cty and thc crowd osc thc
cocctvcandunanmstcharactcrwhchthcyhavcn KngVdor,
thcctyatthcsamctmcccascstobcthcctyabovc,thcuprghtcty,
wth skyscrapcrs and ow-angc shots, n ordcr to bccomc thc
rccumbcntcty,thcctyashorzontaorathumanhcght,whcrccach
gcts on wth hs own busncss, on hs own account.
ln thc sccond pacc, thc nc or thc lbrc olthc unvcrsc whch
proongcdcvcntsntooncanothcr,orbroughtaboutthcconnccton
olportonsolspacc,hasbrokcn.JhcsmalormA5Asthcrclorcno
css compromscd than thc argc lorm 5A5. lpss ccascs to bc a
modcolthctac jrtit],away nwhchoncgocslromanactontoa
partay dscoscd stuaton. t bcongs to thc stuaton tscl, and
rcaty sacunaryasmuchas dspcrsvc. lnkagcs, conncctons,or
asons arc dcbcratcy wcak. Lhancc bccomcs thc soc gudng
thrcad,asnAtman'sQuintrt.5omctmcsthccvcntdcaysandsost
n dc pcrods, somctmcs t s thcrc too qucky, but t docs not
bcongtothconctowhomthappcns(cvcndcath. . . ).Andthcrcarc
coscrcatonshpsbctwccnthcscaspcctsolthccvcnt.thcdspcrsvc,
thc drcct n thc coursc ol happcnng and thc non-bcongng.
Lassavctcs pays on thcscthrccaspccts n ThrKillingo] eChinrsr
8xkirandnTooLetr8lurs.Wccoudcathcmwhtccvcnts,cvcnts
whchncvcrtruyconccrnthcpcrsonwhoprovokcsorssubcctto
thcm, cvcn whcn thcy strkchmnhs hcsh.cvcntswhoscbcarcr,a
manntcmaydcad,aslumctsays,snahurrytocxtrcatchmscl.
ln 5corscsc's TexiDrivrr,thcdrvcrwavcrsbctwccnknghmscl
and commttng a potcamurdcrand,rcpacngthcscprocctsby
thclnasaughtcr, s astonshcdbythmscl, as lthc carryng out
conccrncdhmnomorcthanddthcprcccdngwhms.Jhcactuaty
ol thc acton-magc, thc vrtuaty ol thc allccton-magc can
ntcrchangc, a thc morc casy lor havng lacn nto thc samc
ndllcrcncc.
ZOB I2 Crisiso] ettion-imegr
lnthcthrdpacc, thcscnsory-motoractonorstuatonhasbccn
rcplaccdbythcstrol,thcvoyagcandthccontnua rcturnoumcy.
hcvoyagchasloundnAmcrcathclormalandmatcracondtons
ola rcncwal. lt takcs placc through ntcrnal orcxtcrna ncccssty,
throughthcnccdlorhght.utnowtloscsthcntatoryaspcctthat
t had n thc Lcrman oumcy (cvcn n Wcndcrs' llms) and that t
kcpt, dcsptc cvcrythng, nthc bcat ourncy (Lcnns loppcr and
ctcr londa's Lesy Kidrr). lt has bccomc urban voyagc, and has
bccomc dctachcd lrom thc actvc and allcctvc structurc whch
supportcd t,drcctcd t, gavc t cvcn vagucdrcctons.low could
thcrcbcancrvclbrcorascnsory-motorstructurcbtwccnthcdrvcr
ol Texi Drivrr and what hc sccs on thc pavcmcnt n hs drvng
mrrorAnd,nlumct,cvcrythnghappcnsncontnuatrpsandn
rctum oumcys, at ground cvcl, n amlcss movcmcnts whcrc
charactcrs bchavc kc wndscrccn wpcrs (Dog Dey H]trrnxn,
Srrito). s snlactthcccarcst aspcct olthcmodcrn voyagc. lt
happcnsnany-spacc-whatcvcr- marshangyard,dsuscdwarchousc,
thcundllcrcntatcdlabrcolthccty- noppostontoactonwhch
mostoltcnunloldcdnthcqualcdspacc-tmcolthcoldrcaIsm.As
Lassavctcssays,tsaqucstonolundongspacc,aswclasthcstory,
thcplotorthcacton. ' '
l n thc lourth placc, wc ask ourscvcs what mantans a sct
jrnsrmblr] n ths world wthout totalty orlnkagc. hc answcrs
smpc.whatlormsthcsctarctliths,andnothngclsc.Nothngbut
cchs, cchs cvcrywhcrc. . . . hc probcm had arcady bccn
rascd by Los assos, and thc ncw tcchnqucs that hcbcgannthc
novcl, bclorc thccncma had cvcrdrcamcdolthcm. dspcrsvcand
lacunaryrcalty,thcswarmngolcharactcrswthwcakntcrlcrcnccs,
thcr capacty to bccomc prncpal and rcvcrt to bcng sccondary,
cvcntswhchdcsccndonthccharactcrsandwhchdonotbclongto
thosc who undcrgo or provokcthcm. Now, what consoldatcs a
ths,arcthccurrcntcchsolancpochoramomcnt,soundandvsual
sogans, whch Los assos cals, wth namcs borrowcd lrom thc
cncma, 'actuatcs' and 'cyc ol thc camcra' (actuatcs arc ncws
ntcrwovcn wthpotcal orsocalcvcnts,ntcrcsttcms,ntcrvcws
and lght-hcartcd songs and thc cyc ol thc camcra s thc ntcrnal
monologuc ol any thrd whatcvcr, who s not an dcntlcd
charactcr). hcyarcthcsclloatngmagcs,thcscanonymouscchs,
whchcrculatcnthccxtcmalworld,but whchasopcnctratccach
oncolusandconsttutchsntcrnalword,sothatcvcryoncposscsscs
onypsychccchsbywhchhcthnks and lccls,sthoughtands
lclt, bcng hmscl a cch among thc othcrs n thc world whch
Urigine] thrtrisis ZO
surroundshm.
'
hyscaI,optcaI andaudtorycIchs andpsychc
cIchsmutuaIIylccdonchothcr.InordcrlorpcopIctobcabIcto
bcar thcmscIvcs and thc worId, mscry has to rcach thc nsdc ol
conscousncsscs and thc nsdc has to bc Ikc thc outsdc. It s ths
romantcandpcssmstvsonthatwcdscovcrnAItmanorlumct.
InNeshvillrthcctyIocatonsarcrmoubIcdbythcmagcstowhch
thcygvcrsc-photos,rccordngs,tcIcvson-andtsnanoIdsong
that thc charactcrs arc lnaIIybroughttogcthcr. hs powcrolthc
soundcIch,aIttIcsong,sasscrtcdnAItman'sH|rr]rttC/r.thc
voyagc/baIIad'takcsontssccondscnschcrc,thcsunganddanccd
pocm. In lumct's 8yr8yr 8revrmen, whch tcIIs thc story olthc
stroIIthroughthcctyollour)cwshntcIIcctuaIs gongtothcburaI
olalrcnd,oncolthclourwandcrsamongthctombsrcadngtothc
dcadthcrcccntncws lromthcncwspapcrs. In TexiDrivrr5corscsc
makcsacataIogucolaIIthcpsychccIchswhchbustIcaboutnthc
drvcr'shcad,butatthcsamctmcolthcoptcaIandsoundcIchsol
thcncon-ctythathcsccshIngpastaIongthcstrccts.hchmscIl,altcr
hs sIaughtcr,wIIbthcnatonaIhcrooladay,attanngthcstatcol
cIch,wthoutthccvcntbcnghsloraIIthat.lnaIIy,tsnoIongcr
cvcn possbIc to dstngush what s physcaI and psychc n thc
unvcrsaI cIch ol King e] Crdy, suckng thc ntcrchangcabIc
charactcrs nto a sngIc vod.
hcdcaoloncsngIcmscry,ntcmaIandcxtcrnaI,nthcworId
andnconscousncss,hadaIrcadybccnhadbylngIshKomantcsm
ntsbIackcstlorm,notabIynIakcorLoIcrdgc.copIcwouIdnot
acccptthcntoIcrabIclthcsamc'rcasons'whchtmposmonthcm
lromthcoutsdcwcrcnotnsnuatngthcmscIvcsnthcmnordcrto
makcthcmadhcrc, lromthcnsdc. Accordngto Iakcthcrc was a
whoIc ergenisetien e] misy, lrom whch thc Amcrcan rcvoIuton
couId pcrhaps savc us. '
` ut wc can scc how Amcrca, on thc
contrary,rascdthcromantcqucstonagan,bygvngtastIImorc
radcaI, stII morc urgcnt, stII morc tcchncaI lorm. thc rcgn ol
cImsntcmaIIyaswcIIascxtcmaIIy.lowcanoncnotbcIcvc na
powcrluI conccrtcdorgansaton, a grcat andpowcrluIpIot, whch
hasloundthcwayto makccIchscrcuIatc,lromoutsdcto nsdc,
lromnsdctooutsdchccrmnaIconspracy,as organsatonol
owcr, was to takcon ancw aspcct n thcmodcrnworId,thatthc
cncmawouIdcndcavourto loIIowandto show. lts no Iongcrthc
casc,asnthc]ilmneirolAmcrcanrcaIsm,olanorgansatonwhch
rcIatcd to a dstnctvc mIcu, to assgnabIc actons by whch thc
crmnaIswouIdbdstngushabIc(aIthoughvcrysucccssluIlImsol
thsknd,IkcThrGed]ethrr,arcstIImadc).hcrcsnoIongcrcvcna
Z IO l Z Crisis ] ettin-imegr
magc ccntrc, lrom whch hypnotc actons could start sprcadng
cvcrywhcrcasnlang' slrsttwoMabuscllms.Wcdo,tstruc,scc
that lang cvovcs n ths rcspcct. Thr Trstemrnt] DrMebusrno
ongcr passcs through a producton ol sccrct actons, but rathcr
throughamonopoyolrcproducton.Lccutpowcrsconluscdwth
ts cllccts, ts supports, ts mcda, ts rados, ts tclcvsons, ts
mcrophoncs. t now ony opcratcs throughthc'mcchancarcpro-
ductonolmagcsandolsounds'. ' Andthssthchlthcharactcrstc
olthcncw magc,ths sthconcwhchnsprcdpost-warAmcrcan
cncma. In lumct, thc conspracy s thc systcm ol rcccpton,
survclanccandtransmssonolThrHndrrsnTers,Nrturk,aso,
doublcs thc cty wth a thc transmssons and rcccpton that t
ccasclcsslyproduccs,whlstThr|rintr]thrCityrccordsthcwholc
cty on magnctc tapc. And Atman' s Neshvillr luly grasps ths
opcratonwhchdoublcsthcctywthathccchsthattproduccs,
anddvdcs ntwothccchsthcmscvcs,ntcrnalyandcxtcrnay,
whcthcr optcal orsound clchsandpsychc clchs.
hcsc arcthclvcapparcnt charactcrstcs olthc ncw magc. thr
disrrsivr situetin, thr drlibrretrly urek links, thr vyegr]rm, thr
tnstisnrss]tliths,thrtndrmnetin]thrlt.Itsthccrssolboth
thcacton-magcandthcAmcrcanLrcam.lvcrywhcrcthcrcsarc-
cxamnaton ol thc scnsory-motor schcma, and thc Actors 5tudo
bccomcs thc obcct ol scvcrc crtcsm, at thc samc tmc as t
undcrgocs ancvolutonandntcrnalspts. uthowcan thccncma
attack thcdark organsaton olclchs, whcntpartcpatcs nthcr
labrcaton and propagaton, as much as magazncs or tccvson
crhaps thc spccal condtons undcr whch t produccs and
rcproduccscchsaowccrtandrcctorstoattanacrtcalrchccton
whch thcy would not havc at thcr dsposa cscwhcrc. lt s thc
organsaton ol thc cncma whch mcans that, howcvcr grcat thc
controls whchbaruponhm,thccrcatorhasathsdsposalatlcasta
ccrtantmcto 'commt'thcrrcvcrsblc. lchasthcchancctocxtract
an Imagc lrom al thc clchs and to sct t up aganst thcm. Lnthc
condton,howcvcr,olthcrcbcnganacsthctcandpotcalprocct
capabcolconsttutngapostvccntcrprsc. Now,tshcrcthatthc
Amcrcan cncma hnds ts lmts. Al thc acsthctc orcvcnpoltcal
qualtcsthattcanhavcrcmannarrowlycrtcaandnthswaycvcn
css 'dangcrous' than lthcy wcrcbcngmadcuscolnaprocctol
postvc crcaton. hcn, cthcr thc crtquc swcrvcs abrupty and
attacks only amsusc olapparatuscs and nsttutons,nstrvngto
savcthcrcmans olthcAmcrcanLrcam,asnlumct,ortcxtcnds
tscl,butbccomcscmptyandstartstogratc,asnAltman,contcntto
8ryond thrmovrmrnt-imegr Z l l
parody thc cIch nstd ol gvng brth to a ncw magc. As
lawrcnccsadaboutpantng.thcragcaganstcIchsdocsnotIcad
tomuchltscontcntonIyto parodythcm,maItrcatcd, mutIatcd,
dcstroycd, acchsnotsowto bcrcbomlromts ashcs' Inlact,
whatgavcthcAmcrcancncmatsadvantagc,thclactolbngbom
wthoutaprcvoustradtonto sullocatct,nowrcboundcdaganst
t. lor thc cncma ol thc acton-magc had tscIl cngcndcrcd a
tradton lrom whch t couId now onIy, n thc maorty olcascs,
cxtrcatc tscl ncgatvcIy. hc grcat gcnrcs ol ths cncma, thc
psycho-socalIm,thc]ilmnoir,thcWcstcm,thcAmcrcancomcdy,
coIapsc and yct mantanthcrcmptylramc. lorgrcatcrcatorsthc
patholcmgratonwasthusrcvcrscd,lorrcasonswhchwcrcnotust
rcatcd to McLarthysm. In lact, luropchad morclrcmomnths
rcspcct,andt shrstolaInItaythatthcgrcatcrssolthcacton-
magctookpacc. hctmngssomcthngIkc.around l 18,ItaIy,
about l J8lrancc, about l 8,Lcrmany.
J 16LdtJJ d 0r]60J6[ lhr m61rmr0l-|md_r
Why Itay hrst, bclorc lrancc andLcrmany Its pcrhaps loran
csscntarcason,butoncwhchscxtcrnaItothccncma. ndcrthc
mpctusoldcLauIc,lrancchad,atthccndolthcwar,thchstorcaI
and poItcaI ambton to bcIong luIyto thccrcIcolvctors. hc
Kcsstancc,thcrclorc,cvcnwhcnundcrground,nccdmtoappras
thcdctachmcntolarcguar,pcrlcctyorganscdarmyandthcIlcol
thclrcnch, cvcn whcn luI olconlIct and ambgutcs, nccdcd to
appcar as a contrbuton to vctory. hcsc condtons wcrc not
lavourabIcto arcncwaolthccncmatographcmagc,whchlound
tscIlkcptwthnthclramcworkolatradtonaacton-magc,atthc
scrvccolapropcrIylrcnch'drcam'.crcsuItolthswasthatthc
cncma n lrancc was ony abIc to brcak wth ts tradton rathcr
bcIatcdIy andbyarchcxvcorntcIIcctuadctourwhchwasthatol
thc Ncw Wavc. hc stuaton n ItaIy was compIctcIydllcrcnt. It
coud ccrtany not cam thc rank ol vctor, but, n contrast to
Lcrmany, on thc onchand t had at tsdsposaIacncmatographc
nsttutonwhchhadcscapcd lascsmrcIatvcysucccssluIIy,onthc
othcrhandtcoudponttoarcsstanccandapopuIarIlcundcrIyng
opprcsson, athoughoncwthout Iuson. o grasp thcsc, aIIthat
wasncccssarywasancwtypcoltaIcjrtit]capabIcolncIudngthc
cIIptca and thc unorgansm, as l thc cncma hadto bcgn agan
lromzcro, qucstonngalrcshaIthcacccptcd lacts olthcAmcrcan
Z l Z l Z Crisiso] ettion-imegr
tradton. hc ltaans wcrc thcrclorc abc to havc an ntutvc
conscousncss olthc ncw magcn thc coursc olbcng bom. hs
cxpansnothngolthcgcnusolKosscn'shrsthms.uttdocsat
castcxpanthcrcactonolccrtanAmcrcancrtcswhosawnthcm
thc nordnatcprctcnson oladclcatcdcountry, an odous lorm ol
backma, awayolmakng thc conqucrors ashamcd.' "Andabovc
a, t s thsvcry spcca stuatonolItaywhchmadcpossbcthc
cntcrprscolnco-rcasm.
lt was Itaan nco-rcasm whch |orgcd thc lvc prccmng
charactcrstcs. In thc stuaton at thc cnd ol thc war, Kosscn
dscovcrcdadspcrsvcandacunaryrcaty- arcadynKr,Urn
City, but abovc a n |e|se a scrcs ol lragmcntary, choppcd up
cncountcrs, whch ca nto qucston thc 5A5 lorm ol thc acton-
magc. It s thcpost-warcconomccrss,onthcothcrhand,whch
nsprcsLc5ca,andcadshmtoshattcrthcA5A lorm.thcrcsno
ongcravcctororncolthcunvcrscwhchcxtcndsandnksupthc
cvcnts olThr8itytlrThir], thcrancanaways ntcrruptordchcct
thcscarch lortutousy, thcvoyagcolthcmanandolthcchd.hc
Itaan ran bccomcs thc sgn ol dc pcrods and ol possbc
ntcrrupton. And agan thc thclt ol thc bcycc, or cvcn thc
nsgnlcant cvcnts ol Lmbrrto D, havca vta mportancc lorthc
protagonsts. lowcvcr, lcn's | Iitrllonitcsthcs notonytothc
nsgnlcancc ol cvcnts, but aso to thc unccrtanty olthc nks
bctwccnthcmand olthcrnon-bcongngtothoscwhocxpcrcncc
thcm n ths ncw lorm ol thc voyagc. In thc cty whch s bcng
dcmoshcd or rcbut, nco-rcasm makcs any-spacc-whatcvcrs
prolcratc - urbancanccr,undllcrcntatcd labrcs,pcccsolwastc-
ground - whch arc opposcd to thc dctcrmncd spaccs olmc od
rcasm. '" And what rscs to thc horzon, what s outncdonths
word, what w bc mposcd n a thrd momcnt, s not cvcn raw
rcaty, but ts undcrstudy, thcrcgn olcchs,bothntcmayand
cxtcrnay, n pcopc's hcads and hcarts as much asnthcwhocol
spacc. Ld not |e|se arcadyproposcathc possbc cchs olthc
cncountcrsbctwccnAmcrcaand ItayAndnStrrgrrsKosscn
cataogucs thc cchs olpurc Itaanncss, as sccn by a bourgcos
woman out wakng, vocano, muscum statucs, Lhrstan sanc-
tuary. . . . In Grnrrel drlle Krrr hc drcw out thc cch ol thc
manulacturcolahcro. Inavcryspccaway,tslcnwhopuths
hrst |ms undcr thc sgnolthc manulacturc, thcdctcctonandthc
prolcratonolcxtcmaandntcrnacchs.thcphoto-novcolThr
hitr Shrikh, thc photo-nqucst ol Ln'Hgrnzie metrimonielr, thc
nghtcubs,muschasandcrcuscs,andathc ngcswhchconsoc
8ryond thrmovrmrnt-imegr Z l J
ordcspar.5houIdwcaddthcgrcatconspracywhchorganscdths
mscry, and lor whch ItaIy had a rcady-madc namc, thc Mala
lranccsco Kos sct up thc laccIcss portrat olthcbandt Selvetorr
Giuliro, by cuttng up hstory accordngD thcprclabrcatcd roIcs
whchwcrcmposcdontbyapowcrwhchcannotbcpnncddown,
whchsonIyknownbytscllccts.
Nco-rcaIsm aIrcady had a hgh tcchncaI conccpton ol thc
dlIcuItcsthattwouIdcncountcrandolthcmcansthattnvcntcd,
t hadano Icsssurcntutvcconscousncss olthcncw magcnthc
coursc ol bcng born. It s rathcr by way ol an ntcIIcctuaI and
rclIcxvcconscousncssthatthclrcnchNcwWavcwasabIctotakc
upthsmutatonontsownaccount.Itshcrcthatthcvoyagc-lorms
lrccd lrom thc spato-tcmporaI co-ordnatcs whch wcrc Iclt ovcr
lromthcoId5ocaIKcaIsmandbcgnstohavcvaIuclortscIloras
thc cxprcsson olancw soccty, ola ncw purc prcscnt. thc rctum
ourncylromars tothcprovnccsandlromthcprovnccstoars
n LhabroI (Lr breu Srrgr and Lrs Cousins), wandcrngs whch
havc bccomc anaIytc nstrumcnts ol an anaIyss ol thc souI, n
Kohmcr (thcscrcsolMorel Telrs) and n rullaut (thc trIogy ol
L'Hmour 4 vingtens, 8eisrrs vol and Domitilrtonugel), Kvcttc's
nvcstgaton-outng jromrnedr-rnqutr] (|erisnouseertirnt),thc
lIght-outngjromrnedr-]uiu]olrullaut (Tirr:sur/rienistr)and
partcuIarIyolLodard(H boutdrs]]lr, |irrrot/r]ou).lnthcscwc
sccthcbrtholaraccolcharmng,movngcharactcrswhoarchardIy
conccrncdbythccvcntswhchhappcntothcm- cvcntrcason,cvcn
dcath-andcxpcrcnccandactoutobscurccvcntswhcharcaspoorIy
Inkcdasthcportonolthcany-spacc-whatcvcrwhchthcytravcrsc.
Kvcttc'shImttIcscchocdbyguy'ssong-lormuIa,'arsbcIongs
to no onc.' And, n Kvcttc's L'Hmour]ou,lorms olbchavourarc
rcpIaccd by thc posturcs olthc asyIum, by cxpIosvc acts, whch
shattcrthcactonsolcharactcrsaswcIIasthcconncxonsolthcpIay
whchthcyarcrchcarsng. Inthsncw knd olmagcthcscnsory-
motor Inks tcnd to dsappcar, a whoIcscnsory-motor contnuty
whch lorms thc csscntaInaturcolthcacton-magcvanshcs. Its
notonIythclamoussccncn|irrrot/r ]ou,'Idunnowhattodo',whcrc
thc voyagc/baIIad'" mpcrccptbIy bccomcs thc sung and danccd
pocm, butts aIsoawhoIcupsurgcolscnsory-motordsturbanccs,
whcharchardIyndcatcdwhcnncccssary,movcmcntswhchmakc
laIsc jont]eux], 'sIght warpng olpcrspcctvcs, sIowng downol
tmc, aItcraton olgcsturcs' (Lodard's Lrs Cerebinirrs, Tirr: sur/r
ienistr,or|erisnouseertirnt).

'Makng-laIscjeirr-]eux]bccomcs
thcsgnolancwrcaIsm, noppostontothcmakng-trucolthcoId.
Z l 1 I 2 Crisiso] ettion-imegr
LIumsy hghts, badIy atmcdpunchcs orshots,awhoIcout-ol-phasc
ol actton and spccch rcpIacc thc too pcrlcct ducIs ol Amcrtcan
KcaItsm. lustachc makcs acharactcrtn Le Memen rtleutein say,
'hcmorcyouappcarlaIscItkcthat,thclarthcryougo,thclaIsctsthc
bcyond. '
LndcrthtspowcrolthclaIscaIItmagcsbccomccItchs,somcttmcs
bccauscthctrcIumstncsstsshown,somcttmcsbccauscthctrapparcnt
pcrlccttontsattackcd.hcgauchcgcsturcsolthcCerebinirrshavcasa
corrcIatcthcscrtcsolpostcardsthatthcybrtngbackolthcwar.hc
cxtcrnaI, opttcaIandsoundcItchshavcasthctrcorrcIatctntcrnaIor
psychtccItchs. lttspcrhaps tnthcpcrspccttvcs olthcncwLcrman
ctncmathatthtscIcmcntltndsttsluIIcstdcvcIopmcnt.LantcI5chmtd
tnvcnts a sIowncss whtch makcs posstbIc thc dtvtdtng tn two ol
charactcrs,as tlthcywcrctooncstdcolwhatthcy sayanddo,and
chosclromamongthccxtcrnaIcItchsthconcthatthcywtIIcmbody
lromthctnstdc,tnapcrpctuaItntcrchangcabtIttyoltnstdcandoutstdc
(aIrcadytnLe|elomebutabovcaIItnSthettrndrrLngrlwhcrc'thc
)cwcouIdbc thc lasctst, thcprostttutccouIdbcthcptmp. . . ' , tna
gamc olcards whtch makcs cach pIaycr htmscIla card, but acard
pIaycdby anothcr). '' llthtngs arcItkcthts,howtsttposstbIcnotto
bcItcvc tn a worId-wtdc, dtllusc consptracy, an cntcrprtsc ol
gcncraItscdcnsIavcmcntwhtchcxtcndstocvcryIocattonolthcany-
spacc-whatcvcr, sprcadtngdcathcvcrywhcrc lnLodard,Lrrtit
Soldet, |irrrot lr]ou, Medr in LSH, hrrkrnd, wtth thctr maquts ol
rcststancctothc cnd tIIustratc tn dt|lcrcnt ways apIot lrom whtch
cscapctstmposstbIc. AndKt vcttc,lrom|erisnouseertirntD |ont
du Nord, vta Le Krligirusr, ccascIcssIy tnvokcs thc worId-wtdc
consptracy whtch dtstrtbutcs roIcs and sttuattons tn a ktnd ol
maIcvoIcntgamcolsnakcs and Iaddcrs.
ut,tlcvcrythtngtscItchsandapIottocxchangcandpropagatc
thcm,thconIyrcsuItsccmstobcactncmaolparodyorcontcmptlor
whtch LhabroI and AItman arc somcttmcs crtttctscd. Whatdo thc
nco-rcaItsts mcan, on thc contrary, whcn thcy spcakolthcrcspcct
andthc Iovcwhtchts ncccssary lorthcbtrtholthcncw tmagc lar
lrombctngsattsltcdwtthancgattvcorparodtccrtttcaIconsctousncss,
thcctncma ts cngagcd tn tts htghcst rc|Icctton, and has constantIy
dccpcncdanddcvcIopcd tt. WcwtII ltnd tnLodardlormuIaswhtch
cxprcssthcprobIcm.tltmagcshavcbccomccItchs,tntcrnaIIyaswcII
as cxtcrnaIIy, howcananlmagcbc cxtractcdlromaIIthcsccItchs,
'}ustantmagc',anautonomousmcntaItmagcAntmagcmustcmcrgc
lromthcsctolcItchs. . . . WtthwhatpoItttcsandwhatconscqucnccs
WhattsantmagcwhtchwouIdnotbcacItchWhcrcdocsthccItch
8ryondthrmermrnt-imgr Z l J
cnd and thc magc bcgn ut, l thc qucston has no mmcdatc
answcr, t sprccscIybccauscthcsctolprcccdngcharactcrstcsdo
notconsttutcthcncwmcntaI magcwhchsbcngsought.hchvc
charactcrstcs lorm an cnvcIopc (ncIudng physcaI and psychc
cIchs), thcyarcancccssarycxtcrnaIcondton,butdonotconsttutc
thcmagcaIthoughthcymakctpossbIc.Andhcrconccanasscssthc
smIartcs toand thcdllcrcnccs lromltchcock.hcNcwWavc
couId bc caIIcdwthgoodrcasonltchcocko-Marxan,rathcrthan
'ltchcocko-lawksan'. lkcltchcock twantcdtorcachmcntaI
magcsandhgurcsolthought(thrdncss). ut,whIstltchcocksaw
thcrc a knd ol compIcmcnt whch ought to havc cxtcndcd and
rcaIscd thctradtonaI 'pcrccpton-acton-allccton' systcm, t ds-
covcrcd thcrc onthccontrary a rcqurcmcnt whchwascnoughto
smash thc whoIc systcm, to cut pcrccpton oll lrom ts motor
cxtcnson, acton, lrom thc thrcad whch oncd t to a stuaton,
ahcctonlromadhcrcnccorbcIongngtocharactcrs.hcncwmagc
wouIdthcrclorcnotbcabrngngtocompIctonolthccncma,buta
mutaton ol t. It was ncccssary, on thc contrary, to want what
ltchcock had constantIyrcluscd.hcmcntaI magchadnotto bc
contcnt wth wcavng a sct ol rcIatons, but had to lorm a ncw
substancc. IthadtobccomctruIythoughtandthnkng,cvcnlthad
tobccomc'dlhcuIt'nordcrtodoths.Thrrrurrrtuotonditions.Ln
thconchand,twouIdrcqurcandprcsupposcaputtngntocrssol
thcacton-magc,thcpcrccpton-magcandthcallccton-magc,cvcn
l ths cntaIcd thc dscovcry ol'cIchs' cvcrywhcrc. ut, on thc
othcrhand,thscrss wouIdbcworthIcssbytscIl,twouId onIybc
thc ncgatvc condtton olthc upsurgc olthcncw thnkng magc,
cvcn lt was ncccssary to Iook lor t bcyond movcmcnt.
HIS ]O_c lHIcHllOHOll) lc/l lOHk
0$$dIy
ACJIN-IMAGL.rcactionofthcccntrctothcsct [cuscmblc].
AllLCJIN-IMAGL.thatwhichoccupicsthcgapbctwccnanactionand
arcaction,thatwhichabsorbsancxtcrna|actionandrcactsonthcinsidc.
IMAGL CLNJKL. gap bctwccn a rcccivcd movcmcntand an cxccutcd
movcmcnt,anaction anda rcaction (intcrva|).
MVLMLNJ-IMAGL. thc accntrcd sct [cuscmblc] ofvariab|cc|cmcnts
whichact andrcactoncach othcr.
PLKCLPJIN-IMAGL.sct[cuscmblc]ofc|cmcntswhichactonaccntrc,
andwhich vary inrc|ationto it.
PLKCLPJIN-IMAGL(thcthing).
Dicisigu.tcrmcrcatcdbyPcirccinordcrtodcsignatcprincipa||ythcsignof
thcpropositioningcncra|.Itisuscdhcrcinrc|ationtothcspccia|cascof
thc'frccindircctproposition'(Paso|ini).Itisapcrccptioninthc]remcof
anothcrpcrccption.Jhis isthcstatusofso|id,gcomctricandphysica|
pcrccption.
Kcamc.nottobcconfuscdwithPcircc's'rhcmc' (word).Itisthcpcrccption
of that which crosscs thc framc or f|ows out. Jhc |iquid status of
pcrccption itsc|f.
Gremmc (cugremmcerbetegrmc).nottobcconfuscdwithaphoto. Itis
thc gcnctic c|cmcnt ofthc pcrccption-imagc, inscparab|cassuchfrom
ccrtaindynamisms (immobi|isation, vibration, flickcring, swccp, rcp-
ctition,accc|cration,dccc|cration,ctc. ). Jhcgascousstatcofamo|ccu|ar
pcrccption.
AllLCJIN-IMAGL(qua|ityorpowcr).
heu. uscdbyPcircc inordcrto dcsignatcasignwhichrcfcrs to itsobjcct
by intcrna| charactcristics (rcscmb|ancc). Lscd hcrc in ordcr to
dcsignatcthcaffcct ascxrcsscd bya facc, ora facia|cquiva|cnt.
Q elisigu (m etisigu).tcrmuscdbyPcirccinordcrto dcsignatc aqua|ity
which is a sign. Lscd hcrc to dcsignatc thc affcct as cxprcsscd (or
cxposcd)inaneuy-secc-ubetcvn.Anany-spacc-whatcvcrissomctimcs
ancmpticdspacc,somctimcsaspaccthc|inkingupofwhoscpartsisnot
immutab|cor fxcd.
Dividael. that which isncithcrindivisib|cnor divisib|c, but isdividcd (or
broughttogcthcr) bychanging qua|itativc|y. Jhis is thcstatcofthc
cntity,thatis to sayofthatwhich is cxprcsscd inancxprcssion.
Z I B Glessery
IMPLLSL-IMAGL(cncrgy).
Symtem. dcsgnatcs thc qualtcs orpowcrs rclatcd toanerigiury uer/d
(dchncd by mpulscs).
lctisb. Iragmcnt torn away, by thc mpulsc, Irom a rcal mlcu, and
corrcspondngtothcorgnary world.
ACJlN-IMAGL(thcIorcc oract).
Syusigu(ercucemscr).corrcspondstoPcrcc's'snsgn'.SctoIqualtcsand
powcrsasactualscdnastatcoIthngs,thusconsttutngarlmlcu
aroundaccntrc,astuatonnrclatonto asubjcct.spral.
|mrcssieu.ntcrnallnkbctwccn stuatonand acton.
|udcx.uscdbyPcrccnordcrtodcsgnatcasgnwhchrcIcrstotsobjotby
amatcrallnk.LscdhcrcnordcrtodcsgnatcthclnkoIanacton(or
oIan cIfcct oIacton) to a stuaton whchs not gvcn, but mcrcly
nIcrrcd,orwhchrcmanscquvocalandrcvcrsblc.Wcdstngushn
ths scnsciudiccse] /eck andiudiccse] cqaivecity.thctwoscnscsoIthc
lrcnch wordc//isc (cllpscand cllpss).
|cctm (er /iuc e] tbcauivcrsc).brokcnlncwhchbrngstogcthcr sngular
pntsorrcmarkablcmomcntsatthcpcakoIthcrntcnsty.Vcctoral
spaccsdstngushcd Iromcncompassngspacc.
lMAGLAJJKANSlKMAJlN(rchccton).
ligarc. sgn whch, nstcad oI rcIcrrng to ts objcct, rcIlccts anothcr
(scegrebic or/esticimegc),orwhchrcIlcctstsownobjcct,butby
nvcrtng t (nvcrto magc), or whch drcctly rchccts ts objcct
(discarsivc imegc).
MLNJAL IMAGL(rclaton).
Mrk.dcsgnatcsnaturalrclatons,thats,thcaspcctundcrwhchmagcsarc
lnkcdbyahabtwhchtakcsgeitesscr]usIromonctothcothcr.Jhc
dcmerk dcsgnatcs anmagctom Irom ts natural rclatons.
Sybe/.uscdbyPcrcctodcsgnatcasgnwhchrcIcrstotsobjcctbyvrtuc
oIalaw.LsohcrcnordcrtodcsgnatcthcsupportoI ebstrectrc/etieus,
that sto say oIacomparsonoItcrms ndcpcndcntlyoIthcr natural
rclatons.
Usigueudseusigu.purcoptcalandsoundmagcwhchbrksthcscnsory-
motorlnks,ovcrwhclmsrclatonsandnolongcrlctstsclIbcxprcsscd
ntcrms oImovcmcnt,butopcns drcctly onto tmc.
0lO$
1hrr 00 m01rmr0l
Hmricrgson,CrcetivcLve/ati,trans. ArthurMitchcll, I J1,p.JZZ
(hcrcahcrCL).
Z |bid.,p. JZZ-J.
J |bid.,Q. J1.
1 |bid.,Q. JJJ.
J n thc organicandthc pathctic, cf. S. Liscnstcin,Leu-iudi]]rcutc
Netarc, I, I 0I 8.
ArthurKnight,Kcvacda ciume, no. I 0.
7 )can Mitry, Histeircda ciumemact, lII,pp. 1-JI .
8 crgson, e. cit., p. J71.
|bid.,p. J1.
I 0 n all thcsc points, cf. Hcnri crgson, Mettcr eud Mcmmy, I I I ,
Chaptcr IV.
I I CL,p. I 0.
I Z |bid.,p. J1.
I J |bid.,p. JJ.
I 1 |bid. ,p. I .
I J |bid. ,p. I .JhconlyrcscmblanccbctwccncrgsonandHcidcggcr -
anditisaconsidcrablconc- licshcrc.bthbascthcspccifcityoftimcon
aconccptionofthcopcn.
l Wcraisc thcproblcms ofrclations at this point,althoughi t was not
raiscdcxplicitlybycrgson. Wcknowthatthcrclationbctwccntwo
things isnot rcduciblcto anattributcofoncthingorthcothcr, nor,
indccd,toanattributcofthcsct[cuscmb/c]. nthcothcrhand,itisstill
quitcpossiblctorclatcthcrclationstoawholc(tmt)ifoncconccivcsthc
wholc as acontinuum,andnot asa givcn sct.
I 7 CL,Q. JZ.
I8 |bid.,p. I 0.
Z frdmr d0J h0l, [rdmt0g d0J tllt0g
I Cf. P. P. Pasolini, L'Lxnicuccbmtiqac,pp. ZJ-J.
Z Nolurch,|rexisdaciume,p.8.onthcblackorwhitcscrccn,whcn
it no longcr simply scrvcs as 'punctuation' buttakcs ona 'structural
valuc'.
J Claudc|licr,Seavcuirsccreu,Cahicrsducincma,p. 88. ltisthiswhich
Pasolini analyscd as 'obscssivc framing' in Antonioni (L'Lxricucc
bmtiqac, p. I 18).
1 OominiqucVillain,inanunpublishcdworkwhichincludcsintcrvicws
withcamcramcnjcedrrars],analyscsthcsctwoconccptionsofframing.
LcCedregc ciumetegrebiqac.
ZZO Notrsto. l1ZJ
J Lottc Lisncr, L'

creu dmeuieqac, p. l Z1 (translato as TbcHeautcd

Scrccu ( l ).
Cf. ouvicrandLcutrat,Nes]creta,Cahicrs ducincmapp. 7J-.
7 )nMitry,Lstbtiqacctsycbe/egicdaciume, II,pp. 7B-.
B Pascalonitzcr,'Occadragc',Cebicrsdaciume,no. ZB1,)anuaryl 7B.
K.rcsson,NetcsCiucmetegreby,trans.)onathanGriffin, l 77,p.
ZB. 'Asoundmustncvcrcomctothchclpo

animagc,noranimagcto
thchclpofasound. . . . Imagcandsoundmustnotsupponcachothcr,
but must workcach inturn throughesmte] rc/ey. '
l 0 Jhcmostsystcmaticstudyof thcout-of-fcldwasmadcbyNolurch,
prccisclyinrclationtoKcnoir'sN eue(|rexisdaciume,pp.J0-J l ). And
itisfromthispointofvicwthat)canNarbonicontrastsHitchcockand
Kcnoir (Hitcbceck, 'Visagcs d'Hitchcock' , p. J 7). ut, as Narbni
rccalls,thccincmatographicframcisalwaysamaskinazin'sscnsc.this
isbccauscHitchcock'scloscdframingalsohasitsout-of-hcld,although
in a complctcly diffcrcnt way from Kcnoir (not a 'spacc which is
continuousandhomogcncouswiththatofthcscrccn'butan'off-spacc'
'which isdiscontinuousandhctcrogcncoustothatofthcscrccn'which
dcfncsvinualitics).
l l crgsondcvclopcd all thcscpointsinCrcetivcLve/ati,Chap. l . n
thc'tcnuous thrcad' , cf.p. l l .
l Z onitzcrobjcctstourch'svicwthatthcrcisno'bccoming-hcldofthc
out-of-hcld'andthatthcout-of-ficldrcmainsimaginary,cvcnwhcnitis
actualiscdbythccffcctofacontinuityshot.somcthingalwaysrmains
out-of-fcld,andaccordingtoonitzcritisthccamcraitsclfwhichcan
appcaronits ownaccount, butbyintroducingancwdualityintothc
imagc(LcKcgrdct/eveix,p.l 7).Jhcscrcmarksofonitzcrsccmtous
tobcsolidlybascd.utwcbclicvcthatthcrcisanintcmaldualityinthc
out-of-fcld itsclf which docs not mcrcly rclatc to thc working
implcmcnt.
l J Orcycr,quotcdbyMauriccOrouzy,Cer/Tb.Drcycr uNi/sseu, p.JJJ.
l1 nthcscparationandthc rcunionoffluxcs,cf.H. crgson,Dareti
eudSima/teucity,Chap. III(crgsontakcs asa modcl thrccfluxcs,ofa
consciousncss, ofrunningwatcrandofa flying bird).
l J LricKohmcr,L'Urgeuisetidc/'cseccdemlc'least' dcMaruea,l 0 l B.
l
lranoisKcgnault,'Systcmcfomcld'Hitchcock',inHitcbceck,onthc
compositionofamovcmcntwhichcxprcsscsthcwholcofthcwork,cf.
p. Z7.
l 7 Pudovkin, quotcd by Lhcrminicr,LHrtdaciume,p. l Z.
l B crgson, Mettcr eudMcmery, Chap. 1, 'Jhc Crcativc Mind', inHu
|utredactieu teMctebysics, trans. M.L.Andison, l J,pp. 7l-Z. Wc
oftcnhndthcsamccxprcssion, 'movcmcntsofmovcmcnts' ,inGancc.
l Cf. Andrc azin's analysis which madc famous Kcnoir's grt
panorama in Tbc Crimc e] Meusicar Leugc. thc mmcra abandons a
charactcratthccndofthcyard,swcrvcsoffinthcoppositcdircction,
swccpingthccmptysidcofthcscttoawaitthccharactcratthcothcrcnd
ofthc yard whcrchc isgoingu commit his crimcgceu Kcueir, trans.
W.W.HalscyIIandW.H.Simon, l 71),p.1.'thisstunningturnof
Notrs to. ZJ-Z / Z Z l
thc camcra . . . i s thc purc spatia| cxprcssion ofthc cntirc, "misc-cu-
sciuc'. '
Z0 ). Lpstcin(LcritsI, sarlcciume,p. l l J)wrotcthistcxtaboutlcmand
Lcgcr,whowasundoubtcd|ythcpaintcrc|oscsttothccincma.ut|atcr
hcapp|icdthc tcrms dircct|yto thc cincma (pp. I J 8, I 78).
Z I n thc diffcrcncc bctwccn mou|ding and modu|ation in gcncra| cf.
Simondon,L'|udividactse gcuisc bysico-bio/ogiqac, pp. 10-Z.
ZZ Andrcazin, Q 'cst-ccqaclcCiume, p. I JI .
ZJ Jhcsccsscntia|pointswcrcana|yscdbyNo|urch.l ) thcconncctions
ofmontagcandthcmovcmcntofthcbana|camcrahavcvcrydiffcrcnt
origins, it was Griffith who codifcd thc continuity, but bymaking
cxccptiona|uscofthcmobi|ccamcra(Birtbo]eNetiou),itwasPastronc
who uscd thc mobi|c camcra in an ordinary way, but ncg|ccting
continuity and p|acinghimsc|fundcr thc cxc|usivc signoffronta|ity
charactcristic ofthc frst primitivc cincma (Cebirie). Z) ut thc two
proccsscs, in Griffith and in Pastronc, comc up against a sing|c
condition of spontancous|y sought impcrccptibi|ity (No| urch,
Mercc/L'Hcrbicr, pp. I 1Z-J).
Z1 H. crgson,Timcrdln hih,trans. l.L.Pogson( I I 0)pp. 8J-7.
ZJ Jhcsctwoconccptionsofdcpthi npainting,fromthcsixtccnthtothc
scvcntccnthccnturics,wcrcstudicdbyWo|ff|ininancxcc||cntchaptcr
ofthc|riuci/cso] HrtHistory (trans. M.O. Hottingcr, I JZ), 'P|anc
andKcccssion'.Jhccincmaprcscntscxact|ythcsamccvo|ution,astwo
vcrydiffcrcntaspcctsofdcpthoffic|dwhichwcrcana|yscdbyazin
('Pour cn hniravcc|aprofondcurdcchamp' ,Cebicrsdaciume,no. l ,
Apri| I JI ) . Ocspitca|| his rcscrvations about azin's thcsis, Mitry
conccdcs thccsscntia|point. in a primary form,dcpthiscutupinto
supcrimposab|ciso|ab|cs|iccscachofwhichis va|idonitsown(asin
Icui||adc or Griffth), but, in Kcnoir and in Wc||cs, anothcr form
rcp|accs s|iccs with a pcrpctua| intcraction, and shoncircuits thc
forcgroundandthcbackground.Jhccharactcrsno|ongcrmcctonthc
samc p|anc [/eu], thcy arc rc|atcd and summoncach othcr fromonc
p|anctoanothcr.Jhchrstcxamp|cofthisncwdcpthwou|dpcrhapsbc
Strohcim'sGrccdandwou|dcorrcspndcxact|ytoWo|fhin'sana|ysis.
|ikcthcstart|cd woman inc|osc-up, whi|sthcrhusbandcntcrsbythc
door inthcbackground, aray of |ight going from oncto thcothcr.
Z Hitchcock'scxpcrimcntinTbc Koc- asing|cscqucncc-shotforthc
who|ch|m (on|yintcrruptcdbychangcs ofrcc|)- isofthcsamctypc.
azin objccto that thc scqucncc-shot of Kcnoir, Wc||cs and Wy|cr
brokcwiththctraditiona|cuttingorshot,whi|stHitchcockprcscrvcd
thcm,bcingcontcnttocarryouta'pcrpctua|succcssionofrcframings'.
KohmcrandChabro|right|yrcp|ythat this isprccisc|yHitchcock's
innovation,transfomingthctmditiona|framc,whi|stWc||cs,convcrsc|y,
prcscrvcs it.
Z7 Pasca|onitzcrhasana|yscda||thcsctypcsof shot-dcpthofhc|d,shots
withoutdcpth,upto modcrnshotswhichhcca||s 'contradictory' (in
Godard, Sybcrbcrg, Margucritc Ouras) in Lc Cbem evcag/c, And
amongcontcmporarycritics,onitzcr is undoubtcd|ythconcwhois
ZZZ Netcs te . Z /-J8
mostintcrcstcdinthcnotionofthcshotanditscvo|ution.ltsccmstous
thathisvcryvigorousandsubt|cana|yscsshou|dhavcbroughthimtoa
ncwconccptionofthcshotaswc||-groundcdunity,toancwconccption
of unitics (for which onc wou|d find cquiva|cnts in thc scicnccs).
Howcvcr,instcadhcdrawsfromitdoubtsaboutthcconsistcncyofthc
notion ofthc shot whosc 'compositc, ambiguous and fundamcnta||y
fakccharactcr' hc condcmns. It is on|y on this pointthat wccannot
fo|low him.
Z8 Paso|ini,L`Lxricucc brtiqac,pp. I 7-Z I Z.
Z |. Narboni,Sy|vicPicrrcand|. Kivcttc, 'Montagc',Cebicrsdaciume,
no. Z I 0, March I .
J 00ldgr
n thcc|osc-upand binary structurc inGriffith, cf.|acqucs licschi,
'Griffith |c prccurscur',Ciumetogrebc, no. Z1, lcbruary I 77. n
Griffth'sc|osc-upandthcproccssofminiaturisationandsubjcctivation,
cf.YannLardcau, 'KingOavrd',Cebinsdaciume,no.J1,Apri| I 8J.
Z S. Liscnstcin's bri||iant ana|ysis consists i n showing that para||c|
montagc, in itspracticcas wc|| as its conccption,rc|atcsto bourgcois
socicty in its conccptionofitsc|fand initspracticc.lilmlorm, I J I ,
'Oickcns, Grifhthand thc fi|m today' .
J Liscnstcrn, Le uou-iudi]]rcutc Netarc, 'L'organiqucct |cpathctiquc'.
Jhischaptcr,whichrcvo|vcsaroundBettlcsbi|otcmkiu,ana|yscsthc
organic(gcncsisandgrowth)andtack|csthcpathcticwhichcomp|ctcs
it. Jhcfo||owingchaptcr, 'Leccutri]agcascctlcGreel` ,ccntrcdonTbc
Gcucr

lLiuc,continucsthcana|ysisofthcpathcticin itsrc|ationtothc
orgamc.
1 S. Liscnstcin, Mmoircs, I. pp. Z8J-1.
J onitzcr analyscs this diffcrcncc bctwccn Liscnstcin and Griffith
(abso|utc or rc|ativc changc ofdimcnsron) in LcCbemevcaglc, pp.
J0-Z.
lorinstanccwhatLiscnstcinca||s'vcrtica|montagc`inTbclilmScusc,
I 8, trans. |ay Lcyda,pp. 7 ff.
7 Liscnstcin, inLeuou-iudi]]rcutcNetarc,a|rcadycmphasiscsthcforma|
charactcr of thc qua|itativc (and not mcrc|y matcria|) jump. Jhis
charactcrisdcfincdbythcncccssaryprcscnccofa'raisingofpowcr'of
thc imagc, 'montagc by attraction' ncccssari|y intcrvcncs hcrc. Jhc
many commcntarics to wich montagc ofattractron as prcscntcd by
LiscnstcininHa-dcldcsLtoilcs hasgivcnrisc,sccmintcrminab|cifthc
growingpowcrsofthc imagcs arcnot takcn into account. And, from
this standpoint, thc qucstion whcthcr Liscnstcin rcnounccd this
tcchniqucdocsnotarisc.hcwou|da|waysnccditinhisconccptofthc
qua|itativc|cap.
8 Cf. Mitry,L'Histoircdaciumemact, Ill,p. J0. 'Jhcnshc|ooks.thc
g|ass, thc boots, thcpo|iccman, thcn hur|s hcrsc|fuponthc g|assand
throws it with hcr fu|| strcngth at thc window. Jhc o|d man
Netrs te . J8-44 ZZJ
immcdiatc|ydropsdown,sccsthcpo|iccmanandf|ccs.yturns,amcrc
g|ass oftca, thcn an c|cmcnt ofbctraya|,a mcans ofsigna|isationand
sa|vation, that objcct . . . succcssivc|y rc||ccts anattcntion,a statc of
mind, an intcntion. '
Amcngual,Dezbcuko,Oossicrsducincma.'Jhcpocticfrccdomwhich
Oovzhcnko had on|y rcccnt|y dcmandcd from thc organisation of
disjointo|ragmcnts,isobtaincdinHcrogredbyacuttingofcxtraordinary
continuity.'
l 0 Jhcqucstionof asccrtainingwhcthcrthcrci s on|yahumandia|cctic,or
indccd whcthcr onc can spcakofadia|ccticofNaturc initsc|f(orof
mattcr),hasa|waystroub|cdMarxism.)can-Pau|Sartrcraiscsitagainin
Tbc Critiqac o] Dielccticel Kcesou ( I 7), in affirming thc human
charactcrofanydia|cctic.
I I Liscnstcin rccogniscd that thc Vcrtov mcthod might bc appropriatc
whcnmanhadattaincdhis|u||'dcvc|opmcnt'.ut,unti|thattimc,man
nccdcdthcpathctic,andattractions.' Itisnot acincma-cycthatwcnccd,
butacincma-fist.JhcSovictcincmashouldsp|itsk||s',andnotmcrc|y
'bring togcthcrmi||ions ofcycs' ,cf. Ha-dcldcsLtoilcs,p. I JJ.
I Z ). Lpstcin,LcritssarlcciumeI I , p.7(onL'Hcrbicr). 'ymcansof a
soft focus which bccomcs progrcssivc|y intcnsificd, thc danccrs
gradua||y|oscthcirindividua|diffcrcntiations,ccasctobcrccognisab|c
as individua|s, bccomcmcrgcd in acommon visua| tcrm. thcdanccr,
an c|cmcnt hcnccforward anonymous, impossib|cto distinguishfrom
twcntyorfftycquiva|cntc|cmcnts,whoscsctcomcsto form anothcr
gcncra|ity, anothcr abstraction. not this or that fandango, but tbc
fandango,that is, thcstructurcofthcmusica|rhythmofa|| fandangos
madc visib|c.'
I J Cf. arthc|cmy Amcngua|'s ana|yscs in Kcu Cleir. Amcngua| a|so
ana|yscs thc ro|c of thc automaton in Vigo, contrasting it with
Lxprcssionism.scchisJceu |igo. ltadcsciumetogrebiqacs,pp.8-7Z.
I 1 n thcabstractkincticcincmaanditsconccptionsofrhythm,cf.)can
Mitry,LcCiumecxtimcutel,ChsIV,V,X.Mitryposcsthcprob|cm
ofthc visua| imagcwhichhasnotthcsamcrhythmicpossibi|iticsasthc
musica|imagc.Inhisowncxpcrimcnts,Mitrywashimsc|ftopassfrom
thcso|id(|eci]ic2J| ) tothc|iquid(|megcsoarDcbassy) torcso|vconc
aspcct ofthcscprob|cms.
I J Lpstcin,o.cit. ,I , pp. I Z 7-J 8.
I Cf. thcana| ysisofKcncC|air's|i|mandhisrc|ationshipswithVcrtov
by Anncttc Michc|son, 'L'hommc 8 |a mmcra dc |a magic 8
|'cpistcmo|ogic', inCiume, tboric, lcctarcs, pp. J0J-7.
I 7 Cf., for cxamp|c, inLiscnstcin (lilm lorm. 'Mcthods ofmontagc'),
mctrica| montagc and its coro||arics, rhythmic, tona| and harmonic
montagc. With Liscnstcin, it is a|ways morc a casc of organic
proportionsthanofpropcr|ymctrica| rc|ations.
I 8 urch,MercclL'Hcrbicr,p. I J.Cf.a|soAmcngua|'srcmarkson|ight
in Kcu Cleir, p. Jand a|so in |igo (p. 7Z). 'dcconsccration ofthc
shadows of Lxprcssionism'. And, on Grcmi||on, Mirci||c Lati| in
Ciumetogrebc, no. 10, ctobcr I 78.
ZZ1 Notrs to. 16-l
I Abc| Ganccin Picrrc LhcrminicrL'Hrtda ciume, pp. I J-7.
Z0 I . Kant,Critiqaco]Jadgcmcut,para J.
Z I Lpstcin,o.cit. , I,p. 7.
ZZ urchaskshowL'Hrgcutcanconvcysuchanimprcssionofmovcmcnt
whcnbigcamcramovcmcntsarcrc|ativc|yrarc. Nowthcmonumcnta|
charactcr ofthc sct (for cxamp|ca|argcdrawing-room)undoubtcd|y
imp|icsconsidcrab|cmovcmcntbythccharactcrs,butitdocsnomorcto
cxp|ainourimprcssionofan abso|utcmaximumofmovcmcnt. urch
discovcrsthccxp|anationinamu|tip|icityofshotsforagivcnscqucncc.
it isa 'supcrsaturation' whichproduccsamcasurc|css cffcct, takingus
bcyond thc rc|ations bctwccn rc|ativcmagnitudcs (Mercc/L'Hcrbicr,
pp. I 1-J7).
ZJ Cf. Gancc,o. cit.
Z1 Oc|aunayisoppscdtothcluturists,forwhomsimu|tancityisthc|imit
ofan incrsing|ympidkinctic'movcmcnt.lor|O|aunay,ithasnothing
todowithkincticmovcmcnt,rathcritisconccrncdwithapurcmobi|ity
of|ight,whichcrcatcs|uminousandco|ourcdforms,andcnvc|opsthcm
in discs and hc|ixcs which arc of thc naturc of timc. It was |aisc
Ccndrars who cnab|cdlrcnch f|m-makcrs to fami|iarisc thcmsc|vcs
withOc|aunay'sidcas,c.Gancc'stcxt,'Lctcmpsdc|'imagccc|atcc',in
5phic Oaria,Hbc/Geuccbicrctdcmeiu.Jomovctoarc|atcdarca, in
Mcssiacnthcrcisamusica|simu|tancismwhichisdcfincdprccisc|yby
'rhythms of addcd va|uc' and 'non-rctrogradab|c rhythms' (Go|ca,
KcucoutrcsevccU/ivicrMcsseicu, pp. J ff.) .
ZJ Cf. l|curi's ro|c as ana|yscd by Norman King through Gancc's
succcssivc projccts. 'Lnc cpop popu|istc', C iumetogrebc, no. 8J,
Novcmbcr I 8Z.
Z
n|ightanditsrc|ationshipswithdarkncssorthcopaquc,thcbasictcxt
isGocthc'sTbcoryo] Co/oars, trans. C.Last|akc I 70.L|iancLscoubas
hasmadcancxcc||cntana|ysisofthis, whichcan hndmanycincmato-
graphic app|ications 'L'oci| du tcinturicr', Critiqac, no. 1I 8, March
I 8Z. Lxprcssionist |ight is Gocthcan, justas lrcnch |ight, c|oscr to
Oc|aunay,wasNcwtonian. ItistructhatGocthc'sthcoryhasanothcr
sidcto it which wc wi|| cncountcr|atcr. thcpurcrc|ationshipof|ight
with whitc.
Z7 LottcLsncr,'Notcssur |csty|cdcStrohcm',Cebicrsdaciume,no.7,
)anuary I J7. In Tbc Heautcd Scrccu ( I ) Lottc Lisncr continu-
a||y ana|yscs thc two proccsscs, thc striations andchiaroscuro ofLx-
prcsionism. a|so in hcr Mam ( I 7J), in particu|ar pp. 80-I and
I 7 I-Z.
Z8 Hcrmann Warmdcscribcsasctfromleutuc,a|osth|mbyMumau.an
cxtcrior,astrcctwhosc|cftsidciscffcctivc|ybui|tup,butwhoscrightis
occupicdby fa|scfadcsmountcdonarai|.Jhusthcfadcsmoving
morcandmorcquick|ycastthcirshadowontothcimmobi|chouscsof
thc othcr sidc and appcar to chasc thc young man. Warm givcs
anothcrcxamp|c fromthcsamcf|m,whcrcacomp|icatcdmcchanism
simultancous|yproduccs awhir|windmovcmcnt,andadcsccntintoa
b!ack ho|c(c.Lsncr,Maruea). (his rcfcrcncc stoan appcndxnot
Netrste. l-1 ZZJ
inc|udcd i nthc Lng|ish trans|ation, but which maybcfound on pp.
ZJI -Z fthclrcnchcdition,Lc Tcrreiu vegac.)
Z Worringcr,lemiuGetbic,I Z7.ltwasKudo|fKurtzwhoparticu|ar|y
dcvc|opcd thc thcmc of a non-organic |ifc in thc cincma in his
Lxnsieuismasaudli/m, I Z.
J0 ngcomctryinLang,c.Lisncr,TbcHeautcdScrccu.'Architccturcand
|andscapcin thc studio' and 'Jhc hand|ingofcrowds' .
J I Cf. inparticu|arKohmcr'sana|ysisofscinti||ationinL'Urgeuisetieudc
l'rseccdrs lc 'least ' dcMam, p. 18 (L|iancLscoubas,in thc artic|c
citcdabvc,studicsthccffcctsofbri||ianccandintcnsificationaccording
toGocthc's co|ourthcory).
JZ ouvicrandLcutrat,Nes]creta,pp. I JJ-.'Lightspotswhichdcscribc
a whitc circ|c bchind thc charactcrs, such that thc forms sccm to bc
cxc|udcdbythcirownmovcmcntmorcthanthcyarcdctcrmincdbyit,
chascdfromabottom|cssncss[seus-]eud] orfromabackgroundmorc
nativcthanthatofthcirrcar-groundwhichisinthiswaydrowncdin
|ightj. . . . ] ythis rupturc, whatisactua|iscdinfrontofthisspotof
|ight,andburstsforth,aphantomdivorccdfromthcbackground,isuet
tbet ubicb uerme//y rcmeius biddcu iu tbc dcc cvrcsccucc ubicb is
saggcstcdbycbierescare,]m cxem/c.Jhisisthcsourccofthcfrcqucnt|y
f|atcharactcrofthcfgurcs i||uminatcd inthisway,andofthcfcc|ing
that thcy arc thc hcirs, bythcir vcrynaturc,ofthc shadow uitbeat
rrticel/y gcttiug tbcirumrisbmcut]rem it[. . . ]. Tbisc]cctceuuetbc
rcdaccdtec ubicb isredaccdby beck/igbtiug. ' (Oc|cuzc's ita|ics.)
J J Kant,Critiqace]Jadgcmcut,paras Z-8.
J1
Cf. Worringcr's tcxtonLxprcssionismas'ncwart',citcdbyouvicr
and Lcutrat, e.cit. , pp. I 7J-. Ocspitc thc rcscrvations ofccrtain
critics, Worringcr'smodcmist positions sccmtoustobcvcryc|oscto
thoscofW.Kandinsky (Cccruiug tbcSiritae/iu Hrt, trans. Sad|cr,
(I 77) .othcriticiscaconccrn- inbothGocthcandKomanticism- to
rcconci|cSpiritandNaturc, whichkccpsartticdto anindividua|istic
and scnsua|ist pcrspcctivc. Jhcy conccivc, on thc contrary, of a
'spiritua| art' as a union with God, which gocs bcyond pcrsonsand
kccps Naturc inthcbackground,rc|atingthcmtoachaosfromwhich
modcm man must cmcrgc. Jhcy arcnotcvcnsurcthatthccntcrprisc
wi|| succcm, but thcrc is no othcr choicc. this is thc origin of
Worringcr's commcnts on 'thc cry' as thc on|y cxprcssion of
Lxprcssionism, and onc which is, howcvcr, pcrhaps i||usory. Jhis
pcssimismaboutawor|d-chaoscropsupagaininLxprcssionistcincma,
whcrccvcnthcidcaofaspiritua|wc||-bcingwhichisattaincdthrough
sacrificcrcmains rc|ativc|y rarc. lt isfoundmain|y in Murnau, morc
oftcnthaninLang.utitisa|sothccascthatMurnauisthcc|oscstofa||
thc Lxprcssionists to Komanticism. hc rctainsan individua|ismanda
'scnsua|ism' which wcrc to bc incrsing|y frcc|y disp|aycd in his
Amcricanpcriod, withSauriscandparticu|ar|ywithTeba.
ZZ Notrsto. 6-60
Y 1hr m01rmr0l-tmdgr d0J tl lhrrr 1drtrltr
hssthcmostgcncraIthcmcoIthcIrstchaptcrandthcconcIusonoI
MettcreudMcmery (MM).
2 M. McrIcau-Ponty, |bcuemcue/egy e] |crcctieu, trans. LoIn bmth,
l 2, p. U.
J hs s atIcastwhatappcarsto us n AIbcrtLattay'scompIcxthcory,
whch s phcnomcnoIogcaIIynsprcd.Legiqacdaciume.
1 CL, pp. J22-J.
5 MM, p. 2. 'l sayn conscqucncc thatconscouspcrccpton mustbc
produccd. '
MM, pp. 2U and 2.
7 MM,pp.- l .
U MM,p. J l . c. atoms orIncs oIIorcc.
MM, p. 5.
l CL,p. J l .
l l hsnotonoIthcpIancoImmancnccandthccharactcrstcswhchwc
gvct,sccmto bcaIongwayIrom crgson. NcvcrthcIcss,wcbcIcvc
thatwcarcbngIathIuItohm.crgsondocsndccdprcscntthcpIanc
oImattcrasan 'nstantancous sccton' oIbccomng (MM,p. U).ut
ths sIorcascoIcxpostonIor,ascrgsonrcmndsusandwIIrcmnd
usIatcrcvcnmorcprccscIy(p. l 7U),tsapIancwhcrcthcmovcmcnts
whch cxprcss thc changcs n bccomng constantly appcar and
rcproduccthcmscIvcs.ltthcrcIorcncIudcstmc.lthasatmcasvarabIc
oImovcmcnt.Morcovcr,thcpIancstscIImobIc,crgsonsays.lnIact,
to cach sct oI movcmcnts whch cxprcsscs a changc thcrc wII
corrcspondaprcscntatonoIthcpIanc.JhcdcaoIbIocsoIspacc-tmc
s thcrcIorcnotat aIIcontraryto crgson'sthcss.
l 2 WcadoptthcusuaItransIaton,'machncasscmbIagc' , oIthcmportant
OcIcuzan tcrm 'egcuccmcut mecbiuiqac' . bcc 'Khzomc', trans. P.
Patton, Ieud C, no. U, sprng l Ul , p. 5. 'Hgcuccmcut can aIsobc
transIatcd as 'ordcrng' or 'Ittng togcthcr' .
lJ CL, pp. J2l .
l 1 MM,p. J2.
l 5 crgson,DaretieueudSima/teucity Lhap. V. hcmportanccandthc
ambguty oI ths book, n whch crgson conIronts thc thcory oI
rcIatvty, s wcII known. ut though crgson had to Iorbd ts
rcpubIcaton,ths wasnotbccauschcrcaIscdthathcmghthavcmadc
crrors. hc ambguty camc rathcr Irom rcadcrs who bcIcvcd that
crgson was dscussngthc thcorcs oIlnstcnthcmscIvcs.hs was
obvousIy not thc casc (but crgson was not abIc to dspcI ths
msundcrstandng). WchavcjustsccnthathccompIctcIyacccptcdthc
prmacy oI Ight and bIocs oI spacc-tmc. hc dscusson borc on
somcthngcIsc.do thcscbIocsprcvcntthccxrstcnccoIaunvcrsaItmc
conccvcd as bccomng or duraton crgson ncvcrbcIcvcdthat thc
thcory oI rcIatvty was IaIsc, but onIy that t was ncapabIc oI
consttutngthcphIosophyoIrcaItmcwhchoughttocorrcspondto
t.
Ntrst. 60-/0 ZZ7
! MM,p. 2.
! 7 MM,p. J2. hcrc, 'hcphotographoIthcwhoIcstransIuccnt. hcrc
thcrc s wantng bchnd thcpIatcthcbIackscrccnonwhchthcmagc
couId bc sccn'.
! U
bartrccIcarIynotcdthccrgsonanrcvcrsaInTbc|megiuetieu(trans..
WIIams, ! 2), 'Jhcrc s purc |ght, a phosphorcsccncc, and no
IIumnatcd mattcr. utthspurc Ight, dIIuscd on aII sdcs,bccomcs
actuaIonIybyrcIIcctngoIIccrtansurIaccswhchscrvcsmuItancousIy
asthcscrccnIorothcrIumnouszoncs.WchavchcrcasortoIrcvcrsaIoI
thccIasscaI comparson. nstcad oIconscousncss bcng a Ightgong
Irom thc subjcct tothcthng, t s a IumnostywhchgocsIrom thc
thngtothcsubjcct'(pp. J-1).utbartrc'sant-crgsonansmIcads
hmtopIaydownthcmpactoIthsrcvcrsaIandtodcnythcnovcItyoI
thccrgsonan conccpton oIthc magc.
! O. Vcrtov, Hrtic/cs, ]mmx, re]ccts (ths sthc constant thcmc oI
Vcrtov'smanIcstos).
2 hs word aIso convcys thc dca that such magcs arcscparatcd or
dvcrtcd (tcertt).
2 ! MM, pp. 2U-.
22 MM,p. 2.
2J MM,p. I 2.
21 MM,p. 27.
25 AconstantthcmcoIthcIrstchaptcroIMM.thccrcuIarIormatonoI
thc worId 'around' thcccntrc oIndctcrmnaton.
2 MM, p. 1J.
27 MM,p. 2J.
2U CL,p. J2.
2 MM, p. 2-J.
J MM,pp. !-J.
J ! bamucI cckctt, 'Im', nCmic ctectcsdivcrs, L. dc Mnut,pp.
! ! J-J1.hcthrccmomcntsdstngushcdbycckcttarc.thcstrcct,thc
starcasc, thc room (p. ! ! 5). Wc proposc a dIIcrcnt dstncton. thc
acton-magc, whchgroupsthcstrcctandthcstarcasc,thcpcrccpton-
magc,Iorthcroom,InaI|ythcaIIccton-magcIorthchddcnroomand
thcdozng oIthccharactcr n thcrockng char.
J2 cckctt proposcs a Irst schcma, Ior thc IIght nto thc strcct, whch
prcscnts no dIIcuIty (cI. hcrc, Igurc ! , p. 22U, whch wc havc
compIctm).AndthccImbngoIthcstarsmcrcIympIcadspIaccmcnt
oIthcIgurconavcrtcaIpIancandahnaIrotaton.utagcncraIschcma
wouIdbcncdcdtorcprcscntthcsctoIaI|thcmomcnts.hssgurc2
(p. 22U),proposcd by Ianny OcIcuzc.
JJ hcmajortyoIPcrcc'sworkwaspubIshcdposthumousIyundcrthc
ttIcCe//cctcd|ects (Harvard Lnvcrsty Prcss) n cght voIumcs.
J1 lscnstcn,Ha-dcldcs

teilcs,'ln grospIan',pp. 2JII. ltstructhat,

rcadngthctcxtItcraIy,lscnstcnconsdcrsthccIosc-upasapntoI
vcwwhchsnotcxactIyaIIcctvc,but'proIcssonaI',onthcwhoIcoI
thcIIm,thsshowcvcra'passonaI'pontoIvcw,whchpcnctratcs'to
thcnncrmostbcngoIwhat shappcnng' .
ZZ8
L
Netn te. ?-J
tgutc
Lt goc8 bcyond J[Lt), tt
mu8t utttly tootl Dlotc gotng
bCk to tc put8utt ol L.
@ g g g g Lt`
Lt
Lt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

! 1hr QrrtrQll00-lmdgr
_ Lt
tgutc
c ntt8l bl8Ck CttClc Dtng tc
toCktng C8tt, wc 8Vc
L Lt. 8ttu8tton tn tc 8ttot.
LLt Lt,. 8ttu8tton tn tc t0m.
Lt O. ttu8tton wcn Lt 88
gonc Dyond Lt. Lty, 8nd
DComc8 tc doublc ol L, tc
l8ttct bctng tn tc toktng C8tt .
l Mtry, Lstbtiqac ctsycbe/egic daciume, II, pp. l II.
2 PasoIn scts out hs thcory n L'Lxhicucc bhtiqac Irom thc
standpnt oI ltcraturc (n partcular pp. J -J) and Irom thc
standpont oI thc cncma (n partcuIar pp. l J-JJ). Wc rcIcr to
akhtnc's conccptons abut Ircc ndrcct dscoursc n M. akhtnc
(V.N. VoIosnov) Merxim eud tbc |bi/eseby e] Leugaegc ( l 7J)
Lhaps X and Xl.
Notrs to. /1-8l ZZ9
J
crgson,L'

ucrgicsiritac//c,p. Z( l J)(thchrstpagcnumbcrsIor
thc 'Lcntcnarc' cdton oI crgson's works. hc sccond s Ior thc
currcnt PLcdton).
1
PasoInskctchcsoutavcrybrIIantparaIIcIbctwccnAntonon,wth
hs 'Paduan-Koman' acsthctcsm, and Lodard, wth hs Ibcrtaran
tcchncsm. thc dIIcrcncc bctwccn thc 'hcrocs' oIthc two drcctors
stcms Irom ths. LI. L'Lxnicuccbmtiqac, pp. l 5l .
5 LI. PasoIn, Ltadcs ciutmetegrebiqacs, n partcuIar)can bcmoIu's
study,'AprslcDtcemcreuctLcsCeutcsdcCeutcrbary,rIIcxonssur|c
rct chcz PasoIn'.
lrc Kohmcr sccms to havcbccn doggm bythcprobIcmoIndrcct
dscoursc.AscarIyasthcMere/Te/cs,thcdaIogucs,carcIuIIycomposcd
nanndrcct styIc,arcrcIatmtoa'commcntary'.WcrcIcrtoanartcIc
by Kohmcr, 'Lc hIm ct Ics tros pIans du dscors, ndrcct, drcct,
hypcrdrcct' (Cebicrs Kcuead-Berrea/t, no. , l 77).ut ts strangc
that, at Icast to our knowIcdgc, Kohmcr ncvcr nvokcs Ircc ndrcct
dsoursc, and docs not sccm to bc awarc oI PasoIn's thcorcs,
Howcvcr, ts ndccdthatspccaIIormoIndrcctdscourscwhchhc
hasnmnd.cI. whathcsays nhsartcIcaboutTbcMerqaisce]U,on
KIcst's ndrcct styIc, and about |crccve/ on thc charactcrs who taIk
about thcmscIvcs nthcthrdpcrson.And,mostmportantIy,tsnot
thc prcscntaton oI thc tcxt n Ircc ndrcct dscoursc, but thc
prcscntatonoIvsuaImagcsorsccncsnacorrcspondngmodc.hcncc
thc obscssvc Iramngs oI Tbc Merqaisc e] U and n partcuIar thc
trcatmcntoIthc magcas mnaturc n|crccve/.
7 LI. Lottclsncr'sdcscrpton nTbcHeautcdScrccu.
8 LI. Hcnr LangIos' commcntary, ctcd by NocI urch n Mercc/
L'Hcrbicr, p. U.
Mtry, LcCiumecxtrimcute/, pp. Z l l- l 7.
l PauIVrIohasshownthcmartmcorgnandmodcIoI thcproIctarat
natcxtwhchmghtwcIIbcappIcdtoLrmIIon'scncman|itcsscct
e/itiqac, p. 5.
l l Wc arc usng an unpubIshcd tcxtoI). P.ambcrgcronL'Hte/eutc.
lZ AmcnguaI puts thc qucston cIrIy. why docs Vgo prcscnt thc
bourgcoscntsboIogIrathcrthanpoItcaIandcconomcaspccts
HcanswcrsbynvokngamnctonoIcIarvoyancc,andoI'objcctvty'
oI thc bodcs. LI. |ige. Ltadcs ciumetegrebiqacs (AmcnguaI aIso
anaIyscsthchgh-angIcshotsnVgo).
l J ln hs cIassIcaton oI sgns, what Pcrcc dstngushcs Irom thc
'dcsgn'(proposton)sthc'rhcmc'(word).PasoIntakcsupPcrcc's
tcrm, but ntroduccs a vcry gcncraI dca oI IIowng nto t. thc
cncmatographc shot 'shouId how', thus tsa'rhcmc'(L'Lxtricucc
btrttiqac,p. Z7l ). uthcrcPasoInmakcsanctymoIogczImstakc.ln
Lrcck,thatwhchIIowssa rhcumc(orrcumc).WcwIIthcrcIorcusc
ths tcrm to dcsgnatc not a gcncraI charactcrstc oIthcshot,but a
spccaI sgn oIthc prccpton-magc.
l 1 Vcrtov,Hrticlcs,]eameax, re]cts,pp. l Z-7.
l 5
Mtry,Histeircdaciume mact,lll, p.ZJ:'OnccznnotdcImdmontzgc
ZJO Notrsto. 8l-?
andsmuItancousIyuphoId thcntcgrtyo|thcrcaI.hcrcsabIatant
contradctonbctwccnthctwo.'
l
Vcrtov,e.cit. .'hcrapdshot,thcmcro-shot(micre-riscdcvc),thc
backward shot,thcanmatonshot(riscdcvcd`euimetieu),thcmobIc
shot,shotswththcmostuncxpcctcdcamcra-angIcsarcnotconsdcrcd
to bc trck shots, butnormaI proccdurcs, to bc wdcIyuscd. '
l 7 Abramov,Dzige |crtev,pp. 1-2.
l U L|.thcdc|ntono|thccatcgoryo|'communty'nl . Kant,Critiqace]
|arc Kceseu.
l
AnncttcMchcIson,'L'hommc3Iamra,dcIamagc3| ' cpstmoIogc',
nCiume, tbic, /cctarcsanaIyscdaIIthcscthcmcs.thccIabratono|
thcthcoryo|thcntcrvaIando|rcvcrsaI,thcthcmco|thcsIccpngtown,
thc roIc o|thcphotogrammcn Vcrtov (and hs ncrsngponts o|
contact wth KcnLIar).
2 L|.MarcorcIIcs,L/mtsearauueavcciume,'HowmanycoIours
arcthcrcna |cId|ora crawIngbaby, unconscous o|grccn'
2 l
bnow |Ims a 'dchumanscd Iandscapc',wthout anyhumanprcscncc,
and putsthccamcraundcrthccontroIo|anautomatcapparatuswhch
contnuaIIyvarcstsmovmcntsandangIcs.Hcthus|rosthccyc|romthc
condtono|rcIatvcmmobItyando|dcpcndcncconco-ordnatcs.L|.
Cebicrsdaciume,no.2,]anuary l 7(Marc-LhrstncQucstcrbcrt.
'Opcratcd by thc machnc, rcguIatcd by sound, thc camcra's Inc o|
vsonnoIongcrccntrcsonthc|rontaI,pcrspcctvcvson.jhcvsonj
rcmans thato|onccyc onIy,but t sancmpty,hypcr-mobIccyc' . )
22
P.A. btncy's artcIc 'Lc hIm structurc' nCiume, tbtmic, /cctarcs
anaIyscs aII thcsc aspccts n thc prncpaI drcctors o| Amcrcan
cxpcrmcntaIcncma,notabIythc|ormatono|thc'photogrammc-shot'
and thc Ioop, |Ickcrng n MarkopouIos, Lonrad, bharts, spcm n
Kobcrt rccr, granuIaton n Lchr,]acobs, Landow.
2J Lastanma, |eir.
21 btncy,e.cit. ,p. J1U.
0 1hr 1_rtlt60-tm1gr 1tr 10J t6r-]
Onthcsctwotcchnqucso|thcportrat,c|. WII|In,Piuci/cse]Hrt
Hutmy,trans. M.O. Hottngcr ( l J2)pp. 1l -J.
2 Ocscartcs,Lcs|essieusdcl'mc,J1.'oadmratonsjonmcstcmor
contcmpt, dcpcndngonwhcthcrts thcgrtncsso|anobjcctorts
pcttncss that wc arc admrng.' On thc conccpton o|admraton n
OcscartcsandthcpantcrLcrun,thcrcadcrsrc|crrcdtoancxccIIcnt
anaIyss by Hcnr buchon,Ltadcsbi/esebiqacs, l , l U.
J lnlngIshnthc orgnaI.
1 L|. L.W. Pabst,|dere\ Bex,LIassc Im bcrpts, pp. l J J-J.
J lscnstcn,li/m I, pp. l J||.
]. csch, 'Lr||th |cprccurscur',Ciumetegrebc, no. 21, cbruary,
l 77,p. l(CiumetegrebcdcvotcdtwossucstothccIosc-up,21and
2J, wth artcIcs on Lr||th, lscnstcn and crgman).
^etcs te. J-l0Z
7 Locthc,Tbcery e] Ce/ears, 15.
U lngIshn thcorgnaI.
OIcr, Seavcuircreu,pp. 2715.
ZJ l
l
LI.). vonbtcrnbcrg,Seavcuirsd`aumeutrcardvmbrcs( l 5),Lhap. l 2,
n whch btcmbcrgscts outhsthcoryoIIght.hcCebicrsdaciume
(no. J,Octobcr l 5)pubIshcdamorccompIctc vcrson oIthstcxt,
undcrthcLocthcanttIc 'PIus dc Iumcrc'.
I I . aIzs, Lc ciume p. 57.
l 2 ]. lpstcn,Lcritssarlcciume l, pp. l 1-7.
l J lscnstcn,li/mlerm,pp.21l-2. lscnstcnshows,onthcothcrhand,
thatthatwhchcxtcndsbcyondspaccandtmcshouIdnotbcconsdcrcd
'supra-hstorcaI' . cI. Lueu-iudi]]rcutcNetarc, l , pp. Jl -J.
l 1 LI.Pcrcc,Lcritssarlcsiguc.hcrcadcrsrcIcrrcdtothcndcxoIths
cdton, and Lrard OcIcdaIIc's commcntarcs, rcgardng thcsc two
notons.
l 5 LI.Mancdcran,Mmeircsarledcesitieudc/esc( l U1).hs
s a vcry mportantand strangcaspcct oI Manc dc ran's thought.
OcImaIIcstrcsscsthcnhucnccoIranonPcrcc.ransnotonIythc
Irst thcorctcan oI thc 'Iorcc-rcsstancc' rcIaton oI acton, whch
corrcspondsto Pcrcc'ssccondncss,butthcnvcntoroIthcconccptoI
purcaIIccton whch corrcsponds u hrstncss.
l Hcrcwcmghtmakcanothcrcomparson.PhcnomcnoIogy,prmarIy
wthMaxbchcIcr,hasproduccdthcnotonoIametcrie/eude]]cctivce
rii.hcnMkcIOuIrmncgavcthsnotonadctaIcdcxtcnsonand
statusnascrcsoIboks(|buue/egicdcl'cxricucccstbtiqacll. Le
uetieud'H-rieri,L'iuvcuteircdcsH-rii,bypsngthcprobIcmoIthc
rcIatonoIthcsce-riiswthhstoryandwththcworkoIart:nwhat
scnscarcthcrcacsthctca-prors, n what scnscarcthcyncvcrthcIcss
crcatcd,IkcapartcuIarnuanccoIoIournapantcrPhcnomcnoIogy
andPcrcchavcnotyctbccnpropcrIycomparcd.ltncvcrthcIcsssccms
tousthatPcrcc'srstncssandOuIrcnnc'smatcraIoraIIcctvcH-rieri
concdcn many rcspccts.
l 7 crgman, nCebinda ciume, Octobcr, l 5.
l U Ocns Maron,|ugmer Bcrgmeu p. J 7.
l Kaha,Lcttrcs4 Mi/cue,p. 2.
2 LI.KaIka'sprcssngsuggcstons nhsLcttrcs4 I/icc, I,p. 2.
2 l AnunpubIshcdtcxtbyMchcILouthaI,Lc|isegc,anaIyscsthcnoton
oIcntty,andaIIthcaspcctsoIthcIaccwhchdcrvcIromt,prmarIyas
a mncton oIthc OId cstamcnt (cIIaccmcnt and turnngasdc, thc
cIoscdandthcopcn),butaIso wthrcIcrcncctoart,Itcraturc,pantng
and thc cncma.
/ 1hr 1[[rtlt60-tm1gr @1tltr, ]6Lrr,
10)-]1tr-Lh1lr1rr
I . aIzs, L'Lsrit daciume,p. l J l .
2 M. Ianchot, L'Lsecc/ittreirc, l 55 Q. l l .
ZJZ
Ntrs t. l 0Jll1
J Kogcr Lccnhardt,quotcdby Lhcrmncr, LHrtda ciume,p. l 71.
1
'Hy', thcLrcck wordIor'mattcr'or 'contcnt' .
5 OnthsaspctoIthccosoupncrgman,c.LaudcKouct,'Lncpurc
tragquc',Ciumetegrebc,no. 21,cbruary l 77.

Pcrcc,Ltritssarlcsiguc,p.1J. 'hcrcarcccrtanscnsbcquatcskc
thc vauc oImagcnta, thc smc oI csscncc oI rosc, thc sound oI a
ocomotvcwhstc,thctastcoIqunnc,thcquatyoIcmotonIctn
contcmpatngabcautIumathcmatcaprooI,thcquatyoIthcIccIng
oIovc,ctc . . . . ldonotmnthcmprcssonoIhavngthccxpcrcnccoI
thcscIccngsatthcprcscntmomcnt,whcthcrdrcctyornthcmcmory
orthcmagnaton,thatstosaysomcthngwhchmpcsthcscquatcs
asoncoItsccmcnts. ut ldomcanthcquatcsthcmscvcswhch,n
thmscvcarcpurccrbes not ncccssary rcascd. '
7 O a thcsc ponts, Iramng, cuttng and montagc n Orcycr, c.
PhppcParran,Drcycr,cedrcsctcmcuts,Ltadcsciumetegrebiqacs,
andCebicrsdaciume,no. 5,l 5.'KcIcxonssurmonmctcr',whcrc
Orcycr dmands thc 'supprcsson' oI thc notons oI Iorcground,
mcdumshotandbackground[ rcmicr/eu,/meycuanderrirc/eu[.
U LI. thc artccs by)can bcmouand Mchc lstvcnJceuucd'Hrc4
l'ttreu, Ltadcsciumetegrebiqacs.
rcsson,NetcseuCiucmetegreby(trans.)onathanLrIIn,l 77),p.1,
`ONlKA(MLNAION.hssndspcnsabcI oncdocsnotwanttoIa
ntoKLFKL5LNAlON. o sccbngsandthngsnthcr scparatcparts.
osoatcthcscparts.Kcndcrthcmndcpcndcntnordcrtogvcthcma
ncwdcpcndcncc. '
l hssoncoIthccsscntaIthcscsoIontzcr'sbook,LCbemrcaglc,
as soon as thc ovcr-smpc dstnctons arc transccndcd, and shots
bcomc'ambguous'orcvcn'contmdctory'(whchsardycmncnty
thc sc n Orcycr),thc cncma conqucrs a ncw systcm, notonyoI
pcrccpton,butoIcmoton.
l l M.-5chchayc,Jeame/d'aucscbizebruc,pp. J-5.
l 2 aIzs, LcCiume,p. l 7 (and L'Lsrit daciume,p. 25).
l J ouvcrandLcutrathavcanaysmthcscdIIcrcntproccdurcsuscdby
Mumau n Nes]creta, pp. 5 U, l J5-7, l 1, l 5l . On thc roc oI
shadowsncxprcssonsm,c. Lottclsncr,TbcHeuuttdrrttu,Lhap.
Vlll (shcanayscs hemiugSbedms npartcuar).
l 1 hcrdcrsrcIcrrcdnthsrcgardtothcartccon)acqucsourncur
nthc dctonary LcsC/essiqacsdaciume]eutestiqacby]. -Mbabatcr.
hs 'atcrnatvc' tcndcncy oI thc horror cncma, as opposcd to thc
Lothctcndcncy,snotndcpcndcntoIthcproduccrLcwtonandoIthc
KKO (c. babatcr).
l 5 lnhsartcc nHrts, J Occcmbcr l 5, LousMacnsstcdonthc
scnsua ccmcntsoIrcsson'swork,notabyn|ickeckct.Lonvcrscy,
btcmbcrgcoudbcgvcnasprtua ntcrprctaton,notabyntcrmsoI
SbeugbeiLxrcss (c. thcgrcatsccncoIthc praycr).
l Onatcmatons,andonthcsprtuaatcrnatvc,wcIndmanyccmcnts
oIthcanayssnPhppc ParrannrcatontoOrcycr(e.cit. ),andn
MchcI lstvc n rcaton to rcsson (Kebcrt Brcss).
Netrste. l l 0-l?? ZJ J
l 7
lnthcscmndhaIIoIthcntnctccnthcmturyphtIosophynotonIystrovc
torcncwttscontcnt,buttocongucrncwmcansandIomsoIcxprcsston,
tnvcrydtIIcrmtthtnkcrs,whosconIycommonIcaturctsthatthcyIccI
thmscIvcstobcthc Irstrcprcscntattvcs oIaphtIosophyoIthc Iuturc.
htstscIrIytrucoIKtcrkcgaard.(lnlranccthtsscarchIorncwIoms
appcarcd around Kcnouvtcr and Lcgutcr, tn un}ustIy Iorgottcn
group, oncoIwhoscprtnctpaI thmcststhctdoIchotcc.)Kcmatntng
wtthKtcrkcgaard,oncoIhtsparttcuIarmcthodststotntroducctntohts
mmttatton somcthtng that thc rcadcr has dtItcuIty tn tdcnttIytng
IomaIIy. ts thtsan cxampIc,oraIragmcntoIantnttmatc ournaI, ora
taIc, an anccdotc, a mcIodrama, ctc. lorcxampIc, tn1ht Lrtpt a[
Lted(trans.WaItcrLaurtc(l ++) ,tttsthcstoryoIthcburgcotswho
takcs hts brkIast and rds hts ncwspapcr wtth hts IamtIy and
suddcnIyrushcstothcwtndow shouttng, 'l musthavcthcpsstbIc,or
cIsc l wtII suIIocatc. ' ln 5tet: L[t: hey (trans. WaItcr Laurtc
( l +) ,tttsthcstoryoIthcaccountantwhogocsmadIoronchoura
day,andsccksaIawwhtchcouIdcapttaItscandhxrcscmbIancc.oncday
hcwastnabrothcI,butrctatnsnomcmoryoIwhathappnmthcrc,ttts
'thc psstbtItty whtch makcs htm mad. . .'. ln It d 1rtmb|ny
(trans.WaItcrLaurtc( l U) ,tttsthctaIc,'Agncsandthctrtton'asan
antmatcddrawtng,oIwhtchKtcrkcgaardgtvcsscvcraIvcrstons.crc
arc many othcr cxampIcs. but thc modcrn rdcr has pcrhaps thc
whcrcwtthaItocIasstIythcscbtzarrcpssagcs: tncachcasctttsaIrcadya
ktndoIscrtpt,avcrttabIcsynopsts,whtchthusapparsIorthchrstttmc
tnphtIosophyand thcoIogy.
l U
LIItcr,5vtnr:rr,pp. 2 l l l U (andp.2 l 7.'aItcnattonbycoIour').
l ln thc rcport on MtnncIIt tn thc La::tr: du rnme, rtstan Kcnaud
constantIy tnvokcs a phcnomcnon oI absorptton. hc uncxpcctcd
shockoItwoworIds,thctrstruggIcandthctrtumph, orthcabsorptton
oIthconcby thcothcr. . . .' WcrcIcr to]canLouchct'sarttcIcswhtch
anaIyscthcthcmcoIdcstructtonandoIdcvourtngtnMtnncIIt.b]trt[,
+, lcbruary l + and Lehn: du rnme, no. l >, ]anuary l +.
'ptsonous orcarntvcrous howcrs. . . . '
2 bonttzcr,ap.rt. ,p. UU(bonttzcrsctsupacompartsonwtthbcrgman).
2 l Lnnco-rcaItstspacc,c. twotmprtantarttcIcsbybyIvtc rosaandby
MtchcI LcvtIIcrs, tn Lnmetarepht, nos. +2 and +J,Lcccmbcr l 7U
and]anuary l 7.
22 ]canNarbont,'La',bcrgcLancy,'LcpIanstraubtcn', Lehn: du rnme,
no. 275, AprtI l 77and no. J5, Novcmbcr l 7.
2J
LI. an anaIysts oIspacc wtthout rcIcrcncc potnts orco-ordtnatcs tn
LassavctcsbyPhtIItpcdcLara,Lnmetarepht, no. JU,May l 7U.ln
gmcraI, tt has bccn thc contrtbutors to thts rcvtcw who havc takcn
IurthcstthcdtscovcryandthcanaIystsoIthcscdtsconncctcdspaccs,to
thc non-conncctcd and non-ortcntatcd parts. Ior KosscIItnt, Ior
Lassavctcs,butaIsoIorLumct(LomtntgucKtntcrt,no.7+),Iorbchmtd
(Nadtncasso,no.+J).hcLehtr:durnmehavcchoscntnprcIcrcncc
thcothcr pIc, thcanaIysts oIcmpttm spaccs.
2+ btmcy (ap. rt. ) dcscrtbcs andcommcnts onthts hIm,as'thcstructuraI
ZJ1 Netrste. l ?-lJl
ItIm'.'thtstntutttonoIspccand,tmpItcttIy,oI thcctnmaasptcnttaItty,
sanaxtomoIstructuraIhIm.hcroomtsaIwaysthcpIaccoIthcpurc
psstbIc' (p. J1Z).
r6m 1[[rtl l6 1tlt60 1hr tm]1r tm1gr
PasoItnt's |ig|cu,Ior cxampIc, scparatcs thc ortgtnary canntbaItsttc
worId,andthcdcrtvmmtItcuoIthcptg-stytntwocIcarIydcItncdparts:
suchaworktsnotnaturaItsttc(andPasoItnthatcdnaturaItsm,oIwhtch
hchadavcryduIIconccptton).Lnthcothcrhand,tnthchcIdoIctncma,
as cIscwhcrc, thcortgtnaryworIdmayconstttutcbyttscIIthcdcrtvcd
mtItcu whtch tsassumcdtobc rI. thts tsthccascoIprchtstortchIms,
Itkc Annaud's Le Gacrrc da]ca, and many horroror sctcncc-Itctton
ItIms. 5uch hIms arcpart oInaturaItsm. ln Ittcraturc, tt was thc cIdcr
Kosny, authoroILeGacncda]n, who opcnm naturaI:sm up tn thc
ducI dtrcctton oIprchtstortc novcI and sctcncc-Ictton novcI.
Z rtch von 5trohctm, |ete-|ete, p. l JZ. Wc know that 5trohctm
pubItshcd thrcc ctnc-novcIs, pIus scrtpts and works othcrthannovcIs
propcrIyspaktng,tocompcnsatctosomcsmaIIcxtcntIorthcposttton
tn whtch hc had bccnpIaccd, whcrc tt was tmpsstbIc to makc IIms.
|ete-|ete,|erkeandLcs lnxdcSeiut-Jceu.|ete-|etesostobcthc
autonomous dcvcIopmcnt oIwhat was to havcbccnthcQaccu Kcl/y
scrtcs,thcAIrtcanscrtcsthat5trohctmhadbcgun (tttsthc'cIcvcnthrccI'
oIQccu Kc//y).
J WcrcIcr to thcanaIystsoIthcsctwoItImsbyMaurtccLrouzy,Leais
Bm l, rcbitcctcda rvc.
+ LbItvton IrcgucntIy crops up tn buucI. Lnc oI thc most strtktng
cxampIcs ts thc cnd oISaseue whcrc, Ior aII thc charactcrs, tt ts as tI
nothtnghadhappnm.husobItvtonrctnIorccsthctmprcsstonoIdrm
orhaIIuctnatton. but ttsccms to ustohavc amorctmportantIunctton,
thatoImarktngthccndoIacycIc,aItcrwhtchttcanbcgtnagatn(thanks
to thc obItvton). 5abattcr aIso cmphastscd, tn crcncc ltshcr, thc
cxtstcncc oI IaIsc happy cndtngs, tn whtch aII thc dcccnt charactcrs
IorgctaIIthchorrorsthrough whtchthcyhavcpasscd(LcsC/essqacsda
ciume]eutestiqac, p. l 11).
5 McrcagatnacontrastwtthPasoItnttsposstbIc.lorthcItImTbcercmaIso
shows a IamtIymtItcu IttcraIIycxhaustcdbythcarrtvaIoIancxtcmaI
charactcr. but, tn PasoItnt, tt ts prtmartIy a cascoIan 'cxhaustton' oI
Iogtc,IorcxampIc, tnthcscnscthatadcmonstrattoncxhauststhcsctoI
psstbIccascsoIaItgurc.htststndccdPasoItnt'sortgtnaItty,whcncc
thctttIcTbcmcmandthcroIcoIthccxtcrnaIcharactcrassupmaturaI
agcntor sptrttuaI dcmonstrator. O thcothcrhand,tnbuucI,and tn
naturaItsm,thccxtcrnaIcharactcrtsthcrcprcscntattvcoIthctmpuIscs,
whoprocstothcphystcaIcxhausttonoIthcmtItcuundcrconstdcmtton
(hcnccSasem).
Lrouz

,e.cit. ,pp. 7+-5.

7 Ahcr ccuKchy,5trohctmmadconcmorchIm,htsonIytaIktc,whtch
Netrste. I J2-I J/ ZJ J
wzstohzvcbccnczIIcdhe/kiugdmuBreeduey,butwhtchwzschzngcd
bcyondrccogntttonzndzppczrcdundcrthctttIcHc//eSistcr,zndundcr
znothcrdtrcctor'snzmc. Lstng cyc-wttncss zccounts znddocumcnts,
MtchcILtmcnthzsznzIyscdtndctztIthcsccncszttrtbutmtobtrohctm
(LcsCeuqacreutsd'auumvceameudc,pp.7U-+).butthccptsodcswhtch
zrc gcnutncIy zttrtbutzbIc, znd btrohctm's synopsts ttscII, sccm to
rcmztn on thc Itncs oI hts czrItcr work. hc cIcmcnts oIz posstbIc
cvoIutton pcrhzps zppczr morc tn Heucymeeu, thc scgucI oI Tbc
hcddiugMercb,whtchwzs tzkcnzwzyIrombtrohctm.Mcrcthcrcwzs
to hzvcbccnzsptrttuzIconvcrstonoIthchcrotnc,whtchundoubtcdIy
opcncd up ncw hortzons Ior btrohctm. Lthcr cIcmcnts oIcvoIutton
zppczrtnthcctnc-novcIs,whcthcrtnthcAIrtcznworIdoI|ete-|ete,znd
thcwzytnwhtchthctwoIovcrszrcszvcdbyIovc,ortnthcgtpsyworId
oI|erike,zndthcIovcrs' dczthtn thc hcId oIIIowcrs.
U MtchcI butor znzIyscs znd compzrcs thc thcmc oI rcpctttton tn
KtcrkcgzzrdzndKousscI.Ktcrteirc|.
9 MzurtccLrouzyznzIyscsthcshotsoITbcMi/kyhey,tnwhtchLhrtst
zppczrszndrztscsthcqucsttonoIthcwzytnwhtchbuucIconcctvcdoI
z posstbIcItbcrztton (Le |eic /ecttc,pp. l 7+ II.
l Ptcrrc Lomcync, Dessicrs da ciume. 'ln onc oIhts most chcrtshcd
pro|ccts, Ceiu eud Hbc/, luIIcr wznts to cnumcrztc thc btrth oI thc
cmottons(thchrstItc,thcIrstzttzckoI|czIousy,ctc.),zndhczddmthc
nzturzI compIcmcnt, thc btrth oI cvtI. hts procct, Itkc most oIhts
ItIms, rcvczIs thcprtmtttvcrootsoIluIIcr'swork,zItIm-mzkcroIthc
tnsttnct, oIthc rcturn to nzturzI znd cIcmcntzI tmpuIscs, oIphystczI
vtoIcncc.'
l l LhrtsttznVtvtznt,'LzgzrccouIcctcptIc',|esiti],no.l J,Novcmbr
l 7+. hts szmc tssuc contztns zn zrttcIc by MtchcI Mcnry ('Lc bIc,
I'zctcr ct Iz dynzmttc'), whtch znzIyscs thts pcrtod oIVtdor's work,
l +75J: hc shows how Vtdor's 'Izck oImodcrztton' thcn chzngcs
dtrcctton,byzbzndontngthcthcmcsoIthccoIIccttvttyzndrcgcncrztton
ccntrzI to thc zctton-tmzgc oIAmcrtczn rczItsm. And thcoppsttton
dczrto Vtdorbctwccnthcceautrygir/zndthccitygir/tzkcsonzncw
zspct, thcItrst bccomtng z vtoIcntzndvorzctouswomzn,thcsccond
wczk znd cxhzustcd.
l 2 LI.lrznots ruchzud,Nicbe/esKey.htsbooktszmodcIznzIystsoIz
dtrcctor's cvoIutton. ruchzud dtsttngutshcs thrcc pcrtods whtch hc
dcIncstnrcIzttontovtoIcncc,zndzszIuncttonoIthcconccptoI'chotcc'
whtch czch prcscnts. ( l ) tn thc Itrst IIms, youthIuI vtoIcncc znd thc
contrzdtctory chotcc whtch tt tmpItcs, (2) tn z sccond pcrtod, whtch
bcgzn zs czrIy zs]ebmyGaiter, tnsttnctuzI, tntcrnzI vtoIcnccznd thc
zItcmzttvcbctwccnzchotccIorcvtIzndzncIIorttocxcccdvtoIcncc,(J)
ItnzIIy,thcvtoIcnccovcrcomctnhtsIzsthIms,zndthcchotccoIIovcznd
zcccptzncc. ruchzudoItcnpotntsoutzntnsptrzttonwhtchtscIoscto
thztoIKtmbzud tn Kzy, who wzntcdtodcvotczItIqtohtm.zccrtztn
rcIzttonshtp bctwccnbczuty znd 'uphczvzI'.
l J lrzncts bzcon, L'ert dc l'imessib/c, pp. J2, ]czn Lcnct,Jmme/da
ve/mr, pp. l +II.
ZJ
Netrs te. lJ8-l18
I 1 bpcakngaboutTbcScrveut,LoscydccIarcd.'lormcthchImsonIya
IImabutscrvIty,thcscrvItyoIoursoccty,scrvItyoIthcmastcr,
scrvItyoIthcscrvantandscrvItynthcatttudcoIaIIsortsoIpcopIc
n dIIcrcnt cIasscs and postons [. . . .] lt sa soccty oIIr,andthc
rctonnthcIaccoIIcar snthcma}ortyoIcascsnotrcsstanccand
combat,butscrvIty,andscrvItysastatcoImnd'(|rtscuccdaciume,
no. Z0, March I 1).LI. aIso MchcI Lmcnt, LcLivcdcLescy,pp.
Z7 J II. ;and onDGieuui,p

. 108II.
l J
hs s aIsothcthmcoI oncoIArthur MIIcr'sbtnovcIs,Fm.an
avcragc Amcrcan, bcIcvcd wrongIy to b]cwsh, pcrsccutm by thc
KKK,dcscrtcdbyhs wIcandIrcnds,bcgnsbyprotcstngandtryng
toprovcthathcsapurcAryan.hcnhcgraduaIIyrccognscsthatthcsc
pcrsccutonswouIdbcnoIcssodousIhcwcrcrcaIIya]cw,andhccnds
up by voIuntarIy dcntIyng hmscII wth thc]cw whch hc s not.
Loscy's IIm sccms vcry cIosc n sprtto MIIcr's novcI.
I _otcd by Pcrrc Ksscnt, Lescy, pp. I ZZ-J.
1hr 1tlt60-tm1gr 1hr 1rgr [6rm
NocI burch puts Iorward ths tcrm to charactcrsc thc structurc oI
Lang's M. 'Lc travaI dc lrtz Lang', nCiume, tbtmic,/cctarcs.
Z Pcrcc wrtcs 'snsgn' nordcr to cmphasscthc ndvduaIty oIthc
statcoIthngs. but thc ndvduaIty oIthc statcoIthngs,andoIthc
agcnt,mustnotbcconIuscdwththcsnguIartywhchaIrcadybcIongs
to purc pwcrs and guaItcs. hs s why wcprcIcrthcprchx 'syn'
whch ndcatcs, n Inc wth Pcrcc's anaIyss, that thcrcarc aIways
scvcraIguaItcsorpowcrsactuaIsmnastatcoIthngs.WcthcrcIorc
wrtc 'synsgn'.
J LI. A.]. oynbcc,H Stady e] Histery ( I Z).
1 gIsh nthcorgnaI.
J Accordngto]. Mtry(lerd) lordsmuchmorctragcthancpc,and
tcnds toconstructacIoscdspacc,wthoutrcaItmcormovcmmt. ts
Ikcan 'dcaoImovcmcnt'suggcstcdby statcandsIowmagcs.Mcnr
AgcI takcs up ths pont oI vcw agan, n conIormty wtth hs
'cIoscdopcn', 'cxpandcdcontractcd' aItcrnatvc (L7secc ciumete-
grebiqac, pp. J0 I , I J 1I ).
LI. bcrnard Lon, nLc hcstcru.hc (pastoraI)cpcsdcIncdbythc
cguvaIcnccoIthcsouI and thcworId,oIthchcroandthcmIcu;cvcn
thclndansarconIycvIpowcrs,butoncswhodonotcaIIntogucston
thccosmosandtsordcranymorcthandoa dsastcr, aItrcora hood,
andthcworkoIthchcrodocsnotmodIythcmIcu,butrc-cstabIshcs
t,rathcras onc has to rcmakca road.
7 ]. Mtry, Cebicrsda ciume, nos. I -Z I , ]anuary-March I JJ.
8 AscrupuIousanaIyssoITueKedcTegctbcrcanbIoundn]canKoy,
|mrJebuld.Mcmphasscsthc'spraI'charactcroI thchIm,andshows
that ths Iorm oI thc spraI scommon nlord (p. I Z0). 5 aIso hs
cxccIIcnt anaIyss oIhegestcr,pp. J.
Notrs to . l1-l 8 ZJ 7
)ackLondon,LcCeberctdc/edcmirtcbeuccl - l U,pp.2UJII.And)ohn
ord's'IbcIcvcnthcAmcrcanOrm'(AndrcwbncIar@ ]ebulerd,
p. l 2+).
l . Nctzschc, Uutimc/y Mcditetieus (trans. K.). HoIIngdaIc ( l UJ) ,
'OnthcLscsandOsadvantagcsoIHstoryIorLIc',2andJ.hstcxt,
onhstorynLcrmanynthcnnctccnthccntury,sccmstousstIIvaId
today,andappIcs npartcuIarto awhoIccatcgoryoIhstorcaIhIms,
Irom thcltaIanantquty-IImto thcAmcrcan cncma.
I l On thc pIan Ior a 'trptych oI thc struggIc oI man Ior watcr'
(amburanc-tsarsm-koIhozcs), c. lscnstcn, Le u-iudi]]rcutc
Netarc, l, p. J25.
l 2 lscnstcn, li/m lerm, p. 2J5. 'NaturaIIy, thc montagc conccpt oI
LrIIth,as a prmarIy paraIIcI montagc,apprs to bc a copy oIhs
duaIstcpcturcoIthcworId,runnngntwoparaIIcIIncsoIpoorand
rchtowardssomchypothctcaIrcconcIaton'[. . . . jhus,twasto
bccxpcctcdthatourconccptoImontagchadtobbrnIromancntrcIy
dIIcrcntmagc'oIanundcrstandngoIphcnomcnawhchwasopcnm
tousbyaworIdvcwbothmonstcanddaIcctc. 'hsscquaIIyvaId
IorthcpIanIoraunvcrsaIhstory.lscnstcn'strptychmustbcbascd
onadaIcctcoIsocaIIormatons,that lscnstcncomparcstoathrcc-
stagc rockct. As thc thrcc stagcs had to bc dcsptc Iormaton -
captaIsm- socaIsmtsundcrstandabIcthatthcprojcctwasstoppcd
(btaIn dctcstng aII hstorcaIrcIcrcnccto dcspotc Iormatons).
l J WcwouId nccdto askthcsamcqucstonIorcachgrcatcurrcntoIthc
hstorcaI cncma - what s thc mpIct conccpton oIhstory hc
anaIyss oIthc cncma-hstory rcIatonshp s aIrdy vcry advanccd,
thankstothcworkoIMarccrro(Ciume ctHisteirc)andtothcstudcs
oI Cebicrs da ciume (nos. 25+, 257, 277, 27U, notabIy)can-Lous
LomoII's artcIcs). ut thcprobIcmrascd s morc IundamcntaIthan
that whch wc havc ndcatcd hcrc, and conccms thc rcIatonshp
bctwccn hstorI uttcranccs and statcmcnts on thc onc hand, and
cncmatographc uttcranccs and magcs on thc othcr. Our qucston
wouId onIy bc apartoIthsIattcrprobIcm.
l + azn, Q'cst-ccqaclc ciume,p. 5.
l 5 M. McrIcau-Ponty, Scusc eud ueu-Scusc, trans. Hubcrt and Patrca
Orcyms ( l 0+), 'Lncmaand thcncw psychoIogy' .
l 0 CL,Lhap. ll.
l 7 On aII thcsc ponts rcIatng to Kazn (both acsthctc probIcms oI
structurng and pcrsonaI probIcms oI dcIaton whch rct on thc
ocuvrc),wcrcIcrtoKogcraIcur'sanaIyss,Keziu.Wchavcsccnhow
thc Amcrcan cncma, and notabIy thc hstorcaI IIm, gavc grt
promncncc to thc thcmc oIthc trator. ut aItcr thc war, and wth
McLarthysm,ttookonancvcngrcatcrmprtancc.WchndnuIIcr
anorgnaItrcatmcntoIthsthcmcoIthctrator.c.)acqucsLourccIcs.
'hmcdutratrcctduhcros',|rccuccdaciume,no.2,Marchl 0+.
l U OnthcdcvcIopmcntoIabhavourstpsychoIogywhchtakcsntcrnaI
bhavouraIIactorsncrsngIyntoaccount,cI.Iqun,LBchmrism.
l Onthcnncr,thccontactandthcaIIcctvcmcmoryc.L. btansIavsky,
ZJB Notrs to. I !-I /I
Tbc Hcter |rcercs, trans. l.K. Hapgood ( ! 7), Lccbtrasbcrg, Lc
trevei/4 /`HctersStadie, LaIImard, pp. - ! 1. On thcActorsbtudo
and ts succcssors,Odcttc Asan, L'HctcareaXX'siclc, pp. 25UII.
2 aIIcur,e. cit., p. 1.
2 ! MchcILmcnr, bythcqucstonsthathcputstoKazan,brngsoutths
typc oI magc that tcnds to rcpIacc thc cIosc-up. Kezeu er Kezeu,
pp. 71II.
1hr dtlt00-tmdgr 1hr mdh [0rm
hc rcnch word 'c//isc' has two scnscs, onc corrcspondng to thc
rhctorcaI 'cIIpss',thc othcr to thcgcomctrcaI Igurc ('ancIIpsc'). ln
thschaptcr, OcIcuzcpIayson both scnscs oIthcword.
2 LharIcs LhapIn,MyHatebiegreby ( ! 1) (sccaIsothccoIIcctonon
|ab/icUiuieunCiumetegrebc,no.1, )anuary! U ! , partcuIarIythc
artcIcby)cancdcsco,acontcmporaryoIthcIIm,andthcanaIyssby
)acqucs csch).
J Lubtsch had a proIcssonaI knowIcdgc oI cIoths and oI 'taIorng'
whchwasasgrcatasbtcmbcrg'snrcIatontoIaccsandhabcrdashcry.
Lottc lsncr,dcsptc hcr scvcrtytowards Lubtsch's costumcIIms,
rccognscdthathcntroduccsancwcImcntntolxprcssonsmandts
IovcoIdcpths.thcpIayoIIghtonIabrcs,onthcsurIaccoIthcmagc.
hswouIdIatcraIsobconcoIMurnau'sdazzIngsucccsscsnTerta]]c,
cI. Tbc HeautcdScrccu.
1 Onthctwoprcvouspnts,cI.MmcIOvIIcrs'artcIcnC iumetegrebc,
no. J, March ! 7U. 'Quatrctudcs surHowardHawks'.
5 |esiti],no. ! 5, )uIy! 77. onthcthcmcoI thc outsdcandthcnsdcn
Hawks, wc rcIcr to thc artcIcs by lyqucm, Lcgrand, Masson and
Lmcnt,andtothconcbyourgctwhchntroduccsmanynuanccsnto
ths samc thmc. ln Ciumetegrebc, lmmanucI Occaux and)acqucs
cschIaygrcatcmphassonthcgcncraImcchansmsoIthcrcvcrsaIsn
Hawks.
)acqucs Kvcttc. 'LncdcHowardHawks',Cebicrsdaciume,no.2J,
May ! 5J.
7 OnthcvcgctabIcandthcmncraInrcIatontoTbcMeue]tbchcst,cI.
Jceu-LacGederderJceu-LacGederd, pp. ! -2.
U cnayoun, |cckiueb, Oosscrs du ctnma.
PhIppcOcmonsabIon, 'LcpIus courtchcmn',Cebicrsdaciume,no.
1U,)unc ! 55,pp. 52-J. lnthsshortscmnaItcxt,thcauthoranaIyscs
Mann'sTbclrCeautry.oraIuIIcranaIyssoIMannandOavcsnths
rcspcct,onccanrcIcrtothctcxtsbyLIaudc-)canPhIppcandLhrstan
Lcdcu,Ltadcsciumetegrebiqacs, lc hcstcru.
! A. azn andl. Kohmcr, Cber/icCbe/iu,pp. 2U-J2.
! ! MrcIIcLatI IcOanto,'LhapIn,oucpdsd'unmythc',Ciumetegrebt,
no. J5,cbruary ! 7U. 'Vcrdouxthcmpostormovcsthcrchwoman
by Iamcntng thc InaI IIncss oIhs wIc, whIc hc contcmpIatc thc
gardcnIuIIoIroscs,IromwhchshortIybcIorcsmokchadbccnrsng,
Notrs to. I ZZ-I 88 2J
thctrzccoIhscrmc. butthsconugzIIctonrcczIIs n znzbomnzbIc
wzythcrcaItyoIhsIovcIorhstrucwIczndthcIIowcryscttngoIhs
housc.'
l 2 LI. thc hnzI spccch oITbc GrcetDictet, pzrtoIwhch sprntcd n
bzznzndKohmcr,e.cit.
l J bcnzyoun,LcKcgerddc BastcrKceteu.
l + Ltcd by Lzvd Kobnson, 'bustcr Kczton',L Kcvacda ciume, no.
2J+, Lcccmbcr l ,onStcrbeet Bi//Jaui,sccp. 7+.
l 5 WcrcIcr to LzvdKobnson'sznzIyscs (sccnotc l +),whchzrcoItcn
compIcdshotby shot.not [ust IorTbcTbrccHgcszndSbcr/eckJauier,
butzIsoIorthcgrcztsccncoIthcrzpdszndwztcrIzIIsnUarHesite/ity
(pp. +-U). Lkcwsc n rcIzton to thc hxcd postonoIthcchzrzctcr
zgznstzchzngcoIsccncryzndthcgcomctrczIprobIcmsthsrzsm(n
thczbscncc oIthctrznspzrcncy proccdurc),sccp. 5J.
l Kobnson, ap.rtt. .'Ayoung,rchcoupIc,whohzvcncvcrIczrncdtogct
byonthcrown,gozdrItonzdcscrtcdIncr.hcordnzrydIIcuItcs
oI cxstcncc zrc ncrczscd by thc Izct thzt zII thc shp's IzcItcs zrc
gczrcd not to ndvduzIs, butto thousznds [. . .j hcyhzvctocopc
wthhouschoId cqupmcnt gcncrzIIyuscdbyhundrcdsoIpcopIc' (pp.
5+).
tgrr, 0 lhr lr10[6rm1lt60 6[ [6rm
I MkhzI Komm nCebicrsdaciume, no. 2 l , AprI l 7.
2 Pudovkn, ctm by Lcorgc bzdouI, Histeirc gune/c da ciume, Vl,
p. +U7.
J scnstcn's vcrydctzIcdcommcntzrycznbcIoundnthcchzptcr'Lz
ccntrIugcuscctIcLrzzI',Leueu-iudi]]rcutcNetarc, l.
+ l. Kznt, Critiqac e] Jadgmcut, pzrz 5. (hs s whzt Kznt czIIs
'symboI'.)
5 P. lontzncr,Lcsligarcsda discears ( l U).
LI.M.-L.PotrcI-Lorgct,'LzIcctqucdusurhommcctdusous-hommc
dzns qucIqucs hIms d'Mcrzog',Kcvcdaciume, no. J+2.
7 lnz vcry Inc book, hcmcrHcrg,lmznucI LzrrcrchzsznzIyscd
thszbscnccoIIzndscapcnheyzcck,ustzshcznzIysmthccxstcnccoI
thcgrczt vsons nthcothcrczsc.
U McrzogputsIorwzrdthsdcazsscII-cvdcntnzcrcumIocutonztthc
cndoIhswzIkcr'sdzry,SarlcCbmiudcsg/eccs,Mzchcttc,p.l l +.'. . .
znd, sncc shc kncw l wzs onc oI thosc who wzIk, znd Ivng,
dcIcnccIcss,shcundcrstood mc.'
LmrgcsLznguIhcm,LeCueisseuccdc/evic,'LcvvzntctsonmIcu'.
l Ln thcsctwoconccptons,c. AIbcrt Lzutmzn,Lsseisar/csuetieusdc
stmctarc ct d'cxistcucc cu mtbmetiqacs, l, Lhzps l znd ll. Lzutmzn
mzkcs two PIztonc dscorrcspond to thcm.
l l Mcnr MzIdncy,Kcgerd, ere/c, csecc,pp. l 7h. zndlrzncsLhcng,
|idcct/ciu,/c/rgegcictare/cbiueis(Iromwhchwcbrrowthctwo
IoIIowng quotztons IromLhncscpzntcrs).
Z1O
Netrs te. l 88-l 8
l 2 LI. tnparttcuIar,Leueu-iudi]]rcutcNetarc, II,pp.7l -l 7. Mowcvcr,
tscnstctn ts tntcrcstcd Icss tn dtIIcrcnt spaccsthan tnthc Ionn oIthc
'roIItngptcturcs' ,whtchhccomparcstoapanshot.buthcnotcsthatthc
ItrstroIItngptcturcsconstttutcaItncarspacc,andcvoIvctnthcdtrcctton
oIatonaIorgantsattonoIsurIaccs,antmatcdbyabrcath.hcrctscvcna
IonnwhcrctttsnoIongcrthcsurIaccwhtchtsroIIcdup,butthctmagc
whtchtsroIIcdontothcsurIacctnsuchawayastoconstttutcawhoIc.
huswcrcdtscovcrthctwospaccs.Andtscnstctnprcscntsthcctncma
as thc synthcsts oIthctwo Iorms.
l J AktraMtzubayasht,'Autourdubatn',Critiqac,no.+l U, )anuaryl UJ,
p. 5.
l + Kurosawa,'ntrcttcnavobhtmtzu',LtadcsciumetegrebiqacsKareseue,
p. 7.
l 5 LutgtMartcIIt,p. l l 2. 'AIIthccptsodcsarcpIaccdtnvtcwoIthcmatn
charactcr[. . . ][Kurosawa]hassoughttogtvcprtorttytocamcraangIcs
whtchcontrtbutctoIIattcntngthctmagc,andtnthcabscnccoIdcpthoI
ItcId, to tnductng an tmprcsston oI transvcrsaI movcmcnt. hcsc
tcchntcaI proccsscs pIay a IundamcntaIIy tmprtant roIc to thccxtcnt
that thcy tcnd to rcprcscnt a crtttcaI udgcmcnt,thatoIthchcro who
IoIIows htstory through cycs wtth whtch wc tdcnttIy. '
l LI. MtchcIstcvc,pp.52JandAIatn)ourdat(Ciumetegrebc,no.7,
May l Ul ), who anaIyscsomc oIthcgrcatsccncs oITbc|diettnthts
conncxton.thcsnow,thcskatcrs' camtvaI, thccycs andthctcc,whcrc
thconctrtsmdocsnotaItcrnatcwtth,buttscxtractcdIrom,thcrcaItsmoI
thcsttuatton.
l 7 LntntcnsttyandttsproIongattontothcbrtnkoIthcvotdtnMtzogucht,
c. McIcncbokanowskt, 'L'cspaccdc Mtzogucht',Ciumetegrebc,no.
+l , Novcmbcr l +U.
l U LI. thcanaIystsoIthtsscgucnccbyLodard,]ceu-LacGmerder]ceu-
LacGedrd, pp. l l J-l +.
l 7 NocIburch(|earauUbscrvetcar/eiuteiu,pp.22J5)anaIyscsaIIthcsc
aspccts, and shows how thc roIItng-shot tntcgratcs thcm aII. burch
cmphastscs thcspcctItcttyoIthts typc oIscgucncc-shot. And,tndccd,
thcrc arc many ktnds oI trrcductbIc scgucncc-shots tn dtIIcrcnt
dtrcctors. In hts vcry rtgorous chotcc oI ItIms by Mtzogucht, burch
constdcrsthataItcrthcwar,around l +U,htsworkstartsudccItncand
rcturns to a 'cIasstcaI codc', anda 'scgucncc-shot8 Ia WyIcr' (p. 2+).
Mowcvcr,ttsccmstousthatMtzogucht'sscgucncc-shotdocsnotcsc
tohavcthcspccthc mncttonoItractng Itncs oIthcuntvcrsc.ancchooI
thts and onIy a dtstant onc at that wouId bcIoundonIy tnccrtatn
cxampIcs oIthc Amcrtcan nco-Wcstcrn.
Z 1hr trtt 6[ lhr dtlt60-tmdgr
LI. Pctrcc,Lcritsmrlcsiguc,PctrccbcItcvcdthat 'thtrdncss'wasoncoI
hts prtnctpaI dtscovcrtcs.
2
Pctrcc docs not rcIcr cxpItcttIy to thcsc two ktnds oIrcIattons, thc
Ntrs t . ?00-?08
Z1I
dstncton bctwccn whch gocs back to Mumc. but hs thcoryoIthc
'ntcrprctant',andhsowndstnctonbctwccna'dynamcntcrprctant'
anda 'InaIntcrprctant',partaIIy concdcswththatbctwccnthctwo
typcs oIrcIatons.
J . KohmcrandL. LhabroI,Hitcbceck, p. l 2+.
+ LI. Narbn, 'Vsagcs d'Mtchcock' , n H/]rcdHitcbceck,Lahcrsdu
cncma.
5 LnthcsctwocxampIcs,cI. l.ruIIaut,LCiumesc/euHitcbceck,pp.
l 5and7-U2. Andp. l 5.'MtchcocksthconIyItIm-makcrtobcabIc
to hIm and to makc pcrccptbIc to us thcthoughts oIonc orscvcraI
charactcrswthout thchcIpoIdaIoguc.'
Kohmcr and LhabroI, e.cit. , pp. 7-U, n ths rcspct compIctc thc
work oI ruIIaut, who had onIy cmphassm thc mportancc oIthc
Igurc 2 nSbedme] eDmbt. hcy show that, cvcn thcrc, thcrc sa
rcIaton oIcxchangc.
7 ruIIaut,q.cit.,p. l +:'hcartoIcrtngsuspcnscsatthcsamctmc
that oIputtngthc pubIc nthc know by makng tpartcpatcnthc
ItIm. ln thc sphcrc oIthcspctacIc,maknga hImsnoIongcragamc
pIaycdbytwo(thcdrcctorandhsItIm)butbythrcc(thcdrcctorand
hs hImandthcpubIc). ' ]canLouchctnpartcuIarhascmphasscdths
ncIuson oI thc spcctator n thc IIm n hs H/]rcd Hitcbceck. And
Louchct oItcn dscovcrs a tcmary structurc n thc vcry contcnt oI
Mtchcock'sItIms(p.+).IorcxampIc,wthNertbbyNertbucst,l , 2,J
n suchcondtonsthat thc hrst shmscIIl (thchdoIthclbl),thc
sccond,2(thccoupIc),andthrd,J(thctrooIspcs).hsscompIctcIy
nInc wthPcrcc's thrdncss.
U hs swhyoncItndscommcntarcsbothonan'csscntaInstabItyoI
thcmagc' m Mtchcock (bazn) and on 'a strangc c

uIbrum',as a
Imt, 'and whch dchncs thc consttutvc dcIcct' oI human naturc
(KohmcrandLhabroI,e. cit. , p. l l 7).
hcmark,ordcmark,docsnotapparnPcrcc'scIassIcatonoIsgns.
Lnthcothcrhand,thcsymboIapprs,butnancntrcIydIIcrcntscnsc
Iromthatwhchwcarcpropsng.IorPcrcc,tsasgnwhchrcIcrsto
ts obcct by vrtuc oI a Iaw, somctmcs assocatvc and habtuaI,
somctmcs convcntonaI (thc mark wouId thcrcIorc bc mcrcIy a
partcuIarcasc oIthc symboI).
l Mtry,Lstbtiqacctsycbe/egirda ciume, ll,p. J7.
l l ]can-Lous LomoII, 'Lcdctourpar cdrcct',Cebicrsda ciume,nos.
2 and 2 l l , lcbruary and AprI l . MarccIL'Mcrbcrs among
thosc who havc spokcn bcst oI thc part oI mprovsaton on thc
ncvtabIcand 'admrabIc' pIatcauoIthcprcscnccoIadocumcntaryn
cvcryIIm,andoIthccncountcr wthactuaItcs. 'lnL/Deredelmadc
cIIcctvcuscoIthcproccsson,whchlhadnotorganscd, nordcru
cnrchthcdrama. l Ict myactors Iooscthcrc. ' ln NocI burch,Mercc/
L'Hcrbicr, p. 7.
l 2 OaIIthcscponts,wcrcIcrpartcuIarIytothcournaI,Ciumetegrebr.
onAItman,no.+5,March l 7(MaravaI'sartcIc)andno.5+,]anuary
l U(lcsch,Larassonnc),onLumct,no. 7+, ]anuary l U2(Kncr,
Z1Z
Netrs te. Z0-Zl1
Lcbc, Ktcscht),onLassavctcs, no. JU,May l 7U (Lara) andno. 77,
AprtI l U2 (byIvtcrosa, Pradcs), on bcorscsc, no. +5, March l 7
(LucI).
l J LIaudc-dmondc Maguy has anaIyscdaIIthcscpotntstnLosPassos.
Lgc da reu emiceiu, pp. l 25J7. Los Passos' novcIs havc
tnIIucnccd taItan nco-rcaItsm, convcrscIyhchtmscIIwas sub}cct to a
ccrtatn tnhucnccoIVcnov's 'ctnc-cyc' .
l + 'baI(I)adc' . an untransIatabIc pun on thc words 'be//edc' (baIIad)and
'be/edc' (voyagc).
l 5
Ln thc tmponancc oI thts thcmc tn ngItsh Komanttctsm, cI. PauI
Kozcnbcrg,Lc Kemeutismceugleis.
l 0
LI. PascaI Kanc, 'Mabusc ct Ic pouvotr', Cebicrsda ciume,no. J,
March l U.
l 7 L.M. Lawrcncc,Lresct/cs cbicus, bourgots,p. 25J7.
l U LI. K.5.Warshow's vtoIcnttcxtrcproduccd tnLcNe-re/ismcite/icu,
Ltadcsciumetegrepbiqacs,pp. l +2. hcrc wtII aIwaysbcagrudgc,
comtng Irom a pan oI Amcrtca, agatnst ItaItan nco-rItsm, whtch
'darcd' to tnsttgatc anothcr conccptton oI thc ctncma. hc Ingrtd
bcrgman scandaI aIso had thts aspct. havtng bccomc thc adopttvc
daughtcr oI Amcrtca, shc dtd not stmpIy abandon hcr IamtIy Ior
KosscIItnt, shcabandoncd thcctnma oIthccongucrors.
l LI. thc two tssucs oI Ciumetegrepbc on nco-rcaItsm, +2 and +J,
Lcccmbcr l 7Uand]anuary l 7,notabIythcantcIcsbybyIvtcrosa
and MtchcI LcvtIIcrs.
2 bc notc l +.
2 l
LIItcr,Searnirsr, p. 5U. Itts AIatnKobbc-LrtIIctwhotnststson
thctmportancc oIthcdctatIwhtch 'makcs' IaIsc, scctnghcrcastgnoI
rcaIttyasopposcdto vcrtsm, scc h:s |earar:r:oavc Kemeu,p. l +.
22
LI.DetsicrDeuic/Scbmid,pp.7U-U0(notabIywhatbchmtdcaIIs'paptcr
machc cItchcs' ). but bchmtd ts pcrIcctIy consctous oI thc dangcroI
Ivtngto thcctncmaonIyaparodtcIunctton (p. 7U).thcrcIorccItchcs
onIyproItIcratctnordcrIorsomcthtngtocomcoutoIthcm.InScbettcu
dcr Lugc/, two charactcrs cmcrgc Irom thc cItchcs whtch assatI thcm
Irom thc outstdc and tnstdc, thc]cw and thcprostttutc, bccausc thcy
kncw how to kccp thc IccItng oI'Icar'.
D0OX
Acon-mzgc 1- 7, 7-U, I J,
I 7, l , l 2- l , l 2J, l J1,
l 1l 5, l N77, l U, 2J, 25,
2 l , 2 l 5
Acorsudo l 55, l 57, l 5U, l ,
2l
mH0g4d (Oovzhcnko) JU
AIIoon-mzgc 5 , U, 7,
U7- U, 5, 7, l -J, I ,
I l , l 2J, l J1, l U- , 2J,
2 l 5
mg4lmrIM HvNlmIrH(m)
l 22
mgvHr, HMlh 0] (Hcrzog)
l U1
mtr m lhr Llr1 (Wmdcrs) 22,
l l
Altmzn, Kobn l 2, 27- l l , 2 l 1
mmOr4, mmOra (Kzzn) l 57 U
mmOr tmd, 1r (Wmdcrs)
I l
mmHk Kn,m(Vdor) l
Lmmm dv0r ]mmr (Grmllon)
7U
mdOw 1r1, 1hr (Lumct) 2 l
mm4 Lt4rkO (Mzrx rothcrs)
l
mmr Nry (Lubtsch) l J
Antonon, Mchclzngclo l 2, l J,
l U, 75, l l 2
Lmtgml (rcsson) l l 1- l 5
Lmtgml (L'Hcrbcr) 14, 17
mt1m4 (Oovzhmko) JU
m1h4l ]v0gr, 1hr (Huston) l 1l
mI4lr (Vgo) 12, 7
mvlw0l4(rgmzn) l
m1mIm4 (Antonon) l l
0) 0 (Kzzzn) l 5, l 5
ml1zs, lz 5 , I 2
4rI mNgvr, Iz (Lo) 1J
0] tr (Hzwks) l 5
4lm (rcsson) l l 1, l l
d0 0r1 (Lndow) U5
tr]I Lwlr114, 1r (Mznkcwc)
l J1
zrszp, L 11
llr1h 0lOk (Lsmston) JJ,
J 7, U, l Ul
Mg vlO (Kton) l 7J1
zvz,Mzro l 2
mzn, Andr l , 21, l 5J, l 7 l
0r %M4gr, L (Kohmcr) l l
&kctt, Smucl , U, l
rr D1O41r, |w (Lpstcn) 7U
|lour, Kzymond 25
rgmzn, Inymzr 1, , l I ,
I J, l 5, l2
rgson, Hmr x,xv, l 1, 7 l I ,
2, 2J 5, 2, 5 J, , , 7,
U5, U7, l 5, l U5
%MO d %Ow) xv, 2, J, U,
l l , 5U, J
Ltr4l1'r %vlw l J, U, , 5,
J
vtrr rI hMlIr
r)md 0 r41w40r L0l (lzng)
l 1
r)mdIhr wr1I (Vdor) l J1
g k) (Hzwks) l 1, l 5
g hrr, 1lr (Hzwks) l +
td1, 1r (Htchcock) 2, 2J 1
tlh 0] 0 .N4l00 (trIbth) J I ,
l
4rM4 (Htchcock) 2J
Jrk1mIh, 1hr (Kton) l 7
0d Mv10d1 (Stohcm) l 25
00dr | (Scmbrg) l l J
vr mgr, 1hr (Scmbrg) 5,
l l , l 27
9+
Blacbcerd's Ligbtb h]c (Lubtsch)
l l
Bmygaerd, Tbc (Kurosawa) l UU
octtchcr,udd l 7
Bbcar, Lc(Varda) l l U
Bl (Loscy) l J
rzagc, lrank +
Bmlcdcsai](Komm) l 7
rakhagc, Stan U+
rcsson, Kobcn, l 5, l, lU-,
l l Jl 7
Bridc e] lreukcustciu, Tbc (Whalc)
5l
Bridcse]Drecale, Tbc (lshcr) l l 2,
l 2
Briugiuga Beby (Hawks) l
Brek Blesss(Grmth) Jl , -l
uucl, Lus l 25JJ, l J-U
Byc Byc Brevcmeu (Lumct) 2
Cebiuct e] DrCeligeri, Tbc (Wcnc)
5
Cemcr, Tbc (Kcaton) l 7+-5
Cassavctcs,|ohn l 2 l , 27
Cestlc e] tbc Sidtr: hcb, Tc
(Kurosawa) l U
Cet |celc (J oumcur,). ) l l 2
Ccutrel Kcgieu, Tbc (Snow) U+,
l22
Chabrol,Claudc 2-2, 2 l Jl +
Chapln,Charlcs 7, l 5J, l , l 2,
l , l 7, l UJ, l U
Cbriclce]tbcMeyRiu(Mzoguch)
l2
Circas, Tbc (Chapln) l 5J
Citiz Keuc(Wcllcs) 2
City Ligbts (Chapln) l , l 7 l
Clar, Kcn +2-J, +U, UJ
Clouzot, Hcnr-Gcorgcs
Cecar]idlc (Lpstcn) +l , 77
CM uiceuts, Tbc (crgman)
Cerrider Sbeck (lullcr) l 5
Crezy Key, Tbc (Clar) +J, UJ
CrcetivcLvelatieu - scccrgson,H.
Cricseud hiss(crgman) l 5
Creud, Tbc (Vdor) 22, l ++
Demucd, Tbc (Loscy) ! J
|mrx
Oavcs, Oclmcr l U
DeyettbtKeccs,H (Marxrothcrs)
2
Deye] hretb (Orcycr) l l J, l l 5
DcetbiutbcGerdtu (uucl) l 25
Oclluc, Lous +J, 25
Oc Mllc, Cccl . x, l +U-5,
l 5+
Dcrsa Umle (Kurosawa) l l
OcSca, Vttoro 2 l 2
Dcsigu]er Liviug (Lubtsch) l l
Diel M ]er Mard (Htchcock)
2, 2J-+
Dirye]eCbbcmeid, Tc(wucI)
l 2U, l JJ
Diery e] e Ceautry Picst (rcsson)
lU, l l J
DiscrcctCberme]tbtBeargceisic,Tc
(uucI) l 2, l J2
Omytryk,Lward l 5
Deckse]Ncumk, Tbc(Scrnbrg)
+
Dr Mebasc tbcGemblcr (Lang)
Dedcs'Ke-Dcu (Mzoguch) l
DegDeyH]tcru (Lumct) 2U
Deu Gieuui (Loscy) l J7, l J
Oovzhcnko, A|cxandcr Pctrovch
JU, , l U
Orcycr,CarlJhcodor l J, l 5, l 7,
27U, 7, l l , l7, l l J l 7,
2
Dacl iu tbcSau (Vdor) l J+
Oulac, Gcrmanc +J
Oupont, L(wald) A(ndr) +, 72,
77
Ouras, Margucrtc l 22
Lertb(Oovzhcnko) JU-
Lest e] Ldcu (Kazan) l 57
Lesy Kidtr (Hoppcr and londa)
2U
Lesy Strcct (Chapln) l 72
Lclisc (Antonon) l J, l l
Lscnstcn, Srgc Mkhalovch
5, l J, 2U, J2-+, +2,++,52,
5+, 7, UJ, U7, U, l -2, -7,
l +, l l 7, l +5 l, l 5+, l 7UUJ,
! UU
|ndrx
L/Derede (Hawks) l 5-
L/Derede (L'Hcrbicr) +l , +7, 72
Lude]St|ctsbarg, Tbc(Pudovkin)
JU
Luigme e] Keser Hscr, Tbc
(Hcrzog) l U5-
LuecbHrdcu (GriIhth) J, U
Lusmcc/s, Lcs(Minnclli) l l
Lpstcin,)can 2J-+, +! , +J, +5-7,
+, 7l , 77-U, Ul ,
L7trgcMimr |ctm(Grmillon)
+5
Laree (Kosscllini) l 2 l
Lvc (Loscy) l J
Lxprcssionism l +, +l , ++, +7, +,
5-+, 72, 77, 2, +-5, l l l -l J,
l l 5, l l 7, l 2, l 2, l J, l +l ,
l ++, l 5J, l U5
Lxprcssionist(s) l J-l +, J, ++, 55,
2-J, l l 2, l l U, l +J, l +U, l J
Lxtcrmiuetiug Hugc/, Tbc (uucl)
l 25-7, l J2
leccs (Cassavctcs) l 2 l
lc te lecc (crgman) l 5
le// e] tbc Heasc e] Usb, Tbc
(Lpstcin) +5
li/y |/et (Hitchcock) 25
luydH/cxd(crgman) l5
lassbindcr, Wcmcr l 2 l
lete/G/esse]Bc, Tc(liclds) l 5+
lst (Murnau) 2 l , 25, 5, 5J-+,
J
lcllini, lcdcrico 7l , 2 l 2
lcrrcri,Marco l 2U
ltccsegue/c, Le (Oulac) 25
liclds, W.C. l 5+
ligarcsiueLeudscec(Loscy) l J
li/m (cckctt)
lilm-noir , l +5, l 7U, 2 l l
liuis Tcrrec (Lpstcin) 7U
lishcr, Jcrcncc l l 2, l 2
litzcrre/de (Hcrzog) l U+
llahcny, Kobcn l +J, l J
lx/isb hvcs(Strohcm) 5,125-,
l 2
lord, lrancis and )ohn l+-U,
l 5 l , l 55, l 57, l 5-, l 7U
Z1J
lercigu Cerrcseudcut (Hitchcock)
2J
lmrHerscmcue]tbcHece/ysc,Tbc
(Minnclli) l l
lreukcustciu (Whalc) 5l
lrcuzy (Htchcock) l
lullcr, mmucl l J+, l 5-7
Gancc, Abcl l J, +l , +J-5, +7-U,
7l , 7U, U+
Grdisdc/eberc(Grmillon) +5,
7U
Gcucre/, Tbc(Kcaton) l 7J-+, l 7
Gcucre/ Liuc, Tbc (Liscnstcin)
J5-, U, 7, l U l
Gcut/cmcu |rc]cr B/eudcs (Hawks)
l
Gcergie (Pcnn) l 5
Gcrtrad (Orcycr) 27-U, l U, l l 5
Gigi (Minnclli) l l
G/erie (Cassavctcs) l 2 l
Ge-Bctuccu, Tc(Loscy) l J7
Godard, )can Luc l J, 75, l l U,
l 2 l , l 7, l U, 2 l J-l +
Gocthc 52-J, 7J, l l 5
Ge/dcu Hgc, Tbc (uucl) l 25-,
l J
Ge/dKasb, Tbc (Chaplin) l
Ge/cm, Tbc (Wcgcncr) 5l , 5J, J
Ge hcst (Kcaton) l 7
Grecse] hretb, Tbc (lord) l 55
GrcetDictetm, Tbc(Chaplin) l 7l -2
Grccd (Strohcim) l 25-U
Grmil|on,)can +l , +J, +J, 77-
Gricrson,)ohn l J
GrIIith, O.W. l J, 2-+l , 5, 52,
7, U-2, , l l 7, l +U-5, l 52,
l 7J, l U
Halprin, VictorHugo 5 l
Hawks, Howard l ++-, l +-7,
l 7U, l UJ, 2 l 5
Hcerte] G/ess (Hcrzog) l U+
Hcrtse] tbc her/d (GriIIth) l
Hcevcu eudHc// (Kurosawa) l UU
Hnessrihgc, Lc(Mizoguchi) l J
Hcrzog, Wcrncr l U+-
Higb Sigu, Tbc (Kcaton) l 7
Z1
Htchcock,AIIrm X I Z, I , I 8-Z I ,
Z00-J, Z I J
Hbrc (Ktt) I 7
L`HommcdaLergc(L'Hcrbcr) 77
Hauca/as (Kppcrt) 1
Houcymxu, Tbc (btrohcm) I J I
Hm Grccu hes My |e/lcy (ord)
I 1
Hameu Bcest, Tbc (Kcnor) I J J
Hast/cr, Tbc (Kosscn) I 1J
Huston,)ohn I 1J, I 1
|emelagitivc]romeCbeiuGeug(Lc
Koy) I 1
|Cou]css (Htchcock) Z0I
Uiot, Tbc (Kurosawa) I 0
|megcs oarDcbassy (Mtry) 78
lmprcssonsm 1I , J
lncc, homas H(arpcr) I 1J, I 17
|u]ormcr, Tbc (ord) I 18
|uuoccut, Tbc (Vscont) I JJ
|uto/creucc (LrIIth) I J, J I -Z,
I 18-
|te/ieu Streu Het, Tbc (LIar) 1Z
|veu tbc Tcrrib/c (lscnstcn) J1,
I J1, I 8 I
lvcn,)orgc I I 0
|ue/kcd uitb e Zmbic (ourncur)
I I Z
| hes e Me/c her Bridc (Hawks)
I
JobuuyGaiter (Kay) I JJ
KaIka, ranz I 00- I
Kegcmasbe (Kurosawa) I 88- I 0
Kant, lmmanucI JJ, I 8Z
Kazan, lIa I JJ, I JJ7
Kcaton, ustcr , I 1, I 7J-7,
I 8
Kcrkcgaard, bercn I I J- I 1, I I ,
I J I
Ki//irtg o] e Cbiucsc Bookic, Tbc
(Lassavctcs) I Z I , Z07
Kng, Hcnry I J1
KiuginNcu lork,H(LhapIn) I 7J
Kiugo] Kiugs (Kay) I J1
|ndrx
Kiugs o] tbc Koed (Wcndcrs) ZZ,
I 0I
Kurosawa,Akra Z I , I 88-J, I J
Ledics o] tbc|erk (rcsson) I I 1
Leucc/ot da |c (rcsson) I 0,
I I J-I 1
|udo]Si/uccdDerkucss(Hcrzog)
I 8J-
Leudo]tbc|bereobs(Hawks) I J0,
I J-
Lang,rtz I 1, 1-J0, JZ, , Z,
I Z 7, I 1I , I 1J, I JZ-J, I 1
Langdon, Harry I
LestLeagb, Tbc(Murnau) ZZ, 1,
J0, 7Z, I Z 7
LaurcI and Hardy I
Lccnhardt, Kogcr I 0J
Lgcr, crnand 1J1
LcKoy,Mcrvyn I 1
Lcwn, AIbcrt 7 I , I J1
L'Hcrbcr,MarccI 1I , 1J1, 17-8,
JZ, 7 I -Z, 77
Li]c o] Ubera, Tbc (Mzoguch)
I J
Limc/igbt (LhapIn) I 7ZJ
Litt/c BigMeu (Pcnn) I 7
Litt/cMetcbGir/, Tbc(Kcnor) 1Z
LIoyd, HaroId I 70
Loug, Loug Trei/cr, Tbc (MnncII)
I I
Loug |oyegcHc, Tbc(ord) I 78
Loscy,)oscph I Z, I J-10
Iost hcckcud(WIdcr) I 1J
Lubtsch, lrnst I J, , I 0-J
La/a (Pabst) J0, 0-I , I 0J, I Z 7
Lumct, bdncy I Z I , Z08-I 0
Lumrc, Lous J,
Lamiircd`t (LrmIIon) 78
Last]or Lt]c (MnncII) I I
M (Lang) I JZJ
Meceo (btcrnbcrg) 1
Medemc Daberry (Lubtsch) I J
Me]or Daudcc (Pccknpah) I 7
Me/douc (LrmIIon) 1I , 78
Me/tcc le/cou, Tbc (Huston) I 1
Mankcwcz,)oscph L. I J1
|mrx
Meu he Sbet Libcrty |e/eucc, Tbc
(lord) l +7, l 5J, l 55
Meu titb e Mmic-ccre (Vcrtov)
+, U2
Meu | Ki//cd, Tbc (Lubtsch) l 5,

Mann, Anthony 7, l 7U
Meue]tbc hcst (Mann) l 7
Marcy, Ltcnnc)u|cs 5
Merqaisce] U, Tbc (Kohmcr) 7
Marx rothcrs l
Messecrc, Tbc (Grfhth) J
Mettcr eud Mcmmy scccrgson,
Hcnr
Mcliude (Mnnc||) l l
Mcrry hidm, Tbc(Strohcm) l 2U
Mctree/is (Lang) l +, 5, 52
Mi/ky hey, Tc(uuc|) l 25, l J2
Mi/lieu, Lc (C|ar) +2
Mnnc||, Vnccntc l l U, l J+
Mr eudMrsSmitb (Htchcock) x,
22
MrK/ciu (Loscy) l JU
Mtry,|can 7, I J, 22, 25, 72, 7U,
Ul , l 2, l +7, 25
Mzoguch,Kcnj l 2-
Meeue (l|ahcrty) l ++
Medcru Timcs (Chap|n) l
Medcsty B/eisc (Loscy) l JU
Meusicar |crdmx (Chap|n) l7 l 2
Mere/ Te/cs (Kohmcr) 75, l l ,
2 l J
Merecce (Stcrnbcrg) l l J
Metbcr (Pudovkn) JU
Movcmcnt-magc xv, 2, J, 22-5,
2, J+, +l , +J, +U, 55, 52,
+, , U-7, U2, 2+
Mardcrcr Livcs et Nambcr 2|, Tbc
(C|ouzot)
Mumau, l.W. l +, 2 l 2, 25, +,
5, 5J, 72, J, l 27, l U5
Muybrdgc, Ladwcard|amcs 5
MyNigbtetMead's(Kohmcr) l l
NekcdSar, Tbc (Mann) l 7
Neue (Kcnor) l JJ
Neueeke]tbcNertb(l|ahcrty) l +J
Nee/c (Gancc) +5, +7U
Z17
Nesbvil/c (A|tman) 27, 2l
Nevigeter, Tbc(Kcaton) l 7J, l 7
Nezeriu (uuc|) l 2 7
Ncttmk (Lumct) 2 l
NctLucbeutmt, Tbc(Lgcr) ++
Ncwman, Pau| l +
Nct lcer`s Lvc (Pck) +
Nibc/augcu, Tbc (Lang) l +, 5,
52, 2
Nctzschc, lrcdrch x, l l , l +
NiucDeyse]Uclcer(Kom) l 7
Nertb by Nertb- hcst (Htchcock)
2 l , 2J
Nes]creta (Hcrzog) l U5
Nes]creta(Mumau) 5J+, J, l l 2,
l U5
Neterims (Htchcock) 22, 2+
Obscssieu (Vscont) l JJ
Octebcr (Lscnstcn) J7, l Ul
|vcra, Manuc|dc l +
Ou Deugcrms Greaud (Kay) l J5
Ouc hcck (Kcaton) l 75
Ou tbc hetcr]reut (Kazan) l 57,
l 5
Ordct (Orcycr) 27, l U, l l J, l l 5
Ordiuery lescism (Komm) l 7
Orbeuse]tbcStem(Grffth) J l ,

Oar Dei/y Brced (Vdor) l ++

OarHesite/ity (Kcaton) l 7J
zu, Yasujro l 2, l 5, l J
Pabst, G. W. +5, l , l 5,
l 27, l +l , l +5
|eci]ic 2J| (Mtry) 7U
|eise (Kossc||n) l 2 l , 2 l 2
|eudere eud tbc l/yiug Datcbmeu
(Lcwn) 7 l , l J+
|ertyGir/(Kay) l J5
Pasca| l l +, l l
Paso|n, PcrPao|o l 2, 2 7, 72-
|esscugcr, Tbc (Antonon) l l
|essieue] Jeeu e] Hrc, Tbc (Orcycr)
I J, 7, l U
Pccknpah, mm l 7-U
Pcrcc, C.S. x, xv, , 7, U ,
l , l l , l +2, l 7
Z1B
Pcnn, Arthur l 5, l 7
Pcrccption-imagc +, U, 72,
7+, U, l l , l 7, 2J+, 2 l 5
|crccve/ (Kohmcr) 7
|cr]cct Cea/c, H (Altman) 2
Prinal, Gcorgcs ++
|crseue (crgman) l , l 5
|bcucue (c|son) U+
Phcnommology 2, 57-U, l , 77
|betegmicmceuiqac, Le(Grmillon)
+J
Pick, Lupu +
Hckeckct(rcson) l U, l l +l 5
|iretc, Tbc (Minnclli) l l
|eiutcceartc, Le (Varda) l l U
|ete-|ete (Strohcim) l 2
|riucce] tbcCity(Lumct) 2 l
|sycbe (Hitchcock) 2 l
|b/ic Uiuieu (Chap|in) l l
Pudovkin, Vscvo|od I. 22, JU,
l 7U
Qccu Kchy (Strohcim) 5, 52,
l 25-, l 2U
Qc |ive Mcxice (Liscnstcin) l UJ
Qiutct (Altman) 27
Keiu (Ivcn) l l
Kay, Nicholas l J+, l J, l 57
Kca|ism l 2 l , l +l , 2 l 2l 5
Kcer hudm(Hitchcock) l 2, 2l,
2+5
Kcbc/ htbeateCeasc (Kay) l J5
KcdBcerd (Kurosawa) l
KcdDcscrt (Antonioni) l l
KcdKivcr(Hawks) l 5
Kccd, Carol (Sir) 2 l
Kiglcdaca, Le (Kcnoir) +2
Kcnoir,|can l , 2J, 2, +2-J,77,
l JJ
Kvc dcsiugc(lcrrcri) l 2 U
Kbytbms (Kichtcr) 55
Kichtcr,Hans +, 55
Kiug, Tbc (Hitchcock) 2+
KieBreve (Hawks) l 5
KieLbe(Hawks) l 5
Kitt, Martin l 7
Kivcttc,|acqucs 2U, l , 2 l Jl +
|ndtx
Kobison,Arthur l l 2
Kohmcr,Lric 2 l, 75-, l l, 22-l
Komanticism 5+
K c, Ucu City (Kosscllini) 2 l 2
Komm, Mikhail l 7U-U
Kec, Tbc(Hitchcock) 2
Kosscllini, Kobcrto l 2 l , 2 l 2
Kosscn, Kobcrt l +5
Kotha, Paul l J
Keac, Le (Gancc) +J, +5, +7, 7 l
KabyGcutry (Vidor) l J+
Kau]er Cevcr (Kay) l J5
Kussc||, Kcn
Kuttmann,Wa|tcr +
Sbetegc (Hitchcock) 2l
Sqcty Lest (L|oyd) l 7
Segee] Huetebeu (Stcrnbcrg) J
Smseu eud Dc/i/eb (Oc Millc)
l +5, l 5+
Samc,|can-Paul 57, l l +, l l
Sevegc|uueccuts, Tbc(Kay) l J+-5
Scerccrm, Tbc (Kcaton) l 75
Scer]ecc (Hawks) l +5
Scer/ct Lmrcss, Tbc (Scmbcrg)
U, J, l l J, l l 5
Shmid, Oanicl l 2l , 2 l +
Sorscsc, Martin 27
Scee] Kevcus, Tbc (Lpstcin) 7U
Sccrct Hgcut (Hitchcock) 22
Sccrct Ccrmeuy (Loscy) l J 7
Scmiue/c (octtichcr) l 7
Smiology ix,
Scrcut 'sLgg,Tbc(crgman) l l
Scrice (Lumct) 2U
Scrveut, Tbc (Loscy) l J 7, l J
Scvcu Semarei, Tbc (Kurosawa)
l UU, l l
Sbedme]eDbt(Hitchcock) 2l
Sbedeus (Cassavctcs) l 2 l
Sbemc, Tbc (crgman) l l
Sbeugbei Lxrcss (Stcrnbcrg) +,
l l J, l l 5
Sbeugbei Gcstarc, Tbc (Stcmbcrg)
+, l l 5
Sbcr/eckJauier (Kcaton) l 75
Sbea/dcrHrms (L|oyd) l 7
Si/cucc (crgman) l 5
|mrx
Simeu e] tbc Dcscrt (uuc|) l 25
Sistcrse]tbcGieu(Mizoguchi) l +
Sixtbe] tbc herld,H (Vcrtov) U2
Sjostrom, Vioor l +2
Sow, Michac| U+, l 22
&mctimcseGrcetNetieu(Ncwman)
l +
Scllbeaud (Hitchcock) l 2
Stegcceecb (lord) l +
Stegc lrigbt (Hitchcock) 2
StcembeetBillJauim(Kcaton) l 7J
Scmbcrg, |oscIvon U, J5, l l J,
l l 5, l l , l 27
Sterm ecr Hsie (Pudovkin) JU,
l 7
Stemy hetcrs (Grcmi||on)
7
Stmy]r Cbiketm,H(Mizoguchi)
l 2, l 5
Stery e] tbc Lst Cbryseutbcmams,
Tc (Mizoguchi) l +5
Streugcrs eu e Treiu (Hitchcock)
2l
Straub,|can-Maric l 2 l
StreyDeg (Kurosawa) l UU
StrntSccuc (Vidor) l ++
Strikc (Liscnstcin) l U2
Strohcim, Lrich von 5l 2, U,
l 25-J l , l J-U
Streszck (Hcrzog) l U5
SammcruitbMeuikecrgman) +
Samarau (Lubitsch) l J
SauHlse Kiscs, Tbc(King) l J+
Saurisc (Murnau) +5, 5+, J
Saseue (uuc|) l 2
Sasicim (Hitchcock) l 2, 22J
Teba (Murnauandl|ahcrty) l l 2
Tris, reidc lrea (Vigo) U
Trta]]c (Murnau) 72, l l 2
TexiDrivcr (Sorscsc) 27-
Tcu Cemmrdmcuts, Tc(OcMi||c)
l +U-
Tcstemcute]DrMebasc, Tbc(Lang)
l 5J
TbirdMeu, Tbc (Kccd) 2 l
Tbirty-NucStcs, Tbc (Hitchcock)
2+
TbrccHgcs(Kcaton) l +, l 7+
Z1
Jimc-imagc xv, l l , 2, 55, U
Timc uitbeat|ity(Loscy) l J7,
l J
Te BcUNetTeBc(Lubitsch) l 2
Te Livc(Kurosawa) l l
Tee Letc Blacs (Cassavctcs) l 2 l ,
27
Tmrcut, Lc(L'Hcrbicr) 77
Joumcur,|acqucs l l 2
Triel, Tbc (Wc||cs) 2 l
Triel e] Jeeu e] Hrc, Tbc (rcsson)
l U
TrmblcuitbHey, Tbc(Hitchcock)
22
Treat, Tbc (Loscy) l J7, l J
JruIIaut, lranois 2 l J
Tarksib (Jourin) +2
Tue Kedc Tegctbcr (lord) l+7
Ugctsa Meuegetri (Mizoguchi)
l J-+
|emyr (Orcycr) l l +
Varda, Agncs l l U
|eadcvihc (Oupont) +, 72, 77
|crtige (Hitchcock) 2 l , 2+
Vcrtov, Oziga J-+J, +7, l , 7,
U-5

Vidor, King 22, l J+, l ++, l +U

Vigo,|can +2-J, 7U
|ieleute (Shmid) l 2 l
|iridieue (uuc|) l 2J
Visconti, Luchino l JJ
hegeumestcr (lord) l +, l 5
hruiug Sbedms (Kobison) l l 2
hevclcugtb (Sow) l 22
hcddiug, H (A|tman) 27
hcddiug Mercb, Tbc (Strohcim)
l J l
Wcgcncr, Pau| l +, 5 l , 5J, J
Wc||c,rson ix, 2 l , 2, 2
Wcndcrs, Wim 5, 22, l l
Wha|c,|amcs 5l
hkitc Deg (lu||cr) l 5
hkitcSbcikb,Tbc(lc||ini) 7 l , 2 l 2
hitc Zrbic (Ha|pcrin) 5l
Wicnc, Kobrt 5
ZJO
h/dBaucb, Tbc (Pccknpah) l 7
W|dcr, ||y l 1J
hiucbcstrr '/J (Mann) 70
hiud, Tbc(Sjostrom) l 1Z
hud Hcress tbc lvcrg/edcs (Kay)
l JJ
hemeu heDercd, Tbc(Grm||on)
7B
hemcu iu Ievc (Kussc||) 0
heyzcck (Hcrzog) l BJ
hreugMeu, Tbc(Htchcock) Z0J
|ndrx
Wy|cr, W||am l Z
leug Kuci Ii (Mzoguch) l 1
Ie/eudeeudtbcTbic](Mnnc||) l l
leaugeudtbcDemucd, Tbc(uuc|)
l Z
leaug Mr Iiuce/u (lord) l 1
Zebriskic |eiut (Antonon) l l
Zo|a, E|c l Z1, l J0, l J1
Zvcuigme (Oovzhcnko) JB, J