Film as Art by Rudolf Arnheim
Author:Rudolf Arnheim [Arnheim, Rudolf]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Performing Arts, Film, General
ISBN: 9780520000353
Google: 65RhkpZ0W4YC
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 1957-09-14T16:00:00+00:00
3 The Content of the Film
the mind through the body
The raw material that the film can use for its representations consists entirely of material objects and physical happenings. But mental processes may be expressed by means of these. There are, above all, the play of the human face and the gestures of the body and limbsâby means of them human thought and feeling are expressed in the most direct and familiar way. These are, however, not the only means of making inner happenings externally visible, and perhaps not even the best and most effective.
Since most people are not in the habit of observing their fellow men in everyday life to see how far their gestures are vivid and significant, it seldom occurs to them how unnatural and exaggerated are those of most film actors. The ânatural actingâ of everyday life is curious. It is most ambiguous and indeterminate, enigmatic and individual. Many people are sparing of it, and its use is monotonous, being confined to a very few muscles. A manâs facial expression often does not seem to the average beholder in the least indicative of his mental state. Some people look as if they were laughing when they are crying, and some peo- ples smiles are very acid. And, above all, much everyday expression fails to convey a well-defined meaning; it is not striking, one does not know how to interpret it, it may mean resignation or doubt or stupidity or reserve. The face is contorted and full of wrinkles, but the whole effect is not quite harmonious, it does not convey a homogeneous message. Much facial expressionâs comprehensibile only because it is a part of a situation, because the conversation and various other indications reveal what the man is feeling. It is only in this way that the untidy play of lines in his face is understood as meaning embarrassment or greed or pleasure.
The expression of animals and primitive peoples, though for reasons of our own upbringing difficult for us to understand, is intrinsically much more distinct. That it has degenerated to such an extent in civilized man is due to several causes. All our social customs tend to the impoverishment of external expression because it is considered improper in human intercourse to manifest personal desires and feelings unrestrainedly. If one observes a mother with her child, one notices her to systematically break the child of its natural gesture of face and limbs (âDonât stare at the gentlenman like that!âââSit still!â) Again, modern man is not so direct in his thoughts and feelings as primitive man and the animals. The variety of his motives, the suppleness and flexibility of thought, the lightning rapidity of the clash of tiny impulses and repressions, all have their natural echo in the play of features and in gestures; and so has the fact that this variety of stirrings often is not integrated in a clearcut whole.
In a good work of art, however, everything must be clearâif anything indistinct is to be shown, it
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Verus Israel: Study of the Relations Between Christians and Jews in the Roman Empire, AD 135-425 by Marcel Simon(552)
Infocracy by Byung-Chul Han(541)
Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World (c. 50 BC â AD 565) by Olivier Hekster(530)
Europe, Strategy and Armed Forces by Sven Biscop Jo Coelmont(477)
Banned in the U.S.A. : A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries by Herbert N. Foerstel(447)
Reading Colonial Japan by Mason Michele;Lee Helen;(444)
The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180 by Martin Goodman(438)
Give Me Liberty, Seventh Edition by Foner Eric & DuVal Kathleen & McGirr Lisa(436)
DS001-THE MAN OF BRONZE by J.R.A(423)
The Dangerous Life and Ideas of Diogenes the Cynic by Jean-Manuel Roubineau(417)
The Oxford History of World War II by Richard Overy(414)
Introducing Christian Ethics by Samuel Wells and Ben Quash with Rebekah Eklund(412)
american english file 1 student book 3rd edition by Unknown(412)
Imperial Rome AD 193 - 284 by Ando Clifford(409)
Basic japanese A grammar and workbook by Unknown(392)
Literary Mathematics by Michael Gavin;(373)
Language Hacking Mandarin by Benny Lewis & Dr. Licheng Gu(352)
How to Reach the 9.0 in IELTS Academic Reading by IELTS Medical(333)
The Oxford History of the Renaissance by Campbell Gordon;(332)
