The Face of Joan: Balázs’s Theory in La Passion De Jeanne D’Arc Born in Hungary in 1884, Béla Balázs became one of the first filmmakers to delve into film theory, publishing works such as Visible Man, or Film Culture, The Spirit of Film, and Theory of Film. His work dissected the unique qualities of film, … Continue reading Academic Abominations (Or: Poor Papers from College) #4: “The Face of Joan”
Film
Fun: it’s Serious Business
"Dumb Fun." It's a phrase that gets thrown around a lot. It's associated with horror movies and action flicks, with videogames, with mass-market paperbacks and bubblegum pop. It just is. It's dumb fun, a guilty pleasure, an indulgence. But why? Sure, there's plenty of media that lacks artistic substance, that succeeds because "it's so bad … Continue reading Fun: it’s Serious Business
Some Quick Reviews Part 2: Movies
Ah the silver screen, how I love thee. Though I've seen more than just these two movies these last few months I'm going to just talk about Anomalisa and Down By Law because they interested me the most, and they were the only movies I haven't seen before. Anomalisa I'm a pretty big Charlie Kaufman … Continue reading Some Quick Reviews Part 2: Movies
The Revenant: Artistry and Subtlety
I've just returned home from watching The Revenant, a film as rough and gruesome as its hero's face. It's a heavy film, weighed down by its subject matter, its setting, and the way it tells its story. This isn't to say that it's bad - its an incredible film, and one that I enjoyed - … Continue reading The Revenant: Artistry and Subtlety
Tragic Fantasy – A Filmmaker’s Manifesto
In times of hardship, conflict, and change, people will gravitate to escapism. The fantastic is sought out and produced as a cultural painkiller, offering cathartic release, hope, and feelings of agency. However, as escapism is pursued as an alternative to hardship there enters a risk of separation from reality, rejecting the responsibilities of the real … Continue reading Tragic Fantasy – A Filmmaker’s Manifesto
The Cinema of Dreams
In my World Cinema class we've been studying Russian film from the 1920s, specifically Russian montage. Reading the essays of Eisenstein and Vertov started me thinking (as I am apt to do) and I began to wonder about my own theory of film. Obviously I'm not a very experienced filmmaker, but I dabble, and any … Continue reading The Cinema of Dreams
Pen and Screen 