Lecture 1 response to Roland Barthes’s Leaving the movie theater
In the passage, the writer stated the space condition created in the cinema for the audiences to immerse into the movie, such as the darkness, the sound effect, the seat and the screen. Experiencing the movie, sometimes it is hard for us to distinguish between the movie and the reality, especially when we are in the cinema, immersed into it. Therefore, the writer wrote a metaphor of “two bodies” to explain the oneself immersing in the movie and the other one sitting in the cinema.
I experienced this when I was watching Avatar 2: The Way of Water last time. When I was watching the movie, I was fascinated by the amazing fictional world created by the director. All the plants and animals on the planet look real although they are created by animation and CGI. I cannot keep my eyes away from the screen when I am introduced to such a beautiful planet as if I was having an adventure there- even though it is fictional. The only thing that reminded me I was still in reality was the light on the stairs and the emergency exit.
-3036078261 Chiu Man Tsoi Janette
You have summarized Barthes’ idea on the immersive cinema experience and the splitting of the mind and body during the viewing experience as activated by a movie theatre space. I appreciate your personal reflections and how it aligns with Barthes.