Barthes, Leaving the movie theatre.
Especially considering Man with a Movie Camera, (MWAMC) Barthes discussion points to a kind of dual watching and ‘situation’ that occurs with cinema. The practices and embodied experience around the viewing of a film and the making of a film are nodded to and part of the narrative of MWAMC as the act of looking and being looked at are layered in the film. We indeed experience the ‘narcissistic body’ when being fully immersed in the unfolding images, and the ‘perverse body’ that is more aware of the third space between yourself and the screen while watching. In MWAMC especially we repeatedly experience the ‘Brechtian alienation effect’ Barthes speaks of as we are pulled out of sequences of daily life in Kiev to another audience; the cutting rooms or shots of the director himself filming a shot that was just played. This reframes and distances the viewer, prompting this doubled voyeurism in the situation of the film within the situation of watching the film. And thinking on the focus of this course, peals back the different layers of the spaces we do this watching or production in and consider how each of them specifically shape our experience of each cinematic spectacle/production situation.
Name: Elinor Russell
UID: 3036000422
It is enjoyable to read your two-dimension analysis of both film-watching and film-making, which helps to understand the “two bodies” discussed by Barthes. Also, I would suggest you dig your reflection deeper based on the title “Leaving the Movie Theater”, especially the term “leave.” Also, I am looking forward to hearing more about how and why you situate yourselves and dispose the situation of “two bodies” during watching films in the theater. Besides, please note that the reading response of Lecture 1 is required to be submitted within 48hs after Tutorial 1. Respecting and complying with the assignment requirements is the precondition for achieving fairness.