“Leaving the Movie Theater” of “The Rustle of Language” by Roland Barthes is mainly about his views of film and movie theater. Barthes argues that watching a film in the movie theater is an experience of hypnosis and healing to him and this idea is novel and interesting. It is easy for us to face the desire for occupation due to restrictions and boredom in daily lives, but the surroundings of the theater let us have the chance to lose in reverie. In the theater, darkness, anonymous environment, crowd, absence of ideological boundary, relaxation of postures, sound, and rays of light can make us feel enclosed and being fascinated by the story. The familiar and crowded surroundings of home cannot help us focus on the film and engage in the story, so watching movie in the theater is more gripping experience.
Ho Ting Poon, 3035800904
Appreciate that you have extracted some of Barthes’ key ideas of darkness, hypnosis, reverie etc. in your response, most of which contributes to the experience inside the movie theatre.
Barthes started the text with “There is something to confess: your speaker likes to leave a movie theatre. Back out on the more or less empty, more or less brightly lit sidewalk[…] he’s sleepy, that’s what he’s thinking, his body has become something sopitive, soft, limp, and he feels a little disjointed […] In other words, obviously, he’s coming out of hypnosis.” (1986, 345). The audience from the movie theatre would be forced to leave the hypnotic space when the movie ends while one can switch to other activities at a different place. To reflect further upon what you have responded, how does the act of leaving the movie theatre play a role in creating the unique experience than watching a movie at home or on the MTR?