Stanley Cavell's The World Viewed

Film & Media Studies

10 Apr 202330:00

EducationalLearning

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TLDRThis video examines film theorist Stanley Cavell's ideas on film's connection to reality and skepticism. It focuses on his 1971 book 'The World Viewed,' situating it as a work of classical film theory emphasizing realism. The summary analyzes Cavell's 'ordinary language' approach, distinguishing his photographic realism arguments from Bazin's. It also relates Cavell's concept of film as 'a moving image of skepticism' to philosophical skepticism about sensory perception and access to others' minds. Finally, it touches on Cavell's view that understanding film requires engaging with specific films through criticism.

Takeaways

😀 Stanley Cavell was a philosopher interested in film and the connections between philosophy and art.
👍 Cavell was associated with ordinary language philosophy, which examines how we use language in everyday contexts.
🎥 Cavell sees film as connected to philosophical skepticism about our knowledge of the world.
🎞 Cavell argues photographs seem to give us direct access to the world beyond our senses.
🤔 Cavell's realism differs from Bazin's in seeing photography as satisfying a human wish, not just artists.
🎬 Cavell values subjective experience of films over technical analysis.
😉 Cavell emphasizes the role of criticism in theorizing about film as a medium.
🎥 Cavell prefers classical Hollywood films over modernist cinema.
👀 Cavell links his arguments through the theme of modernism.
📝 The script summarizes Cavell's key ideas in his book The World Viewed.

Q & A

What school of philosophy is Stanley Cavell associated with?
-Stanley Cavell is primarily associated with ordinary language philosophy. This is a branch of philosophy that focuses on examining the ordinary uses of language to understand the meanings of words and concepts.
How does Cavell's view of film's relationship to skepticism differ from Bazin's view?
-While Bazin sees film as satisfying the artist's desire for realism in images, Cavell argues film satisfies the broader human wish to escape subjectivity and isolation. For Cavell, film relates to philosophical skepticism about knowledge of the external world, not just realism in art.
What does Cavell mean when he describes film as a 'moving image of skepticism'?
-He means that film provides the illusion of directly accessing the external world beyond the limits of our senses and subjectivity. So while not solving skepticism, film satisfies the wish to escape our isolation and separation from the world.
Why does Cavell emphasize the role of criticism in theorizing about film?
-Cavell argues you can't know what film is as a medium until you examine what specific films teach you through encounters in criticism. So criticism of individual films is fundamental for making claims about the medium overall.
What is ordinary language philosophy and why does Cavell use it?
-Ordinary language philosophy involves examining the actual uses of words in everyday language rather than speculating about their essence. Cavell uses this method to describe how we talk about photographs and why we might say they present the world itself.
What does Cavell value about the experience of watching and remembering films?
-Cavell values retaining a subjective, experiential encounter with a film over aspiring to technical objectivity in analysis. He thinks memory highlights this primacy of personal experience rather than certainty.
Why does Cavell have an aesthetic preference for classical Hollywood films?
-Cavell loves classical Hollywood for its ability to indirectly explore philosophical issues through genre conventions and clever dialogue, not overt stylization. He finds them richer than modernist films in accessing ordinary skepticism.
How are Bazin and Cavell's views on realism in film similar?
-Both argue film has an automated, mechanical connection to the objects it photographs, so it provides a view of the world less filtered through human subjectivity. But Cavell sees this as about skepticism, not just artistic realism.
What does Cavell mean when he says the aesthetic role of film's technology can't be specified apart from achievements in significant films?
-He means you can't deduce the artistic potential of film purely by examining its technological properties - things like celluloid, cameras, etc. You have to look at what great films have discovered to know the medium.
Why is modernism an important backdrop to Cavell's arguments?
-Cavell relates film to modern philosophical skepticism and sees classical Hollywood films as responding better to that then modernist films. So his view on film mediums ties to larger tensions between tradition/modernity.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to Stanley Cavell and The World Viewed

Introduces Stanley Cavell as a philosopher interested in film. His book The World Viewed is considered a work of classical film theory associated with film realism. The book focuses on film's relationship to philosophical skepticism, Cavell's preference for classical Hollywood cinema, and the importance of criticism.

05:01

😀 Contrasting Cavell's Film Realism with Bazin

Compares Cavell's realist arguments to those of Andre Bazin. Both see film as connected to material reality, but Cavell uses ordinary language philosophy, examining how we speak about photographs. Cavell sees photography as satisfying a universal human wish to escape subjectivity, not just an artistic wish for realism.

10:02

😀 Cavell on Skepticism and Film

Explains Cavell's interest in philosophical skepticism, the idea that we lack certainty about our knowledge of the external world. Cavell sees film as satisfying a wish to escape isolation and access the world directly. Photography seems to capture the world independently of human perception.

15:06

😀 Contrasting Cavell and Bazin on Photography

Further compares Cavell and Bazin. For Bazin, photography satisfied the artistic wish for realism in images. For Cavell, it satisfied the human wish to escape subjectivity and isolation, to access the world beyond our senses. A much larger claim.

20:06

😀 Cavell's Emphasis on Criticism

Discusses Cavell's belief that criticism, the analysis of individual artworks, is essential for film theory. He values subjective experience over technical analysis. Criticism teaches us what film as a medium can do by encountering specific films.

25:11

😀 Criticism as the Basis for Theorizing Film

Elaborates on the above. Cavell believes you cannot theorize film as a medium through abstract reflection, you need concrete encounters with films via criticism. Each film teaches something different about film's possibilities.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Stanley Cavell

Stanley Cavell was an American philosopher known for his work in aesthetics, moral philosophy, and the philosophy of ordinary language, among other areas. In the context of the video, Cavell is discussed for his significant contributions to the philosophy of film, particularly through his book 'The World Viewed'. Cavell's approach integrates ordinary language philosophy with a deep engagement in the analysis of film, suggesting that films, much like language, are forms of expression that reflect our engagement with the world and with each other.

💡Ordinary Language Philosophy

Ordinary language philosophy is a philosophical methodology that emphasizes the nuanced use of language in everyday life as the key to solving philosophical problems. The video highlights how Cavell, influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein and J.L. Austin, employs this approach to dissect film and its relation to reality, skepticism, and human subjectivity. This methodology allows Cavell to explore how film, as a medium, communicates and constructs our understanding of the world through its 'language'.

💡Philosophical Skepticism

Philosophical skepticism involves questioning the possibility of certainty in knowledge. The video script introduces Cavell's interest in skepticism, particularly how it relates to film's capacity to represent reality. Cavell posits film as a 'moving image of skepticism', suggesting that film, through its photographic essence, uniquely addresses human desires to transcend subjectivity and connect with the material world, despite the inherent limitations of perception and knowledge.

💡Realist Film Theory

Realist film theory advocates for film's unique ability to capture and represent reality. The video explains Cavell's alignment with classical realist theorists like André Bazin and Siegfried Kracauer, who believed in film's special relationship with the physical world. Cavell's work, however, diverges by incorporating his philosophical inquiries into how film reflects and constructs viewer's understanding of reality, through both its content and form, highlighting the philosophical depth rather than just the technical aspects of realism in film.

💡Classical Hollywood Cinema

Classical Hollywood Cinema refers to a style of film-making that emerged in the 1930s to 1950s, characterized by narrative-driven, stylistically consistent films. Cavell shows a preference for this era's films in his analysis, considering them as rich texts for exploring philosophical themes of realism, skepticism, and the human condition. The video script underscores Cavell's belief that these films, through their conventional narratives and aesthetic norms, offer profound insights into the nature of film as an art form and a medium of philosophical exploration.

💡Ontology of Film

The ontology of film concerns the essential nature of film as a medium. The video discusses how Cavell, following in the footsteps of André Bazin, explores the 'ontology' or 'being' of film in 'The World Viewed'. Cavell's ontological exploration is not just about film's physical properties or its technological aspects but about its ability to engage with and represent the world, thereby bridging the gap between the viewer's subjective experience and the objective reality of the world depicted on screen.

💡Modernism

Modernism, in the context of the video, is described as both an artistic movement and a broader socio-cultural shift that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cavell's work on film is noted for its engagement with modernist themes, reflecting on how film as an art form intersects with the modernist quest for new expressions and forms in the arts, as well as modernity's broader challenges to tradition and established norms. The video suggests that understanding Cavell's analysis of film requires considering his views on modernism's impact on culture and art.

💡Aesthetics

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty, art, and taste. The video positions Cavell's work as deeply embedded in aesthetic inquiry, particularly in how art (including film) engages with philosophical questions and human experiences. Cavell's interest in aesthetics is not just in how art illustrates philosophical ideas but in how art itself constitutes a form of philosophical thinking and understanding.

💡Criticism

Criticism, as used in the video, refers to the analysis and interpretation of individual works of art. Cavell's methodology emphasizes the importance of criticism in understanding film, suggesting that each film's unique contribution to the medium can only be understood through detailed, critical engagement. This approach underscores Cavell's belief in the subjective experience of art as a fundamental component of philosophical inquiry into film.

💡Material World

The concept of the 'Material World' in the video script refers to the physical, tangible world around us. Cavell's philosophical exploration of film frequently returns to the medium's relationship with the material world, particularly how film captures and presents this world to the viewer. This engagement is central to Cavell's arguments about realism and skepticism in film, proposing that film offers a unique means by which we can approach and understand our material existence.

Highlights

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Transcripts

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