Comolli and Narboni's Cinema/Ideology/Criticism: Introduction

Film & Media Studies
21 Jan 202112:01
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe script provides context about French film journal Cahiers du Cinéma's political and theoretical shift after the 1968 protests, moving away from Bazin's realist film theory and auteurism to adopt a Marxist perspective focused on cinema’s ideological role. It summarizes key points from Comolli and Narboni's essay ‘Cinema/Ideology/Criticism,’ which argues films inevitably exist within capitalist systems but differ based on directors’ choices, warranting ideological criticism. The script then briefly explicates political aspects of Sorry to Bother You to model such ideological analysis.

Takeaways
  • 😀 The essay 'Cinema/Ideology/Criticism' by Cuomo and Narboni had a major influence on film studies and sparked a political turn in film theory in 1969
  • 😮 The essay responds to the May 1968 protests in France and aims to develop a Marxist approach to film criticism
  • 🤔 The essay critiques the premise of earlier film theorists like Bazin that cameras neutrally capture concrete reality
  • 🧐 It argues that reality is an expression of ideology, so assuming cameras capture reality neutrally is reactionary
  • 💡 The essay defends the value of ideological/political criticism even though film production is inescapably tied to capitalism
  • 🎬 It wants to identify differences in the political roles played by different filmmakers working within capitalism
  • 🎥 The shift in film theory is seen in the transition of the journal Cahiers du Cinéma to focus on the politics of representation after 1968
  • 👩‍🏫 Key thinkers influencing this era of theory are Althusser, Lacan, Barthes, and Saussure (the 'SLAB' theorists)
  • 😊 The essay says films reproduce reality, but the tools and techniques of filmmaking shape that reality's ideology
  • 🎞 It argues the classic realist view of cameras neutrally capturing concrete reality is reactionary
Q & A
  • What were the May 1968 protests in France about?

    -The May 1968 protests were a period of civil unrest throughout France lasting about 7 weeks. They involved demonstrations, strikes, and the occupation of universities and factories by students and workers protesting capitalism, consumerism, American imperialism and more. The protests ended with the Grenelle Accords which led to wage gains for workers.

  • What journal is the focus of film theory after 1968?

    -The journal Cahiers du Cinéma shifted its focus after 1968 to developing a Marxist approach to the critical analysis of cinema, as seen in essays like "Cinema/Ideology/Criticism" by Comolli and Narboni.

  • What is the slab theory of film criticism?

    -SLAB stands for Saussure, Lacan, Althusser and Barthes - four thinkers whose ideas greatly influenced post-1968 film theory and criticism as seen in journals like Cahiers du Cinéma and Screen in their focus on the politics and ideology of cinema.

  • What are Comolli and Narboni criticizing about earlier realist film theory?

    -They criticize the idea central to Bazin and others that the camera impartially captures concrete reality, calling this a conservative notion that ignores how reality is ideologically constructed.

  • What shift happened at Cahiers du Cinéma in 1969?

    -In 1969, Cahiers du Cinéma took a strong political turn in response to the 1968 protests, focusing more on the politics of representation in cinema rather than auteur theory or praise of neo-realism and Hollywood.

  • Who were some of the main proponents of auteur theory?

    -Key figures in developing auteur theory included critics and filmmakers like François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and André Bazin who were especially interested in the work of Hollywood directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks and Nicholas Ray.

  • What is the purpose of political film criticism according to Comolli and Narboni?

    -They argue that political film criticism is needed to analyze how films differ in the ideology they express even if all films are inevitably tied to capitalism in their means of production and distribution.

  • What do Comolli and Narboni say the camera actually registers?

    -They argue the camera registers "the vague, unformulated, untheorized, unthought-out world of the dominant ideology" rather than an impartial concrete reality.

  • What are some ways Sorry to Bother You reflects the ideas in "Cinema/Ideology/Criticism"?

    -As a politically provocative satire made outside the studio system, Sorry to Bother You aligns with Comolli and Narboni's call for films that challenge dominant ideology through both form and content.

  • How might someone critique or defend Bazin's ideas compared to Comolli and Narboni's views on cinema and reality?

    -One could argue Bazin had a naive view of cinema's relation to reality while others defend his ideas against the perceived overreach of politicized post-1968 film theory - reasonable arguments can be made on multiple sides.

Outlines
00:00
😊 Introduction and contextualization of the essay

The instructor introduces the essay 'Cinema/Ideology/Criticism' by Cuomo and Narboni, providing context about its history, impact in film studies, and relation to the May 1968 protests in France. The essay represented a shift in film theory towards more political and ideological criticism.

05:02
🎬 Departure from classical film theory like Bazin and realism

The instructor explains how the new film theory departs from earlier theorists like Bazin who focused on celebrating realism, neo-realism, and auteur theory. There is now more influence from thinkers like Althusser, Lacan, Barthes, and Saussure (the 'SLAB' theorists).

10:04
😤 Critique of classical 'realist' film theory

Cuomo and Narboni directly critique the classical realist film theory premise that a camera impartially captures concrete reality, calling this view conservative/reactionary. They argue reality itself is an ideological construction shaped by dominant ideologies.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡film theory
Film theory refers to the critical analysis and study of cinema as an artform. This video discusses the history and evolution of film theory, including different schools of thought like realism, auteurism, and ideological criticism. It focuses especially on the political turn in film theory after the 1968 protests in France.
💡auteurism
Auteurism is a school of film criticism that celebrates the director as the main creative force and 'author' of a film. As mentioned in the video, early French critics were especially interested in studying the recurring themes and motifs across the films of directors like Hitchcock and Howard Hawks to uncover their artistic personalities.
💡apparatus
The cinematic apparatus refers to the equipment, technology, and systems used to produce films. Andre Bazin tied his realist film theory to the material reality recorded by the camera apparatus. But the essay argues that filmmaking tools are not impartial conveyors of reality.
💡dominant ideology
The dominant ideology refers to the prevailing belief systems, values, and assumptions in a society that upheld the capitalist status quo. The essay argues most films reflect the dominant ideology even if filmmakers believe they are challenging it.
💡political criticism
Political criticism analyzes and evaluates films in relation to issues of power, ideology, and social justice. The authors defend political criticism as necessary for revealing the politics of representation in cinema.
💡neo-realism
Neo-realism was an influential post-WW2 film movement in Italy characterized by shooting on location and using non-professional actors to achieve a heightened sense of realism. Andre Bazin championed neo-realism in his film theory.
💡New Wave
The French New Wave was an innovative film movement in the late 1950s pioneered by directors like Godard and Truffaut. It emphasized authorial expressivity through radical experiments with cinematic form.
💡structural linguistics
Structural linguistics, as developed by theorists like Saussure, analyzes the underlying formal structures of language. Some film theorists like Metz adopted Saussure's ideas to study the language-like nature of cinema's formal conventions.
💡semiotics
Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and how they construct meaning. Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis of media images influenced film theorists in their ideological analyses of cinematic codes and conventions.
💡apparatus theory
Apparatus theory examines how the technological and institutional machinery of cinema shapes the production of films, as well as the meaning-making experience of audiences. Beaudry and Comoli argue the camera apparatus is not a neutral relay of reality.
Highlights

Essay has a lasting impact on the field of film studies today

Political stridency transported the spirit of the May 1968 protests into film theory

May 1968 marked a transition from one state of film theory to the next

Strong political turn in 1969 film theory after student protests against capitalism and consumerism

Break from auteurism and towards new wave cinema and politics of representation

Making non-capitalist films not just about funding sources but ways of thinking that critique ideology

Job of criticism is to see differences in filmmakers' roles and help change ideology conditioning them

If production were the answer, no need for political criticism. A defense of criticism.

Calls out classic theory of impartial camera as reactionary for ignoring ideological construction of reality

Introduces major post-1968 theorists like Lacan, Althusser, Barthes influencing film theory

Bazin's praise of neo-realism seen as conservatively treating camera as passively taking in concrete reality

Don't present post-1968 theory as automatically correct due to coming after Bazin

Ask you to formulate your own thoughts in classical vs. post-1968 film theory debate

Look at Sorry to Bother You through lens of political cinema category

Signal 1968 as transitional moment in various realms beyond just film theory

Transcripts
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