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University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St. John’s Road, Tyler's Green High Wycombe, Bucks, England HP10 8HR 7902105 CURRAN, TRISHA A NEW NOTE ON THE FILM: A THEORY OF FILM CRITICISM DERIVED FROM 5USAMNE K- LANGEA *5 PHILOSOPHY OF ART. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, PH.D*, 197U Universit/ Mocxilnris International 3q o n . z e e b r o a d , a n n a r b o r , m m b i o c © Copyright by Trisha Curran 1978 A NEW NOTE ON THE FILM A Theory of Film Criticism Derived from Susanne K. Langer's Philosophy of Art DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Trisha Curran, B. A., M. A. The Ohio State University 1978 Reading Committee: Approved By Donald R. Bateman Ali Elgabri G. Robert Holsinger L. Jane Stewart Adviser: Department of Humanities Education To Joe ii VITA July 26, 1940....................... Born--New York, New York 1962-1965............................. Middle School Teacher, Notre Dame Academy, Water bury, Connecticut 1965-1966 ............................. American History Teacher, Stamford Catholic High School, Stamford, Connecticut 1967 ...................................... New York University, New York, New York 1967-196 8 ............................. Social Studies Teacher, Rye High School, Rye, New York 1968-196 9............................. Social Studies Teacher, Weston Junior High School, Weston, M assachusetts 1975-197 6 ............................. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of English, The Ohio State University 1976-197 8 ............................. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Photography and Cinema, The Ohio State University FILMS A Point of Contact, documentary film for the Labor Education and Research Service of The Ohio State University, 1977. Columbus Arts Festival Public Service Announcement, Television Spot for the Columbus Arts Council, 1977. Strength Through Struggle, documentary film funded by the Ohio Program for the Humanities, for the Labor Education and Research Seivice of The Ohio State University, 1975. iii PAPERS "Strength Through Struggle: The Making of a Compilation Film and The leaking of a Filmmaker," University Film Association, College Park, Maryland, 1977. AWARDS Chris Statuette, Columbus International Film Festival, 1977. Certificate of Excellence, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Film Festival, 1976. FIELDS OF STUDY Studies in Cinema. Professors Robert W. Wagner and Ali Elgabri Studies in Criticism. Professor G. Robert Holsinger Studies in Aesthetics. Professor Donald R. Bateman and L. Jane Stewart TABLE OF CONTENTS VITA...................................................................................... INTRODUCTION................................................................ Chapter I THE MODE OF THE FILM ......................... 11 THE PRIMARY ILLUSION OF THE FILM 111 THE FORM OF THE FILM ............ IV THE CRITIQUE OF THE FORM ............... CONCLUSION...................................................................... BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................... INTRODUCTION In her ’’Introduction” to Feeling and Form Susanne K. Langer writes that nothing in this book is exhaustively treated. Every subject in it demands further analysis, research, invention. That is because it is chiefly an exploratory work, which—as Whitehead once said of William James’ pragmatism—chiefly starts a lot of hares for people to chase.... The main purpose of the book, therefore, may be described as the construction of an intellectual framework for philosophical studies, general or detailed, relating to art. * Whereas Herbert Read calls the body of Feeling and Form ”an illuminating guide through the jungle of modern aesthetics," ^ Langer terms its appendix, ”A Note on the Film,” "only an impressionistic sketch, " stating that "the number of films I’ve seen in my life I could count on my fingers and toes. If I had seen more, I would have written an extra chapter like I did for the other arts. Her philosophy of art deserves a less impressionistic application to film than she was capable of as a non-film viewer; and the art of the film demands as intensive an analysis as plastic art, music, dance and poesis received in Feeling and Form and Problems of Art. Langer has provided the foundation for such an analysis in Philosophy in a New Key, the inspiration in Problems of Art, the model Feeling and Form and many of the fertile concepts in Reflections of Art. Thus, with her best wishes, I have chased the "hares” of organic form, orders and modes of art, and primary and secondary illusions within the art of the film, and have used her intellectual framework to develop an exploratory work on film criticism, which I hope, will, in turn "start a lot of hares for people to chase." My debt to Dr. Langer is obvious. One cannot chase non­ existent hares. Less obvious, but equally real, is my debt to the members of my committee who critiqued the chase. 3 NOTES ^Susanne K. Langer, Feeling and Form, (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1953), pp. viii-ix. 2 Herbert Read, "Describing the Indescribable," Saturday Re­ view, 15 July, 1967, p. 32. 3 Conversation with Susanne K. Langer, April 16, 1978. CHAPTER I THE MODE OF THE FILM According to Abraham Kaplan, the ultimate goal of theory is "to establish a network of highways and superhighways so that any important point may be linked with any other."* Susanne Langer has succeeded in establishing such a network in her philosophy of art. Her highways of principles of art (as opposed to principles of construction in art) and her superhighways of primary and secondary illusions of the individual arts, link the orders of art--plastic art, music, ballet and poesis, and the modes of art--painting, sculpture, architecture (of plastic art), and poetry, literature and drama (of poesis). Langer’s principles of art--the creation of an apparition, the achievement of organic unity, and the articulation of feeling--are essential for a work to be art. Hence they are found in every work of art, for art, according to Langer, is the creation of forms expressive of human feeling. Principles of construction, on the other hand, vary from art to art, and even from art work to art work within the individual orders and modes of art. Thus Bell and Fry’s theory of painting as significant form, A. C. Barnes' of color and Berenson's of decoration are principles of construction in art. A painting can be art without significant for m/color /decoration (principles of construction in art), as long as it creates an apparition, achieves organic unity and articulates feeling (principles of art). Like Bell, Fry, Barnes and Berenson, film theorists have based their theories on principles of constructian--disregard of reality (Munsterberg), montage (Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Kuleshov), camera angle and close-up (Balazs), motion (Lindsay), animation (Arnheim), deep focus (Bazin), recording and revealing of physical reality (Kracauer), and semiotics (Metz). Hence their theories have been theories of construction, of filmmaking, rather than of film viewing or film criticism. They have been intent on telling the filmmaker what to do (as if art could be made from a recipe) rather than on explicating what he has done and how he has done it for the viewer. Limiting their discussions to particular types of fiction films they had seen and admired--early American silent films (Munsterberg, Lindsay, Arnheim), Soviet montage (Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Kuleshov, Balazs), neorealism and works of Renoir, Welles and Wyler