ANALYSIS OF CINEMA AS AN ART FORM: A Case Study
"A filmmaker isn't supposed to say things, he's supposed to show them."
Alfred Hitchcock
Exploring the Artistic Essence of Cinema: A Case Study
1. Introduction
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| Charles Chaplin Image by Josep Monter Martinez from Pixabay |
The most recent of all art forms to develop, cinema has taken the world by storm, captivation the minds of the sophisticated and the gross, the literate and the illiterate alike. It is the most variegated of all artistic forms, an art form in which the hardware is the product of science and the software that of individual and collective sensibilities. The discovery of ‘persistence of vision’, the magic lantern, the film roll of Eastman, the kinetoscope of Edison, the first true cinema projector invented by the Lumiere – brothers in 1895 – are all the products of science, the make – up, the sound tracking the acting and above all the directions requires talent and even artistic genius. This mingled celluloid yarn contains elements of fiction, drama, poetry, music, photography, and a host of other art, major or minor, Satyajit Ray rightly points out:
"Today, the cinema commands the respect accorded to any other form of creative expression. . . . No matter what goes into the making of it, no matter who uses it and how – a producer for financial profits, a political body for propaganda or an avant-garde intellectual for the satisfaction of an aesthetic urge – the cinema is basically the expression of a concept or concept in aesthetic terms, terms which have crystallized through the incredibly short years of its existence."
Again, like the other form of art, cinema as an art form has undergone enormous development, developments which correspond with modernist movements in fiction and poetry such as multiple perspective and stream of consciousness, symbolism and imagism. Only in cinema they are known by various other terms, terms sometimes borrowed form painting or photography, such as pasticine, college, montage, flashback, top shot, close-up, long shot, deep focus etc.
2. Evolution of Cinema as an Art Form
The origins of cinema can be traced back to the late 19th century when inventors and pioneers, such as the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès, made groundbreaking advancements in film technology. Initially regarded as a mere novelty, cinema quickly grew into a powerful medium of artistic expression. The silent era witnessed experimentation with narrative structures, visual storytelling techniques, and the emergence of iconic filmmakers like D.W. Griffith and Sergei Eisenstein. Their films, such as "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and "Battleship Potemkin" (1925), demonstrated the artistic potential of cinema and its ability to convey powerful social and political messages.
3. Aesthetics and Visual Language
Cinema's visual aesthetics play a crucial role in its artistic appeal. The framing of shots, use of lighting, composition, and mise-en-scène contribute to creating a unique atmosphere and evoking specific emotions. In his seminal work "Film as Art" (1932), Rudolf Arnheim explored the visual elements of cinema and argued for its status as a legitimate art form. Filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and Federico Fellini further expanded the language of cinema, pushing boundaries and challenging conventional storytelling techniques. Their works, such as "Vertigo" (1958) and "8½" (1963), showcased the expressive potential of cinematography and cemented their positions as visionary artists.
4. Narrative and Storytelling
The artistry of cinema is intricately tied to its ability to tell compelling stories. From classical narrative structures to experimental forms, filmmakers have utilized various storytelling techniques to captivate audiences. The French New Wave movement of the 1950s and 1960s, spearheaded by directors like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, revolutionized cinematic storytelling. Their films, including "Breathless" (1960) and "The 400 Blows" (1959), embraced a more personal and unconventional approach, challenging traditional narratives and exploring new thematic territories. These works showcased the capacity of cinema to convey complex emotions and subjective experiences.
5. Sound Design and Music
Sound plays a crucial role in enhancing the cinematic experience. The advent of synchronized sound in the late 1920s revolutionized filmmaking and opened new avenues for artistic expression. From dialogue to sound effects and musical scores, sound design shapes the mood and atmosphere of a film. Pioneering directors like Orson Welles, with his groundbreaking use of sound in "Citizen Kane" (1941), and Stanley Kubrick, who employed classical music as a narrative element in "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), showcased the artistic potential of sound in cinema.
6. Journey of Film Making
6.1. Early Cinematic Innovations: Unleashing Fantasy and Comedy through Ingenious Camera Tricks
That cinema is more than a mere technical achievement, that it is something more than 24frames a second that is a spectacular art, was revealed very early on. From its earliest days the power of the film to present fantasy and comedy by the use of ingenious camera tricks was recognized. "Cinderella" was made in 1899 "A Trip to the Moon" in 1920.
6.2. The Silent Era: Pioneering Films and Spectacular Cinematic Spectacles
In 1903 Edwin Porter made "The Great Train Robbery," a straight forward story of how a gang of thieves held up and robbed a train. This simple film established the power of the screen to tell in terms of action and expression a strong, simple, dramatic story . this was the era of the silent films. And the most spectacular or silent films were created by Griffith. "The Birth of a Nation" is the earliest form of grand cinematic spectacle. The wide range of the film about the American Civil War, with its sweeping panoramic scenes, peopled, as a theatre stage could ever be with hundred of actors. No less momentous was "Intolerance." The vivid, clear development of the story, the telling use of close-up, the building of suspense, the sweep of the whole affair, in these Griffith proved himself a master Chaplain made a unique blend of tragic comic pantomime through enduring masterpiece as "The Gold Rush," ‘a film endearingly familiar and inexhaustibly fresh’, and a host of other films such as those of the Russian Pudovkin and Eisenstein such as "Battleship Potemkin" and "Iron."
6.3. The Impact of Sound on Cinema: Challenges, Opportunities, and Changing Dynamics
After this, in the 1930s arrived the era of the talking picture. The coming of sound upset the jigsaw pattern of film making. From the technical and aesthetic of view sound created many problems. The camera becomes immobilized in a sound – proof booth and the essentially mobile nature of screen art was lost for a while. Garbo, who was then the top star was whispered to have a bad speaking voice. Chaplain did not want to talk at all. Keaton retired. The entire school of visual comedy found itself in jeopardy, as Hollywood had no use for pantomime. But one immediate good effect was that it gave films a boost which in turn helped the industry to survive the Depression. The problems, too, were overcome. Lubitsch showed that if one had a story and a song, one could weave the two to have a work of art. Though some still regretted the passing of the silent screen, it was probably more than compensated for in the opportunity given by sound to employ great players from the stage, and great writers and playwrights. These was indeed a time when Sir James Barrie, Joseph Conrad, Arnold Bennett, Somerset Maugham were working in Hollywood in the same studio. Another effect of sound was to take away some of cinema’s universality and replace it by an element of regionalism.
6.4. The Cinematic Revolution: From Deep Focus to Fragmentation
One of the first masterpieces – other than Chaplin’s "The Great Dictator" and "Modern Times" - was a mordant satire on the French aristocracy of the time. It is noteworthy for its rare density, its ability to reveal several layers of meaning at once, as well as its use of ‘deep focus’ for the first time. The second to use deep focus extensively was Orson Welles’s classic "Citizen Cone" in which the director wished to ‘spare no detailed’ in his ruthless study of an American tycoon. Italian cinema came to the forefront with De Sica’s "Bicycle Thieves," the perceptive study of an ordinary man’s plight. But the real revolution comparable to that of Henry James and Joyce rolled together – occurred with Godard, the veritable new god of film making. Godard’s form and content are a unity presenting some aspect of contemporary. European youth journalist, soldier, prostitute, working girl, intellectual – caught in the whirl of modern living. He is the first director to have dispensed with the plot – line. His is a Collage of story tract, newsreel, reportage, quotations, and allusions, commercial short and straight TV interviews – all related to a character or a set of characters firmly placed in a precise contemporary milieu. "Masculine – Feminine" opens in a restaurant where a boy and girl, sitting twenty feet apart strike an acquaintance, and continue to talk inaudibly, since there is heavy traffic on the street outside even though a murder is being committed. Although this might at first seen implausible, on second though one realizes this to be moral real. As a recent critics note, ‘The development of language from Griffith to Godard in films is roughly equivalent to that from Chaucer to Joyce in English literature – ‘a matter of 600 years as against 60 in the cinema’. The latent cinema has become more permissive and uses ‘fragmentation’, a modish cinematic device which chops up a scene or a statement. The latent technical developments have made scientific films such as "Jurassic Park" or Hitchcock’s suspense films like "Psyche," Spielberg’s horror films such as "The Exorcist," or animated films such as "Arabian Night" a wonder – evoking reality.
6.5. The Artistic Transformation of Indian Cinema: From Harishchandra to Satyajit Ray
Indian cinema, beginning with "Harishchandra," has today attained fame or notoriety as the second largest producer of cinema in the world. But the over all artistic standard has been a subject, since the successful Bollywood films are all make – believe airy – fairy, razzle – dazzle, song and dance sequences, having little contact with imaginative reality. After from a few films such as IPTA’s "Dharti ke Lal" or "Bhuban Shome" or Uday Shankar’s "Kalpana," very few artistic films existed in the 50’s. Satyajit Ray gave Indian film a new sensitivity and stays with Pather Panchali, the first ‘intimate’ film about rural Bengal, and with such imaginative extravaganza as "Gupi Gaine Bhaga Baine," and followed it up with such acclaimed films as "Ghare Baire "with its open ending and "Aguntuk" with its mysterious arrival and departure. Other directors, Mrinal Sen, Gautam Ghosh etc. followed in his wake, but have not yet succeeded in amalgamating art and commercial success in the manner that Ray did. But the new wave Indian cinema seems to have better days ahead as perceptive view-less are on the increase.
7. The Interplay of Literary Art and Filmography: A Subject of Controversy and Debate
Until modern times, films and movies was regarded primarily as a special kind of audio visual literature that shared many techniques and effects with fictional narrative. Film makers were committed to factual materials and personal truthfulness, but like writers of fiction they wrote detailed narratives of events and vivid character sketches with great attention to language, lights, focus, narratives , techniques and style. The application of filmmaking is much dynamic and constantly shifting its colours. Naturally much controversy erupts. The complex relations between literary art and filmography have been and continue to be a subject of serious debate.
8. Conclusion
Cinema, as an art form, has continuously evolved, pushing boundaries and captivating audiences worldwide. Through its visual aesthetics, narrative techniques, and sound design, it has proven to be a powerful medium of artistic expression. Thus it is fair to conclude our essay that cinema is undoubtedly a powerful art form that has the ability to convey complex ideas and emotions through a combination of visual and auditory elements. It has the potential to entertain, educate, and inspire audiences around the world. However, like any other art form, cinema can also be subject to commercial pressures and limitations. Despite these challenges, cinema remains a vital and important medium that continues to evolve and captivate audiences.
References:
1. Domino, B., & Gratias, D. (1950, June). THE CINEMA IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF ART. New Blackfriars, 31(363), 250–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-2005.1950.tb03644.x
2. Harvey, R. (1991). Sartre/Cinema: Spectator/Art That Is Not One. Cinema Journal, 30(3), 43. https://doi.org/10.2307/1224929
3. SATYAJIT RAY - THE INNER EYE - BIOGRAPHY OF A MASTER FILM MAKER : ANDREW ROBINSON : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/SatyajitRay-TheInnerEye-BiographyOfAMasterFilmMaker
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