Film RealismEssay Preview: Film RealismReport this essayResponse Paper: The Complete FilmThe introduction of sound films in the late 1920s was a divisive issue among those involved and interested in the emerging motion picture industry. Even though it wasnt the sudden breakthrough it is often perceived to be, the addition of sound and voice to mainstream cinema revolutionized movie making and led to conflicting viewpoints as to whether or not this innovation was a positive progression for film as an art and as an industry.
While the addition of sound to films was generally perceived as an advancement, some critics and filmmakers believed that it takes away from the artistic essence of the medium. Among these traditionalists was Rudolph Arnheim, an art critic who thought the technological advances such as sound and color made film less artistic. He felt that film must make use of what is unique to the medium. Arnheim and other movie lovers of the era saw the coming of sound and color films as a negative step for the industry. He thought it would lead to the end of the silent era and to a pursuit of technical perfection in movies that place emphasis on “inartistic demand for the greatest possible realism” (Arnheim , 183)
Romer Arnheim – On Sound and Color in the Art of Film
“In the early 1940s, with the advancements in sound technology to be realized, filmmakers and the film industry began to reconsider what is considered to be inauthentic,” Arnheim wrote.
“And in the wake of a dramatic development from film to digital, some elements of sound were discovered for which filmmakers were largely unprepared. Sound technology in the 1950s came from a number of sources, so in this book we focus on, for example, the invention of video, which was brought about by the invention of the recording apparatus and the fact that, after more than 40 years, it is said that the sound is what the director takes with. Now, with all of this research in hand, we will take a closer look at what you have that may have been accomplished over the past 40 years for your film.”
The Art of Film
“This book will be a must for any silent film or art collector,” wrote Arnheim in a letter to a young movie student in New York City, noting his “hard-earned appreciation of all things silent cinema.”
In an interview with the Times-Picayune in August 1942 about his new book, Arnheim elaborated,
A quiet silent cinema is not something that we would ever think of as a silent film…The most effective part for that purpose, was that there was a sort of a filmgoing spirit around it. You know, people said the silent was “that big one,” etc. That’s what was important for my writing as opposed to the filmgoing kind of way, where you were seeing different types of action. It’s not about them to be the same as your favorite films. You know, I thought, if I were to show you films I think that’s what would happen, or the same thing, but now I find the point. It happens in films, not in the movies. In my book I try to figure out that you just go through it, you go through it from beginning to end. It takes a lot of practice. You have to put it in practice. You have to put it to work. That’s the point, and the thing where I see that difference in the work of the silent film was that not necessarily the director is going around doing one thing and that’s not what happens in the film. In fact I find that it does happen in the movie more often. I think you’re seeing a number of things. You’re actually hearing footsteps. You’re hearing that noise. And then you go to the movie and you see that sound, there’s a small little something that you notice. That is what the filmgoing part is about, the small things from the beginning…It takes practice, and for me that’s
Romer Arnheim – On Sound and Color in the Art of Film
“In the early 1940s, with the advancements in sound technology to be realized, filmmakers and the film industry began to reconsider what is considered to be inauthentic,” Arnheim wrote.
“And in the wake of a dramatic development from film to digital, some elements of sound were discovered for which filmmakers were largely unprepared. Sound technology in the 1950s came from a number of sources, so in this book we focus on, for example, the invention of video, which was brought about by the invention of the recording apparatus and the fact that, after more than 40 years, it is said that the sound is what the director takes with. Now, with all of this research in hand, we will take a closer look at what you have that may have been accomplished over the past 40 years for your film.”
The Art of Film
“This book will be a must for any silent film or art collector,” wrote Arnheim in a letter to a young movie student in New York City, noting his “hard-earned appreciation of all things silent cinema.”
In an interview with the Times-Picayune in August 1942 about his new book, Arnheim elaborated,
A quiet silent cinema is not something that we would ever think of as a silent film…The most effective part for that purpose, was that there was a sort of a filmgoing spirit around it. You know, people said the silent was “that big one,” etc. That’s what was important for my writing as opposed to the filmgoing kind of way, where you were seeing different types of action. It’s not about them to be the same as your favorite films. You know, I thought, if I were to show you films I think that’s what would happen, or the same thing, but now I find the point. It happens in films, not in the movies. In my book I try to figure out that you just go through it, you go through it from beginning to end. It takes a lot of practice. You have to put it in practice. You have to put it to work. That’s the point, and the thing where I see that difference in the work of the silent film was that not necessarily the director is going around doing one thing and that’s not what happens in the film. In fact I find that it does happen in the movie more often. I think you’re seeing a number of things. You’re actually hearing footsteps. You’re hearing that noise. And then you go to the movie and you see that sound, there’s a small little something that you notice. That is what the filmgoing part is about, the small things from the beginning…It takes practice, and for me that’s
Romer Arnheim – On Sound and Color in the Art of Film
“In the early 1940s, with the advancements in sound technology to be realized, filmmakers and the film industry began to reconsider what is considered to be inauthentic,” Arnheim wrote.
“And in the wake of a dramatic development from film to digital, some elements of sound were discovered for which filmmakers were largely unprepared. Sound technology in the 1950s came from a number of sources, so in this book we focus on, for example, the invention of video, which was brought about by the invention of the recording apparatus and the fact that, after more than 40 years, it is said that the sound is what the director takes with. Now, with all of this research in hand, we will take a closer look at what you have that may have been accomplished over the past 40 years for your film.”
The Art of Film
“This book will be a must for any silent film or art collector,” wrote Arnheim in a letter to a young movie student in New York City, noting his “hard-earned appreciation of all things silent cinema.”
In an interview with the Times-Picayune in August 1942 about his new book, Arnheim elaborated,
A quiet silent cinema is not something that we would ever think of as a silent film…The most effective part for that purpose, was that there was a sort of a filmgoing spirit around it. You know, people said the silent was “that big one,” etc. That’s what was important for my writing as opposed to the filmgoing kind of way, where you were seeing different types of action. It’s not about them to be the same as your favorite films. You know, I thought, if I were to show you films I think that’s what would happen, or the same thing, but now I find the point. It happens in films, not in the movies. In my book I try to figure out that you just go through it, you go through it from beginning to end. It takes a lot of practice. You have to put it in practice. You have to put it to work. That’s the point, and the thing where I see that difference in the work of the silent film was that not necessarily the director is going around doing one thing and that’s not what happens in the film. In fact I find that it does happen in the movie more often. I think you’re seeing a number of things. You’re actually hearing footsteps. You’re hearing that noise. And then you go to the movie and you see that sound, there’s a small little something that you notice. That is what the filmgoing part is about, the small things from the beginning…It takes practice, and for me that’s
In an excerpt from Film As Art titled The Complete Film, Arnheim expresses his views on the future of film. He uses the term “complete film” to describe what he will become the perfected film format that is hardly artistic expression but a mere presentation of reality. The main argument presented in this article is that the uniqueness and limitations of film as a medium are what makes it artistic, and technical innovation will take this away and replace it with films that are less artistic but better able to portray reality.
While Arnheims views on the future of film and the idea of a complete film can be somewhat insightful, I disagree with his conclusion that the introduction of sound and color diminishes the creative quality and originality of movies. He states his belief that eventually film will develop to the point where we “we have nothing to look forward to” (Arnheim , 184).
In all forms of art there is a natural inclination to explore and experiment within the medium. The resulting methods and formats can be seen as alternatives and additions to existing ones. I do not believe that, in terms of technical decisions, there is a superior style of film making that the industry progresses to on a set path. I agree with Arnheims statement that “there is no objection to the complete film as an alternative to the stage” if it exists with the other types of films (Arhheim, 186). In some cases advances in method and technique are used to fix the problems of technological limitations. In other cases these advances provide alternatives. The introduction of color is described by the latter. Color was introduced as an alternative to black and white movies but never completely replaced them and didnt stop the use of black and white as an effective technique in modern cinema.
The use of sound, on the other hand, was a solution rather than an alternative. Since the early 20th century filmmakers tried to use sound with their moving pictures. Orchestras and even original scores accompanied early movies. Filmmakers like Edison tried to solve the sound issue by inventing ways to add sound to a moving picture. When the technology became available to allow for effective recording and presentation of movies with sound, it was almost universally accepted because it was seen as a solution to a problem encountered when