Blog3_Blair Witch again_10/13

Two Quotes from The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction:

“...for the first time – and this is the effect of the film – man has to operate with his whole living person, yet forgoing its aura. For aura is tied to his presence; there can be no replica of it. The aura which, on the stage, emanates from Macbeth, cannot be separated for the spectators from that of the actor. However, the singularity of the shot in the studio is that the camera is substituted for the public. Consequently, the aura that envelops the actor vanishes, and with it the aura of the figure he portrays.”

“Magician and surgeon compare to painter and cameraman. The painter maintains in his work a natural distance from reality, the cameraman penetrates deeply into its web. There is a tremendous difference between the pictures they obtain. That of the painter is a total one, that of the cameraman consists of multiple fragments which are assembled under a new law. Thus, for contemporary man the representation of reality by the film is incomparably more significant than that of the painter, since it offers, precisely because of the thoroughgoing permeation of reality with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is free of all equipment. And that is what one is entitled to ask from a work of art.”

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I think that these statements, when compared, have an entirely different relationship today than they would, say, seventy years ago (or earlier for that matter). The first quote seems to directly compare a unique, live experience--like theatre--with something duplicated and distributed--like film. The second quote, however, seems to compare visual art (actual tangible works) of two types: original and duplicated. I agree that there is a significant difference between owning an original work by Picasso and a DVD copy of Citizen Kane; but it must be taken into account that there is a fundamental difference in these two types of art. Today, at least, we recognize that many of the original works that we call valuable, are so because only one (or few) exists. Films are usually produced with the intent of being distributed, and so their value must be determined by some other factor(s).

In consideration of The Blair Witch Project, I think that while both quotes are pertinent, the second seems to have been written with the film in mind. From the first moments of the film we, as the audience, are told to believe that the footage was 'found' and therefore real. "Thus, for contemporary man the representation of reality by the film is incomparably more significant than that of the painter, since it offers, precisely because of the thoroughgoing permeation of reality with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is free of all equipment." Essentially, the film was created with the intent of seeming 'real.' The footage was shot to look candid and honest. The story structure was written to seem spontaneous and unpredictable. The filmmakers wanted us to believe that the film was real. Had I been introduced to the film with no information at all (and told that it was truly 'real' footage), I'm sure that I would have been convinced. The statement at the beginning, though clearly false, does establish a sort of credibility that I believe was necessary in the film's success.

This discussion brings another example to mind:

The 1996 film by Joel and Ethan Coen, Fargo opens with a similar statement:

"THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

Ironically, the story is not based on true events. In an interview (included with the DVD), the Coen brothers admitted that the story was not based on facts. They did state, however, that many of the events depicted in the film were taken from other real cases, and that, therefore, they weren't entirely wrong in presenting the facts as truth. Joel Coen once said, "If an audience believes that something's based on a real event, it gives you permission to do things they might not otherwise accept."

I think The Blair Witch Project did just this.