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The Philosophy of Motion Pictures

Foundat ions o f t h e P h i l o s o p h y o f t h e Arts Series Editor: Philip Alperson, Temple University

The Foundations of the Philosophy of the Arts series is designed to provide a comprehensive but flexible series of concise texts addressing both fundamental general questions about art as well as questions about the several arts (literature, film, music, painting, etc.) and the various kinds and dimensions of artistic practice.

A consistent approach across the series provides a crisp, contemporary introduction to the main topics in each area of the arts, written in a clear and accessible style that provides a responsible, comprehensive, and informative account of the relevant issues, reflecting classic and recent work in the field. Books in the series are writ ten by a truly distinguished roster of philosophers with international renown.

1. The Philosophy of Art, Stephen Davies 2. The Philosophy of Motion Pictures, Noel Carroll

Forthcoming: The Philosophy of Literature, Peter Lamarque The Philosophy of Music, Philip Alperson Black is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics, Paul Taylor

The Philosophy of Motion Pictures

Noel Carroll

jfk Blackwell * C r Publishing

© 2008 by Noel Carroll

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First published 2008 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd

1 2008

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-?ublication Data

Carroll, Noel, 1947- The philosophy of motion pictures / Noel Carroll.

p. cm. — (Foundations of the philosophy of the arts) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4051-2024-1 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4051-2025-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Motion pictures—Philosophy. I. Title. PN1995.C3574 2008 791.4301—dc22

2007019837 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

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To Loretta and Maureen for taking care of my brothers

Contents

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction: From Film Theory to the Philosophy

of the Moving Image 1

1 Film as Art 7

2 Medium Specificity 35

3 What Is Cinema? 53

4 The Moving Picture — the Shot 80

5 Moving Images — Cinematic Sequencing and Narration 116

6 Affect and the Moving Image 147

7 Evaluation 192

Select Bibliography 227 Index 233

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge the helpful comments, criticisms, and suggestions offered in the preparation of parts of this book by Philip Alperson, Susan Feagin, Margaret Moore, Jonathan Frome, Vitor Moura, Jinhee Choi, Murray Smith, Gregory Currie, Aaron Smuts, Tom Wartenberg, Cynthia Freeland, Annette Michelson, Jeff Dean/ George Wilson, Elisa Galgut, Ward Jones, Amy Coplan, Patrick Keating, and Deborah Knight. They helped make this a better book. I'm the one who made it worse.

Introduction

From Film Theory to the Philosophy of the

Moving Image

Though the philosophy of the motion picture — or, as I prefer to say, the moving image — began early in the twentieth century, perhaps arguably with the publication in 1916 of The Photoplay: A Psychological Study by Hugo Munsterberg (a Harvard professor of philosophy and psychology in the department of William James), the philosophy of motion pictures did not become a thriving sub-field of philosophy until quite recently. Although Ludwig Wittgenstein enjoyed movies and attended them often — he especially liked westerns — he did not philosophize about them. But as of late, the discussion of movies by philosophers has become quite literally volurninous.