FILM MAY312017

FromTheShining Moviestore/REXShutterstock
Standingupforcinema
MARTINSCORSESE

Iamneitherawriternoratheorist.Imafilmmaker.Isawsomething
extraordinaryandinspiringintheartofcinemawhenIwasveryyoung.
TheimagesthatIsawthrilledmebuttheyalsoilluminatedsomething
withinme.Thecinemagavemeameansofunderstandingand
eventuallyexpressingwhatwaspreciousandfragileintheworldaround
me.Thisrecognition,thissparkthatleadsfromappreciationtocreation:
ithappensalmostwithoutknowing.Forsome,itleadstopoetry,or
dance,ormusic.Inmycase,itwasthecinema.

Quiteoften,whenpeoplediscussthecinema,theytalkaboutsingle
images.ThebabycarriagerollingdowntheOdessaStepsinBattleship
Potemkin,forinstance.PeterOTooleblowingoutthematchin
LawrenceofArabia.JohnWayneliftingNatalieWoodinhisarmsnear
theendofTheSearchers.ThebloodgushingfromtheelevatorinThe
Shining.TheexplodingoilderrickinThereWillBeBlood.Theseareall
absolutelyextraordinarypassagesinthehistoryofourartform.
Extraordinaryimages,tobesure.Butwhathappenswhenyoutakethese
imagesawayfromthosethatcomebeforeandafter?Whathappens
whenyouliftthemoutoftheworldstowhichtheybelong?Youreleft
withrecordsofcraftsmanshipandcare,butsomethingessentialislost:
themomentumbehindandaheadofthem,theearliermomentsthatthey
 echoandthelatermomentsforwhichtheypreparetheway,andthe
thousandsubtletiesandcounterpointsandaccidentsofbehaviourand
chancethatmakethemintegraltothelifeofthepicture.Now,inthe
caseofthebloodgushingelevatorfromTheShining,youdohavean
imagethatcanexistonitsownreally,itcanstandasamovieonits
own.Infact,Ibelieveitwasthefirstteasertrailerforthemovie.

S U B S C R I B E T O T H E W E E K LY T L S
NEWSLETTER

Firstname

Lastname

Emailaddress
We'llalsokeepyouinformedaboutoffers,promotionsand
informationthatmaybeofinteresttoyou.Pleasetickhere
ifyoudon'twanttoreceivethese
Yourinformationwillbeusedinaccordancewithourprivacy
policy

Signup

Butthatimageonitsownisonethingandhowandwhatitiswithinthe
worldofStanleyKubricksfilmissomethingelseagain.Thesamegoes
foreachoftheexamplesIvementionedabove,allofwhichhavebeen
excerptedincountlessclipreels.Asartfullyputtogetherassomeof
thosereelsare,Ifindthemdisconcerting,becausetheyusuallyamount
toaseriesofofficialgreatmomentspulledawayfromtheircontexts.

Itsalsoimportanttorememberthatmostoftheseimagesareactually
sequencesofimages:PeterOTooleblowingoutthematchfollowedby
thesunrisingoverthedesert,thebabycarriagerollingdownthesteps
amidthechaosandbrutalityoftheattackbytheCossacks.Andbeyond
that,eachseparatecinematicimageiscomprisedofasuccessionofstill
framesthatcreatestheimpressionofmotion.Theyarerecordingsof
instantsintime.Butthemomentyouputthemtogether,somethingelse
happens.EverytimeIgetbackintotheeditingroom,Ifeelthewonder
 ofit.Oneimageisjoinedwithanotherimage,andathirdphantomevent
happensinthemindseyeperhapsanimage,perhapsathought,
perhapsasensation.Somethingoccurs,somethingabsolutelyuniqueto
thisparticularcombinationorcollisionofmovingimages.Andifyou
takeaframeawayfromoneoraddacoupleofframestotheother,the
imageinthemindseyechanges.Itsawondertome,andImfarfrom
alone.SergeiEisensteintalkedaboutitonatheoreticallevel,andthe
CzechfilmmakerFrantiekVlcildiscussesitinaninterviewincluded
ontheCriterioneditionofhisgreatmedievalepicMarketaLazarov
(1967).ThefilmcriticMannyFarberunderstooditaselementaltoartin
generalthatswhyhenamedhiscollectionofwritingsNegativeSpace.
Thisprinciple,ifthatswhatyoucouldcallit,isjustasapplicableto
thejuxtapositionofwordsinpoetryorformsandcoloursinpainting.It
is,Ithink,fundamentaltotheartofcinema.Thisiswheretheactof
creationmeetstheactofviewingandengaging,wherethecommonlife
ofthefilmmakerandtheviewerexists,inthoseintervalsoftime
betweenthefilmedimagesthatlastafractionofafractionofasecond
butthatcanbevastandendless.Thisiswhereagoodfilmcomesalive
assomethingmorethanasuccessionofbeautifullycomposedrenderings
ofascript.Thisisfilmmaking.Doesthisphantomimageexistfor
casualviewerswithoutanawarenessofhowfilmsareputtogether?I
believeitdoes.Idontknowhowtoreadmusicandneitherdomost
peopleIknow,butweallfeeltheprogressionfromonechordto
anotherinmusicthataffectsus,andbyimplicationsomekindof
awarenessthatadifferentprogressionwouldbeadifferentexperience.

IntheJanuary4issueoftheTLS,therewasareviewofmymostrecent
film,anadaptationofShsakuEndsnovelSilence.Thereview,written
byAdamMarsJones,wasnotentirelypositive,butIfounditthoughtful
and,forthemostpart,carefullyconsidered.Therewere,however,two
pointswithwhichItookissue:afactualerrorandaseriesofstatements
aboutthecinema.IwrotealettertotheTLSinresponsetobothpoints.

WhentheEditornotifiedmethattheletterwouldbepublished(March
17),heaskedmeifImightbeinterestedinwritingapiecethatwould
elaborateonmyresponsetoMrMarsJonessthoughtsabouttheartof
film.IdecidedtotakeMrAbelluponhisoffer.

Overtheyears,Ivegrownusedtoseeingthecinemadismissedasan
artformforawholerangeofreasons:itstaintedbycommercial
 considerationsitcantpossiblybeanartbecausetherearetoomany
peopleinvolvedinitscreationitsinferiortootherartformsbecauseit
leavesnothingtotheimaginationandsimplycastsatemporaryspell
overtheviewer(thesameisneversaidoftheatreordanceoropera,
eachofwhichrequiretheviewertoexperiencetheworkwithinagiven
spanoftime).Oddlyenough,Ivefoundmyselfinmanysituationswhere
thesebeliefsaretakenforgranted,andwhereitsassumedthatevenI,
inmyheartofhearts,mustagree.

IdonotmeantoimplythatMrMarsJonessubscribestoalloftheabove
positions.However,hedoesseemtohaveanopinionaboutthecinema
thatismoreorlessinsympathywithsuchharshassessments.Eventhe
mostrelentlessbookfiltersdiffuselyintothelifeofthereader,he
writes,whileafilmsuspendsthatlifeforitsduration.Iknowfora
factthatthisisnttrue,basedonmyownexperience.Firstofall,it
seemstomethatweallwanttosurrenderourselvestoart,tolivewithin
agivenfilmorpaintingordance.Thequestionofhowanartworkis
absorbedintime,whetherwerestandingbeforeitinagalleryfora
matterofminutes,readingitoveramatterofweeks,orsittinginadark
theatreandwatchingitprojectedonascreenfortwohours,issimplya
condition,acircumstance,afact.SoyeswhenImreallywatchinga
filmfrombeginningtoend,Imnotstoppingittomakeaphonecalland
thenstartingitagain.Ontheotherhand,Imnotlettingthefilmoverride
myexistence.Imwatchingit,experiencingit,andalongthewayseeing
echoesofmyownexperienceilluminatedbythefilmandilluminatingit
inturn.Iminteractingwiththefilmincountlessways,greatandsmall.
NeveroncehaveIfeltlikeIjustsatthereandletapicturewashover
melikeatidalwave,andthencomebacktomysensesasthelights
cameup.MrMarsJonessconceptionofthefilmviewingexperience
seemstobequitedifferentfrommyown.Forme,itwasalwaysa
sourceofexcitementandenrichment.Imsurethatthesamecanbesaid
formanyofmyfellowfilmmakers.

Inabook,writesMrMarsJones,readerandwritercollaborateto
produceimages,whileafilmdirectorhandsthemdown.Idisagree.
Thegreatestfilmmakers,likethegreatestnovelistsandpoets,aretrying
tocreateasenseofcommunionwiththeviewer.Theyrenottryingto
seducethemorovertakethem,but,Ithink,toengagewiththemonas
intimatealevelaspossible.Thevieweralsocollaborateswiththe
 filmmaker,orthepainter.NotwoviewingsofRaphaelsMadonnaand
ChildEnthronedwithSaintswillbethesame:everynewviewingwill
bedifferent.ThesameistrueofreadingsofTheDivineComedyor
Middlemarch,orviewingsofTheLifeandDeathofColonelBlimpor
2001:ASpaceOdyssey.Wereturnatdifferentmomentsinourlivesand
weseethingsdifferently.

IalsodisagreewithMrMarsJonesscontentionthatanyadaptationofa
novelintoafilmcanonlyamounttoadistortionoranexaggeration
overall.Ofcourse,inoneveryimportantsense,heiscorrect.Alfred
HitchcockoncetoldFranoisTruffautthatdespitehisadmirationfor
CrimeandPunishment,hewouldneverhavedreamedofmakingafilm
outofitbecauseinordertodosohewouldhaveneededtofilmevery
singlepage(inasense,thisiswhatErichvonStroheimtriedtodowhen
headaptedFrankNorrissMcTeagueasGreed).Butsometimes,theidea
istotakeelementsofanovelandcraftaseparateworkfromit(as
HitchcockdidwithPatriciaHighsmithsStrangersonaTrain).Or,to
takethecinematicelementsofanovelandcreateafilmfromthem(I
supposethatthiswasthecasewithcertainadaptationsofRaymond
Chandlersnovels).Andsomefilmmakersreallydoattempttotranslate
anovelintosoundsandimages,tocreateanequivalentartistic
experience.Ingeneral,Iwouldsaythatmostofusrespondtowhat
wevereadandintheprocesstrytocreatesomethingthathasitsown
lifeapartfromthesourcenovel.

AsIsaid,IfoundMrMarsJonessreviewofmyfilmquitethoughtful,
andIdonotwishtotakeissuewithhisopinionofthepicture.Butasa
workingfilmmaker,IwantedtostandupfortheartformtowhichIve
devotedthebetterpartofmylife,andthathasgivenmesomuch.

Wehopeyouenjoythisfreepiecefrom
theTLSsubscribenowandgetthe
bestwritingonbigbooksandbigideas
fromonly1.50or$2.40perweek

Subscribe

YouMightAlsoLike
RichardBurtons SteveBannon, Cold,dead
painfullytruthful heirtoPlato culture
diaries

Poetandheroes MrandMrs Hokusai:A

Borges dreamofa
hundredbridges

Masterofthe Depthnot MaryRenaults

blues breadth chariotsofire

Recommendedby