Image, Time and Reality: Largely Inspired by Gilles Deleuze's theory of cinematic image and time

Abstract

Although the style and approach tend to be impersonal, the unity of this thesis itself is a result of its entirely personal basic character and nature. The main focus of this thesis is about cinematic image, time and reality; actually, it is about the trinary relations among images, spectators or perceivers, and reality. All of these elements not only help to define the meaning of cinema but also reveal the knowledge of truth. There are four chapters in this thesis. The main concern in chapter one intends to validate the status of film images in the domain of art form in general. Moreover, it is an indispensable step to set film images free from their original sin or from the shackle of fakery by taking the path from the context of metaphysics. There are three aspects in this chapter: the art form which is constructed by images, the realness of image, and the real images. Each aspect is equally important in reflecting upon the relationship between constructed images and realness in film development. In chapter two, this thesis concentrates on Gilles Deleuze’s cinematic theory in relation to image and movement. The way that Deleuze interpreted and dealt with the movement in images was to set his focal point on subjectivity of images which hinges on a very distinctive effect of becoming, and he denominated this becoming as “movement-image.” There are three sections in this chapter: section one, juxtaposing Bergson’s three theses of movement with Deleuze’s cinematic theories; section two, focusing on the effective results of four trends of montage which are the organic trend of the American school, the dialectic trend of the Soviet school, the quantitative trend of the pre-war French school and the intensive trend of the German Expressionist school; section three, examining three types of movement-images, to wit, perception-image, affection-image and action-image. In chapter three, this thesis looks at Deleuze’s cinematic theory in relation to image and time. In order to have the integrated understanding upon the subjectivity of images, Deleuze realized that there is one other kind of significant image, time-image. This chapter is divided into three divisions. The first division tries to explain the representation of reality that is generated by the association of the virtual power of cinematic images does not mean unadulterated fancy or illusion but a projection of the image of the human mind. The second division points out the fact that cinema not only entertains and moves spectators but it also motivates the spectators to thought; therefore, films should be seen as a significant medium because of its power within which the perception or feeling from viewers’ side intertangles with the corresponsive portrayal of cinematic images on the other side. From the third division on, this thesis starts to turn its focal point away from Deleuze’s cinematic theory and tries to blend the notion of reality into the discussion. The thesis suggests that the category of documentary not only can be seen as nonfictional form of direct time-image, but it also provides three new signs of images in terms of reality: mapping-image, reason-image, and judgement-image. Furthermore, documentary interweaves with the act of attention which comes before viewers’ consciousness, and then, the viewers are able to participate in the viewing process actively and make the judgement that the images of documentary are more trustworthy than the fictional images. In the fourth and also the final chapter, this thesis uses the phenomenological concept of Maurice Merleau-Ponty as the extended foundation in order to seek out the meaning of filmic images from three crucial dimensions: the process of viewing, the essence of objectivity, and the creation of concept. Every separate dimension is equally important and yet interweaves with each other in understanding the ultimate connection between constructed images and the perceptional experience of the spectators. In the first dimension, the thesis dives into the origin of perception, that is, the act of attention which shows that in the searching for the meaning of film images, the answer does not simply rest upon it because, as Merleau-Ponty pointed out, “the result of the act of attention is not to be found in its beginning”. In the second dimension, the thesis focuses on the notion of objective depiction of cinematic images and tries to argue that the essence of objectivity only exists in a conceptual assumption. In the third dimension, the thesis tends to point out that the film images are able to create new concepts just as providing information or knowledge of truth.