The following is a blog post written for my Introduction to Cinema Studies class, re-published here so all my work is in one place.
Though at first it seems like an arbitrary collision of unrelated images, Ballet mechanique juxtaposes and manipulates visuals to convey a certain feeling and provoke an emotional response from the viewer. Though it has no story or narrative in the traditional sense, it still conforms to standard film language by utilising certain elements of film form (particularly similarity/repetition, difference/variation and unity/disunity) while completely ignoring others (function and development). This is an example of the abstract form of experimental film, in which the filmmaker uses theme and variation to build a cohesive work that is interesting or compelling because it provokes our senses in unusual ways.
The Illustrated Auschwitz is a stunning and effective example of the associational form, in which images and sounds are placed together in such a way as to create an association in the viewer’s mind. At first the film’s imagery seems oddly disconnected to the narration, but the viewer is quickly trained to make clear associations between the subject matter of the voiceover and the images being presented on screen – though these meanings are more abstracted than in a traditional narrative film, their presentation in this way helps the viewer to feel the film viscerally rather than understand it intellectually.
We Have Decided Not to Die uses highly constructed, stylistic shots to convey different feelings and emotions in each of its “phases”. Though it also has no narrative in the traditional sense, a viewer could interpret it as an exploration on a theme – so it can be “followed” in the same way as a narrative film. It also uses elements of film form (specifically similarity/repetition) to create associations between each phase, and by their placement and juxtaposition next to one another shapes the viewer’s understanding of the film.
La Jetee is an experimental film concerned with the possibilities and limitations of the cinematic form itself, using a stylistic constraint (the film is built almost entirely from still images) in service of conveying its story. Even though it has a very clear story and plot, its unique mode of presentation sets it apart from the rest of narrative cinema.