Reality Transformed

Film as Meaning and Technique

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by Irving Singer

MIT Press

Due/Published October 2000, 232 pages, paper

ISBN 0262695481

New in paper

Extending his earlier work on meaning in art and life, philosopher Irving Singer attempts to harmonize and unite the opposing positions of realism and formalism in film theory. He suggests that the meaningfulness of movies derives from techniques that re-create reality in the process of presenting it to viewers who have learned how to appreciate the aesthetics of cinematic transformation. He provides suggestive readings of Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, Luchino Visconti's Death in Venice, and Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game.

"There has been a traditional split in film studiesbetween the Bazinians and the Eisensteinians--those who believe themedium has a special aptitude for reality and those who would stress itspurely formal and autonomous characteristics. This soberly argued bookattempts to make peace using philosophical humanism. Taking as hispremise the currently unfashionable idea that narrative cinema hassomething to do with life, Singer demonstrates how it transforms ourcommon experience into art."--Sight & Sound