> >>the screen >>event itself is a bone fide event which impacts on the their
> senses
> through >>the phemomena, and their psychology through the narrative. It
> creates
> >>reactions and beliefs of its own accord. Yes, no?
>
> . . . . .yes, Yes, YES!!! . . . but that doesn't address the original
> [originary?]
> question which remains, to put it succinctly, whether any audience ever
> thought [that's the operative word] that could get on and ride a train that
> thet saw approaching them on a screen
Tom Gunning addresses the issue in his article "An Aesthetic of Astonishment:
Early Film and the (In)Credulous Spectator" and points out that: "Contemporary
film theorists have made careers out of underestimating the basic intelligence
and reality-testing abilities of the average film viewer and have no trouble
treating previous audiences with similar disdain."
Henry Bacon
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