>First of all, I would like to ask how the question about 'grain'
>contributes to our knowledge about films?
>
>I'm affraid that this kind of 'discourse' is a sheer banality that adds
>nothing to our understanding of the subject.
>
I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'knowledge' and 'understanding of
the subject'? For someone like Walter Benjamin, the tactile, proximate
spectatorial relationship cultivated by certain kinds of film is tied up
with the way that film can serve as a medium through which the spectator
can be propelled into moments of recognition. While the ideas of Benjamin,
and Barthes in this regard, may not contribute (via a detailed analysis of
the plot,for example) to our knowledge of a particular film, I think that
their work is incredibly valuable for helping us to think through the -
sometimes, very powerful- spectatorial effects brought about by film.
Tara Forrest.
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