>
> "All I can legitimately say is that, if you saw these 100 films, you would
>know roughly what cinema is capable of..."
>
> That expresses it as exactly as you could expect. Unlike you he offers no
>definition and certainly not one that he thinks "cannot be outmoded"- for
>we have still to see what cinema/film is capable of - even were there to be
>no further technological development. "Capable of" involves aspects other
>than those covered by the kind of banal generalizations you seem to think
>important, aspects that are usually of most importance to us, e.g.,
>narrative, character, morals, politics, ideas - even philosophy!
>
>
>
>Ted Welch Lecturer in history and theory of the media and webmaster
>School of Communication, Design and Media
>University of Westminster, London, UK
>http://www.wmin.ac.uk/media
>web designer of http://www.frontlinetv.com
>
>"Truth Matters" Noam Chomsky
First, I would like to say that you're remarks are becoming increasingly
abusive, as you resort to pejorative terms rather than discourse. This type
of ad hominem attack is probably fun for you, but I don't see what value it
has, and ask you to stop.
Second, I would like to mention that your point that "critics do not need
to define film," while valid, is not relevant, simply because I am not a
film critic, do not aspire to be a film critic, and differentiate between
"critic" and "philosopher."
Finally, you seem to feel that a "definition" is somehow separated from
understanding or meaning, which leaves me quite unsure of what you think a
definition is, if not a meaning attached to a word?
At this point, it seems that the only definition of film that you will
accept is one that states "Film is what Ted Welch, a representative of the
culture and cultural understanding, says it is." There is a caveat of
course, which is that since Ted refuses to delineate in any way what this
cultural understanding might possibly entail, we must consult Ted everytime
that we want to know if something is film! Ted, if this is not the case,
could you please expound on what a film is, that I may know it when I see
it?
j. daigle
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