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The World Viewed has indeed not that many references to Wittgenstein, most of them involve Wittgensteins concept of 'seeing as' and the 'dawning of an aspect' form part II of the Philosophical Investigations. Cavell also tries to find some analogies between film and language in a Wittgensteinian sense, pointing us to the fact that the camera is outside its subject as I am outside my language (on p. 127), which is a little confusing but means that I cannot make the camera to be seen, and I cannot find a position beyond the use of words in language games (I cannot make the words to be seen). But in general, Cavell does not use Wittgenstein as a model for the language of film, but as a model of criticism for expressing our experiences of films. The concept of the 'dawning of an aspects' refers to a volatility of film that challenges our perception. Cavells notion of the ordinary, which is based on his readings of Wittgenstein and Austin, is of great importance here, although he rarely explicitly refers to it in his readings of films. You have to read Cavell's first book Must We Mean What We Say? as a point of reference to understand the impact of Wittgenstein on Cavell's film philosophy. And you may have to read his writings on Emerson and Thoreau, who Cavell considers to be precursors of Wittgenstein and Austin. This will give you a sense of how the ordinariness of popular film, its avoidance of the fate of modernism, can become focused by a Wittgensteinian notion of philosophy: "We want to understand something that is already in plain view. For this is what we seem in some sense not to understand." (§89, Philosophical Investigations). Film (easy to understand but difficult to explain, with the words of Christian Metz) is something which we haven't understood yet, and everything in The World Viewed points us to this fact. Cavell's reading of Wittgensteins Philosophical Investigations differs from many other interpretations, because he reads is not as book about philosophy but as a book about Wittgenstein, pointing us to the dialogical structure of this book involving two contradiciting voices (the voice the skepticist and the voice of the ordinary language) which are both Wittgensteins own voices. Cavell reads it as a book of confession, and The World Viewed itself is meant as a confession, giving us an account of Cavell's love for classical Hollywood cinema and the loss of a 'natural relation to film'. Cavell's notion of skepticism, which he lays down in the essay "Knowing and Acknowledging" and in his readings of Wittgenstein in The Claim of Reason is also of great importance for The World Viewed and his film philosophy, as he regards film as a moving image of skepticism. You will find the impact of Wittgenstein in everything Cavell has written in the last 40 years and though it may pretty difficult to form a model of analysis and interpretation of film, there is a strong pedagogical effect to the reader of Cavell who may learn to find words for the volatile experience of being entertained by a film,. In films 'everything passes and nothing is lost', which means that we may miss much of films' siginifcance for us as something whose significance is hidden right before our eyes. Entertainment and pleasure remain to be some of the most mysterious subjects of film and I regard Cavell's readings of classical Hollywood comedies Pursuits of Happiness as one of the best works on popular cinema. Herbert ________________________________ * * Film-Philosophy salon After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are replying to. To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: [log in to unmask] Or visit: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/film-philosophy.html For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon. * Film-Philosophy journal: http://www.film-philosophy.com Contact: [log in to unmask] ** * * Film-Philosophy Email Discussion Salon. After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are replying to. To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: [log in to unmask] Or visit: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/film-philosophy.html For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon. * Film-Philosophy journal: http://www.film-philosophy.com Contact: [log in to unmask] ** * * Film-Philosophy salon After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are replying to. To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: [log in to unmask] Or visit: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/film-philosophy.html For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon. * Film-Philosophy journal: http://www.film-philosophy.com Contact: [log in to unmask] **