The original inquirer was, I think, asking not for examples of 'direct
address' but for writings on that topic. (He cited Woody Allen films as an
instance of what might be discussed in those writings.) Now, I happen to
suppose that Hitchcock's THE BIRDS contains one of the most profound
instances of 'direct address' in the cinema, when the hysterical mother in
the Tides Restaurant addresses the camera and says, 'I think you're the
cause of all this. I think you're evil.' But I'm not sure that I've ever
seen a satisfactory discussion of that moment. My own ongoing writing on
THE BIRDS (for the past year, on and off!) does address the matter, over
many pages, including one whole Appendix, drawing on Schopenhauer's
extensive commentary on 'the principal of sufficient reason' and the
principle of individuation'. I'm rather amazed that on a Film-Philosophy
site no-one has mentioned such concepts - basically concerning human
understanding - in answer to the inquirer's question! I did once sketch out
my position about the BIRDS moment in a post on a different site
('a_film_by'), but have taken it further, and refined it, since then. I'm
happy to discuss the moment offline with the inquirer.
- Ken M
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~muffin/news-home_c.html
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