Aesthetics and film.

9780826485229

Aesthetics and film.

Thomson-Jones, Katherine.

Continuum Publishing Group

2008

148 pages

$105.00

Hardcover

Continuum aesthetics

PN1995

The first order of business for Thomson-Jones (philosophy, Oberlin College) in her study of aesthetics and film is to establish that film is an art form. Having done this, she then considers what form this art takes. Is there an author or artist, or is a film the result of a collaborative effort with no individual assigned as creator? Can a film be seen as a language, a communication in itself? Thomson-Jones believes that, although it is like a language, film is too amorphous to be examined within that structure. She then passes to the receiver of the information in film, the viewer. What are the responses to narrative? An intriguing sections looks at the paradox of emotional reactions to what we know to be fiction and the equally strange paradox of those who enjoy watching horror films. She concludes that identification with characters and situations are intrinsic to the aesthetics of film. It is the human connection that decides if a film works. It would be interesting to discover if there is a difference between identification while watching a film and while reading a book. Thomson-Jones has written a clear, well-organized treatise.

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