Sarah Clementson- American Films- Outside Reading #2

In Stanely Aronowitz’s article, Film: The Art For of Late Capitalism, several points are argued, but the two I want to focus on is the need for action in American films and how this need limits the amount of thought evocation in the viewer. Our class exposed us to several films that were not American such as The Seventh Seal, Wings of Desire and the Polish series Decalogue. Each of these films was decidedly different than the American films we viewed in class. Aronowitz’s main argument is that because of Capitalism, there is a great need for external action such as suspense or humor and this leads to it becoming less introspective psychologically.
After reading this article and taking the class, I realized that many of the movies we watched in class were not the average American film that I would go to the movies for because they type of filming techniques used. Dr. Redick pointed out the scene in the film Paris Texas in which the camera never cuts away and is a really long scene film as the man walks over the bridge in California. I think that is a perfect example of how in American films it is less likely for there to be a long camera shot than there is to be multiple quicker shots that portray the idea in more rapid manner. Thus, the viewer does not slow down to think or reflect on what is truly happening. Instead, they are being pulled along through a film without having to think for themselves. In the foreign films, the shots although maybe not always longer, were shot in such a way that the viewer was meant to reflect and try and puzzle things together instead of being spoon fed.
I think that in order to understand films from a religious perspective and to have a bigger impact, American films would need to slow down the rapid fire images and shots that they use to draw the viewer in. An example of this would be the film, Limitless; we went and watched in the theater. It made me dizzy at points just to show how fast his mind was moving.
Although I do enjoy many American films, I think that Aronowitz hit the nail right on the head that Americans, like the world we have created only want things quickly, without having to wait and piece things together and when film could be seen as art, it is now just falling into that rut as well.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/466408