The Spoken Seen: Film and the Romantic Imagination

The year: 1993; a Saturday evening while I was searching material about cinema; I found this emblematic and even though splendid, surprising, enlightened and fascinating essay. The author made an impressive tour de force around interesting and interesting aspects of the cinema. The whole contain by itself is alluring. The initial Keats works out as splendid link: "The imagination can be compared with Adam 's dream, who awoke, realized himself was true." Its admirable structure narrative connects us immediately with that milestone book and obligated reference for the most of students of cinema around the world: Edgar Morin ` s "The cinema or the imaginary man.". Through his impeccable erudition the author confronts us with seminal statements, supported by fitted comments around the subject. The incisive and fascinating Forth Chapter is towering. The title talks by itself: "The cavern and the city: the cinema `s politics", in visible allusion to the well known Seventh book of Plato `s Republic, where he states with meridian precision the fact Plato imagined the phenomenology of cinema with such accuracy (inside the limits of his own technology) around the invention was inspired for the wish to formulate an image of the human knowledge - and specially of the social and politic knowledge. So, I don' t think it `s exaggerate to affirm we are in presence of one of the most distinguished and passionate essays ever written around the multidimensional implications and reverberations of the cinema, its meaning and transcendence. Go for this formidable and splendid work. I use to give it a special place into my personal collection.