Reflecting on the Image : Sartrean Emotions in the Writings of Andre Bazin

The familiar version of Andre Bazin's thought in filmtheory emphasizes the ontological assumptions and the humanist aesthetic prescriptions in his writing. A film should point us toward the world, according to Bazin, toward the innately ambiguous reality that surrounds us. The cinema is uniquely suited for this task, Bazin argues, because its mechanical process conveys to the audience a psychologically convincing illusion of reality. The world can speak complexly to us through the tracings it leaves in the film if filmmakers approach their task appropriately. Bazin admonishes filmmakers to approach the world with humility and honesty, to let the ambiguities present in the world speak to us, not to squelch these ambiguities by shaping reality too harshly for their own ends. Certain aesthetic devices (particularly the long take and deep focus) are more likely to transform the world in a way that does not do violence to it, allowing the real world to speak complexly to audiences. Clearly these ontological and aesthetic stances are central to an understanding of Bazin, but this emphasis neglects the important role that the emotions play in the Bazinian system. Bazin not only championed a certain humanist aesthetic, but also advocated a particular emotional stance