Living substance conquers the frenzy of destruction only in the ecstasy of procreation.
Walter BenjaminRead
By close-ups of the things around us, by focusing on hidden details of familiar objects, by exploring commonplace milieus under the ingenious guidance of the camera, the film, on the one hand, extends our comprehension of the necessities which rule our lives; on the other hand, it manages to assure us of an immense and unexpected field of action.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the power of film to reveal hidden details in everyday life and expand our understanding of the world.
Walter Benjamin describes how film can transform our perception of the ordinary by highlighting its hidden details and familiar objects. This duality allows film to not only deepen our understanding of essential aspects of life but also to present a vast array of possibilities and actions that we may not have considered before.
Themes
FilmPerceptionOrdinaryUnderstandingDetails
In practice
Example use cases
In a film studies class, to illustrate the impact of close-ups on storytelling.
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If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic violence brings at once guilt and retribution, divine power only expiates; if the former threatens, the latter strikes; if the former is bloody, the latter is lethal without spilling blood
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Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.
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Nothing is poorer than a truth expressed as it was thought. Committed to writing in such cases, it is not even a bad photograph. Truth wants to be startled abruptly, at one stroke, from her self-immersion, whether by uproar, music or cries for help.
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I am unpacking my library. Yes I am. The books are not yet on the shelves, not yet touched by the mild boredom of order.
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