Transcendenta Style in FiIm: Ozu,Bresson Dreyer

PaulSchrade

DACAPO PRESS

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I I I lffir ydB filh hr dlv.lop.d r b:rllddhrrl *ylc . styL whici hft h.{ cnd by vdlo!6 .rd4r n| dlnG. dlhE 1odpr6 ilr Holt lu.r d rnthopolosids .t rle be of th. dtury.ll!@v.rcd lh.t }drs' ln unrLtd cultu6 llrd fdnd dhnd wlys to apnr dn Lr DlrlhJ.mdoru, so,in cLm4w.l.t d liln-h*.n hrv.d.rkd r .md6 of rftm.Lnril3tyl.. Tll. dyL n not btdndc.Iy hnendhrrl or r.tigiN, but it r.?nehrr . w.y (. rao,Ir th. bErLrt gs. of th. rEh) b rpprddr thc Tranadm| Th. rrtu blinA b:lll6d.d i. dtFdat ln .r.l ori Llr .1. go:1rni lh. r.tho.l 4.tth.t'lGa,dEie. Yein! o:u h rrpx, R.ld Bls h rr|e, b r IedcCd DEy.rh D.m4id ol18.lttfu i. vrioE ..uti6 hrw L4.d. mrl$ly odno 61n f.d. Ttu ffion fon w! mr d.h6lr.d b in. di-nJ<.B' pdsnilftis, culbri p.lltt r, 6.61$,.r so..llry, lt n hn..d lh. ftsdrol iwon v.drl @dng.nd.'r {Ed6n b dF65 th. T.rsddent h !. dd rh. nrhE of dr filh hdiun, In $. And rsln no o.ha f.aon c6 gi!. thn nyL s Th. 'rpi'il!.| unrv.$lll!y''of kselndmrd siyl. my h'.rlou yinr.rpEtld by thlolo8b'4 a6ih.d.i'ns, p'ycholo3ilb)butitand y b. d.mondEt.dby.drls. 'l ai thi' poinr.v.ryon m* rtrh to th. *idh..; on. h!6i.niryr. rh. filnr, Rn6, rd fEm.r, hopLiSb lxhd the diye6.l 8r.u!.bu*! !.!rbryl.lr tundumbly jEi thri,: lr crn h. lDl.rd,.nrlyz.d, .Rl a.nRr A|dbugh 'ltl.. rrrnx.nd..rrl .iyL,lrl. my fo'n.{ E|lls@d6bl d, sbivs btrrd th. li.{.U..nil hvn$L, lt n nddE nEfi.bt. M hvn6l. (rll, iink.nd..trl nrl. uG p4.rr. knp.r,l m.rnr {rm(. nl|tlr,dhl.gu.,.dutn3-{or priLtht..d

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ald tDLm,lEfu IUE 3ft f&ly pdL. dlrrol bdr (:td .aathdlrtlit trtt'S ro !pd.t tud tm tlEr.su hnL 6). A Eh liL. "hdddahl," .tt( .ll, lr .lmd nolucdmir h rd afticish, rxl'ttyL" l! lrtil! b.rr.i crurhS [! l.llm und m& pbbletr rrlanli solv.s'lbffi.nddr.l" lne juridirtton oI jomald., paldculdy:iong f,lm cdlkl "Trr*ntl.nt'l" G drmrly a crthll En for rh. lmtr..ir. plor, $6q !.d dlr*tlon rn rll crilic: a 6lnt rdrhg, 'ding, 6.h oth.r o. rhdr.!., lnd "6tylC' lpokn o! 6 teenilng rr r.rr ro rrthjns fr@ a.aea r8l. to r wly 6f llf., endar.l *yle," Ito{d.r,.6 b.. $.tuI hm tn "Tr nln dlticisa {d wh.n .n.lyzinB tk olnt ol.4t:ln Slrrn lai,.uci a On, BiE56 lnd Drv.t, h c.n b. Elucb.. oI .6th.llclrnt tldt Fn.able. Tfie ud.Rtrdlblg Gln dd6 6.npldy rh. .mept ot ddrhdhe dd saiou. drllhodld lE crus.d ine a[G io b. rid.Eih.d aiut d,iil'b.nd.n '!d prt Gfor rov:rtins d.gE, itud.d. &i Lloa d. t mro!.ol ,mdr dFy re d -d dq hrE l. a{d kw rh.t dy @ b.drd. '@ '|Erh!| rnd *h.r L ".9b" rnd horhB ll|b, n lr "bdln6dabr" }iidr.LdE. !p.dn. tttl4 but.ls t! rdd t lB r '!n sfih srli.h b Dha iL dd.:i.*# olni P{bdrh.? 411F,46r *ir * DtPld.
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Flrtld. th6c dd aolc fis rppsFi2 .rthhri! lor .[ th. r.lRo, $br nd go6e66F on. hs d!.rLn.d ft r.krour 8lm', ri n.iile ! p6drl vLionnor 6 '' omcl.lc.t.dJrn, It Ir tut nreHrtly rr?rfiedby JM rr rhe .rrl., Chrlx ontlE Mounr,d sr, FBd! eo!8 t[e offir n b nd .erully.!tfeL& pr..hns, @soodr,ill :lltrg n?r, !t b onl, rr4,.rly. rgla lt. .rlfl. iop4 b akd tiL 3tl. fd it, chpondt prdr arm th.lndrvldu.l rd* rlo aploy i., frdn .h. qntor.. whhl' hau.R .hd..dbb,.d frm dE aorN ft m6r u!.

Th. T'arodor is h.Fnd no.!.j r.M sp.rl6.., ad B.r.nd iur ir h.nra& i5,!y dd'n d,lh.loDmt. -li.i lhl! rroisnthBeis l ile azr..mt.t uttunrb!.of lhr kr{.nd.nti in lile .ndid, Trtuod.n.. h.. b..n . 'u6l.d of rh. plilosoplrical d!b!b rtrc. Plao ol rh. *rth.tt. d.brl. ne Plotinus,and ha, benvdlolrly lnt l?Ftd by phtlo'oplpc, dhdici.nrtheolosld!,slhrpol%rrt',rnd p,ycholqlsb. Pd of rheonfudon Ir r6.nrlcr $. ern canhavcdifermt n.lnlryr lor dlg.dt "tmr..^d.niil" wdi! , lr crn n.a dierly or indlrdly, (1) rh. TruK.d..r, .h! ,{oly or ld.rl iG.lt d wh{ RudouOtro sll.! tfi. "1 ,liolb onFr," lrl ih! k nsdddbl, nudn .d. o' .dll.b wnr.ft .rpi.ii $r.lhlng of rh. Tr@.aient, o! wlr.t MIt... Elhd. ln hli .nllnpol%r.rl etodyof .mpedv. F!8to.r .rl! (t) !rulh |'" t,@.d.ft., th. h!m.n dqbur "l

d6p Fy.id%iol .rp.dae *hi.li ra, b. @dv:id tj.itlq: n..d o' eurcd! (Frdd), or tt :n dL'rl, "otha1'Io(. Similrl, the hmr o i.I- to ah.rd vdl.rt.t of .frr.d d, G) ,o&s rhi.n i4on d* ti./!"&t!rh.r rbout th. Tr.nk.ndmt, *ikh 6y rh.ir v!.y d.Gnitun hot d(. dlrldly IbF th. lrsend.nt lt*U 3ine no mn d Ltus e.h rbot tllcrdtr dk s unt nF4d n.tre (dmhon rvd.tion),nd"divituly-i^rpirld"s.rrlruE5(?..irl cv.Lrim),.lthousl thl' ...Bo'y ny b. ony U@ti.d !i!e .vm m.ny t[6]%i&s rclrrd rh. $iour S.ripruE a dJy .rpE$ivc or tll. Holy, (z) sorlc whict dpre$ rll. TftRndhi tn huhd i.n<fioo ft.-hrde, ftn{l3Di:ed, or hrn+.l..td wo'b {l1l.lt .E moredprFlv. oI lh. Wholly Oth' tir oI .h.ir inailrdt.l c.bE, @lJ er.i a tlE t hun.il@E d z.n Bard.nn (r) work, whl.h rcLi. !n! hlmu.xpaiha or brl tn. tan:cnd.ne, which .'/r.! not th. T!.nrhdhl humr who.ipdihc.6 th! Trrn*.ndlnt, *ork 3uchrr .rFssior prinri$r or $y ol tL. b&y pet.lEl%iol nowls rbout nliSi.$.onv.Bi.n. lh. t.mr "Trrsend.nt,"'1r6t.!nd..tal,".nd 'lransend.nc!" ilpr(nr r hierai.hy of lk spnibrl ltm the 8.c.u* rheTrrnmillnt Oiher{i!.td ro rhe hunrn{ri.nrd raElv s*rll out d su.|i tut.s, th.t. i, b.und b $. Piiloloph{s .nd -n ttieb ov{ tl*. tn' elhnti..onfcion yl.ld.d to th. tmptrtioh b humms h:v! ofh .ru hufran, rnd d.fin rhe aoseinre.pd fM on. c.hgory to ih. n!xt, to Trans.nd.it tv the i6.n !:r.rihc. of krn*.nd.na

B)lconioiniry rh. woidr,,kr5end.nbt," 3h..,rty. r.li8ious krh, {d "d" inro m. @, ,1re*ndhr.l ri,,, ong rmpljee rh' h..onrdtr! rcl'8ronnd iirhomoScnldr Thjs,of rouE.,sRrlde himoff troh ihr (q5id.r!bl! boJvdr aihc vh. $nsid.r th. rrnxmd4rrl outsiJ. rh. pmlnrt oi d, Trserldc. h .n ie olt.. .q@rd xith baff@d.K tn nlbion blsc th.y Dor[ dr,s lrm r 6mndn Srond of kin*nd.nht .:pain.., .rr.n*nd!nc. G rt e ;{p.dd! .xpdln..; .n fd nlrgio! nc s iwin m.nifebiion" r cli!. Bllmori"&tadRdiStonrFti!hob:drbyrt.hmn 6:pe r@ (nffirr.. ro.6kt. An .nd Rdi8ion .r. IxG 4 Tnns..dmr.l.d i5nordd:dan, ben ld *rks ol nnnd. ho*.vs: "A{ canberlr8tou,,,'rhe h. Gardue v:n d.' Lsuw urot4 i'or an rpp.r ro berglStou6rlur cm h. nnhd Mohun.dn6 Buddltd nor cl'ii3rix. fl@ i' no Chdsda ry hoE rh& rhd. i! ! ctuisrir s.i4a. Tl4. n only ad -., *hichhrsrtoodberor .Hory."rrh.pFpstundi..o! hn!.endenhl d is, .hd.IoG, ro.rpr$ rh?Holy lt!.lf (rlE rrrcnd.nr), rd mt 60.rp*$ o! illud':re rrb, f@ltnsi rffi^rArr Tll! dlii.il qft*tn6, ,boui r rend.nbl L undeGtdd.ble he.au* ilu morpur .nd:hsotrh slch r d b(one!ih.l6scefuluI'Atibte*brnk nd.nhl:di!. 6dfj6hudtv. pl*' In his erdy .f r.diddn dunri:n and odlntJ *t (.s*nrially rm<dd.ntd r(1, A.dd. coohr$wrny wrn6, "An, 4m tt hrsl,4t, i3 dly r fre@ b.nhd,.vcn<nphrrlrd honlyrhrm.rof !.dn!rh,.uAh rEk$.drllly, rdrlrhou3hrrlilistrbdkr[$noib5c :t rll, th. !.tliry or i@.gt+hy m6t otu b r hd whh dE vkron L'Ir<. b Le., ,4 L*. h,n{odhht Elision, trn,!end.nhl r* osg.r rtrI m)E .l!hr "abhtur. rlgion Emyrikrrm,lt h wirhodrhrpeindvtihour5ood Ab$tur fr on .drnli b. sd nor h.;rd.4 A crinr.l dao.ion to dr. t:n&mdml l. .d roy Norully l..d to ih. da oI.Frriv. prcddL!'n,d hdidtorcoloidg.rlrerrsrr. Botfircl8ron,nd n rf t r r l h r y p n l l ! , : n d k h 4 . o n t o t n l d u n d . r r f i e b r n n d or tr'n{ irfi.i|l .lPc$ron rheyni abrJ!nop!d,, Trnn .n h'y rot.d. orfi.r ro'ft oI.x.r.ston, bur "tur.irl n.rnnor n,,|'| rh.mii.qorl or ilF!n.ne.. coed(ur.lh is crmdsMMT

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.vonhdberu6cttisinvr .bqrlau8hlLPF6mPilonmth! tnr of rh! huErnhind, u..oNod! ot lE lihrrtiom Thdfot, o f ,t h . w h.ncodorT& cnndB rshrda o lo r: o n d it id onl, bd rclt, h.5 hen rid abou.tl; lnorbl. 'ohdll$ rorhrnR r6outrh.unle*.hh. Of rh. l.sd, mrhinS..nb! I n'nrn yorle r<odhgly, cDnot i'fDm o.. rDout ilt I r.nr.nJ.nt, rh.y c.n dly b. dPEtru of dt Tr.nn.nd.nt (on..nk.kontansand.nhl *t.dtwhicl ll,triyrlll rtr'. r rllThtrr.nd.nrln rh.hrirn mtoi.

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c.l..ti., blrscmdental a* is rutocratt) thyhavsmade lnd*ft .d,bly poorhedfelloss. Ule tlnrmdental ani tfte dlttcm ot kan$ndenhl ad i, i *lf-d4rudive proe$. n ontuua y dealsin .onradj(rbnFverbarizations of the ineffabl,The con.eprof t,ncendenhl *pre$ion in nligioo q in ait n(esrn, tmpli.t a .ontrdi.rion. Tranrddental eipEsion h nliSion and .d a(cmpb ro bilng nan asdoseb ihe tneffable,invisible and unknowabh4 rclds, iFage, andided canhke him. Li!? th aiist, ih oiric knows rhar his hsk i! turile, and ihrl lis fro* eldque.t *dmenr crn only leadto sitencaThe .dricat hqriry, R%e F y iaea, en& d ihe galf 01nldniem.! ahholsh a .drir.annoranalyze rhsTr:n:endenr, te clndsftibsrhrimanentrdrhen nft in lhich it b ransndd H cin dkovei hor rhe imnansnl is exprsiae oI

LiLe"transenden.e,,,rhl reh ,1ryle,,ir 3u<eprible io .emnriccdnfusion It .,n l,ve diole mraringe I it crn me.n, ' .s Wylie Syph{ drrer "a conemporary view oI the wodd"' expre$edby a p dticular 8oBraphlc hlsbd.al .ulture, or it .an n.m rle individual expnsion Ra]nond Dugnar dekdbe as the"or.!ion of r pa,onal,a hle.ilve,i'mn objedive'*ddd,"' oi ]t.d nan what Heinfth Wolfilin clkd a "gd*al ipEsnbiive loh. 't Thedyld*cribedin $is e$a) js a dyle in the way ftat WoUJlinusedtld rein. a siyle likc the prihirive dr da*lc *ylcs, rhe expre$ionof dmilar ld* in sihilr lorFe by divd8mt o|tuft. The liGt iwo ol rie rbovlnenfioned uses oI3t k, Syphe/s andDurgmts, pspedively dadib. lhe dltural r peBonalgualitisoI a sork ol;n, md th'efore an fsl rprreplhk lor ait which rxpfts*s the hBan dPdince rarher rhi,r thc Tmnsendnt ibelf. Wolfiin! fte of *yle, otr iie orher hi,trl,Lidrcmed wfthqhit n uivcBrl ratier tfimPaticdr is ldeally suiled of dpr$ion, rnd thererde lrr|levi,l u mcans r, I llir d dylc which *k to exp'c$ ihc !'tlolly Othe' 'ldL rl"rlLlll'(ilvNloi cuhu*sud pasonaliii.s.
lt"tr'i(i{ lhrrirl'rlly, No. r:Tr^i{f NoxNr^!S * i! simplythir, r gn*al

&pr.*nbiive llrnic fom whichcxpr6s6 rheT,aniendllr, As u.ed io ihis e$ay, trnrendental {yl. EIe6 b a 5pEinciilnic fon, dtho$h therscouldonctvahly be svdil hanrmdental sryl* in tln The aitical apprden I a$@are w h rh. en "ranscnde.bl *yle" 4hoe rherbove definidmmd my be loonly.illed m ElraJe-Wolfilinnethod., This hdhoa n, a8aln +iie.imprr,.3tudy of conrmporary aiisrjc l ercphmies rh@gh tll. an.lyEisol common lilm lorms and k.finiquB. jn nu sitial mdhod u*d this .sry L basea on ho prenisE, (1) ihat rhen aresuchthingsre rlrophanie, dprt$ion. or !I r,nnndfl jn so.iery (Eli.d), (r) ihr rhee de cohnon rpE*nratile aiisiic Iom, shapd b)/ divergnr cultu'e, (Wolflin), TrNddmbl dyle i5 each oI rhde. Any 6lm (or phenonnon), or couEe,cr bedn.lBd Ilm &J, dib.,l pdprtlve No deGnmon ol',irannenJenbl" or qoll( ol *t. Filn5 '!tyG" tunopolie rhe dtd$idn oI any efrplorins ran3.E.anbl sttle n'y 6 ardbd 6dn rhe culilhl or peronal p*p.riv, ind rhyrsualb, are.Alrhdgh tlr difical (dhod I a$d.iak sith rh? hm 'hmsendenrll dyl" doa nothrvea ronopolyoq rhedi!o$io. ol thelilmsof dimroclikeOluandBru$on,Irhinf haeapriority.Innod fiIro th tlnr naket ability io exFessh is ol rurc or pesonality is mon imponanr rhanhis inability b tansmd them,bur when r lilmdo* een to have thd Benuindy tan$endmt,"Otha' ghlitt, Lh a, Oz!'s lrte Adffin or Besont Di,ry df d CDBnty l,nsi, th oltural rnd p.Gdnal appoa.hes,rlthough perhaP3 fadually acoftk, aF inadequak.A .uliural or peGoEI apporh n e$arily disEgardsth uniqueqlalily oI b.nsendlnial siyleI iis ability to han{md cuhureand pasonal y. Thee c a spnitualhth rhai .an b. a.hlNed by dbjdivlys.tb$ o6jd, and ptbe side5y eideriai cannor be dSiainedri$ugn a luljediv pesond or culrunl approarh Thc dudy o! t.nsendental style revea* a "6ive*al fon oI rrp.crniation." Tlat lom 15 lemdkably lnind I th. r, 'hn ny dhoa 6E ilnft b

tmneid.rhliyL

conmon expie$ion of rie Thnnendenr io morionpicrues. Ti difeucs amonS rhfrrn5 or o4, B.$on, and Dnyd are cultuial andFe6onal; rien 5imilaririesaft srylkft, andEpre$nt a unilld renmron df rheT,n<endeni on filn Tow^iD WoRnNcDErMIox ^ Man, filn-makeE havedployed tIE rftcndni.l dyl, bd few havhad thc daodd, rhe rtdr, ud rie ourighi lan rdsmro.mployii exctusrvety. Elmhb or rie tmrendenbl +yle canbedeedcdln the6lne ol ndy orier diftroEr anronioni. Ro$ellini, P,olhi, Boetli.fier, Renon, Mioguchi, Bunusl,warhol, Mi.hal snow, rnd 8rua Baillie. one o1the .onpll.arioG df dls.u*i$ ransendmtal dyle is ihat it enteGin rnd dos businss wirh all sortsol styles.Drcyels The Pa#tanal laan ol Atcn+ be desribed,! a hankendnr,l fih whnh ;nddga in xpr8sionrsn,Pa:oli.ts T[e c6pll A(ard;h8tost. Mcthrb asrrlan cnanbl liln {hnh gires siy roMnGtealLm, ,nd so.tthq! szusnMd Frd' Nd/ re r trn*endeobl riln which b lhus Fychol%tal Ealisn, <endnial ,!ytF YsuinoOzuin rheEd indRo6ctBre$onin thew6r.They hvr hkm in lnrclhduil,Iormili5rn!ppro:ch to liln, andiheir fil'nx fl d|t, trhnhur t0lud! or crudrr ind rophbttded ,otrtrn$. r'hrtitrrLly{nrift 9d.of o,ut trrrlitosrnd rhe n, ,lh lLLnx i{nnrcr i similIdyle f' ur,!,'l.ofIrtu{,1, (, (tt(sn rlf fr^n(onrlo r.c,vl Di, y,t fnploysihe i lilms&enot rfl K.,nlrtrhl {yb*rcn6lvdr,ilrhor[[ ili{!on',,rnl lrrdont.Dreyer t{.rnfilvc.I rh.dylc, lit{hriLl rlt rnu$r.ndor i.l oitrdq , hrlir to Brt$on, Ll,rryrlcofIilms mril,ly h (),n,,,burhcncvc'.o'nl,ld! rylc. 1 ltln r sry could bxrendld rtr't'hyrns rlr riri{.otdcnhl r',if,r,hr srlLlILoildinplsof rlx l'ddl41(,mdpaitially rrlrrntrl) rrinl rmnxcnd$hl dylch !MhlnoI rhelilft oI lrftl,llr!{1fi l'( *rJ llobcdoltos+lll"l lrlrlgh thse,6uld l,! r.ltri!'l! v(kll $on th.lhrnr, rhnr.rihPlesshorldbe rl! , t rA t rDrn r r ,lll,k$ r",r'y ll.wrLS htof rlylc k . r)rs rlo , l, c ih n )s re ry o r lrdn'drIrr or realiry' rnrft!i rro! l$w' rll,onv.iti[rlh.'rr(dions exPE*ionth, dnrnl.lxm, i,nntr'ilhDL tly.ln'lq:hr, ' 'olh r''l'rnmhhLi,tr1, l[rlly, nrioiLhi,. lo rhctrnrndenral

dtct ntidnalisn is only oneol nany ipproacha b llfe, not an hFeradle. "lf *dytfibg i6 iplainadby lndtr{&dabl. cauerl ne$itie6," a6$otAn6J6. Aylrt srot4 "or hy ohjedivc d.eminiEn, eveniI thcir pn.jse n.tore rtnalns unlmm, then notfiing is sacrsd."L]\e nemyof tran!ndda l. lmm:nence, whetherir ls *rem,l Geallsm, rationali,n) or i{ehal (psycholaSGn, dpr.*imnn). ro ihe t nsnde al ardn rh6s.oNertidaln .rpfthndn.olpal yareefroddaland nrioml connrucb devisd 5y nd b dilurear.rPlai! a*., the I. norion pfulrs th.* on*Nd5 ta*e the lon of wh* RobeitBr$on nN c'll.d'!d.ns,"'r due or nudy 8!id! wlti.h filpth ew{ "undesta.d" rie dhl, plot ading, charadsiarion, emD,orl, iuiii dlal%ue,editirg, In fili6 of rh6e.l.nnb aie,in PoPultremt banndddbl sryle (thar i, Aey arenor exPresiveor dlruro oi "mn*p*sive" pasnality); tley areredued b 4a3i!. rrrkendenr:l dyle rJ]tArearitybyelinin ins (or neaq !frbadne) d$. oI hufran dp.rien.e, elodb wh.h ar. primrly cxprssive tfierabybbhing iha oNmtional inbrPrthdms or real}y or dyle, Ille th hrs, thendcvance andpows. Tannd;dd hnsloms cxpelience tnio a epdrable ritu,l whnh cn te to draw In illie 6say ii*s wil 6 nany o.casions md edlir mins oI onprisons ber,ecn kan<hdnkl dyle r.liglous md dtistic expRsion. Tha mod incduciue of rlE* hdaphoG G berwen tansendmral dylg and Fnnihye ad prihrnly bscalsepdmttive d hasalwaysbeendose\ dsociar.d $ith pdnillle religlols bdl4. ]f onediviils a* into primitivism andd'$idh a5wrldedar DoennaI'as done,rrhdshdet,l styh invariaDlylalls into rheprin ivEn cohmn. UsingDomat di.hotomite, t.nsmdmtal dyle chsss imlionrltun over nriondrm, rcperitionovd rari.rion, sa.Ed ova piofanc, rhe ditn ovq rhehumanniic,intellKrual rcalsm ov* opiic.l Faliem,rw.-dimensionalvisionovtrrhE-din.nsiond*ion, rlJrbnovcidpn4enr,.nonym yov4individ!.li?aiion. (Thepndl rvc.la$ical dichobmy is rct reeFaiily r .hronololi,ilon!,ih.yonbefoundindl.ultures.)ThsreGon f or th! i(LrLlyh.rwcen tansndenhldylsandpdnitrvirmh obvlou':borhh!v.'rworldviewlhichendors mrnkind rnd

tIIeall in a de.ply relt mit , dich on't uks th e$.ne of their Eligioushes."u whn4er digioE prin lviin derge from r pod Heu..r. cdtort, . n4 arisric atyledE, shettE it beBy:mtine, Gotlii., or slp@iiisL In cin ma,ihe ns lotm In e,(h oI ih rhrerluprs rna follow thee will be appropna!.referh.6 6 aiier alusricieligious exppsionl OzutothezdaGolpin ing,g{dlning, andhaiku,Br.$o. to Eyantin. l.dognpbr Dcys ro Gcrhi. aichfte.ture, Tlrjs e$ay hops !o posit th. hascendnhl stylc ,nd explainson. of ib aedhdics. I havenor atknptea . full an.lysis of th! dtebG sinceI amprinarily i.rdaEd in th.* filnnalec b rhc exkni rhat their filns eveal tfie k n<endenial rryle. IFm a {udy oI ozu! Iaer fanlly,on:e.yctc of fftns de can*ric{e th. r,mendnhl ,ryle Ircn a ndigcnous (Orienbl) dltr* dd.xamin. how It fmcrions hotft in nd our oI tu .llbru. In Breson: piison .y.le Albs, wEran history
'bFhdFbt$lqdad!tyl.,'hE'!d!,,P'd'l{"{i lo'lLPoryc!dl|G!@LI

Ldr, Mrdmr l *ild i@ Tilfivin MoGe'y, nshr, v4o or' ctrl4 by Mah [4.htd, Ndhdhi&,4r, 5rylc chos6 hklldrl arth ov{ oprtal adb, -rrscndnril

obFcdw!. r[L ma. rptsudy hrr D u&nrd ry dkrd, r res io FrF 6nL rnd ri4 lrnd b tusrr rhn hrt & @atu^dualsdrdiFod {^@'a6!,4,rh. s4it EGb.t al

.nd iholgfit r,'e alreadyilk.aid !h hfte.dnirl5rtle ton irs cultu&r his GIn5prdllde d x.elhnr oppdtunrt, to study h d.pdr Dd s!$sr how t actoally"sorl<v'm the viesd. Diayd's Ghr, althoughIAs su.Rssful oh rle hans.ndmbl l.vel, illu6hatelow th. dyl (dr a pd! oI it) 16.6on, in . noinc Tlle c...1*ion {nl db.d$ someof rlp prcblem rand 5yr(h.oryolhannnddr:lst le in thdnema.

b s<Ed obJ!d'. h tdrdoEl onoin PriiewPry d {', tn! oM.{p

l. Ozu

6lns of Yarujiro Ozu *hplily the kankendental siyleh theEa+.Inhi6nltu tl s5t le& nakGl, tndig.nors, aii .mh.r.lall, .!e4ful, larsely becaEeof rhe iapftse .dbre it6elf. Theonc?i of hNend.ntal.xperimc rsso lnt;nd. io tapde$ (andodnral) oxuE, thal ozu wrs rble borh 60devlopthe ban*endf,hl siyl. and io day withln thePoPdar.onvnrioN of rrpanAe ai. ofl, dlten deldib?d * dE "mod l.ph6e of au &c.ro$,,,gdned Feped $ r gdre diEcbr ed dfticrl and lh,n.ial 3!...<-nftr& ,hi.i no diEb! inreftsed in rrnsendeniil eryte..ula xper to reap Orimtal d h gahl r.d zm a* in p.*icular aspie ro the Trftendlnr Lik pdriile art r.d iq:l orinrrl ad mks no disrin.dotu bdwrd rl'e 5rcEd and iie sEulr. TIE Odhr lorgcd a lasth8 dlhE ori ol rl'a ih! Nloplrtonnb and s.hotdfiG ntpothsird andt! nre ca*s rdiz.l, d fdynous d in rhich'!lt that & rru, blslDhseE it hd bEn 5rid, hasib orrginin rhespift.",rn zen, ihie ie xpresed 5y r. H. Blyrh|'fhe podi.al rnd the i.lbrour ar. iddrical drt6 of nind . , . to ine EliSic ,ll ihings arc poetical. . . ro tlr podicrl all thingsan reljSious.'zror lhi enhundredyeaGzh IE5 culrivrd tIE rftddetal .xped@, and rhe Ttlnrlndht IE folnd expe$lon nd oly in rcligion anaae ris, but ilso in a lide vdllty of "@mno.pla.d'actillrle, This *pruslonof th.Trar@nddtwa5notrheperquisit of a lntll.dull or clental elie. & bean. m hdhi. pad ol rIE odnrll h.ixrs. n.nn} ri'@sh rie rb, and no disrinctionwa5 nads b.twm. ih. nn. and tlE manualais, Z{ didikes rie "oilor of rlltrdlon" whici coms fon a r*m likc r/" D. T. su4ki poinb out, be.use in fld zen "t!i8(ndN dkllks iny !flul to woras. Aclnowldging iht lrminrlc

'l'ltc

ob*rcl., il r! eare ro 5r, a! slzuli doB, rhar Z.n opraks *lrhin dE "r.rlh of tanse!dn..,'{ Illts O:u did noi n!.d to revlw rhec!!4$lon of rie Trr.*4dhr in Japan, or inj!( it hb th! odhrrl .uliurc, but oi, ro.drpr r ro 6lR. Ozu Epr6db hriLrjon.l trpD.r th.ulht sd d. ed h. bdnte rl'. rethr ol odhhl k did6 roth.hod.m,$ chicfflhRldiun.DmldRihl!has 6.h.h.rlz.d lapalesefln dlrkros, phciry Kwqrwa on rlr f'r lelt (mod!n) da oa 6 ihc In (rrdiiron:l).r ozr ria, 'ishidd ndhod (hes6 iarkedly con,.N,rive rn subjlcr m{rer anong rh.lsr r+r.6. dnEbB to urilia 3or.d or olor), and tu ercv. b !* Ih. old trdldm in rl'e nd fom.t. :n J.pd "n d.hdviliarid!onlyd.lmdftdy.aold: i!e@r ov.r r .lvjliarim which h{ 6dund for two nillmniJ'l in Omt ltlmeZd d nd rhou8htie the .ivllizdon, lllm ie the although rhelaprnn cuhural rrdItid :ft.'d.d ozu eN. luxuri.s, his r.sk war not tr Bsy r5 ii mrr rcm. cino. habanon of th. pnN.rt r /.etmnh8 rnu.tuc in ohpo y rrpu,.nd i|| hir etidng r.r htiriond v:lE Or otu.nr.n conkrryro.ud.ni k nd5 diinillr8d.d., radton!ry by manylipan.!. youth!. In i *n.. Oru bu&.d frehion ln ht6puBu of a lllhlc hm*endnral !iyl., but rIE EsirtlNe lE net wrs rchdv.ly ninor @mpard [o tfi! F.istd.. .no6r.Fd by Brsson who, in rruce,lE b 8o brk b the dhrrdmrh.fitforf.id Sclolltrelorsatldi.pk !4.*. :ny hoF of nG p.p'Jrlt d.!3ffiiJ Ozlt c.G' *a! 6! of ran hcnr I h. .dnnudt linit.d his hchnquq flbFd m.dd, .nd edibrial cohNn| Earlyin his ..re.r (ozu ndl! nltyjorr nhs overthtry-fiv. y.:s, rrom rerT ro 1e6:) ll! 6lh.d th. Dmantic and ,odJ tlt hs in3ind uponb, t!p'e* prcducdr bct l:rer ih lif, p*kuldry ir.d tl! send Wodd Wr, Od li6ir.d hin*lf b rh. ir'ontn geN. b ei,io t rns ol ogrd rd wfihrn lh. *,'i,a.lt 'nd concghs prolchrlrnrnd hiddle-cla$ Th.!trrin genro lrl. lnd"ih! sondlns hrhorou,,Nordl'nd bllilr Flations wl(hlnthc f imily."!Tlt!r,ott-(rlr, Inlrhlly| 9.nn oI nrloJr.n,ind lrth( o6!dy,odlrmrFdl,' rl[ht.rlqrsrnd bc.m. r.ny Fr,mlrrt6 In!hp!,ori'rJJl.tlirld

,ufnd..rly dkn.i.J b l.!3h rl tEela s.v4J .d$.s hav. poinrld dr ih. ehlution ol ozut approacl'b, omp.rinS rhe a9t2 I Wd.Bom, Brt . . , \Unark Wo Mjr4 K4.do) wilh rhe ,Coad Mot\lnS (Ohd!d). Ozu! tnrn onsin I trJ'r '9jgaftl aon, B!. . . . {eF rnnrdd: lje tnrn onsin Go'1 -.1.1.nd M.ding *4 ibn.rl xd unvg! coep.nd b dE En !., t w6 8om, But , . .ws"..rlw rrt,|d rlr .onrdDlad!..a o:u! ..rty filns Gu.I a! | !t6 a"n, Bd . . .) w* squr.ly wlthin rh. orBinrl rhonin-6.1i conc?t; li8lr undd*rkd cotu.lLs with I tiryg of rod.l coNciousn.$. ltme, afilun.., rh. *r, Aovemtar pis$urc, rd W6rrnLrtlo. FbeFd th! rt'onir-8s*t h Bdd4 ud Ozu in pnricdn. Wt.n Oa dxB.d-whh Il!; I(qhr@nEdyrlowty totud ro "Gis..a ..dn*"-Iu took rh. 3[orir,8rli mrh hin, d.dn|8 nud rh. !m. n'nuhc ov.r rh rhodin B.nE .s Iohn Forddid de th. amrr.s wcdtr.. ozu'r l.t r fflns d.Rtptive oI thc rrorlr-8.ki, bdr pt6.dpti!. oI it. -e.or ''b eyeryoz! nlh,,,Rtchie sri6, "il! edtd 6nrh@t dJv,Tl..ndroI$edl,.Fnonoadlhr -lDL

ltu

onat rh; h;e 4 ri hr 6r; rk;ddt. ds5 ii

t?r.6r.d.5 or6a volk d,rnahs46t ,,!Jr:sE ty sprftt (so,r!r, 1916),th. oIBa "a.mily'r.plr., $e l$u$hold rmlly !nit, Ozu !ocu* or ih! krsions bdw4r rie hon. :nd rh. ofi14, tn! paEnt rnd ih. .hild, rtici fig.xrhstons o! tlr ht6r b.e.m th. old dd ne J.pm, h.rwr.n triidon,nd w.lEhizrrim, mdalds.hly-h.erd h.n hd natue, Tow.ra dE dd ot li' tif. (tu.tid in {6, rt rlt. .qe of slrty), or fodsd his rnhtim.n .d:h aomr or.ond.r uithh th. rhorinZeki. Tib .mli.t ii not d!6. ln w6ren thr .nd ti cairinly k nor plor: "Pictue wl$ obvton! ptob bdn m. now," Ouu bld Rt.ire. -Natubtty, ! fth mnd luve soh. krndof ihctu. o!.li! ti t3not a !ln,ld r re.l rhai, pi.runi,nlgoodi! h$room{cndr.morr.d0,.,4and (,4rir'Jo'i) | ,,I w.n. ro D.ftrr a rd! ocniry l,b r!tud .lu.!.rc' hy .lbirBriry.tl rr. drmrti. d.via!. i waa6,at. p.dpht..lwfi.r[rei!lll!ulrho delinarinq rt.drahad. upsind dowhs.ao In Ozut hind japd.* ht;hrJ Golved into ccin n ot |nr lng tor.s whkh fie Ep.dedly dlhon*dkd in hil nlnr,r,,l alrlrouBh ri.,!fortanu*b!r.oncit.J, d.v woutJ not1,.k(trrtl!dht,nyrhlry I ifl ificirt re ptor.

norodolr for fi163 the 5.m. jhriion dd ov!' rSrinr th. 'nd tuLheFd.ugnkr lodli r of L,? 5p,jr3 :elot be.me 'Ban.ikr. ih. norhr da$hrer.onnl.tof r.& r4!irz, rnd r4.rd ro. t:i[.rlaugfrr.odirr b ?inAr.! nn Alt!rco" lsodnr Na J!{ .5 04 sddld m <.drin .dlicb ro pc.nr jn llis 6lrs, h. s.{ha d! .edii prcph rohdp him pG..r rho* 6nni.E. The h.joriiy of ri! larr filn, *ert photosrrphld b, YGhm Abub rnd dl werc wrltt n in .olt.bor:rron wtih Koso Nodr. o:u md Noda njor.d I tesenlary rcLrioBhlp brs;n dnkbr Dd wihr: "Aldrcu8h s! ddt r.ne dowh th. detrils of th. r.b, thly: h our Rind5.r ue s|lwon id4. w. thinl r.. It E d.nadrl3 .hing.arOr rd Nod: rould d.viie rlF p6Fd.d frlh.nudy in rh.rfrrds.rcrd by dod:nd in:8e by inrg.. afErrhLdr.n4v.ppp.r.rion (vhd rookhomtout nonrh! h oneyearin sclElo.), o,u woutdne.hm t altt shoor rhPEd ozu-Nod, srrpr, sidla,l, o:! s.trl.d on . selld Sroupof rdor rnd Lk!$6 ro :ppe in hir lilm. Th. NclQ' of rhir 8'oup d3i!r.d of chishu Ry!,s.b*o Hd., Nobu N.thur', and Slin s:!!ri, Th? wE Oat 6lhic "f{dy." tn ...h 6Lh .h.y aorldpl.yslthiv iaiioBo!.har.d$,.ciinsourdod.3tic .ontr.B wuh tle *ns. o{ 4d8ned awar.n6s whkh omee from plryjng th. rcl* md L.1lry tlE sam. lmo onehlny tim6 'de o?u chok hre adoE nor fo! tldr,str,, qralit, or ldins skiL bur tof ttun "6sentirl" qurlity. "In c6eA is not r har.r ot slilfuh.r or l.cL of 5lill D .dr h.s. I! L wl, tE ir. . . ."! "Th.f!h{.dr!3hkrs oI !4r. spr'! odt: s.Lu!. tn. chi hu Ryu)b<u hdh4-d:!d& 6natu dI t4L (.aru Hdr, yolo Tsut.s.).trd 'h *Eikd b a r'drd.dru.hk coof,ir ^,tndn tn Ar A&uhn Atqn@a tAd^t'shtm rwshi!, Ryu)," -

hor!,o,tdoEBh Th. cidjor,h.o{hn.nons!dtrh

on. fuJy

ozrtl.rer.yd.olfimny-ofGR films 0irrre.nGln,to4 , 949ro196 t rerrur.. rh. 6kang.nnI of prFnh andchildnn. Th. indd.nb of .*rmg.m.nr !. in thln*lvs rtndLasly
p.ty: htjrge, floc.rion, bt.lqing5, and d hod edhS ry., tM hod. BhindIh<. in ia..b c rh. divisin .l@b of noa.h Japr I ih. S..qd woild w.r 0i. (hild..n d. cirLd dp,IjEz g..fr(ioi) .nd wserni:*ron tfi. 'ho .tturr of offf.e Furine). Th. prlnlchild .ofparhdralidnS ekmgemcntis nota frrlun ro'tommunrc.r.,,,G in American juv.nile delinquacy r h' Ev.n h suce$ful r.liionshipe Ozu s cfi,rrcK donor.on-unicr., asihr wod i3!r.d in sriol%ic|l oful id.rch$8..Iii. h.r,.n,sirh.dmi{r:tio..ndod cnn.l.mcntGulrsfrorth.lo$otrh.trdition.llrnilyuity w[1.],wi' n.vcrvcrb.lly6rmn,.r!d]. rh.nBrplac. !n hn liFrlhn'()7( fur iltrnopposinsfokr w[htnrhdm. of6e M'l{'dr(Lnrr(on!ilnlnEi vriciyol hnrnhlng.ible , hd fl k' l onrli r r'rfsdrudofu orr {ory t6lly noiling N'rrhil ruidn rv(irfirms.ozulas dNdok) rdurd

I
fik hdniqu.. Od Ieri'ld.'3 Brr of :n, Od.6trd lt "d r.m.listr hie dar .F.h:r:ftd!!d .osJlmri. 'Et md..onoB, n aePirl^B i.on.em Io! hrdity a!*ndo!r d8or, i..hlnqQ L 5o b tlll ultisrt. in lhlhttm."rr B.crBe Oz!! cloc.ly rn't in dp6, IimiEa sd pFdthble, it 6 l..xdhld r.6l wil.i Donrld ii.Ln lu. r@mPl4trd in r t tul*L o{ lft Fllrc'"{ dd.6n d, "YuFo O:!: Tli.sFa d.hPlitud in I'i! !{nmr, Ridn. dddtbld On!'!Ftu'.! *tuduq .dlrlnsi rdPo,4l Knq rd $er. {Ul b. ned b rt ihb n.tlon pqio.|1.rlly rf.! ro som. oI RLhica oh*drtio o'ut rsrr L iwrvr d rI. ldd ot I D.6d arEd d l[E r;t.lor.t'. k di.iun l a.t|jm o dE b;i.L@t r'l* h r+4, da.ndha krditiord vna k l|l? Fosd.'T[tr lot srtdus, lo! vcion. It *dtllle lery limitd 6da o! it li. ; lBiening,lt Ir th. posidonton wii.hon 3e5th.Nol,(Pm Ir ft tll. rBrhldc shi.i oru Dr..lcs of ih! r.r cEIIml rdnu<trrri,tll.,a$ ..trlbd.."r!Th.cud.,.rccptinth. r.c. or inndc, n4r tuas; ii tll. Ift! nLB ihR & ro it 04! dlt GInk Pln.tu:nd ,rs, no dolli.t, no ao' 'rt* dr. .ut. rnd n k not th. I:n cur roi impad or rh. iqtiPoftg dt lor mehphdrtll merning,b(t tlt. Pr.iry cut *hl.h d.nores! rt. lv, rlvihhic rrcc.sion of wd6 O.. 6r* not, hor.v.r, rni'k! O'u! "pr.di.tablliry" ftF Irt rurtuEnd,a f.r 3!p.ii.irlit, orobvio"ffi! mr.d!r!it'I.ulHl'dddU6th.mkhniqug l@.rrdlr rn film rfid Glm.PEdkr$ility ln odt 6tns ds ;t nlR iFm r lack oI intthtln d disin.lity, .t ll doe6ii th. or Iilft.{.n? dir.bs, but rrlherfbm rhePdnlttv..omePt ittu.l ii *lkh Epdidon le Pr.f*rd to vnilty, Ii j! Do$iDleb d!fin. O.ut e!tl. by *lur lr i5 no! Ozu shd d@'t ito Qn:in thinF Thls .iiffodd is tl[!16{rl.r of t.[niq{. snrin!.d thbuSidt O.ut li{.tim., lftn hk S6t film ro hk hn, A! he3or old.r rl.i. wcr. nor. $d n@ thirys ll. dldnl to, Thlr.m bc rcn nor dnly by codPnhg rh. early 6oodMo'rin3),but rndlrt'films(rwdrSo'n,tlr. 'leo 'nd ly.omprrlnSrh!difi.nnipf s.! ol hlrhr.t fllhiE rly rcr 4 w8 m:d. In .bout ih. hldiL or Ouu t strad.r lS,tldr dl(.thr tron his Ld hu lpdi*r) pdrod, y.r It B 6rrl.ll, Lik lrnnn, rhr Actrna of th. finrf Bd.knyu.l.!r, Koh.wtu Fdnlty (koh,r.swk No Ati, 46at, ta An Artonn Afhoon.ao..r.npl4i,r li3 l.n 6lh3 O:u dlpld.ly lo{ak cdbh klllquE heIEd u'.d in E rl! s!'m'r (r) i[! wlich t{clrns 3hot,ol th.c de fift a b &flr s!rm', G) r doiop {iti mphri! on trdal dprt$ld, 6u.h asrn old h.nt pLdr. h *,rhln8 tl|. rll.rhe, b) r phyrrcrl :ciion ro 4prdr obvicdorar@hr,rh.$rdi$douoI.Idakrcl.f in dlaun, (d: dr o. 6dia rir. i,,. dr,l|idr huls o. &rron by n.dor inr. bo lhoE, (r) 1 (t 6.rkm r}o difi{di lndod dtinss uiihoui .n octd@i'tod." paulo (6) us..t .l rrckub, nonr'trf, lrghrin& alrfi.uli rlk rsv.ry nr. rln ln.rrly Ozu. E rly 9r"rr:lso dnuinr k.hniqu$ sl ch Oru lld not 6hpLt ly dl,ord 6ut.d. ro ur lB' m.l L$: (r) (r") ri8l., G) aen r.ts or Elrtiv.ly 3td nokdhl d!..tior (r) s@a ,hG. $L pup.4 s{ lisfit .on!dy. The purpos. of ihk esay, h*.v.r, t! nor io d.nr. Orut drl. by wl'ar heofrrkd, Dd by whr wI l.fr atkr hr! un..nhs pturirys-hi5 liod nyl., shnh mtht b. crll.d . bannddhtrl

3.foi. on?.r:nrlvze rl'. t,n*lndhrrl stvL in O.u . nln,, onehu* nrk (o!.*.nplo n!L) .h. .fl.lrl let .ludv. ili,thction blrwen r;{end..rrl *t dd rhi.i of tsuj.mdmtrl ?tprr.nr. siihin ourt &,L Do ozu,! lilmi .ip6 .Tr:dod.nld.lorh.ya?t6so!&ztrdtrlr, xd hrl.:Ddi!e ot rh. Tro6d6r? Th.fiEt,inm.dtrt .G*.!(un5.,,a.dloI.our.," Th4 rsno d.tic-fr...onmunierion *fih $! Holy.nd rry *ork whkh ltp&sd $c Tr{:end.nr mld rtso *Drc$ ih. p.ronrlity !d dhur. of n5 drirt, Thln on6 rl'e .lbmr pbbl.h of ndividul rnd-a', o, ddar nlns i!lei.6 .i; .tfrts. Th. aidit(tion 6.&q r{n nddrrt d rh..n 'd of r:n<.nd..bl dpdid( &el*! inb lmtat homhar qu.nroni I whlch inf,u.n.cd On! .d hor? Hk pFonrt y,r

II

Zen .lltoie, or rheTsn{endeDt? And whkh cn&J dnnitbn or sryLnbdsuired iouncovsihaiionuence?Thepe6ona1, (h!$endenhlstyl)? .ultubl,orrliade-Wol*lin A11 tlr tritical nsrhons lved sondhing abouroznt Ea fi1ms, andnone.an beneglded, Eip.rive inauen.e.But for vryatiet theF ts an apprcpriae pdoity of dttal nethods, anaiktt pieoniu, ia, be a iimdin8r or vn refl(rionortt 5y zh .ultoie, and that rem5 tht hn p*onality ws envelopd hy a tantnding re,lity, lile ths Zen cultorcwa5nvdoped lish who atethe nsh$ho ae rhefish And, tadng tht sqnene of intun.er it is loped onewill rrive ar the ,inal unique inf,uenc on Ozu nnd hie lilmi ozu ;N H6 PERsoN^urY Theque*ionotpssonalityGnotdnplyanrtrerof rll*fier or nor fr is posible ro derectOzut pesonalny in hie tlft. obviddy ii is. Th. dilnmasanJ sohtions oI ozu'e filrc Gdlnlife.Ozunever ,real!othdilemmasandsolutionsolfi athoneliving$ithhcagingmother. nar.id,6rt*ryed .hildrenbParenb, HGlilmsacolh!abouttherelarionshipsof thshardd(Gbnsofrairiage,andthebaunaortheraniry "bFaking up." FollDling lhis ftitkal enph3sL,one*rner h* contndrd thrt ih moth* is *ongd in O,nt film bRarse she was soin hiso*n life r'As tsoftm rheose dih Aln malca, the as. o! Olut leadcharad{ uslally cores?oded to his not and oM e, intl asOzu grts oltlei his .haradqe cam virtus of laPan. On noi !oembody rheoldertadiiional nanl exP{ienesin Ozu's lite ihc otfo hmd,ihse *de also whichhe did not epres.r on liln. (H; dPeiPnes a! an amt rBei.r:ndansipapdmanarenot4fl.tedinhls6lns ll n*hr bmor helprul tdPhnsethequc*ionoIO,ut runtly. To whr *rht wil Ozut Pdsonality dlff lnqnullry L''trr,fl trlhw$d.xtenrwas rP r. " ih ri! o f t h z e n nams oI ths Ltrlr(r?l)rl(rtrlublugrklisp$onn]ry In rh hiSNy r'ilrrl,rul {thl,ril dii6t, dr s&c hh ll'tr i rciu,1ly Pod Ir,rilrrrc Wenelnan, itrlrvlLIrllrrrr ut,nn dns? b13., NiLu' t,Irrc!,iae1'o, !rntrrund,byand f ,l,trllL$ qt'l i,rtrtrl rh!!or,'1t ortsHDil

canaraswany $ys, 'thd i am the doer'-,hercs h hadition:i oltnhl dr "humanindividuality n nor d ndbrr only a naans.4l lr Ozu s.s a "pssonal" diredor liL., say, Fellni tlat ir, if ne soughiprimaril, ro expft$ hiEpEEonal y in hie lilnr, th* would sem to pla.e hld h iLe hadilion o! Wesem individualbtic rt rathr tfian raJftidnal Oienbl rd. Ri.Ii? sehE b ddeborhsiJs of rheiseueon onehand h.writsthat'ioz!cndr!n intoftiveaid,h.isamrsbr ftaftsmnr foi hin, 6li i, nor expEsion b* !nMrioa",'ed ontheoihdhandhe{*e${ozutapprorcht.'inturiv latner thm analytic."l3Que*ionsd abod ihe ,|PaEnr onradiclion of his *rhmenb Rkhie ieplied, ,,oz! $a5 a orrtlnin who alwrys maae llL 6lns d safre*ry, He nwer qay va,iedl s ol miling a ftln, aor Ii5 way of ediringonFa lory andFalnfll proes, Now this nans rharhwasa ftlbman Blrldonltlinkheeverrhoughtoflh*all rhls n'atr.+d in rhat .e8ad I nnd hih intonrve.H. did shat h. lelt IiLedoing,Ozu would talk with you for hds abod a lind oI lms or a edain color,bui iI you asked3borr the maningof &ythlng or rhejder bLiid his presnred ideahe wo'nd lid !p, He r.5n'r inrrded,ozut inni *11 is thde lor atl b se,but ny poinr is rh sholinS it wasnoi otu ol nis con.drns.'4.And Iate,,1 rhinl ihat i, dding bortr5ides01the mder G .orcd andI rhink it is rie only posirionro hkc in a non dualinic on dokr daninrtion onenalnes rhat Ricl ec Inftiftdalilg is un oi'lable,ana,a5hesaye, proper.The prisonarv{58 olruGl dilema wlth 50vx5 wErem cdrics wourdnor haveo(uftd to lhe raditionat odenbl {ii5t. con:id*ed il rhelal3{ conkxt of zen culile, manand his srnorndinS3 d counrqenveloptng,lr{ 6 re niod rnd body, .odenr d formj any disrindion bireen rhmis arbirrary.Il ozu'eworkis really *epeJ in zn culhE, asrhe nexr*dr.n mhhil, rhcnany {!dy oI rhe"individual" Ydujno Ozu apaa fEm trlrrLdnrlzenvalus Gie i$le*, To ompou.d rhe sat thatoz!! h PlndoroN lShr rhar is,lih hlrlmr, wre lomaiciic.Thismay*rle rhe r.ddr r ir{ hsnin8ls.onbadictim,andlrisandural (, d,y cro${ultniil appre.iation roJdbllrL of ozu'3,ilms in N l(L{ !riJrrLotrilOieihri P

.!lrur.l phlnon.non (th,r is, o(uu wlthin , partj.llar ar.a .hong!padkrlar hbd oI p.opl.),jl c po$i6leb lat thatth. 6( Z.n .ulhr. hvlope, rfie indivldurl p.fonJ y, but "one rh6. fthab, hcludbg pandoxrql pigi.ms lile "Oa! lnhltton*.' ldfrhlitve,'hiv..ny 6!.ni.g unrilon. EarL6 ihr botfi p*onalit/ ed .ultun .t! .nv.lop.d ty r h.okmding & ir pci$l. b idrt O:u! prsnJ ti| ,nd bdjers L, hL ilGs, bur ihis do6 tui dh rlur $. psn.lity-.j6d .ndc:l ftrloa c fte herrppd.l b hi5 ,ilnr. Tle pndl.8.A int m..ion Eatuea aron [L pnv.t.lil. nry b! inal*rl I1 r. h+pmed b tnol a grat dlll .lout ilE privaie life ol Zd !{itr Ma Yun it would nor rpl.in hk "one{ohtr" ,ryle of rrni-c prtntinS, similarly, all th! fidr of Ozu s privarelife .rnnordpl,infttsn dfious k n'..nd.ntil pauss.Ther .l.n.nb *c nor dedkd lrdm a! indlvldu.l pdron.litr. Th! peEonalinr?rprehdonol ozu's lilm5 16 ben .no![3.d bt so dsladiry ciruhnrnr.! | on., iiai s. 'imply h.pFn ro krur m".L mr r6out Or! tl'rn w. Jo aSout.rli.. kinim:l disG,:t!d rao rh{ O.u, unlil. r zo p.d d pjnt-, nun !( living hus.n hdng3 .e ht! t.w m.r.ii.l. The d'rd6 on kr.!n aF.xped4d8 M., fa th. sitic *Lo "atu:It !hFrhi:6 witl th.n kelh8i f,.y .on.lud. thd tlri Lelng5 .E r.pi6entarlv! oI ih. Iilm-mrk* .nd lt rhenriier 3o .t firt, But the cluiadde who rr. hollnS on sc.n ruy beno noF or 16! Eprc*nrrtivd ol th. nlm.hil.r rhana nonhnrln a.llng6 rhor ol. h,ln or a bunding.Th! .h!ncEF'indiidu.l {'otuw, jo, inrb,Fdtor) d or p$in3 lhpodec.: it is Iom ehi.i 8rv., tn.h hning vdDg.Erh th.,Dosdi$ to.ot r prs., d.i .dim L p,rt.l: ltt8.r ton -hi.[ .rp..r.ne i brid.rp!6sion, o' Eth-, mI r aPcsim 'n, o. cdh!:l dpdid .l th. Indivrdu:l hrt rn.rp*don oI th. Tirftdd.nt ib.lf. Ev.., lndicalion i! rhrt O:u did noi rtr.npt b dplor. h3 (hrouSh ol hk.hiirctF. On the the p6r.l'0108, f "ronrllry ,oNnryi l$mid!.v.rydr.hPitodiil" hlrldoBoIm/ t'ry'l'Dh,8knn$n..,r.y!moiror u^,'r mroGPPoithath. wotrl l(tr(.th t',doih.sahikrNrw!,iy or thirty unrllrnrl'r.r'n,nmM!orrubtl.tyhadbeh 'rnrrilv.lln.r lr,nr Inn'n{.,.trrrMton-lll.r rlor,rnd onlythenwould h!

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.ppEv. rh. nm. lor nnrl shooun8.Actoff *.r. torbtddento rure.v.n nlh..l .crionsif rh6g dnrurbedozu,r .6pGiiio.. Ths. dr.mn.no, rnd niny orhetslile them!:.!h to hdi.rac that oz dr6 rfid i ht88a !tria thrn p.tsonrl, pry(hologE.i nv.hi'on,rl h.ioushr.lil!rhet.dirionitO .nrrtnil*,to elnini. hk p.son.lity in orderro propce r lhstr, A*dD Pn-!^m: O& rm ZH Cu.flrr

I t 1

Mu.h oI O:u'r.pplddr is d.riv.a fEm r.p!*.dM tbelf, ind n b tll. k didonald.nnb *I'id h*. hin rh.,.n6r t:pf.&oI.lldkkro6."Tl.n6rapp6pn.t n.lo8,lorll. dltuil dhdb rn o:!'.61tu ir z dgsL..t religlon slrh plysi.al da polxkal co.chr lil. Shinbtn or Chrilrr.nuy, blla wry oI lilh ,hki h!, Frn.red ihl ilrr. or rrp&6. cultorc fl'. alli.d powcE, ,Ttu .J/p.ot cddud R.ligiousand cul.cr.l Divbion ,1rpm6. '.po'rd: u,lrllt expB*d by rhe$ods rpirir,t' .ts.nti:lly Za ih nitori'4r I ondudd.rhrd br S.rh Al.n Wrh.! rd r:ngdo! t^/rd..,! Z.n L rh. quinG*@ of hrdi oml oa tuglr io hbdue t roar@. JaF*e d, e.d lnr.pe+ Ijriory -hkh rh.x.t oI zh t:.m b pEdoll.rt. rr lfu ,rFp.trtinS, Sxdhb& rh. tlr ..rhony, po.rry, .Eh6y, N.h a!.hr, rudo,K.naHa dG.:dr.e rfic prRd.nb Io, oiu! Illc. Tom Mrln. [r5 sdr.n rhr. ozut filhsr.rtu.rundlrk rhehailuBrhtr,r.u4s.nd Drenrm 4imhb,rrburth.hrLu,orou4",ii;lvom*;ot; ." rtdiud. in rll th. Z.n rft rnd in Ozut ldm;Perhrp' rh.6rdc prb'cipteot zln ri n rh idr *o,4 of zd, ih. on(p! ot rug.lion, dpih6s, dd votd. '!, EnpriGr,dl.n.i.nddilnBsdcpcittv..Ltunrrt Zdd, dnpr.3rpe@r.rialhadr:L-reoIrdtri,E. 'Th. bl.nr 3ficr ol p.pr ir pftav.d db s prF. .nd r;:h. ,'orrty by f'I'8 lh! ,5 pap.i." Wll P.kBon {rF p!p( doB ir bForu .mpiy, Much ln rh. sm w.y rh.soud of rh. frc3 plopplngl'iorf!*t[ponJqab th. sil.ne h 8$ho! w.ll-lnown h,tlu, Th. soud silee fom b ih. rithcFihc lmprins' /',! M, Ir rle.lD':.b used ro refer ro rh. Drcet bdw.c. rM br...[o of r f,owa irdsmmtr r]r. hprin.$ is rninh[#ltrrof lh.!om.M.Y!an,sungp!i.i.'rn; odginnoroth."onc drn rnyh,,,prini.dontyonr(omft or

l|'
Mr Yie, bre Fj8,gdqi, L\e bleond 5l,ld,:

"T6bl'n! sh?dol paps b pddved tt\e .n!as,leillng tlte rmainder blanL.The dprine*, lowevei wasa pa{ of rhepainting andnot ju* rn unpainka backgrcund. T1lesinpE nshidgboatpla.edin on.ornq giles nering io th. whol. spac.,In th. rne ntuer the donesin a zen gardn given.aning ro ihe rakdspae, and ihe lina5oI a haiku give neanlng ro rheuwdrten tansiiionr nd LiLethe kadiiional Z.n ai;i, Ozu dn(6 silnce5 voids.Sil.nce d emprin.< an adive ingredienbin Oa! films; .hrnda ft5ponJ b rhd asif fiey lerc au'lible sounde md tan8ibleobjeds.Althougi 5uchGpons6 ,ie $uary quit subrlr a ratherobious u$ or adie ,ilen.. adts tn aaily jlntoldhdprenbof hdinknrion srntr,,se6lkoHai.l$ td rarty, a de.isionwhi.h dLphder then. AIkr a Polite iiSumnt tlle pdenb, despondent, 3o tp*ans. In rhenexi shot rlLo f;rhft b naring into ihe cimea while ln rhebackrcund thc nnlln Jos some busyworkrnd spealeto him. shenal8 a "An." Stunals uorh{ &nrk, r' lvhl rcmrl, rnd fiereplies, h. iriin rpli i, "Ah." The norhtr leavs ilu roon andHac wil|(nrol,{l{rJyrhroughtfiebaclBound.Thefarheragainsay5, "AlL"'lltrrl! rlu!brton.ledric,nu.hmoruneaningrul rl,f i,rythi',| rhr Rdls.o!ldhrv. mid c lh d rre mn a n r of the |, (tr' rlL'tr'rrL,iilso p o : .b itJ 'L I ionnany l, i r i. o , v id n mc n tillr r l,trr,rih,mrryor

Ozu s Ird sAile in on.ornc a di,tnt adion (bois, hains rlowly noring, popleo.wEing) scu's, taThe FLNorof ctz,nr@o,a' Rielocha.sk Na ,4jt lejz) lh{c is an oh'ids xample of rhi5: rhehEband h* jud left lor a i{8thy *ay in SouihAmerica.His wiIc, who had inexplicahlylefr lbme Ever:l dayseadier,di.l not ohe to tll airpoit to rte him oft. As his plde depaitsOzu lolds u in the lpp e righi l1and .oher oI ihs fnme. The rd.1llF fram i, npt , nJ rlle plne llo*ly rmjsh* 66h vb{. Ir G a "ful".o6poeition, ana asin rie on..ohd painrings,rheplan bdngsout the qualiryof rhevoid. Bui ro* of ill, n, is eiprt$ed in Ozu's'tddas." His 6lfrr dr dructured Leh.en acrionmd .mpihsr bdwen tndooF.nd outdooBi bdNem scene md .od.. The onflica are always*plt*ed in ildooE, usualy in long dispdsionate .onaecadd5. Tle sdri$s nry lary (lrcme,ofiice,bar ftrarrn9, bri tlie do.y is ftdy foN ddby anyihj! bur n'door .onv.4atld5 (rd the onor h exceprions in ach film aE il'fratically cR.ial). Ti6e indoor discu$ionsaresetotr by 'oatu" i *ilflife lcns of outdoorlapane* Iife, .mp ty st.E aodalleys,a p$ing kain or bort, a distantnountain ol lile. Ri.hi hasd6sibld o^t lilro ass ombination or (1) (r)cl6e-ups,inrhusual*qu.n.e IongsAob,(2)iedtunsiob, oI r : r 1 a.r The rola srill-lifg shob d. insendb*wen th longshdr, tlus linl$g rheconveEaiidal indool by olrdddr sd1IG. Eachof rfie codd sb of1an ozu "paragiapl!" io use RicI ts Erdnology. TIF aE no .hape$, dnly pa.agraphe :nd.oila5. fie codas in Ozu s films fulAll tli rane purpose as the u ( tetuen rie in the lamousRy6an,jrgardd: 1ie '60r$ cftprinBs G tlut of defriion. M.n is implied,kt k no! pF*.r, md the ftsuliart sroaiion is oneof longing rd lon lines,":r In Wetarn,n ooewould ldurally rsnn rhat tft .o&s a4 inseicd 60give wri8tu b the par.Snphr, bur for o:u, .r ad zen, it n prtci&ly the oppefie: ihe dtalog& gi!e! heaning io th 3i1.n.., rheaclionio the *iU lif. O2u i5 pmearedwith flrr r i5ih! thsh chanckr inrtrihd on hn bmb { EnsakuJi. "whcn life is empry,,,wai6 {!ies, "wlh fspct ro the p*r, rnd n,rhs with rtsp.t ro tle luiure, rhe vacuum is litld strh rln t,oqi.4! rn zn aft rtu *nse of rhe,,inll.ftety up lrr risrnf isnowfieft irongdrharinrhcrtolr.r Gri fu v'n l[c hi .scmon],.chl'nk. rheplssrr rsnrc

i'"

Yx;

ihroug( a Ddiuhu,ry pGdeemind ibal h rh. snElnrh century$ m.ny N on! hundEd rulesfor.ra-ro-yB werelaid down,ddqniniry everyihingfiom the subjdsio b! discu$ed dudng b io ih deprhof ihe lacaur on the h ciddy. Rdhe! ihan o(upy ih. mind, thek ninure ftle freeir oabling ro rhink of norhing,to biimel$, o! in rhewordsof . frnous norhing." Znrin pon,to be'litring qlirly, doing Similrly, Ozut films ponray rhe ".imh$, seu-sufil.int etenalnow"Gk,krrn)'His.haraceG...aielivinginthe nou," Ri.hie nits, " d rhc}hav notuno9.. . slen a p6m disin ozul world (whichn ofen) he i5 nqely od in{anrly 3on. TlErc *e no gho*s i. Ozu as Bl8mm.The pd baiely exieb for Ozu "s "NGhlCh" r Ozu r tlms, su.h a! rhesne whenthe fatha in Ar Artvnr Aftttnaan his deadwif, h rcvLn5tft La! whe!ths banaid resemble! noi 50nuc! a longingior tlle pdr in wenern krms bui is mor likelyan"eyrneion"oftL!p!snt50lamiliarbZenai. wlpn Ozu lo.useson a wall cloct, wathins the *rdndi ri.k fdilely rway, jr is padirry to conka* filn tin 3ndF,.loldgi.n iihe, d botl' Milna and Richiesugge*,but it is alsoto dak tI ndod of htal iindsinss ink8ral io Zcn an, The dock i5 lnpdrdrr h{l'anical iim. dos noi afed iho* living in an dehal piesnt. Thae is no'1r.e again* the do.k." A shotof a .lo& *fles thesame purpor.3s, sa', a shor of a ra* i s nov.n enb arenoi iho* o( dne, but the ifrpdapribl novemenb of rhemindin conehplidd oo inpodanrly rhe clocl 5ho6 in hL codd; dne n part or the m!, tfie ndud*

.hF ey!, rhrcu8fidhal. Edh po5si6Lvlni in r ozu filn cn bered!.ed ro a p4dd(nined, liaied andprcis. nunbs of sho6 llrhekaboylisof acqhincolororexue,r cqbin of conveG*ion will n5ur ryP if a loarion, I anrh ryP of converr* m8ndts (n.rca, hds(wdlk, whar dh.r t hily nnLac de doiry),* the orfi( rll9, consae a(d$henb (rubr neting plafts 'nike

ind'iN,), h i rt*iuont thry EninLc! and dBQ$ 50!hl of rhe fimily pf bkr, lNrrbScp!6ponl5,whrorhan.mb$

oa! Ioq I;h, L\. d:urs., oli.!, h.m i.d bu. "tf u o& .h.rdd B h r cdfi lc.dd, a Glb 9?..r .dvdrrrb

dnulddn.nr ln, br ineynnrdsce ed xPre$ .t dolnS)r (rh. dprlsra'r semnrion,oma UO. n$! 4k8dlalloN .n norircnclrd,butn ith.! is thetea.dhony r th.y .F prcducbof sh.tzm.als'to rclldaaidcnl" In Zln p.intinSthr.dniqu. iErl evolvd lnb u
llphabd of b sh a6[e!. TleE w.rt . ..iiiln nhbo 6f bErh irol4 B.d ro rc?rsnr Dtu,l ohj.dsr !h.y *E l.r..d by br.. fmdlad pierd!, rd wE m.drn8h4 udll ..nnbl.\]. siFlhrly oru riy 5P.,1of Odt dPhrb.t.. ili of Itrd.i.mln.d rhob fEn wli.h h. would tu! &P.tt ru* rr . 2.. |xlnt.r wouldur dt "d!b clu" ibor. b EPr.Fni r l,nn.finl ph nRll.r. ro Od wdlil u*, lhot.l. .lo.fic'ltm r" lh. loFiurkl .nd. m"i"s tin in th.6:.qrdrd io

i! nt 5d a if or ha Epdbd @ rhd d. rd o, $h! :.loaa dIE h d 616,6d..ci .hd l! .4?.nk 66ty .i $@ is Ei.ry {idlin e. Rierr in Orih.rl d is d'|'r.?.rild. ,h.tuEd dud. rirEl. dthrritc.vmt(lik.l|l.bllnilin3olO.dtpui,tdlt!tr...),b ir .y.ltc, yit[ litd. n3edd tall, d.Jrn8 th. tlm.l.s On n.s ol hd dd mhE. "Wlllr Euop.d !r i&rd9 d+lcb: n@6t in dnq" Coondew,ht wdkr, "6 .(ftr.d rctlon or aeIfedorGgI , Ondtil a{ Ep!$ntr r.ontlnu.ur .onthsrid,'4rTlE conilmdlon k b.*d on rh. ht{kudur. ol itual. A d.in D.tEm of 6lrck l' *4r*u. wrtlln rn pMli.p.rlsbl. Orup,ragr.ph,aa*ainFftmotO;pdrS $rhln d od 6ln, .nd a certrrnnun6.' ot ozu ltlhi n. rcDeilbl. *ithin .n ozu ertr. Tlu dbrl lr not kDnri. f6m the[orm,vhichLnoisodt IroDrh!q@t nt, lnOzrt6lnB-'sinrllrudi{orrlO hrd.d,th!fom lE.lr ir ih! diurl rhkl .Err6 th. .to.l pBrht (.t t!.rr), {,!), ud 6rl.r lr p6rbl. b 8rv.r sd3hr ro d,. d?r&$ lour tulc l}[ l&yr, tlE !6ic ui.el.hu. tuodr ot 2.. rr.h.K dr(lh.d thur by w'tt I

(rdo ro aplg rh. f.ding of pdunte ,llltr bed*. @'.),lnrzdidon l ori6r.l.d rh* b. D!.rt tl to p.lerid' a di* sodd rp.n l hii !l! 'ould p{l6thB ad.l. 6rut rE Ls, printinSnd Ep:rndrg th. ru. !.e.. O,! w.r llo .Frl..$dlllrne6pdtliiellft psleu!!.iollep.|lot .r rhob,Alnins dd re6ln is tlE !m .rory,Tll. .nd rF.lar.t . z.np.lntllsca*soLtb?rslnd.prlndnsr olldy,ti. hd piodudoI Oa'i carcer .r hcdaclb.rl . I inBk nlm. In i Zh dristic.lphab.Fwl|.rlrc th pdntt!8, g.rddln8, oihe hi.{6ony-lh. 16. Ltt.! l' sv4 ep.rkd ddt! on rr'.nd.rlv wdL A d](.m..l$,.vft nlnuh, r! .la.yr hrded bho oo lthi {hi.h nrr ,..n rob. ldadoL Tl'c niy b.. v.rl.don ol brul rtlot.lr . c.lllgr.pLir Lrbr, or r 3li8htd.viarionrr Frull.l t.hrtdu..l rrru.tuc, Evmin su.hdlr indi'c' bL D.rhr Oz! dh.*r to rh. hdnor oI 26 an. k l' p6nbl. h Ah! ulrk ay ^liidBn ddd..lrt Od r.Pudr.6 l', odErn, b IEa CDbo8'{hlc wh6 Ftd6ng.i. i& Ltte ol l|t. d|!n iphrb.l,..r, t Aot oaclftlE Rtlrnl''saoM rlt. !E6t hrttsr o! nb [.m, oa ftdtlcln.*n lft/*d rpr.t t To.l6?adad.t

rI
Whsrc rhe moodor tlle homent is solitary andguit it 6 called5d6;.Whn the aiLt is fe.ling dpr$d d $d, md rhc pedliar emprinss oI flelirg.dchee a Slimps. o1lonething rrthq odinry ud rnpr.knriaus in ik incrediblg'tuchn6!," rhnood ls calLd p{bi, whe! rie ndhenr evokcsa moreinterf, nonatgicsadnes om4id witl autnn ind tlle vanishingawry ol fi! rcrld, it i5 .nlld do,r.. And when tlE vieionn rie hinrbs * d mloown nevd b be dncoveFd, rhenood AltlDugi .rch of tll frry! arobvjouslypre*nt in Ozu'sfftnt .Dd& Ri.hiewriks tiai Ozun pdnadly rheaiist o! 'o Ior whlch hc give5Tmalo Niw,'e taMlation, 'o'o "eymp.ihdic 3rdnes", '1he hd .ftd of .n Ozu lilm c , lind oI rusigned eadn.s, a dln rd knoling *Enit wlfth m,lntains dspii. rheunce.rinry or Me andthe ihings of rin sorld "i! Ozu! rRhnigus, Riciie , i6 elsewhm, is sarur.tld witlt D,bi bK seol spoverty:nd "exbaoAlnary rcshi.tion."q lt b !ry dlfft.lti fd the rverageW*km rtewtr to lPPt.i.ie the qD,n oI Ozn e ihener or ih! uari o{ k tlchniqle, i{ch l$ to disiinsui5n b.t*en the hoods of ri. f,ry! Thc JapdesFErylish di.iionary nrelf desp.iG of a.y *remPr to delne or delin ilG aedldl. twins of 3eti.nd urti. Sinply !eci!!e tl'e we*ern vi.rs .@or male tte disiindions betw.d A!!8.ninozt s nlne hs+ould not sbiartiawote,. ntt ldlt rl n* tha! Ozu G ,Ier a singlebeic doiioD as t nu.h oI W6rern psychologi.,l realnn. Tie.ods of On! Iilhs argfnarl,bly .mplcx, and tf! dltreEnc. baw.a a *ill shoroI a vase,a larrri, ,nd Mout rlit fray n6n rhe diftd.h.e hetw.cn sri, D.ri, ard !aaE, when thg srill 3ltoi of th. v*e is lisr shownh tak sP'inS i! evoles u.rt 6trt by rh. nme tfiar sameshot n 't.peied'late! h rhe liln 'lso (onnots both rDrn ud Y!8en. Thr fountainhead of zen and Zn art b a fund.mental rtrlyurc.p.in.F .Ut1fi33:reof oneSrhf $'Any JLI'domy bdwc.n h .nd nihF lrhi.h Z.n nfioll D T tr lJtlr'ri d, ".ll thd onetihE shat i5commdly knorn Y.hwghsetAJ:n & rml o|)|rdrvrwirlJ"r!)ls fake.r rhen rlr(rrkr oarilln h.i.tihr wEr oo a.ouse thd rh. E:{ "vn rnd NarrE ls m.," suzull li,nNiln lLFrrsrr.rlld

mb. "Nor mr. partictpiion in erh other,bli . tundan nbl the rwo."' Transl.ed inb Wenem bms rdmuq !.e.d rhb .onE cl6e rolmrheGh, i comp*isn zen would nor rRpt t{au* p,nth.isn involvB an rtilici.l conc.ptualizarion of r unity which c nibril ind sponlanmus.'t\. unity.l m'n mhe ffndsplre expre$id ln the Zn eardcn.Whm I 'nil 24 prid .del$ly dipt pnn6, reds, dd halns hi5 8adn "he is not inte*eing rith Nlbr. 6!.auee he is NrhE,"3'ln hs mostr.adioery Iom (.t led b westem mindi) rhk unitt ls dpn$ed in $e dalo8y tld as th. ,ish sMft in tll! wdd .n.l nev.r wc.ries of il sohd lvet in mtore rnd shouldnvs Th. greate* .onflict (andrha gftat* r*ulring dEllludomei) in Ozu'sfilm, is not polld.,l, psrchologic{ or dm.s&, b{t Is, fo! w.nt of a b. TI'.t ih agedcmnot .onnulnat witfi ih ,om3, ihat ihg Dam6 crmor ommuni.ar dri tf,elr.htldrcn, th* the i'.r"-*,r rh..f6e wo'kE-r!.se arc --* ----t." crnnot .ll dhddons o! th. Fo6kn rhri tfu hodm lapmer. snh hc hvironnmt. Dudng a d&itlleioning @tuni.,r bod . .haradd In t rc /!r, nn s.ys, /'h L pople el6irinljrg who End ro compltare life. Life icelf is very sinplc," Thie d6prn is &t..id h r sihllar drinking sene in Early SPnrg in wllich . .ha',cer sara "The world bdry isn't Ery lnhn*inS," andlli, (n$d &plier'Th,rs th fat ihat n ,r. ing !r. t{* disillsioment ud loneli&$." Th6e daEllfrts ieted a bFaldown in th. haditional atitud. to{ad miure i. zh ad. How cn nm omplcate life? How .an tlu h5i @mpli.aie ri sarer?This Jor Ozq n i)E gre{ thnri of nodemizatid: it lhread rh tadiilonal Onm.*, and whn rft Gr of th 3ddurcFhon!, o(icF rh.t unty wo551s comeb^Uing rltel Thk rtal dr potenii:l dch y hdwen man ai but has lnd nduie hc al*ltr 6*r a rhme of Japanese arttn intensit, sinc r {h;old "modlmizaiion'in Saind hpan.Th.afrc orlprlrslzrrc Jape* yolth (andi n exk.ordlnriily nild in Ozu smprra b )dngd dnfttoE lile Hini r O'hlnr) tainn paEnb ad polid.'l leadec i. m cn$lror ot tldr rffont.g.in{ tt badni alcon.cpbof trtr srponJridthrdlsuni(tInrrphsrlilc by.vokhI

ihr trrdtrloEl r.ridee or z.n d I! r ont.rpor.ry, .inna6. ont.ir. H. k mbrdly ior pEdliporil b th. oldei Sherdd b.. ft th.y arc do*r ro kadirlonrl.uh!E rnd bftru* tlnc lh.li .vo!d cure, rhenood ol .ui{m. "t .h 3dawhrt norg lynDr$di. wLih rh. old ?6P1. tirn * h de ymg,' on dlrd h 19tt.'Tll. rf,.h. oI nny rent novi.e tnds to d.ny th! v.lu* oI th. old g6.rid ril ro rpprov. oI th. m,iic L.hrvlorof th. young-But i||..U !.ofL t. dl5pL.s.d by ih. jds nbdlon ollh. r.nn8 ril &.p! ro oPPe tl*n'4 ln tlE tad;$n oI 26 .n, ofl d not loB. s altGdrl nd and nrrut, Lur ryntlEli! !.rsen tl| old Tr th. d$, n r[. Lt3.r cdkr ol rhe frryr urt.s rh6. ddmb -'tl .v.rrthtng. The Maway, whkh ltrecb dd.mnpa$a ,pit-Akne d.l9htd ol fokya Tuillsht lTaklo Bdshakr, a957) h.r !.dn.t!" which Pemearee mlnfelb lh. rane'tFpath.tlc ol &een let tutha.lhe Fldor E p.d.bre, mi,udedtmdinS Or4 Ri.'; d. of rheLr* srR$ful of Oa,9 l.t rfilRs b..u* h! hEals hi' L .1 elturting rEhi$ onljds withnr rh. of ii. tfp Oa noduly dIE tl[ Lrg.r qtdt pd6r rd d ul,d.mGF|tinaihrt,no .o.nkr bdffi h.trr shrt tfieir p.n.n:l ditr 6.o rE, hoth 5h'!. I d.? r^ Ct .n r.o, lros*er, 04 atrmPc no 3^.. ot ^ona "ucre' r.onvknon kod oldnq ro i.hanq!orh.nt, ro roirrv hG dh* filn!, a srdu:l und.Brrding rh.;, * r ",;* -ih"' rhrt.urrt wd almys pr*nr A! r E ult, tl'? wife s "onvedon' b quiE u..nviRlnE rnd on nstrts b, rrr. foEd roFtoF bdr'. urolrlmirltLheh6b.nd'sPlu!fi ! I/! _.Is8. or h.rd" Th. b mr|(. hs Fint ol brt'lrrhrl vroLh. th. z4 hli.I tld u! iy It rlmys PEFi, nd t|i.I b. r .a lt. Th4 dld nr n .d do is L.(!ft og'ilat hen $m hd ihplt tirl b.eE d* 'tdwFjd" 'd|a phR Ln , .rL6ity t!4 rr@ one [:a !.d . .irn.Flh.r ch {ould vioLt rli. PdndFl ih.t rllee n*E hra on!-:*l l.; r dilunity. on ws Proh.bl, .on:clcus o( rhe aF ot C,nT.arficn.ver:gainrtrhPtd3!ciad'adi.cniryeor onc idnlded rhrt Cr.?i r.. *,! "nor {.ll r h.r.dd 'nd lhouF uf O:ut norhrl .mDid3 onuntivsthq rhan h. i5 not EaIy th! !h:. .onf,lct, ly, on ftir. 'rrho 'llrtr nlvr'ft oldd0rltrolrorih.youns,bur$edYocrtor

L cnrr (d. rq r,bo sb,y, T|! G!,i @d5 qr od. nrn' rn .!r6!Bdq! ot nru(i thq fl ih. An:l .ilhF ad 6prtu,." lradltrdnal on.n.s: "Hk 6lns s fritMully Ef,.d l:prn.!. llre thaFtuE rhn rN orhd tli6r Ozu i6 rll. oolenr tor loth th. otd{ md youryd generaiiont,,@ The n.d lhoiE of ozut tilG, like tne .od!r, !E E lilmrioffi of MiuE. Thsc ahors Fay d?pid Dm.ihtng & b.ditionrl 8 r hou.Li!, o! it Dy b.orPdln. 'uch Tfts <d6 e rh. 6Dl od6, dr. GDI eiLft6 &iI mDrics. oa dG tur .liRtn:r. rh. ondid !t@ nm De. by pror nr.dv.n.t. or psychologicl Ev.lrrioe, -db4 !y hdgi$ n.n :nd n.iure wirh zcn rhouShrrd lif.. H. dcs nor 50mu.h dinln.k th. .onlid btum hrn .nd ndun a,, you6i3hr iiy, h. [.n{!nds ii. zq rrr rnd.uliuru!:nnor.re mer,phor lor Ozu fi1n5. orltrr prc(d.nb canb! Ioundfor o:!! h.hnl+e5: ihc brc rf{rhr of mov.m.ntwrs I 3aglnJrprne!.arcir .omcdysrl l,.onchco?onkdinroo:!,shhniqu.;,

o&d, [i. 3t tlon rt ..l!E dEb, Oa dR i.lt-lc{o!I, .t *h I lo *d? d!. ro ttu t{t rh{ r a.I} dul'l mt oP6.t. .lb ir'ftded hh ogj.. And, .! @rq hi. -p!l!d|njf lPp6rd ro 0lh6rliry, But t lh r r d$1. O'u'. krun4$ ii. !o rlnllrr to h'dtHdrl 26 hdhod. thrt rh. harhe h .tMe rhar O:u'e unm]|trhDl., md @. nBr dtlqllntly pdrmlut, ltt tl|r oI rtu hrind.nil ddrt, Ir dny valubL b.h..tui{*tls9G*Itudqlr,tlLtlmrlt,llL. si.h x qncl6?1!3 ,.E of rhq oaEr d!r:fu,G36 dtiDi..d!d6d of zs rF mrc '. 'uE, -|ll--4. t { lt, 6dly b@h6 ddi!d!g!i;I$h smE Od ,nnllLd .h. tirh., ol Zln.tt llto notton pid!rcE sd h th. pbe$ he u$l'*d arhln .Lm.nt| *[t h *E .ot r(.!rut hnlhd b lrpd6. olh*, hr shlch (d rlt L. Ioud h Fr.E. It!Mrr*, lblv, $. U hi thb tid rh.'er dx dr'b hy b *ci lh. Tru.dnd.n. ln rdo.! Pldud BmF Zfl CEmr: s TN!.mnr

L fh. a4aq: ,./.mbdon ot lE.t'tt, 'w,iul'w h-d@roapb.6 of drydatairt cwbrA/EguoB J.r BuLe r .rltl,ne "L ryoiidnr."rr At ot. tlm. tucl .n .ppr.ct &ul'l filv! blm crlle.l but u,r hds erarely: {ylrartor ltu d.5ire ro "nlls," *ip lir. or rU aprlm olh bypaid th. E.I9 or dryrcd:y litrr whld!.tr6 dl,.l@6 nar. @t ol a.huln tfia6 d:l elo.L.4 6lvd: sdkdon oa ildcddr, tlE dbla '. @@;. .h.i- of $ede, ri. d6ie lr dei . 3d.rd6 .f :.d@, ti.d!.L. i. 5u!!.3+h@ r D dsdoi of tr'6dd.l lt I obvlos,Itrt ;|n h d*m -crlirr (ii. "rrlld." F.dbm) dee.!.[ | i?sarrrim of -odd lL,lt pap.ro !.ilry for tlc iihslon o! tlE Tin{hddt, hu.h in rh. w.y th.t .h.-ndJtu !r.pr!r tu dd lng lor .ny dr*hold o!.rht@, dDa b* odrEkaslkhr.pmt rh. lvni8 trs ttu dad, ft phr6r.d tron tli. dhd4 rh6. @ {ihi o dxy Fd..qu.e wldr lir. ta.ll Th. dryd:y &de&{rly * u? tlE ebw M o{ il:fblrt roliry{|fi. lurro. th,i lh.ffibb & odlr r mbnr d.'nlly), F $.t lt n:y h. rr6Ld down ldd, Msyrd nd. (ad "rq&m" .r I rFt$h@d {ol .ihs inhrp4l.donr or llre, dsl.ynl8 . Elhlntly !.llrdc .nvltonnht }lrh frney, folL'yth, Bp{Glontrq xl s lortn. crd.d r. ihl drlme, rhn h&n.y to .ot. h mddd bl. *rl|ry sdb ,n th. .v.rydrt. Mon of th6. n8td, 1..lhl.t'm ilsign.d *iih Sullt-h loophols whtclt rh. 6h{r.ld 6 Mvsia{ly thd6h l.r.r i! ft dn 'lip ot t!n!.f. &r Fo.arpL, bd@ tlEattu "r.:lir'" Ol'il.&rDrldL r i ydrtL.ndi@ tr b d irpririnr l.b ln ti. tun wh6 lhR ddim p.s t[. Dorddim hb l{i.r. Ttur k n6r r. fiulr arnudt 6!R, blr onl} h poinr dt ihr hlr ptrfmt ry'nrllen' b notrh. (ryd.y, Th..wryd:y dknph rodd. up :ll the loophold:u nt(n rl a bte.d lni.rpat.tlonr ot Erliry, vd if rh.y r. .i .onvhrioDtly .(ptru. h.Iniqu! a6 dftt.rllrioa hdtiple "nrll'lrc' pornlolvl.* onarlu*, dlrn. b6d .ftd. rr rh. e.rrd.y mlh].8 lr .rp6lq .I ie 6utn$.

orth. hoodrof tn. t!ry,, Itu .v.rrd.r..l.br&,

tnghE

Ire e dF .M

artr6 .f tesnann

3ryL.d hr.

t F Thlt r.dt! w rrbPt rh. fas ol ltc prqFdn d chrtrd, 6u Ot'r dt!, dd b aht(rh .[* rB 'lE and rh. P6$rbl. d s4mn,,,ll dl!d; th.lr .dFnht Pltt th. .t .lr 6n th. tltrr roE F.dt.ly, On. smt.ndya ol . !i!8L crluE ltyL ft6 rh. F4.dlv. t':neod.nhl (..s., Z{) s fi nisht *.n to b. rn !*ltilv. Prcdd of rhrt .dtsr, Orc nud rhdy tll. d.F of thlr rryL s u*d by d(.Mr b 4ert h its tn y urnv:E:l ntbt| h dlF.6t dlbd 3tL n@ za q!.lldd. Om 6 dtd t[. h.lK.kdbl .ulbrbu. .Et.f l|bi|6.liltrilld@tBE

or.ctr& (m. Dd.! .nd oth.a lo w@ th. @,li.d in rh. It lo6.Uail .yninr.o- r*, t"i.tt to*.od-t) l.rd ot tmcnd.ntd 391.,lnd lt It FrbP. notoindd.nr,l th.t th.k rt.P| .orEryondb th..l.rrlc Zh rPIbli3F: "wtu.
uid I thou8ht b.!|n ro nud, Zh, hosirit! *r h4nt.l$' bui wn n uid.dlod z.n, Nunbln wd! not nMlrln' g@ .r za tuutdls ..n. to flll ln4l.d!. +.nt l ttyL e: Ih.ftFol |,i'Htdat M.t.lD"

th. d6l'..f

O&l6a

xd .o l#.t.alE,

T[eopenr$frEshobof ltedao,r'tu .\ayity -48adlni el.bails rh bG rhrclhold oI xirn(, i nehcdou6ly 3.G !p il ni:*nrnofday-b'dayEility'" lo ozu, ih. s9li:rtion le ner (ompl.r. Every siot t lDn rh sarr h.lght,.very compos ion ndk/ svry.onvenandn nonoroi!,d.ry*pre$ionbbnd/cvcrycurlonfrrlghrand prtdidiH!. No rcrion is intn,l.J ii r.omn.ni on anotfiri nocvfli l.i&lnsxonhly rdtl'r trlxr. Tleiigfipoinb of convr(rrtrrtdhh4 rteh.glnir,,$rnd (h.!nd, ft n$kra.

. atths r[. "!dlh" ourly oruB h the ! dtlL ol : re, a tn.t sdhLg,in ofu' drbu.h.4 li4 ir sF.btd i5 line c . ..nv.cation trLr rki . iiporrrne but tlt. rmv.udon P.s! ovd thn, the dlttuerid untulfiD.d. th. P.Ah .n., ud rh. b:l& ofi uerlrd.d 'd By plxn'g ttt .(h in $. hiddl. dns b. .Ls. ir+. rrcund lBps.n ua, thGk.lniqr lor 15sihPl. a ndl.r c oFi,b! r d@r In B*tdch.r lt 4cohPr*6 th. whol. {ory) th! ed lnb th. "t r"of dio r. &?rivd of lE arhdic '|dln& o! Oa! flr_nrlinSlili :nd +it, dylkil Ev?ryr?ct md* lh. rlBhi ddyln., {rin3r omd&worl, $undh&(-tdL oI tll|r drrCG cnlctio oI tIE.wryd.y, .na ih..d ridSfi p?rirP..tErdt .PPmt, tlll L .X*u4d Effii.tr in conn.dion {Ih Br6!6t u*.I.v.ry.lay, rtrtl! Ilrr|.rrtd.y*Ghudn'ltFIIttNuldt At {.li th oatd:t.rd4 fi*,b..tF nds $m6..Lp would 4e lif. ! rdlly d.Pdftd.I h.dh8, .xPn$to4 di:m o'.:thrdiq G ln Wrrhott ddy ,ilht, Bur ,e P[l of th. r PElud. b th. rtrl., irr 4ryJry i ddt tlr'endmbl mon.nt of Eitlnpud, whh o'dinrry Flity It htrKldd L Di'pe'lty:,n dul ot Po,.ntiil AittniE b.r@Enncn th^ in.'L.iiu.dbnt t;hkh flla,int. hb aiffird 'na Sasoluacrlle whd wdrins or J.rn "!n non.t.lr.l,lt" It3 dnprnry E r !rcsn'8 drcl h d{ dull sdd or if 6r. weE {ridd.d b FnrrB I tlD3l., i! .vrddrv Falltv, 'nd, ds l".id" l".ld.nt rhl.n?db b. d",iLd sPec e! -,sfi .v!id.Y: dt. riN d .h. n@d6rl surrl.lo rh4mlshtt.Nebllf.!h&d.]!b'drylxnrm,lh.!ri. .,v rn r,a nor b. . *ounth Thir dote r Ef]Did bld -ounrin t&.nEtu, E|dh6 In th. thlE' .L i6t tkP '!s.td hrh thlv wm or no u*, dn yd !' tll. lmnd .kP [. b.8br b h thk bdrl ffild H. L ln. !@d oI f.il r|ri rll b nd 'knt dlG.i.n ro wld oL ldt f.diil' *tf h! .ci. dNt.ll.nr Ohpirily rr (rukd Ly ih. tn(dioi.{ *lt* Avl ':Ur "l'um.id.nrIy'htolh.rold.onr.\rof ri.!v!rydry "Tn. rlludq ol llt tulrry 6f trmsdd.nl nlG d.Pdd' uPd th'

ih{.ny h!n.n cin b!.!.nil roi. thD rv h!h; dn E4lE ThL @mpssia L dltd I, rd.mfty rnJ tuffrrraj_ n ! s absM;r dE hoty rsmy. $a *id"fis @6pr$ron. nor.oh. fbh rh!.old hvi@h.ni o, tlr n'|m. iEilrd, bur oru only fM racfinE ! brnemdmt d;dd,: !tuld of b.14. h r! . rddy;r{trtR budd dn r ${ r ro.l r derltn! r$ d unlalins dvioM6r. Th. _terng dr.L tn rhedult tutre 6t dryd.y rcatly bsm, a opar ruptua,nd 6rly, b tf,. Illnhr of dldsiE dh. rla b r orb6r or +l'itort ddtd udl, tnapt.:bt. o*i,'g ibp-itr.r" p.nror H*.h6.!min$ huM _ _ h!.Bsd dDeiardq @: r[aE NdDtEionof lrd*!.dhr Innad!rhle i! only I l,oblly ln;olwd r6id b.h{en r hr{num of luhe .rrtad.n {d non*rerto..

pm@ ora mhLnum oIE l y orhun.nv!ru*,,,Alic sbre, 'Th.'Lbulou,'if it ii b b. ryrhha noE l,lr u |rlrd P|tnn.f intodB d ftrn'sh. turcrin*,n.i} r hsr chrlty.'.' In fiIft of E.dq/..rrl *yte rh.r E,rn rhh fte., d IIapLou. dFdd.! ot hltts r.elbs rhkh on hrv.;o d.quft Fqrd4 Thr!ondtEt rrsdnrsi,ndNs/i n (mo ddit.nty rnd undF.bdtv !d ! n i d.dwd !rd, lsnfiapl ..llyobr.Mdhvt;n..nt.u, r,,,,nUann { hrw tu rnd b&r l{|n$s retrhin e untcliig d|fudr,.hhr|i@Idnd]utth..dt+.rl'rb.tu rnddvlsnhnr.ll a! mvrbnmdrb untdh., uh.G do '6 mn'r fclh!, .oe toh? Ennln d lB!.i6.lr [oRE, rtu "Ii@ dhrt',/, Grrrrlly a splrlrurtdqrlrt. Thir btundLq .oprsion h hor
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tN Aporing wrldhro rh. s.{i AporqliJ diep. ry b4w.cn mn.nd uitrr. lrd.nie O:u'rAI's. tt ruggsrr th.r rh. now oI nu 6d ehr. dy t. *t.r.b zrlEr lld ett.d, di(h, rnlih.tE ofur o[ h; trrdr onaldd.rure,.ahtnlyaos.Ert arct 2ojdr.:dtd, thrr dhprrjry bhn c obvidu' wh!. o'! i!$.,s8 dmit,, 6ds:fhr onhs.ina tn r d;ror; ffi{ep.d '.n.' hddrn hrnd ilkr I dtrorki. ^ G(nt Fndr priinry by ru B t dr r h . u n l t yr o w h k hr h c y o r t , b u r r $ c D m . h o r lnki.d.ft!..trronr{htldq6oi rlrSdrrhlr rh. rdhton.r

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un y n.y h!v. l;lrle nean;g qnhin rhc PonB.r ranily Thc.odrrcanndrodyb! *edr. a wry @mh.nbry onlne bck !.ryoroinlndndrn,burnso li1f! tconveyedby Fo.thrnodpai,dispdityinOzut jnrpplopriate b tfie a dEnge hum dhsity which sd. diqi.illy ot'qvd envtonmcnr,an idu i | {ighl TnrcuBhou( dcisrv! ad ior, reve,ls itself ro be i 3P hLnlbs rkreis.nundrcurentof ronp$sion*fii.}, alrhouSh nd o!{,ly c!prca*d, ads inhd. chnrdc by echoth(md morcinpd4rnrly bv rhdidt.dor' The viwn *ns.s thd ih& ar.decp,urtrppd f elirgsiun telowrhesqlrc. Usurlly rtu tn{'or@mpa$io!i5norhing obvious,iii5nortiedinioJbloguedrednd l.aneak.hniqua, butbahdidor.ameraruanleTadadsto,dhPansecnft , poinbouton"xamplo!this,inraisspritr3 rheahten,lha fareklltd aBusr. nie.caE!!tdtntonrolrh.irhonebidding pdp.ndtdi! 5inglrrngle lholirg th. l.d15 bodg md But rh.n rhehaE5suddnly pdrhs,herhindsonrter'hni tiningrnJbalm.eiobni. ioOzut t.hniqu ind ihe brerkrh! uppe pxbof then bodk 5wing.luniiLy out of bnance,onero the'ighi,rhcoihniotnel?It.T\kisa tifl inBmovement,dne olknsenin nirumllif,bdinth. contxt of Ozut n'ict evdyd,yr b'ingeinundpdldorsh of lun:nden5ity. "lnth. picrun or n dd geomd't,l balan(," sdd $ires, "it somdin6 happmr rhd ih.novlnentolanan * m:d! io felveryfEh LyhrinBu53.!rh.movemnt*htrldlliddybial<srhe iinde! ozu sihrltmeoudy In I 3jnilarly ambivalnr cyold Lorl' LllBlkat3ndsynpaihy lor h;.haradeB. Ev." {l'6 h. rik.s l$ or hisch'ades, asrn th. diinki4 5cne rn t rIt,0 StorylTrk!o Mana|dtoti,19r), or rls 4dke rynlflhy fo' rhsd.Hismblinking.anflaimp.e$6 tlevicwi Nrrl,lrr tintrf l, ir i willinsnas io wfth ,ll oI a man! cordud, l,,il,nd'rI0,rnl nobh,without.o r,l'rr,onpr, d, i,rhk.hxad.E,h.nspecGevEnrlen roberi obicrivobndc. m! { rrtru' r! 'rnF,y.ralso*.ft r'l,.iutorrons, yd theyalsor.B tohrv ll,r hrrr(,!,( Ih.nrgg'nBsn5eoI dnpriy r,r(,l l, rhtr[6ru(! r,-tr,,1tr,

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ln rlltsEildfom dieparity n olrcnrtedal by. rhoro!3h3oiry s.* oI irony.ln lilhr dt rlnrlndat styl., ircny i! rh. kmpor.ry $tution b livins in a {hnoid world. Tic prin.ipll .h.!:des rakea a{itude or dd.chd awaren*s, llnd Iruho!j. rhcbad* wd1* rhesooJ,pr$ingjudghenron noftin8.Th.firad$ re'rlifewirh nonyandarein tuh rft*rdwirhlronyby rheidtrtbc. honi. humor n oblidldy prnniinrh?6lnso1Brt*dn,Diryq,aidBe(nkr,bu t Ir il.o p'.rnr in rhGIneol o,!. In 7oky, srory tle gr.ndhoih.r rtpa$e5 rhnonr rode pr!.dl, wln she5iys ro hdwid.w.d drughkrdla*, "whd a r.d b rr+ oniy&ed rnt bd"Burlarrhilte#n. film5h.h?6.|I tsr.r.A wrh lbny,rhegrindfrtfierwakhstddrdisr casrh wfienhe Shndndrhcr*lisrheiryougBmndsonwh:rhwiub rhegundson i8norslw,ruoningplaylully away. Srows!p,bur I'r,4n,4dDtr Atr#noonthcirotri!n ilruirions airevssed, Iirsr rwou(ndr, Kr*dndHidydn.,,r,liytr joleona wanies (ana ihc dn$rf) byiraishtldn lry J{rr.din3rhaitheirihird Iti0tydicdofloohu.h lu ! ! ri r f l r , l r r r h r h s 6 l nK , N a r N r r J o r c i p t r ys : i m i t i ii o t . N llL',1l,rr hiJ rlreiuJiun!) l,y trd.ndin3 rhr rl( trvt tuLL{rlroullr ' 'hrr
1| ! h$ r ! [ , r i( hBm r L( it [ ! t r r r , yNnt r iLdi, nh, 1, l, (

bcauee Ozn r.hftdee t'le anironicrl diiude bwara Me, suchjolE'&pas*dotf lthtAmoiIsnyisozu'swayto li4 of tt nldd.nce. oee _ witfi dierdit-in m6iv'len..,nd lronv i5 6inll:tr to ozu,;E;I.hdadtr 5n tntP*ing thrt of Cz(h dirdor Milos Fon.n, 'ndtlh. Both 6e &aM betr.n iidr oRparison cm P.dEGd i fom of l*hr om.dy *fi;.h onkrsed d@hrary'!e.lim" dthnstusof hunande.sit.Inthcncohdle!,disPniiyis a Hulta.t iet.ced Dv. krpiffiii artltodebw.d .lirtrr 'nd wde dlbi.l di{emr tmy. rh; drt fflis, srvm remilably sinilar but Od! laiei fflhs noFd eadully out !I ih.ligfit.ondy caegory md .cqutd r Righr * ya fflnown b rnman i work. This is beca!* tA. hEr O,u ,lltu enPloy bmsmdmbl dyk; 6r .hdglng suPrfiel "erlsh" to rhe nnd di3plriy (.Idacte! nStd *.rrdat ad by changntg ambta'lm, nony) inb unerpdea&cieiv. &rion, ozu hnnm.lnsiiy inro ePitibal ddsfty. A$umtn8 rh,r hu'!od, ln ltht .6edt Fornrn rnd Od 3bied lrom s mlosos has? (81'tk P.t t ir-r-rlc l WE Ban,Alr. , l, Ozut volution&y b. iyporieizd rhus: th. twin inf,u.@' ol the e of Po*w'r ih. inMre conlllci beM?.n Zh W.*cmizrtion lddhld ln Ozu dd forcld htn liid ty,rftle to olhr. ad nod.;Latm htdlly h,s rlErd] nhlbia *yl. $ rh.t tll. ditfdde. ..dd no ldgd berdolvcd bui i.d 60be tansdd.d. ?lu odp6llm oI On'5 l.hr nlmsis s ovdhrdening ad dbpararethat rapprocnddt camot be adnev.d by laughrs s in ligl* on dy, (Milo5 Fot:lH ie ixl : but only by r delp lfrrlhrl .{&ms ilrhou8h i!.edii.rlGrk ondurion of rdisdredor of .ouGe, erer $lll hle a dlft*ni @s.) F rnai'r B.tl suggdte tiati'ls Di,pdlry, rherefon, It a Srdual PF.er, eth Pi%r$is d.pcrtrnqrw:vrrrhesolidvheeof dtrydryrt:Iry At6Bt it whci ksee th. qewr' m'ldns hrn b ;nen8;" or.;D$,ion b.li.v. t[,i .notim, !E pnthr but Siling tun no bngibL p rcof. Finrlly, tt k a A?.i'i!'. etior, a lot lly hold c.ll lor emotion whl.h dlsmb3.srny p&kce oI .vqydly i.!Ut/ Tlu <le.i!i* ..llor bnrk, rh. drydryeiyliz ion,* is dlnrudibl?.'6i *llhln th. b.nrl tlllt, s$krmsr by rnd Lt be t,Ln on hlrh, ln lt' mon drlrtlc lom,6 ln D!.v13 otlrt tI$ dd.iv. .don k rn rdurl nlrrcl., lhe nlrg oI ihe dead.ln ik lc$ lonr, lt h rlrll Fn.whar hi'aolos; a ndobjativi 'hirh

wirhir . f:cbal, motio.l$ erviFrenr The 6od@l.Ent Ithntel nops aplqed by rhesv.ryday rrc ro v.ryi$ d.gics pulld ouFth. musicsort the chancsE cmoe, The w*ylay C.4Ekd tl vieels horioG, sho*.lngthey w?E oI no u*, C[pnuy 6st tidrbk ihole emotloG,.uggdh8 ihai rherc nlghr b. a plac lor rhd, a.llllen In Ihe d(civ. 3cnm suddnly .nd ln xplic$ly demn& thevlew* Irll.motunal ouqut How lh! vl.@ E di L tL,6.lemnd hy .nd l.rg derenlne6 to what .rt it th. fin,l {.p of trsnnhddbl3tyl. *.si3, sill 6e TtE deGlve adldnr ln O:!t n|n6 .re le$ dranatic da Ln obvr@ ifran in rh?nh5 ot BE$on or D!.yd, ln rn Ouu nln tha. de lir.elv to Lesevaral Ddludial de.irita a.bd5 6.10r the ctbnnantone,r^ At A,Itnn Alttudoi, tor *ipL, aci .dda b.!h:!dedsrF'droF brtof touriiEdionall^re*.m hur. dmud! an.morionil dr?ui uhm th.e ls ndlhinBon rhe rM hli a 6tillllfe riew ro &ei* i.,In adJi o& rhec ai rfifte |.ft6 in sl]klr rhesda,r. .onLn'd ani bds, rtu rpii*.r druShhr oI a nooaL rhop oMar 6re,k do{n in reas {hen hd Lrhd ! blolglrt hdft. d6nl4 Hiiayan t daugl&r a;e wt n th. dkcov.6 tfi. the romg han oaher doi.! E al.lrdy nsdd, . .t Ih. @n hrlonoIdrnlmHtayamal n*ltw.ep6eilently |'l{ hi. darghtd h., b.n natri.d, In..lh ..n fi. peFon wpg .|ft; n b nol a publi 4a.tr.le,6!t anoutpoudngof rh.ir .Lrp.rt e@donr The !eph8 he,Ite 5d5uk Hora! Ianols hrsaithsondusionof Trk,st,ry,isplrusihlebdrnapcded -th. viudnr, iedioSly nor ben prepand Io! suci 6.!ional @rbus.. h ,4n ,4d!nn Af.gnoo, .vc!v othtr .vhr h! ben a@pkd wilh cohpleE aolcish, .vh when(rwd and tlorui play rhek 'nall.lda'Jole on Hnaram. neonly nod5 !..i8ndly, Etcfl in rn ,. raq "dEisivez nonenb iony and ihe lv.rydaypi*mtanydisplay.I.m.tion. OI th. culnlnmt dedsle acrion,Hnayrn.'e sol ary w!.pln8,TomMiln.wiit6,"Nothin&,ppai! ly,h.spFp*d lor ih. cmo{ton aepthol ihe l8r sqr ylr * ie . pgifedly ndur.l clim,x bwar& wlr.Il rl,e snoh lila ias len noins.,,6 'il'rclsnntt An Attrmn Aftedadn Hn yam hadbenr pan8o. of{okhmInodl'r*s6!ldpertorbl sIDrJ*kdor. Hi5deeply .n3r.ln!dlronkiniudewouldleinothlngrfkrhinonrw'rdly. Sowlor "norNnr"-indthtr.lsnolmmedlik(ututorhn

3. st6i'. a lrcEnrieu of ltz tuhnhadEs rct rc56tpe 'he srasn G ihe endplodud of han(mdenral dyle, a quiesenr s of litu in whichrhenohtain i5 agah a iornhin. st? ihreenay.onfront rlE ineffable,btrrn5 k.hniq!4 de no turc "my*dous" ihm deps oneandtuo. Tfur r a dennii &fore andafera psiodof d;paritt dapenoJof*asie,rnd bdweh thema linil nonent of d;piiiiy, dftidv. adion, whklr ttgeB thEdpft*ion ol $r Trarkndni. Tle hrnle.dnrrl siyrejrslf i5 neitherintfrbh nor m4i.ali v.ry eficthasa ca!!e, andif tfie viewcrexpeienccs **k it is with goodreain. Tfie daisive adion dos nor rcsolvedieparitt, but te*es it into {asc. To ihe ban$ndi.g mind, manandndure mayb. pepetually lockcdin connict but thy re pffidoxically oneand thesamc. ln Ozu, asin zen, {ast evoks thenoods ol $s i,r!( ,d f,tiolarl, ,o,o ,d,o4r,. Man G aSain dnr rfth n.h&, arrhough nor wihoui sd!E' "In rhis4spEi N.hn i5 divine.lb 'nrarionalfty'tascends humandoubb o! anbiguiriet a.d in our srbhnting to n, or rrtkr a(epting il, w tanshd o!*eh4."{ Complte *asis, or lrozennorion, is tie kadmrk of rtliSiors {t in evoy oltuE. It *i.hlishes in imaSe of a s.otul reatitywhth can*and b6id. rh ordinaryrealityr ii represenc rhcwlrlry orhd. h o.u, ih. imageof *6ie ie repF*ned by rhe6n:l coda, a dl1l-1ileriw {fiih @Fok5 onenF' Ir k tie sme redrictive view shi.Il hn the n1n: therounhin hrs !{oms a moht,in a8ain,5dr in an d&ety di{fdni w.y, Pshapsihe Gnst inaSeol **; in ozu! frlne i3 rhGnglhy shot of th. vas. in a darle!d reh neal rheendof rctu 5p,ts3. IXe frrher ind daughk. ar prpanng b spndlln bn nighr und{ thc sihe roofr rh uill soonbem ied.Thy calmlyialk rhftt what a nte day thy had/$ il it werean, otherdir. The mm i5 dar!, thedrughkr dks a qustion oI ttu fathei, brt get! no :nssd nere is a shordI tIE Iarhd alep, r shotof ilp dauShrer looking!r hih, a shdrdI tlie v*e in ihe atcoveandov* n rhe soundotihcIathdenodng, enttE is a shoio! rhedaughkr hJa-snrilrnS,rhenaln8rfiy,hn+rcndshotolrheva*a8ain, rndi rdLn' rorhedaughrrnowatmo*i. k*s, andi final a formlhi.h.animpt

rerd rorsr iNrr cnoroDld@rh ofrhil;r!ff! vdi s rPei{rLv noqis b*i swhrch d,n& row 'kPhohilnh* v':d'on lris *eeDinp dossoradEaLlv(rf&r hrm i Ei d(s {hilh h:dbft n b<omjns *-'i'-.*t '6";.aiJ"*"r"i" .;* i"p,-k rr&'-d dcdibGand msahBruL-he -drhd<n-*he6ndsi --" aGdE cdnrud rec s : Fod dEl moi He ndp' ' a Ph'losPhkaL suPnhumdn dFPrry-JeeP'lloBi!:l whichteni.rob tr{*P'sr rnrRr' uifetlnscnvnonmot I?dh;wirhi.old omPasron dteP groundof dn44dsu.ll * rhs,thseYi5b: indawaiensswhi.hndandn*ure'rbu'hinrdmirtnd, ThE.of .ouue,krhTriftndml gur,*MtlnRalftd !omdhL^8"did P(Pre th' vre4s Idlhefi naleneof a',4/,n''4i lr.N.nrcdrd todrshr ]1I* someihinB $;4h ntle rhkh rhrougfod rhcf'lm ws'orrrudmc' oi ",r',,.nll.dJl th I in rlt cvcyday, tf,enin rhPFgt$ie dcBEB lds rt m*c adion' 1,, o'U $inilak a d'isive ,lh|( [y '{],i irinro{*s. lrror !! Lll" i!lf

trion andta.s foln ir inro an exple$ion dep, contad i( tory emo of somerhing unined, pqmannt, tan*.de.t. Thedecisive adion-rh mnade oI thk*-htr liitle nemhg in iceu but Rrva rdprove rie innsrh of thefon. Thd hinndd.nbl nlle, lile thev*e, i5a lom Nii.h erpre$E ill dings.TfrisG sonerhinSdryerthrnisclf,thc innerunityof rdi{icult hut absolutelycruchl pojnt,tanft ndnhldylc k a fom,ndtanrpdin.eThepuposeof han{en,l.ntaldyh is norb geirle !ie*e b shre Hnayama!re*5,btt topr6e thok kaE andhregrd. rhniotoI LIge n*s,can n.omPass m!ny emorion somdhiry thrn thos emoiio.s(I don'tmon to diri inb Breatr ineftabilityhrc,b(au*lblieveihatthh"purgingof tas"is I 6$e't by solid, phenomenologica I rc#ons i but, rgain, prererto holdoft th dis.usionuntilI.an writefromrhewider peBpedive ol Bn$ont filhs.) Theevsydayanddbprity rk expetntial,how v{; ih.y irunt and teass rhe spdaror'se fomaltri.r n in.oqor*6 thos enotions inb a las tofl Tle edtdayand dGpxilyprsnranobiade.ouEerd rhe cnotions: thyundcminetheview.it .unomarily ro.k{ol id hiihinhisfeelings,hopdullybrin8in3himtoihpointwhre heis willin8 io a(Pl and appre.iatin idadI lif id wIi.ll aU mo rions,holever .ontadnbiy, haveno posei in rhem selv6 btrt aie only par oI a rdldsr forn wArh erpre*e5 ih he! unityafev?ryphnohdon.shsis,byrhdsingadnt,qrt{.nt, organized scens, nifoi6 rhL new ru(E! {ul, daeis kanslom s erpi thy inrd a.n he6. apprt.ia rion, .xp&rnceinro1pr$ion,emotions inio Iom. Thcdisrindionher$eln lohandxpeden.ef not p.,lanric bri fundimeDhl: a fon .an :pE$ rhe Tnnrendenr, in .xp.ii.nG raNd. A fon car erpre$the.ommon in Sround w[nhill rhings,h{.Anxpqienccanonlyexpresan mant r!(bn to rhd common groundBorh fom ind ip?ridft (an lLiJ iiqt'd.n.e,Iowevd Tl'nlonundrunpelhaps c,nbe tr,nir(r [y rhir!gun.eof po$iblcevens:a.4bin Iom (hc
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lr@ d ln8[ 6:r diu!6 wotd--,s"rd' ie. 8sh or 'n'iL d.@, b( MEdb. 'L n d+ddb: ir iduds d.inllo. rnd (.E.thg 6r..d4. bloo.l, ofrh..So ad hodr,ad r lspoel.nrdn ntb Blory. "Crud6dd lE f no tE ,h.t!aE unl4 it Ir rollor.d tv cEGird," s@h ,rfio, "Iti! di&6t ultl s igniasdr (*n), rlri' nutudy rifsf@ tlE ddi rt*[ hro a Pse rad.,a'TI! du(.nR b.tu a ttdle.dhtrl.xpft$ion IGt d w.d.t!..h rll. ItlnL haandhtd itl. tltroust nEdnpuity. Tn dbpulty In Ou's 6ln! i5pdmuny hkn.l I hN .mor ffndniuE wlthl! Ilnnslf, Th! dbparftytnB&don I nlN It Pdudly.xl.mrl: mm qnnot livehrmo.joudy rltlr hlt i6uL.nvtoM6i In Od, thu. * notu6i. prot.ri. .B|in* rh.Ir.lrtot rl* ldy rna dr lcfilily 01tll avLdr6r, r h BEj[ h Bsh, th{ i. e GBu.a :epb@ ot Th d.dd*r.nd hods6&Eis.@wt .6r t t{q da6666 oa. funy trnigl$o|f,..rlTlu d&trtE ..$dinBBntnlBbltu .droalo.dynslr.pld.8d[r . n4fil. mynorhht, 3tusn 6trnd!h dr rudo.clllldm t!.dftionot th. rbul. d..G: Mo*r ctfid, rh. p 4tr, r.tnb, idny{lowho...[lnh&ownlif.nghbdmnwlihtll.wo il, On do6 rot rtructuft hlr ilq! aMnd . lP{nc Chdll or. rpdnc Glvay, In O.!! Ahr r nffiber of da'lct.F ..6 p.rd.iprt h tb. Tlrnrhdhr rhugtr. numbdot tLddv. ft ..14.@ l.tw6o:uadBl@.au Gdtn d!.doln tionof trrExtdbl itya rl. WE[y 'bi', Otha, @. Fft.iv.d, tud h. rbibtDv.dtoE.
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I[ I]rcsson

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films of Robert Bresson exemplify the transcendental style in the West, but, unlike Ozu's, are estranged from their culture and are financially unsuccessful. In a medium which has been primarily intuitive, individualized and humanistic,Bresson'swork is anachronisticallynonintuitive, impersonal, and iconographic. The transcendental style in Bresson's films has not been unchronicled. Am6d6e Ayfre, Andr6 Bazin, and Susan Sontag lr.rveall written perceptiveanalysesof Bresson's"Jansenist ,f ircction," "phenomenology of salvation and grace," and his "r,piritual style." The qualitiesof transcendentalstyle have also I'r,r'nchronicledby Bressonhimself . Bressonis a rarity among lrlnr-makers:he apparently knows exactly what he does and why lrc tkresit. The many statementsBressonhas made in interviews .rrrrl discussions, properly arranged,would constitute an accurate ,rrr,rlysis of his films (a statementwhich can be made of no other lrlrrr rrrakerto my knowledge), and any study of Bressonmust l,rl r. into accounthis astute self-criticism. llresson'soutput has been meager: nine films in trv.rrly scvenyears.Bresson'scareer,like Ozu's, has been one of l lrrrcrrrt'nt, but, unlike Ozu, he servedno lengthy apprenticeship. I f r,.lr,,t filn, Les Affaires Publiques (rgl4, has apparently been l rr,.r, " I r r r this second, LesAnges duPdchd ( t g+l) , displayedwhat rrrrr. r I rli, , ,rllt'da "vision almost mature,"r After Les Dames du lt,'t..,lr' llr rrlrrtnd (tg++), a film which found Bressonsomewhat at ,,' 1,1., rr . r t lr lr i, ,nr at er ial, Br esson ent er edint o a cycleof f ilm s which alyle at it s pur est .The f our f ilm s of t he l ,r," ,r'ntt lr r .t r , r nr ; r 'endentst l, , lr ', r l wit h t he quest ions of f r eedomand l ,rt,,,, ., 1, , , t heological l ., r r r r r r . nt , , t r Irrr1,1 in t er m s,of f r ee will and f ilnr shave a com m on t hcm e: t hc 1' rr,l ,. t 'r r r . 'n "All of Br esson's
ntl l i l rl r ty ," l i rrs an S orrtal ' w ri tt' :;. "1' l rt r,r ,r'r',1 ,,1 ,,,1111111' 1111' anc i ttr,rt , r ,.1 tl ,, Ir,l rf i 6rr., V 11t.rl i prr .rrr,l pl t ri l 1r..tt(' 1,,r' rl ;r' i rrtl y .

'l'hc

6o

TR A N sC E N D E N TA L sryLE

BR ESS O N

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Both lcad to'the cell.' "2 All of Bresson'sprison cycle films concernspiritual release:in Diary of a Country Priest (Le Iournal d'nrr Curt de Compagne, ry5o) this releaseoccurswithin the confinesof a religious order, in A Man Escaped(Un Condamnd d Mort S'estEchapp6,r956) it concurswith escapefrom prison, in Pickpocket (Pickpocket,agjil it concurswith imprisonment, in T h e T ri a l o f l o a n o f Arc (L e P ro cdsdel eqnne d' A rc,r96r),i t occursboth within the confinesof religious belief and a physical prison. Bresson'slatest three f\lms.-Au Hasard,Balthazar (:.966), Mouchette ftg66), and Une FemmeDouce (lg6fl-,have explored and expandedsome of his traditional themes,but do not as yet seem(it may be too early to tell) to have achievedthe resolution of th e p ri s o n c y c l e . Bresson'sprison cycle provides an excellentopportunity to study the transcendentalstyle in depth for severalreasons:one, because the prison metaphor is endemicto certain theological guestions;two, becauseBresson'sstatementsclearup much of the ambiguity in which critics are often forced to operate; and three, because there are few cultural elementsintermingled with transcendental style in his films. In Ozu's films the transcendental style had to be extricated from the culture; in Bresson'sfilms this has already happenedto a large degree:Bressonis alienatedfrom his contemporaryculture. Like Ozu, Bressonis a formalist: "A film is not a spectacle, it is in the first place a style."s Bressonhas a rigid, predictable style which varies little from film to film, subject to subject. The content has little effect on his form. Bressonapplies the same asceticstyle io such "appropriate" subjectsas the suffering priest inDiary of a Country Priest as he does to such "inappropriate" subjectsas the ballroom sequences in Les Dames du Bois de I lo u l o g n ea n d th e l o v e -ma k i n gseguence i nU ne FemmeD ouce.In tli:;r'ussing how accidentson the set can affect a director's style, l(,ryrnondDurgnat remarked, "It's no exaggerationto say that ,.rr, lr .;tylistsas Dreyer and Bressonwould imperturbably maintain t lr , i r , l r,rra t' te ri s tis cty l e si f th e enti re castsuddenl yturned up i n ll 1 ' l r' ,,,rrr,l w o o d e n l e g s ." a f h a v e often l ed to formal i sm.The ' ' l ' i r i l rra ls e n ti m e n ts I ' t r rr1 'r' rl r.r,,,., l ry n rn s ,h a g i o l a tr y,prayers,and i ncantati onsare , l l t,,rrrr.r l r., t i r rrrt.l l rtrtl ,, d e s i g n edto expressthe Transcendcrr l. .,l .rtr.rl | , , ,r' r' rr' ,r,. , .rrl i r,r,h a s the trni queabi l i ty to exprr' .,,, tl rr.

Transcendentrepeatedlyfor large and varied numbers of people. Bresson'sstatement,o.nh i s a rt-is"also appl icable to religiou's f;;;. and rituals: "The subject of a film i, o"ty a pretext. Form much more than content touchesa viewer anielevates him.,,s SusanSontag has gone so far as to say that Bresson,s form "is what he wants to sayi;s a statement which is somewhat ambiguous becausewhen a work of art is successful the content is indiscerniblefrom the form. It would bu *oru helpful ," ,"f in"t' in Bresson'sfilms (and in transcendental style) the form is the operatiae element-it ,,doesthe work.,, The subject matter becomesthe vehicle (the ',pretext,,) through which the form The subject matter is not negligille; Bressonhas chosen :1"r"::r. nrs subrectsvery carefully, as the term ,,prison cycle,,indicates. But in transcendental styie the for^ the operative ^ultbe element,and for a very iimple reason: form is the universal elementwhereasthe subjeci matter is necessarily parochial, having been determined ty the particular culture from which it springs.And if a work of art is to be truly transcendent(above ,'ry culture), it must rely on its universal elements.Appropriately, set his priorities straight;,,I am more occupiedwith *:::,lf language of the cinema than with the subyectof my ;;;::,Tt", Both Ozu and Bressonare formalists in the traditional rcligiousmanner; they rrssform as the primary method of rrrducing belief' This makes the viewer an active participant in the r r cativeprocess-he must react contextually to t'heform, l(r'ligiousformalism demands a preciseknowledge of audience hology; the film-mak". 1','y. know, shot for shot, how the ,,1'r't tator will react. ,,1attach -rrrt enormous importance to form. I rrrrrrous' And I berievethat the form l"ais to the rhythm. Now t lrr.r hythms are all powerful. Accessto the audienceis before rr,,r'r yt hing elsea matter of rhythm.,,e 'I rrr:TTTIHsCENDENTAL Sryrt: rrrr Evrnyoay

lr,'r'vcryday in films has precedents in religious art; it is rvlr,r | ,,r |, , I I v z, r r line scholarcalls, ) sur f ace- aest het ics. , , e A l ,rrr.rrr, .rl . r t t r , r r t r or . rm inut e det ail to is evidentin Chinese r' .l .f l ff l. . l. r r rrr. t r Pet s, l ' f ,t., and Byzant inear chit ect u r e ( lt t loyt . t t il't ttr' l l l r' r, r t t 'r r "r "t ilt r '\r ' n t he t r r ir t r ( ( 'r ) r r lr y Ar cx. r r r t r r i. r1ir r r r r oorI r r l ,,1',1,,,1',,
rr1r11111,Il r.(.t.l (,.l ^t.tl l (.1.l rrri .trl r.rk ,t.ri l . tl rr.

DRESSON

63

By taking all fact as realiry, each fact with neither . significance or connotation, Bresson createsa surface of rearitv. The "surface,, is achieved, writes Ayfre,th..;h ,;;;;;il. choice of details, objects und uc."rrories; throfih gestuie's charged with an extremely solid reality.,ltr B."rfonYr,,."ulitv,, i, u ^" celebration of the trivial: small ,o,rndr, a door .r".il.r, ir,ra chirping, a wheel turning, static views, ordinary r."""ii, " U1""t faces-He usesevery obiious documentary method: actual locations-Fort Monluc in A Man Escape-d and the Gare de Lvon -'' in Pickpockef-nonactor s, and ,'live,,sound. yet there ;;;, desireto capture the documentary ,,truth,, of an event (the cinima-vdriti), only the surface. Bresson documents the surfaces ()t reahtv. t Bresson'severyday stylization consists of elimination r'.rtherthan addition or assimilation. Bresson ruthlessly strips 'rrtion of its significance;he regardsa scenein terms of its fe*"st A seemingtrivial-anecdote 1'',ssibilities. may iilustrate this: whire ,,frooting a scene in Diary of a Country priest Bressoninstructed .rn assistantto have a man without a hat walk through the l',rtkground of the scene. When, a short time later, the assistant Iold Bressonthat the bareheaded man was ready, Bresson , ,rrrccted him saying that he didn,t want a bareireaded man, but ,r rrr,rn without a hat.raBressondefinesreality by what Aristotle , ,rllt'd"privation,,, by the gualitiesthat an ol;".t, tu.k, y"t hu, l,.tt'ntial for. Water, for example,is definedas potential steam.In llr r,',r;.n's films the bareheadei man is potentially a man with a lr,rt,,rnd the everyday is potentially stasis.A reaiity defined bf ;'r tv'rtirn is as desolateand without significance aeone defined by nrl rrl r., r n, but it is alsopr edicat "d. lpor lu change. To use a ri'I rl'tur.rlmetaphor, a privated urri.*r"rr" groaneth and travaileth l ,rr rl ,,Polent ial. llrcsson admits that the everyday is a sham:,,I want to rr(lr,(,(1, do make myself u, 'rrrl, of a realist as possible.usinz ,r1ly 1l;,'r.rrv -.r.i., taken from real life. But t ;;i'Jl;i 'raterial rr,rl r,,rr tr lr . r tr , ,. <lt sim ply, r ealism . , , , 15 ".rdtup The r ealist icr u. f u. u, ; ; ; ; ; ttr.rt .r ', r r r t . r r, , and t he r aw m at er ial t aken f r om r eal lif e is t ir e r,l\'

The everydayin A Man Escapecl: "The supernaturalin film is only the real rendered more precise,"Bresson says. "Real things seencloseup." Alexandrine exegetesbelieved that mystic meanings could only be reached through concentration on each detail of the text. In film, "surface-aesthetics" is the everyday/ and is practiced by Bresson: "There is a nice quote from Leonardo da Vinci which goes something like this: 'Think about the surface of the work. Above all think about the surface.' "r0 Cinematic attention to the surfacecreatesa documentary or rluasi-documentary approach.Concerning A Man Escaped, lJresson told a reporterr "I really wish that it would almost be a tlot rrmentary.I have kept a tone bordering upon the documentary rrrortler to conservethis aspectof truth all the time."lr A screen t r fl r.rtr,\ N 4 n n Es c a p ere d a d s :" Thi s story actual l yhappened. I set r t , 1 ,' rv rr rv i tl ro u te rn b e l l i s h m e n ts." S i mi l arl y a ti tl e at the 1, ,1 .,' r,rrrrr1 ttl ,l l r," I ri trlo fl o a n o f A rcreads," Thesearethe , , r rl rr rrtr, tr.\1 ,," I rl .r. tl tc A l e x a n dri neexegetes B ressonbel i eves, | 1 ,, rrl ,iI n ,rtrr.rl rr' l rl rn i s o n l y the real renderedmore prct-i sr,.
| , ,l ll,,r ' y.. r, r, lr ,.r tt1r "r :'

r r . r tr r r .r l o l l l r c Tr a n sce n d e n t. l l r r .,..,y1 1r',, r :;r ,e f th s e ve r y.l ,r y i s n o t d e r i ve cl fr o r n a , " r , r r r , t,,r r ,,.r l l i f r .,,, b tr t fr o n r ,r r r ( ) [r l ]( ) .;i l i o nl <r l l r r . r o r r l r .i vctl , r l r r r r r r t r , , , r r l ,. r vl tr r l r l o r r ,..r l l r l r .l r l r to vi t.,, | 1 r r .,.,, 1 r ,r r ,t,

BR ESSO N

64

srYLE TRANScENDENTAL

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emotional constructs-plot, acting,camerawork, editing, music." "There are too many things that interpose are "screens Screens There are screens."r6 themselves, Prevent the viewer from they supernatural; the reality to seeing through the surface supposethat the external reality is self-sufficient' This is why Bresson'swork seemsso perverseto the what the moviegoerlikes uninitiated viewer: Bressondespises they lack the vicarious "dull"; " and cold" are best. His films movies' Bresson,Sontag the with excitementusually associated of physical writes, "is pledged to ward off the easypleasures beauty and artifice for a pleasurewhich is more Permanent,more "lT _-and the averagemoviegoeris unlikely edifying, more sincere to relinquish these"easy pleasures"easily.What are the "screens" and "easy pleasures"and how doesBressonward them off? Plot' Like Ozu, Bressonhas an antiPathy toward plot: "I try what people call plot' Plot more and more in my films to suPPress a simple, is a novelist's trick."ls The plot "scleen" establishes f acilerelationship between the viewer and event: when a spectatorempathizeswith an action (the hero is in danger),he can liter feel smug in its resolution (the hero is saved).The viewer feels that he himself has a direct contactwith the workings of life, and that it is in some manner under his control' The viewer may not know how the plot will turn out (whether the hero will be savedor not), but he knows that whatever happens the plot resolution will be a direct reaction to his feelings' In Bresson'sfilms the viewer's feelingshave no effect on the outcome. A ManEscapedwould seemof all Bresson'sfilms the most plot-oriented; it is about a prison break' But the title with any possibility of suspense-Un Condamni i dispenses ' ln Mirt S'estEchappd(a man condemnedto death has escaped) 'l'lrr Trial of I oan of Arc the viewer, of course,knows the endin1l, l,rrt irr gaseof any doubt the English guard repeatedlyreiteratcs t lrr' l,rt t "She will die." "She must burn." The events are ' , e y o n d th e v i e w er' scontrol and beyond-seemi nl " l v b l ,rr' ,l r" ' l i rrt' d
llt r ",' ,ott"i-

Iimits the ways in which he can manipulate his audience.Even if he toys with the plot, confusing the uiu*..,, emotions,he nonetheless restricts the result to the emotional level. ,,As f ar as I.canI eliminate anything which may distract from the interior drama. For me, the cinema is an exploration within. Within the mind, the cameracan do anythingJ,reThe internal drama is in the rnind, Bressonseemsto say, and Jmotional involvement with an cxternalplot "distracts" from it. (There is emotional involvement with Bresson's films, but it is the emotional involvement which lollows recognition of form.) Bresson'sfilms, of course/are not entirely devoid of " plot" ; each has a succession of events which h"ve u rise and f all, .r tensionand relaxation,however slight. By the term ,,drama,,; Irrrwever, Bressondoesnot mean simlly the manipulation of lvcnts, but the appealto the emotion, th.orrgh the manipulation ol cvents'This sort of drama is something imposed on films; it is rrrt en6lsrljgto the cinematicform: "Drairatic storiesshould be llrrown out. They have nothing whatsoever to do with cinema.It q.r'r's to me that when one tries to do something dramatic with hlrrr, one is like a man who tries to hammer with a saw. Film rv.s1l1l hsvs been marvelous if there hadn't been dramatic art to t irr the way.,,2o 1,e Act ing. Bresson's most vehement denunciationsare reserved for ,rrlrrli: "lt is for theater,a bastard art.,,2t The acting processis ,'rr,. ol simplification; the actor modifies his personal, ,,'1.rI lr.rnable complexitiesinto relatively ri_p'", demonstrable , lr,rr.rt tt'ristics."An actor, even (and above allj a talented actor 11,, t.o simple an image of a human being, and therefore a /lWe ',ti'r.,. l,rl',r' rrrr.rl't'."22 are complex.And what tile actor p.";;;;;,
r i l tnl ) l (' X . / ' 2 1

l l t'l

empathy,a dramati st Ity rr,,i rr1 p,, l o l to e v o k eaudi ence

A rr .rrtor is primariry concerned with the characterof the . rrr,rrr l rr,I'. r lr . ays. Br esson is concer ned wit h how he can use t hat 4'lr.r r. { { \/('|y .r reality which is not limited to any 'r one character. I l rr',r,r, , r r r r o, ,convenient l appr oacht o a char act er ". is 1r,,1,1, , 1, , r r , lllr essondespises .r 1' ,' 1, psychology: , , 1 do not like 1 . , r r , I t r y t o. avoidit , , : r 't 'r y. nolJgical 1' l ' ,,1 , , r 1,., act ing , l, goot l, . l ,,i t,,,,,, , . r lr r ', . p11il1r .,r 1, . , 1, r 1, , i*l ( , v( , nql( ) r . ( , at . t ir r 1, 1, . , y,

XR ES5 O N 66 TRANScENDENTAL STYLE

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so than "poor" psychologicalacting. Bresson,Bazin pointed out, is "concerned not with the psychology but with the physiology of existence."25 Psychological acting is the easiestand most appealing of all the screens,and therefore Bresson must work the hardest to avoid it. If not properly restrainedan actor will exert a creative force in a film-and in a Bresson film, Bresson is the only one who does the creating. "You cannot be inside an actor. It is he who creates,it is not you.""u In order to reduce acting to physiology, Bresson carefully He forces the actor to instructs his actorsin nonexpressiveness. sublimatehis personality, to act in an automatic manner: "lt is not so much a question of doing'nothing'as some people have said.It is rather a question of performing without being aware of oneself, of not controlling oneself. Experience has proved to me that when I was the most'automatic'in my work, I was the most moving."27 Bresson'streatment of actorsis remarkably similar to Ozu's, and for the same reasons.*Both strove to eliminate any expressionfrom the actor's performance.Neither would give the actor "hints" or explain the emotions that the actor should convey,but would give only precise,physical instructions: at what angle to hold the head, when and how far to turn the wrist, and so forth. Both used repeated rehearsalsto "wear down" any ingrained or intractable self-expression, gradually transforming fresh movement into rote action, expressiveintonation into bland monotone. Bresson's instructions to Roland Monod, the pastor in A Man Escaped,explain both the method and rationale behind this theory of acting: "Forget about tone and meaning, Don't think about what you're saying; just speak the words automatically.When someonetalks, he isn't thinking about the words he uscs,or even about what he wants to say. Only t onccrnctl with what he is saying,he just lets the words come out,
Autum n abotr t l al r w i th " ( r r r r r lr .r r r ' . l.r r r .r .r r nple, Ozu' s s tatem ent llr r ..,..r ur ' ,. ,,l.r ltr r r r .r r l,. .r lxr r r t clr ama and a, l i ,r 1'. " 11" . r 'r 'r y c tts y ," O z u s ai d, l,' ..lr or v r .r nr r lr ' r r r r r ,lr .r r r r ,r ; lhe ac tor s t ty or l ,'r r 1'l t .r tr r l l l r i s c onv ey s s ad l( ' llr . .r r r li( ' Il( ( ' . Br r t l l r r ', r ', nr r 'tl c r 1'1.111,111ot'tC an w e "r lr .r 1' 1' y 1,,.1r r 1... I'y .r 1'1'r ',1l i n;' to em oti ons ? r r r ,r tr ' .1"t.,( ) r r .r lily.r ttr l ,l r l 'r r r ty 1,1lly ;,' ,r lt.r y.r i,.,,,t r ,,r ' ,.,1,r ' ;,,,' l' 1. lt r r ,,' ,' ,' l,,lr vlr ,r t r r /r r ,r !( ) /r r lilr .r .. l ,l , l 'l l r ,r l l r ,,r r l ,l r 'l l tt'.tti ngdr am ati c ups ,, \tl l .1r 5) . .,..1 1," r , l l ',

r;imply and directly. When you are reading, yortr.(,ye j rrs t s I r i rr1.., t.gether black words on white paper,set out tilritt, 'cutr:rlly 'rr thc_page. It's only af ter youhave read the words rhar yotr [r,1,,in I. dre ssup t he sim ple sense of t he phr aseswit h inr o. at it r r r. r r r r l rrreaning-that you interpret them. The film acto. shoulclt..tr.rrl lrimself with sayinghis lines. He should not allow hir.scll r., r,lrrw thath e alr eadyunder st ands t hem . Play not hing, explain . . t lr ir r 1, . A text should be spoken as Dinu Lipatti plays Bach.His wonderful techniquesimply releases the notes; understar.rclirrl, .rnd emotion come later."28 Camerautork. A tracking shot is a moral judgment, Jean-LucGodard .tnceremarked, and so, for that matter, is any camerashot. Any shot-high angle, close-up,pan-conveys a certain l)ossible .rttitudetoward a character,a "screen',which simplifiesand i.terprets the character.camera anglesand pictorial composition, Iike music, are extremely insidious screens ; they can undermine .r !;cene without the viewer's being aware of it. A slow zoom_out or a vertical composition can substantially alter the meaning of tlrc action within a scene. Bresson strips the camera of its editorial powers by . lilniting it to one angle,one basic composition.,,I changecamera .rngles rarely. A person is not the sameperson if he is sien from .rn angle which varies greatly from the others.,,2e Like Ozu, llressonshootshis scenes from one unvarying height; unlike Ozu, wlro prefers the seatedtatami position, Bressonplacesthe camera .rt the chestlevel of a standing person.As in Ozu,s films, the r rrrnposition is primarily frontal with at least one characterfacing tlrc camera,seemingcaught between the audienceand his crrvironment.Again and again,the static, well_composed .rrvironment acts as a frame for the action: a characterenters the lr.rnre,pcrforms an action, and exits, llrt'sson'sstatic camerawork nullifies the camera'seditorial When each action is handled in essentiallythe same l,rr.r.l',,rliv*s. n()n(.\l){. r , , , , r v( ' r nanner , t he viewer no longer looks t o t he angt e .trttl, ,,r r t 1, , , . , 1lrfolr or "clues" t o t he a<. t ion. Like all O f Rr t , : ; son, s r' \/('\/,l. ! y his cam cr awor . k r t r . rlr r r it ilr t 's, yr ( ) : ; t pontcr , sr r olior r . r l
Itrvol v,r i r.rt ,l l tl ri s s tagetht,v i trv r.r ",t(((,1)l s ,, l i rr.,,,,orr,.,.,l ,rl r,

68

TR A N sC E N D E N TA L E sryl

rrxr r;soN

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compositions,yet is unable to understand their full purpose. Similarly, Bressonavoids the self-serving"beautiful" image. "Painting taught me to make not beautiful imagesbut necessary The beautiful image, whether attractive like ones."30 Eloira Madigan, or grosslike Fellini Satryicon, draws attention to itself and away from the inner drama. The beautiful image can be a screenbetween the spectatorand the event-the pictorial imagesof Adalen 3r tell the viewer more about Widenberg's idea of revolution than all his rhetoric. Bresson,on the other hand, "flattens" his images: "It you take a steam iron to your image, flattening it out, suppressingall expressionby min'retismand gestures,and you put that image next to an image of the same kind, all of a sudden that image may have a violent effect on another one and both take on another appearance."sr Andr6 Bazin pointed out that the pictorial sumptuousness of Bernanos' Diary of a Country Priesf-the rabbit hunts, the misty air-is Bresson,in his adaption most vividly conveyed in Renoir's films.32 rejected the interpretation, obvious of Bernanos'novel, emphasizinginstead the cold factuality of the priest's environment, Editing. Bresson'sfilms are edited for neither emotional climax nor editorial information. Climax cutting, whether in serviceof a plot or self-sufficient, elicits the artificial sort of emotional involvement which Bressonstudiously avoids; metaphorical editing, whether subtle or obvious, is an editorial rather than an emotional screen,a totally artificial argument imposed from without by the film-maker. Both "interpret" the action of screen. Like Ozu, Bressonprefers the regular, unostentatiouscut. He once described A Man Escapedas "one long sequence" in Bresson's which eachshot, each event, led only to the next.33 cditing doesnot pose any artificial comparisons;each shot reflects .nly its own surface."The form in Bresson'sfilms," Miss Sontag rvrilr'.;,"is ant i-clramatic,though strongly linear. Scenes are cut ..l r.r| , ,,r,t Thi s method of < ' rrrI to c rrrlw i th o u t o bvi ous emphasi s. r ,r r.,r | | rr trrrl 'tl , rr..,to r y i s m o s t ri gorousl y observedi nThe Tri al of /,.,rrr,,f \r, I I,,.l rl rrrr,,,o mp osedofstati c,medi umshots of l l r, ,.,r.n r.,,,rre r.,l t he i nexorabl esequence of Jo.rrr' ,, 1 ,,,,1 .1 , l rrr1 .,. r rrr,,r,,g .,rtr,' rr.. l l ,,' 1 ' ,rr,,rl ,l to ft' l i < l i rr1' ,.tnecdotal materi al i ,, l r' ' rr'

r ,rrriedto its extreme.There are no interludes of any sort. It is a v.ry deadpanconstruction which puts a sharp brake on emotional Irrvcllvement,"sa The Soundtrack. Music and sound effectsare the film-maker,s most subtle Irrrls-the viewer is seldom aware of the extent to which his lr,r'lings are being manipulated by the soundtrack.The soft beat ol clrumsor the blare of Mexicali trumpets give the spectatora tr.xtbookof information. "The ear is more creativethan the eye. ll | <an replacea set by a sound I prefer the sound. This gives lr tt'dom to the imagination of the public. This phenomenonhelps yorrsuggestthings rather than having to show them.,,35 In the everyday Bressonusescontrapuntal sound not for 'rlit.rializing, but to reinforce the cold reality. The sound track , orrsists primarily of natural sounds: wheels creaking, birds , lrirping, wind howling. Theseminute sounds can createa sense ,,1cveryday life that the cameracannot.These ,,close_up,, sounds ,rrr.fikethe close-upshots of Michel,s hands \npickpocLef : they r"'l.rblisha great concernfor the minutiae of life. And because tire r',rris more creative than the eye, they createthis concern best rvlrr.n the camerais at a distancefrom its subject. Bresson,keenly aware of the emotional and editorial I'otcrrtialof music, doesnot use it at all in the everydav, but lrr,,lr..rd restrictshimself to common, ,,documenta.v,,,ourrdr. Alrrrostany music artificially induced into the everyday would be d '.(r (.cn;every pieceof music carrieswith it certain emotional/ r'rlrt.r'ialintonations which would interpret the scene.(Bresson, Irrrv('ver, does use music as ozu does,in the decisiveaction and in ,,t.r,,i,,. When Bressonusesmusic as decisiveaction, like the use of Mrrz.rrt'sMass in C Minor in A Man Escaped,itis not .rlrt.ri.rlizing but like ozu's coda music is a blast of emotional rrrrr,,ir wilhin a cold cont ext . ) lrr tlrc everyday Bressonreplacesthe ,,screens,, with a l l r rrr lly , lr , r wingat t ent iont o it self , t he ever ydayst ylizat ion r* rrrl " r lr , 'r 'r . wer 'snat ur al desir et o par t icipat e vicaiiously in t he ,rrl r' rr .r r . . rr r . r 'n. Ever ydayis not a caseof m aking a viewer sce Itl r' ,,, ., , r r t . ur rr v. r y, but r at ht , rpr t . r , r , nling him f - nl st , cir r 1, i1 . 15
Ir,'r,..',, l l rr".',,,,, ,r..l ,,rrrr.rl i .. The v i erv t,r rl r..,rrr..;t, [rt,,,rl i rtr.rr l .tl ,' (i rr t, rrrr,,),.rrr,l rv i l l 11o l o y rr..rl l l rr1,l l r., l o l rrr,l .r .,r r(.(,,1

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7L

which will allow him to interpret the action in a conventional manner. The viewer doesnot want to confront the Wholly Other it. or a form which expresses The everyday blocks the emotional and intellectual exits, preparing the viewer for the moment when he must face the Unknown. The intractable form of the everyday will not allow the viewer to apply his natural interpretive devices.The viewer becomesaware that his feelings are being spurned; he is not called upon, as in most films, to make either intellectual or emotional His feelingshave neither place nor judgments on what he sees. purpose in the schema of the everyday. "The effect of the spectator being aware of the form is to elongate or retard the emotions."36 But movie-goers love emotional constructs, they enjoy emotional involvement with artificial screens,and one can only sympathize with the viewer who storms out of Diary of a Country Priest for the same reason he storms out of Warhol's SIeep-it's iust too "boring." Although the irate viewer's attitude is his perceptionis poor. He has mistaken the understandable, everyday for transcendental style, and has only seen a fraction of the film. The viewer who stays recognizes that there is more than the everyday, that Bressonhas put a strangely suspiciousquality into his day-to-day living. The viewer's emotions have been superficially rejected, but they have been simultaneously tantalizedby the disparity. Srvrr: Drspanrrv Tsr TnINscENDENTAL One of the dangersoI the everyday is that it may become a screenin itself, a style rather than a stylization, an end rather than a means.The everyday eliminatesthe obvious emotional constructs but tacitly posits a rational one: that the world is predictable, ordered, cold. Disparity undermines the rational ( o n s tru c t. Disparity injects a "human density" into the unfeeling ,.vcrytlay,an rrnnaturaldensity which grows and grows until, at tl rl rrro u rc rrl o l tl c t i s i v ea c ti o n,i t reveal si tsel f to be a spi ri tual ,l , n ,.rIy Irr Il rl u ri Ii .rls te p so f di spari ty Ozu and B ressonuse ,l rl l ' r.rrt t, , l rrrr,l rrr'l .. o ,;rr1 3 gest and emoti onalgual i ty a suspi ci ous rrrrl ,, ,,rl rl r.rrv rr,' rr.r' rl .l l c cause Ozu' s everydaystyl i zati on i s
' ,i,r r l,,,lr t. r r r tlr , tr .r ,lr littr ral Zcn l l ti nner than B resson"',()ttr

.r*s what sato caileda "break in the geometrical balance,,to disparity. Ozu also makes ui" of character ' I r..rte ,lrrbivalence -or" than Bressondoes (possibly because of Ozu,s l'.r.kground in light comedy), but both employ irony. Bresson, rrrrlike Ozu, uses"doubling,,, an overemphasis of the everyday, to r r..rtedisparity. Both, however, createdisparity by glving'thelr r lr'rr.rcters a senseof something deeperthan themieiu", J.d th"i, a 'rrvrronment/ sensewhich culminatesin the decisiveaction. All tlrr.tcchniguesof disparity cast suspicionon everyday reality and lrr111;est a need, although not a place,for emotion. Bressonoveremphasizes the everyday through what Miss rr'rrt.rgcalls"doubling,,, Through the use of repeate-d action and ;'llonasticdialogueBresson,,doubles,, (or even,,triples,,)the ,rrlion, making a single event happen several times in different rv.rys. For example: in PickpockefMichel makes a daily entry into lrt,,tliary. Bressonfirst shows the entry being written into the rli,rry,then he has Michel read the entry over the soundtrack, ,,I o,rtin the lobby of one of the great banLs of paris.,, Then llr r,.;son shows Michel actually going into one of the great banks 'rl l"rris and sitting in the lobby. The viewer hus expuii"r,cedthe r,rrn(' cvent in three ways: through the printed wori, th. spoken rvo11l, lnd the visual action. Bresson'sfavorite,,doubling,, technigueis interior rr,rr r.rtion.ln Diary of a Country priest, A Man Escaped, and, l'tr l,1tp611sy the main characternarrates the on-screenaction in a rlr"rtll'.rn narration which is often only an audio replay of what the already witnessed.lnDiary of a Couniry'priest 'i.tv(,r'has the r(,'t t alls anxiously on the Vicar of Torcy. The holsekeeper I'r ,ur.,rv(,rs, obviously informing the priest that the vicar is not at lr,,rrr'. I-hedoor closesand the priest leans dejectedlyagainst it. IVlr,.rrwc hear the priest,s voice,',Iwas so disappointeJ,I had to l r,,rrr .r1'.p51 1f t he door . , ,I n A M an Escapedt he or ier is r ever sed: ,,I Il ,,t I o r r l, r ir r c nar r at es, slept so soundly t he guar d had t o 'f["t, ,rtv,r[. r'rrrrrr.." the guard walks into hls celt and says,
( ,r .1 ttt r

I r' tt r t rt r r l l t r l , r t,, ro r t LU otnott.rrrtl l .,.,rn,r; B ri rf E ttc tt tr t, l ,,,, I rrr. r r,rrrry'1, tl ,, l rr.l oi nc s l .t,t(rti l tl l l rr.rr rol l l .tnl i (.(,x l )(,l i (,l t(r.,, l l rttl ttl ,l r .,tt.rtr.,r, l rrr..t, l rr.r.,r. l l rc t.r,l l r., l rr.,..rrrrl ,,r,tr.,i l i v r. l .l rr.rl r.r,.,i ,,.,l ,

I r r l'r r ur . nar r at ion is cust onr ar ily used t o br oadent he ' . I rr, \ l r.r' ,. r 'r 'l. t lgc or f eelings. r [ r . ut an event .I n O phuls, l. cft r , r

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used as a counterPartto the harsh "male" world of action. The contrast between "fema\e" and "male," sound and sight, narration and action expandsthe viewer's attitude toward the situation. Bresson,however, usesinterior narration for the oppositereason:his narration does not give the viewer any new information or feelings,but only reiterateswhat he already knows. The viewer is conditioned to expect "new" information from narration; instead,he gets only a cold reinforcementof the everyday. When the same thing starts happening two or three times concurrently the viewer knows he is beyond simple day-to-day realism and into the peculiar realism of Robert Bresson'The doubling doesnot double the viewer's knowledge or emotional reaction,it only doubleshis perceptionof the event' Consequently,there is a schizoidreaction; one, there is the sense of meticulousdetail which is a part of the everyday, and two, a the detail is doubled there is an emotional queasiness, because growing suspicionof the seemingly"realistic" rationale behind If it is "realism," why is the action doubled, and if it," "u".yduy. with details? it isn't realism,why this obsession "The doublings," Sontag concludes,"both arrest and That statement,like intensify the ordinary emotional sequence."37 many by Miss Sontag,is both astute and baffling, and the p"r."ptiu. readerwill immediately ask "How?" and "Why?"' qrr"raio.r.which Miss Sontag doesn't attemPt to answer' The above descriptionmay partially explain Miss Sontag's The "emotional sequence"is arrestedbecauseof the perceptions. it is intensified stylization (the blocking of screens), "u".yiuy disparity (the suspicionthat the film-maker may of t-he bccause rrot be interestedin "reality" after all)' The viewer's mood I' r,to rn c sw a ry , e x p e c ta n t. Tcchniqueslike doubling cast suspicionon the everyday' .,,' ,1 l l r,' n t' rt s te p o f d i s p a ri tygoesfarther: i t tri es to evoke a Wholly Other within the cold environment' '., r..r' t,l r;<rttt<'lhing from hi s . the mai n character rv l ri ,l r 1 ' ,r.r,l trrl la | ,' n ..r' yl i e n ates tl ree v e ryday'JeanS 6mol u6has ,,1 ,,| rrrn\\' rIIri rr 1 ,,,,,rI r; f such al i enat\oni n D i ary of a , I r I rrr1 rr .r' .1 rr' | , | l ' ,,, 1 ,' r' r' lo t,,,tt,,1 l ' tr' t I r l ,r, l .rrr" ,s:thepri estandhi sbody,(z) soci al (1) sacredsol i tude: tl re , !,r,,.1 , tl ,, 1 ,,,, I rl ,l l rr' ,l ,a ri shi oners, i tr, | ,' ,' l tl ,, r' ,,,1 ,1 ,,1rrr' " Il ' t' y,,,,tt1' ,pri csti strnabl etotr' l ' rl c

to .rny of the elementsin his environment; evcn nature, which rlrrcs not figure in S6molu6'sschema,seemshostile to the suffering pricst as he collapses under the gray sky and tall, dark barren trccs.At this level Bresson'stheme would seemto fit his everyday technigue: the unending conflict l's('udodocumentary lrt'tweenman and environment is one of the cardinal themes of rl ocument ar y ar t , But the conflict is more complicatedthan it at first seems. I he sourceof this alienationdoesnot seemto be intrinsic to the pr icst (his neurosis,misanthropy, or paranoia) or to his lrrvironment (antagonisticparishioners,inclement weather), but to originate from a greater,external source.The priest is ',r'r'ms tlrc frail vehicle of an overwhelming passionwhich in the context ol L)inry of a Country Priest is calledthe holy agony (la Sainte ,'lronie).Little by little, as if moving down the Way of the Cross, llrt'priest comesto realizethat he carriesa specialweight, a rveightwhich he finally accepts:"It is not enough that Our Lord have granted me the graceof letting me know today, "hould through the words of my old teacher,that nothing, throughout ltcrnity, can remove me from the place chosenfor me from all r'llrnit/, that I was the prisoner of His SacredPassion." As in Ozu's films, the passionin Diary of a Country Priest r,,l',reater than a man can bear,more than his environment can r lr cive. The young priest's crossof spiritual awareness gradually .rlicnates him from his surroundingsand eventually Ieadsto l ri :;deat h. The levels of alienationdemonstratedby S6molu6are .r.tually extensionsof the holy agony. In fact, what seemsto be a rcjr.ctionby the environment is more accuratelya rejection by the pr icst-and not because he wishes to estrangehimself, but I'r',.rusehe is tlre unwilling (at first) instrument of an ovt,rwhelmingand self-mortifying passion. r . Sickness.The priest's illness seemsfactual enough: his l r,.,rl t lr r , lowlywanesand f inally f ails him because of what is cvcrrtr r , r lly , liagnosed as st om achcancer . But t her e is a r ,rr11 '11, , r t r ( ) n: t he m or e ill he becom es t he m or e adam ant lyt he to , t ake nour ishm entor r est .He f eelshint sclf I' r r' ,.t r r 'lr r ', r '. ,,,r,,1 , . , , , , , ,I.,,y 1t lr t ,weight he nr r r sr [ r c. r r and , assot . i, r r rlr , ,i: , ; , r Polr y tr,rtl r t l" , r ' t t lr (i, r l. t 1', ony of ( lr ri. , l i li, , r r <. ct lr l lr . r lor r r . r r r r . t rlr r lr vr . , , l rrrrrl, , , ll r r r , , r lr lr r , r lior r . llt , r , , r l. , r , nlV, , r r r , r ll1, , r r lr or r . , , , lr l l, t r . r

f||{tsso N

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The sacredsolitude of the country priest: "What seemsto be a rejection by the environment is more accurately a rejection by the priest-and not becausehe wishes to estrange himself, but because he is the unwilling instrument of an overwhelming and self-mortifying passion,"

,lrppedin wine, an alcoholicparody of the sacrament.He ignores tlrc needsof the flesh,exerting himself until the moment of death. I lrt'physical pain seemsto be real enough, but its sourceis .rrrr['iguous' is it canceror the spiritual malady? z. Socialsolitude.The priest's ministry is a failure. He is lrrnid and inept; his parishionersare antagonistic-or so it seems. llut it is uncertain whether the priest is actually unfit for the or whether his devouring passionblocks any attempt I'r ir:sthood ,rt rninistry. At first the priest seemsunduly paranoiac;he thinks lrir;parishionersdislike him. Then he receivesan anonymous rrolc,"A person of good intentions advisesyou to requestyour l r ,rrrsfer . . . ." But the premonition comesfirst: it is as if the priest rvilledto be unwanted. The country community at first had no rrrore hostility toward him than they would have had toward any n('w young priest, but the priest's melancholy turns them against lrirn.After an unsuccessful catechismclassthe priest enters in his rli.rry,"But why the hostility of theselittle ones.What have I rlonc to them?" His religious obsession has led him to believe tlr.rtthe mischievouschildren are against him. The priest's agony .rlit'nates the community, and it is an agony which he seems rrrr.rb le t o cont r ol. 3. Sacredsolitude.The priest is unable to cope with the rvtrrldof sin, either in himself or others. The normal recourseof a ( lrlistian, prayer/ is not open to him. "Never have I strived so rrrrrr h to praf i' he writes. And later: "l have never felt with so rrrrrr lr violencethe physical revolt against prayer." He is able to I'r irrgpeaceto others, yet has none himself . This is the miracle of tlrc crnpty hands: "How wonderful that we can give others a c which we ourselvesdo not possess. Oh, the miracle of our 1','.r.' .rrrpty hands." His holy agony allows him none of the temporal nr('.urs of release which Church, society,and body provide. None ol tlrt' tcmporal metaphors can satisfy his passion,so he ablyt owar d t he m et aphorof m ar t yr dom . l rrr)l 'r ( ', ; ( ,inexor ( '1; ( )rr t.achlevel the priest's alienation originatesin neither l l rl l r r r , 'r r or r nt gnt nor him self ,but in an over power ing, 'r Ir ,rrr', ,r 'r r , l, r l, rI passion. The m elancholypr iest ear nest lydesir es t,' 1,, 1'l r . lr r . ,lr r . t 'r s ( "M y G od, " he wr it es of t he Vicar of Tor cy, ' l l ,' r'. l r r , 'r 1l,1u1u1'' l t o have his lr calt h,his st abilit y") , br r t . r r r
rl r' I l rl ,l , l ,rt,r' tl ti v t' s hi l rr l rrrl l rl r ,rrrtl [rr' tl tt' r' .trv ,rV l t.ttt l l r' rrr l l rl ', ,,,,i rrr,' l 1111,. l tt,l y .r1' r,1r1 r., rrpl tr.rl rrr.tl (l rrrr,' .rr,,' t r rri i l ! i r,ri l r,t.rl ), rl r' ,,tl Itr., r' .,,r1 5 .,rr1,r' r rr.rl rrr.rl

frfrrssoN 76
TRANSCENDENTAL STYLE

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I
,*

i n T h e T ri a l of l oanof A rc:" h i s a shockw hen D i s p a ri ty ]oan answersher corrupt inguisitorswith sincerity, honestand completedisregardfor her Personal forthrightness, in a r:r to her environment safety-she is not responding speaking her judgesasif shewereinstead ratio.Sheanswers " 'Yoices,' to her transcendental Bresson's protagonists,like the country priest, cannot find rrrr't,rphors capableof expressingtheir agony. They are , ,,rr,lcrrrnccl to estrangement:nothing on earth will placatetheir r rr1 1 ,' l -re th e e i r p assi ondoesnot comefrom earth. 1r ,.1 .,,;i o n, caus .1 . rr,tl rt,yrl o n o t re s p o n dto thei r envi ronment,but i nstead I l rr.r r ,, tl r.rt,,r,rr,,r' r,l tl rr' ()th e r w h i ch seemsmuch more i mmedi ate. i n an I l , rr,, rl rr.,l r,,1 ' rt1 .rr ' ,Il rc Bre s sonprotagoni stl i ves adapti rrg rather than ,l l ,,,,l rr' .r' r' r.l rl . L r, trr,rl c n vi ronment, yet r,, rl r rr | ,r\ r(,.r., rrt l rr' rr' ,,p oyrds to somethi ngtotal l y sep;rr,rl r'

It is a shock when Joan of Arc answersher corrupt inquisitorswith sincerity, forthrightness,honesty, and complete rlisregardfor her personal safety-she is not respondingto her crrvironmentin a t:r ratio. She answersher judges as if she were "voices." insteadspeakingto her mysterious,transcendental liirnilarly, in A Man Escaped Fontaine'sdesireto escape surpasses .rnynormal prisoner motivation. He is nothing but an embodied Will to Escape;the viewer only seeshim as a prisoner whose cvcry breath strives to be free. Throughout the film Fontaine lvcarsa ragged,filthy, and bloody shirt, and when he finally r t'teivesa packageof new clothes,the viewer rejoices(or wants to rljoice) for him. Insteadof trying the new clotheson, Fontaine rrrrrnediately tearsthem up to make ropes.To Fontaine'smind (as rk'linedby "privation") the packagedid not contain new clothes .rt .rll,but potential ropes.Another prisoner, who had the desire lrrrtnot the passionto be free, would have used the old clothesas r opcs.penl4ine's obsession is his definitive quality, and it is cater than the desireto be inside or outside of those prison 1'r rv.rlls. The prison at Fort Montluc is only the objectivecorrelative lrrr Fontaine'spassion.ln Pickpockef,Michel's pickpocketing has llrt'samefamiliar obsessive quality; it is neither sociologicallynor lrrr.rncially motivated, but insteadis a Will to Pickpocket.And wht'n Michel renouncespickpocketing for the love of Jeanne,his rrrotivation is again ill-defined.The viewer senses that Michel's ,'vtrburdening passionhas been transferred to Jeanne, but still tlot':;not know its source. In eachcaseBresson'sprotagonistsrespondto a special , ,rll which has no natural placein their environment. It is irr,r edible that Joan the prisoner should act in such a manner 1,,'lorc a panel of judges: nothing in the everyday has prepared llrr.vit'wcr for ]oan's spiritual, self-mortifying actions.Each strugglesto free himself from his everyday l'r()t.rlionist .rr vir onlncnt, to find a proper metaphor for his passion.This k'.rtlsMichel to prison, Fontaineto freedom, and the ',lrrr1',1',1r. r(' ,,t , r n( lf r r . r n t o m ar t yr dom . l'r I lr . vit 'wcr f inds him self in a dilem m a: t he envir onm ent r r r', t 'nt arr yealism ,yet t he cent r alchar act er suggest s ' .rtl ' ,1 . , r '. , t .r ,r , 1, r n. r This dilem nr , r cs an em ot ior r . rsl l r air -:rt lr r . ' .1'rrrt '. r l l, . r ',r '. I t r r t , lut
\'r'rvr'r ri rrrt,. l o c rrrl l ;rthi z c w i tl r i rur,', l tt,rrr (.tl ; ht' w orrl tl y ,l ,ty ,,l trtr l or .111y l rrr,' tv ,1 rr,, l rr,rt rrl l ,' r,,l rt rrr ,r1' ofty ), y (' t l l r' ,' .' ,' r

BRE5SON 78 srYLE TRANSCENDENTAL

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that his feelingswill be of no avail. Bressonseemsacutely aware of this: "lt seemsto me that the emotion here, in this trial (and in this film), should come not so much from the agony and death of Joan as from the strange air that we breathe while she talks of her Voices,or the crown of the angel,just as she would talk of one of This "strange air" is the product of us or this glasscarafe."3e disparity: spiritual density within a factual world createsa sense of emotional weight within an unfeeling environment' As before, disparity suggeststhe need,but not the place,for emotions.* style is that it can both The secretof transcendental prevent a runoff of superficialemotions (through everyday) and simultaneouslysustain those sameemotions (through disparity). The very detachmentof emotion, whether in primitive art or Brecht,intensifiesthe potential emotional experience'("Emotion And emotion cannot be projectedwithout order and restraint."a0) occurs during the will out. The trigger to that emotional release final stageof disparity, decisiveaction, and it servesto freeze the emotional into expression,the disparity into stasis. Before the final stageof disparity, however, Bresson,like Ozu, derivesironic humor from his charactersand their alienated surroundings.Irony, in f act, is almost unavoidable-Bresson/s characters are so totally alienated from their environment' The country priest's paranoia is crucial, obsessive-and ridiculous' When Olivier, a foreign legionnaire on leave, offers the priest a ride to the railroad station on his motorbike, the priest reluctantly acceptsand then feels the exhilaration of the ride' He then states to himself, with no hint of self-parody, that he has been allowed of youth only so his sacrificewill be more to tastethe pleasures complete.Bressonalso usesunderstatementas an ironic
+ On e ca n n e ve r b e su r e o f a u d ie n ce reacti ons, but even E ri c R hode, i n hi s , rr g r r m e n t a g a in st Br e sso n ' s r e lig io us phenomenol ogy, makes the same l ,o in t: "T h e Na tu r a lism o f Br e sso n's moti fs puts an i rresi sti bl e P ressure o r r r r s lo e xp cct th e u su a l so r ts o f expl anati on for behavi our; but B resson . llr .r r il,n o r r s r n o live s, q u ite d e lib e ratel y' We never l earn w hy Fontai ne r ' , r r .1 ,ri,,o r r ttl, wh y th e co u n tr y p r ie st i s snubbed by hi s pari shi oners, w hy l \tr r lr r ' l i., .r l,lr ' l,r l,o ,r b r o a d with o u t a passport' These are onl y a few of n r ) lr v," r vr lh h e ld . Be ca u se of thi s unresol ved pressure, hi s heroes r 1,,,1 1 1 .1 ' ,u ,,,,,.,,1 , r .r 1 ' 1 ,' r r r r r ' .tse in m e." P reci sel y. R hode al so real i zes that ,,,,,' .. ,,t l,' . r ,.r r .r ,1 ,,,,, v.r r r ish o n c e w e make the often unconsci ous l eap i ,,r ,, r l,r ,r l r ,,1 ..,l,,r r 1 l' r ' . ltr r r ",," b r r t rei ects w hat he terms the "'hey pre:;to' I l,' 1 ,,, ,' l ll.,l' , I llo n ( lo n: Wei denfel d & N i col son, r9661, I't' :

commentaryon his characters. Fontainespends In A Man Escnped every possiblemoment hiding and disguisinghis meansof escape. When it appears that his cell will be searched,his plan discovered, and he executed,Fontainesaysin deadpaninterior narration, "I dreaded the thought of a search." Irony makes it possible for a film-maker to create disparity over a period of time. If a viewer doesnot want to completely acceptthe dilemma of disparity (and few do), he doesnot have to reject it outright but can take an ironic attitude-which is essentiallya wait-and-seeattitude. Such a viewer can look at the disparity from an ironic distance,seeingits tensionsand humor, and doesnot have to commit himself. Like the disparity which producesit, irony is a techniguedesignedto hold the spectatorin the theater until the final decisive action-which does demand commitment. The decisive action is an incredible event within the ban structure.The prescript rules of everyday fall away; there is a blast of music, an overt symbol, and an open call for emotion. The .rctdemandscommitment by the viewer (the central characterhas .rlreadycommitted himself), and without commitment there can be no stasis. InDiary of a Country Priest the decisiveaction is the priest'sdeath, when his frail body falls from the frame and the ( rmera holds on a blatant symbol: the shadow of the cross cast rrrra wall. ln A Mqn Escaped it is the nocturnal escape, with its t oncomitant and all-important acceptance of gracein the person oI Jost.InPickpockef it is Michel's imprisonment and his irrcxplicable expressionof love for )eanne.lnTheTrial of Ioan ol Arc it is Joan'smartyrdom, when the cameraholds on the :'ymbol'of the charred stake,which is precededby the inexplicable r'ymbolsof the flying dove and three ringing bells. Before thesedecisiveactions there have been "decisive nroments" which anticipatethe final act. In thesemoments, lii'nrohri'writes, the "hero realizesthat he is right to desirewhat lrr tk',,irr',,,.rnd from then on identifieshimself more and more w i tl r lr i', l', t ", , ion. "ar ( The f inal decisiveact ion is m or e .rrr,l r, 'rrr',, 'r r lr r t t 'd:t he viewer m ust t hen f ace t he dilem m . of l l rr' 1, r r , 1. 1, ', ', r rAs ', t . ) in O zu's ear ly codas,t hesedecisivcm onr cnt l; l- : ; r , t 1, , 1', ', / 11 .rrl r l r . r rr ' t . r r r r . r lby a blast of m usic.ln A ll4nt r l1
rrrl .r l rr,l r r,l [\l rrz .rrl ' s N ' t.ts s i n (' Mi rrrtr Irc tonrt' .,.r rl r' , r..rt' r'

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moment. As in Ozu's codas,there is nothing on screento properly receivesuch a burst of emotion-inducing music. On ten occasions Fontaineand his fellow prisonersrotely walk acrossthe courtyard, emptying their slop buckets to the accompanimentof there was no direct Mozart's Mass. "ln A Man Escaped relationship between image and music' But the music of Mozart gave the life in prison the value of ritual."az joan's regular walk by overloud back and forth from her cell, accompanied in The Trial of coda of sort same creates the door-latchings, of pickpocketing in I oan of Arc , as do the lyrical seguences Each of thesemoments call for an unexpected Pickpocket. emotional involvement and prefigure the final decisive action' Pickpocketis the only film of the prison cycle which does a good not overtly discussreligious values,yet it is nonetheless exampleof the role of the decisiveaction within transcendental style. There is no invocation of the spiritual as in Country Ptiest and]oan of Arc,no debateof graceas in A Man Escaped,yet there is transcendental style, and the decisive action is the "miraculous" elementwithin ir. Pickpockef opens with the familiar everyday stylization: Michel is a pickpocket within a cold factual world. He displaysno human feeling, either for his "How long it has taken me to actionin Pickpocketz The decisive cometo vou."

dying mother or for Jeanne, a family friend. He does,however, have a passion:pickpocketing.His obsessionwith pickpocketing beyond the normal interestsof crime and questionsof 1;oes morality. In one of his discussions with the police inspectorhe t ontendsthat some men are above the law. "But how do they know who they are?" the inspectorasks."They ask themselves," Michel replies.Michel's passion,in the ways previously rnentioned, createsa growing senseof disparity. Then, in a somewhatabrupt ending, Michel is apprehendedand imprisoned. 'fhe police had been lying in wait at Longchamp for Michel for sometime, and it is uncertain at the moment of his capture whether he was capturedunaware or whether he willingly let himself be captured.In the final scene,Michel, who has led the "free" life of crime, is now in jail. Jeannecomesto visit him in prison and he, in a totally unexpectedgesture,kissesher through the bars saying, "How long it has taken me to come to you." It is a "miraculous" event: the expressionof love by an rrnfeeling man within an unfeeling environment, the transference of his passionfrom pickpocketing to |eanne. The decisive action forces the viewer into the t onfrontation with the Wholly Other he would normally avoid. I le is facedwith an explicably spiritual act within a cold r.nvironment,an act which now requestshis participation and .,1'1.,roval. Irony can no longer postponehis decision.It is a "rrriracle"which must be accepted or rejected. The decisive action has a unique effect on the viewer, wlrich may be hypothesizedthus: the viewer's feelingshave been , rrrrsistently shunned throughout the film (everyday),yet he still "strange" undefined feelings (disparity). The decisiveaction lr,r.; tlrt,ndemandsan emotional commitment which the viewer gives rrr,tinctively,naturaily (he wants to shareHirayama's tears, Mit hcl's love). But having given that commitment, the viewer rnrr,,t now do one of two things: he can reject his feelings and r r.lrr,,r' to t.rkethe film seriousl), or he can accommodate his tl ri rrLir r l' t o lr is f eelings. I f he chooses t he lat t er ,he will, having l ' ,,,' " )"r ', 'r ,r r ocm ot ionalconst r uct s by t he dir ect or ,have | ,n,,tr u, r , , l lr i. ,own "scr een. "He cr eat es a t r anslucent m , ent al .,,| ,, r, t Lr r r r r 1, lr whichhecancopewit hbot hhis f eelingsand t he l rl rl l l'r ". , r r ln nt , ly be ver y sim ple.I n t he caseof / ) ir/ , , Pr r r '/ rit 'r 'f . , f ,,' ul ,l l, , l', , 'l'1, ', , t rlr . r : ; M ichcl . r r r r l ir havr ' it , , r vlr it lr f r '. r t r nc t

8z

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have deepspiritual connections,and they need no earthly rationale for their love. In Diary of a Country Priestit could be: there is such a thing as the holy agony and the tormented priest was its victim. Bressonusesthe viewer's own natural defenses, his protectivemechanism,to causehim, of his own free will, to come to the identicaldecisionBressonhad predeterminedfor him. Bressoncalls this the moment of "transformation": "There must, at a certain moment, be a transformation; if not, there is no art."a3At the moment of transformation all the stripped, flat images, dialogue, camerawork, and sound effects unite to createa new screen,the one formed by the spectator:"I have noticed that the flatter the image is, the less it expresses, the more easily it is transformed in contact with other images . . . it is necessary for the imagesto have something in common, to participatein a sort of union."aa Music, as opposedto sound effects,is one of the vital elementsof this transformation: "I use music as a means of Music, properly used, transformation of what is on the screen."45 "can transport us into a region that is no longer simply terrestrial, but rather cosmic,I would even say divine."a6 Music, the "miraculous" event, and the overt symbol are componentsof the decisiveaction, which can effect a "transformation" in the spectator'smind. This "transformation" doesnot resolve disparity,it acceptsit. Disparity is the paradox of the spiritual existing within the physical, and it cannot be "resolved" by any earthly logic or human emotions.It must, as the decisiveaction makes inescapablyclear,be accepted or rejected.If the viewer accepts the decisiveaction (and disparity), he acceptsthrough his mental both. On screenthis t'onstructa view of life which can encompass i,, rr.presented by stasis. TnauscruoeNTAlSTYIE : Sresls 1il,r;isis the guiescent,frozen,or hieratic scenewhich ,.r' r,.,' ,1 tl .,rl rl c t i s i v ea c ti o na nd cl oses the fi l m. It i s a sti l l re-vi ew ,,t tl rr.r.rt,.rrr,rlrv .rr' l rl i n te n d e dto suggest the oneness of al l | | ,i | 1 1 ..,. I rr I I r,t t .t1t,I rr (- o rmtry Pri est i ti s the shadowof the cross, i ,, L \ f,r,rl , ,t1 ,, ,l rt r' , l l rc l o n g shOtOf the darkenedstreetw i th i ,,,,r,,r,, .rrr, , t he di stance, I f ,,. r r,,,,' ,l rrr1 in i n P i ckpocketi t i s i l . 1 ,,,,,rl ' rr' ,,,,,,1 1 .r,,., i rr J' l rr' ' fri ttlof l onn of z4rci ti s tl rc
1.,,,, 'l t' r r r l r ,l tlr ' Lr Ir '

litasis:the final shotof The Trial of loan of Arc. "-fhecharred stakein Joanof Arc is still a physical r.ntity, but it is alsothe spiritualexpression of Io,rn's martyrdom.In short,it is an icon.,, This static view representsthe ',new', world in which the ,'piritualand the physical can coexist,still in tension and rr.rcsolved,but as part of a larger schemein which all phenomena o_r less expressive of a larger reality-the Transcendent. 'rr'('rnore l^ stasis,the viewer is able to crossinterpr"i b"t*""r, what seemed Io [recontradictions:he can read deep emotion into the rrrr.xpressive facesand cold environment, and he can read | 'rt trrality into the inexplicablespiritual actions.The charred stake rrr/trrrnctfArc is still a physical entity, but it is also the spiritual i'\ r)r'('sqi(). .f f oan's martyrdom. In short it is-as we shall see,tl l i ( ( ) n

I lrr.tt'r.nr "transcendent,,may seemto some an r.\.rl ,l '! r . r r ,, l r llr , t . r ipt ion of t he ef f ectof Br esson, s st asis, and ,rl l l r,' r r 1'l' 11r , . , , , , r 1r 11 nails down his int ent ionst o any spccif ir . r ever I.r rr, rt . . r. r r r . , , Jr r il. cleart hat t heTr anscendent l r . h, r sir r is r t , lr , r I ff rfl rrf lr r I Alr r r r I : , c, r lt t d I t r ict l t o r r r . r ke t hc ar r t lit r , , r , lr . r . lt lr r . , , r .
! 'l t.r"r,l' r,,r 1 ( l utr,nl ., rv l ri t l r c rr.,l r,,l rtt l l rt.(,r.rnt.l n l ,tr.,()n,, ()l l l rl

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Resistance, the presence of something or someoneunseen:a hand And again,"l would like in my films to be able that directsall."n7 to render perceptibleto an audiencea feeling of a man's soul and also the presence of something superior to man which can be called God."a8Whether that "something superior" is called "extraordinary currents," "the invisible hand," or "God," it transcendsimmanent experience and may be called,if only for practicalpurposes,the Transcendent. The moment the viewer createshis own screen,the moment he acceptsdisparity, Bressonhas accomplished not only the task of the artist, but the task of the evangelistand iconographistas well. The evangelistis theoreticallya man who evokesa conversionnot by his own sophistry but by bringing the listener into contact with the divine. The transcendental style, neither magical nor ineffable in its technigues,hopes similarly to bring the viewer into contact with that transcendentground of being-into stasis. But just "how" doesthis come about? Why is it possible for a viewer, at one point, to " accept" disparity? These questions are very tricky and to somedegreeunanswerable.It has, I think, something fundamentally to do with the fact that disparity is an emotional experience(an "emotional strain"), whereasstasisis an expressionof the Transcendent.It is not really possibleto " accept" an emotional strain (or else it would no longer be a strain), but it is possibleto acceptan expressionwhich includes tensionalelements.And for this reason the above questionsmust It is possible to postulate be in the final account unansrarerable. but no how the human emotions react to upsetting experience, one has ever given a satisfactoryaccountof how the human l',rycheperceivesa form of artistic expression. I low doesexperience turn to expressionand return to r .\1 ,(.r i (' n (r' ?A l l th e a e s th e ti c i a ns w ho adhereto an expressi on y ol ,rrt have addressed rlrr,,,r themselvesto this question in one r\ ,r\, ,,r .rn rtlr.r', .rnd I have nothing unigue to add to their debate. styl e i s more useful i f seen ll rr L rrI tl rr,I r' n (r' l rto f tra n s c e ndental l r " rrr \\ rl l rrrr l l rr i (!n l (' x to f p re e xi sti ng aestheti c systems;i t can be , r expressi on.) ,,t r 1 ,,,' ,1 ,1 ,t ,r' ,l ,,rrrr..,y rn l ro lo John D ew ey, w ho trr.l i r.l rl ,, , ..1 ,'rr' n ' r' r' rP1 p 55i sn-sxperi ence puzzl ei ndepth, fel t ,t , , " l n tl rc rl i rrr,,tr,,l . , ' ,,1 t,,,.rt,rl yze aestheti c expressi on: , 1 , ,1 ,r.,,,,rrt,,1rrr," t,r,,,,,i v r' ;rr' l ,tl rct' rnoti onopcfatesl i kr' .r

rnagnet dr awing t o it self appr opr iat e m at er ial: appr opr iat e lrecause it has an experienced emotional affinity for the state of nrind already moving."aeEmotions are vehiclesthrough which the .rrti stmust act ; he t eases and t r ains t he em ot ionsunt il t hey ar e transformedinto an expression"distinctively aesthetic." This is pr et t y m uch, I t hink, t he way t r anscendent al st yle works. Through everyday and disparity it concurrently flaunts .rndtantalizesthe emotions,placing the viewer under a growing crnotionalstrain which culminatesin the decisiveaction, Man's natural impulse for emotional stability abets the transcendental ,,tyl ei n it s ef f or t t o achieve st asis. The em ot ionsar e act ive;in a tlt:sireto comprehendthe disparity they continually attempt to .rrrtflankthe everyday. The decisiveaction is a carefully planned . rrl-de-sac for this emotional activity. It simultaneouslyappeals to the emotions and makes the viewer aware of their futility. This nccessitates a conscious, aestheticsolution to an emotionally ir lesolvabledilemma. Once that aestheticperceptionis made, lranscendental style is no longer an experience but an expression. l he emotionshave proved unreliable and the mind somehow r t'r'ognizes this. This purging of the emotions permits the ,rcsthetic facility of the psyche to operate.And it can recognize tr.rnscendental style for what it is- a form designedto express tlre Transcendent.Then, after the expressionis completeand the work of art has finished its task, the viewer can return to a life of r,xperience, feeling the "new" emotionswhich result from ,rcsthetic participation. One can never fully answer "how" stasisis achieved. ( r itical method has pursued the ineffable as far as it can; Roger I r y's "gulf of mysticism'/ yawns wide open. If transcendental really is a hierophany, if there really is a Transcendent,then "tyle llrc eritic can never fully comprehendhow it operatesin art. He , ,rrrrecognizethe Transcendent, he can study those methods rvlrit'hbrought him to that realization,but that actual "why', of l l r.rtrcalizat ion is a m yst er y.Br esson's pr ot agonist s cannot r eveal l l ror,tr'r ' '. r . , or rBr s:esson's char act er s, Ayf r e wr it es, "even in t heir nr(),,t r'\ t r r , r r r c r - onf idences, never r evealanyt hing but t heir rrr1,,,ty . r lr kt , ( lod him self . " Br esson cannotr evealit : Af yr e r orrI rrrr r r '. , . t ' Ir t , : , e ar e peoplewhoseult im at e secr etis not or r ly I' r' 1' ,'r , t , lr 1 , r r lr vr . r ', but beyond Br esson him self . "t , ' l lr r 'lin. r l
' rr'l r1 ,,l tr.rn..r l rrtl t' rtl al s tV l c i .;.r l rry r;l t' ry (,\,(,n t(r i 1.., rr.,tl or

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"I wanted to show this miracle: an invisible hand over the prison, directing what happens and causingsuch and such a thing to succeed for one and not for another . . . the film is a mystery."5l If successful, Bressonwould probably be willing, like the traditional religious artist, to give co-credit to the divine. A spiritual artist can predict how an audiencewill react to a specific form, whether it be the mass or transcendental style, but at the moment of stasis,when art mergeswith mysticism, he can only, in Sontag'swords, "be patient and as empty as possible."sz "The audience must feel that I go toward the unknown, that I do not know what will happen when I arrive."s3 In a successfulwork of art human experienceis transformed into human expression, both personal and cultural; in a successful transcendental work of art the human forms of expressionare transcended by a universal form of expression.The static view at the closeof Ozu's and Bresson'sfilms is a microcosmfor the transcendental style itself : a frozen form which expressesthe Transcendent-a movie hierophany. Pnrrrxrs Until stasisthe influenceof personality and culture are for Bresson,as for Ozu, pervasive.Bressoncalls the subjectmatter a "pretext" for the form, but until the form is fully achieved in stasis,the "pretexts" weigh heavily on the viewer's mind. Form is the operativeelementin Bresson'sfilms, but it operatesthrough influencedby them. personality and culture and is necessarily Transcendentalstyle is as much influencedby Bresson'scultural traditions as it is by Zen culture. Transcendentalstyle is a ( ommon formalistic solution to similar problems in individual r trltures,and before a viewer can appreciatethe solution he must th e p ro b l e m s . r .x p c ri e n c e Thc remainderof this chapter on Bressonwill consider . ,t,n rc r,l tl rt' " p rc te x ts " o f B re s son' s w ork: hi s personal i ty,hi s , rrl trrr' .rl tr' .rrl i ti o n ,;, th e o l o g i c a laestheti , c, and arti sti c,and hi s . ,y rrtl rr' ,,i ,,,r1 tl r,,,,r' tr,rtl i ti o n s -Iti seasi erforaW esternvi ew erto rr,;t' l( r o l ' n r/(.l l rr' ,,' ,,,rr' ,. o fc u l tu re than ()ztr' :;.I Ie may fi nd the , ,' ,,,,,1 ,.,' s easi l y rn .l i ,,l i tr1 ' , tl i sh,rlItul rl ,' ,l rr' l ..ttow or l l r, /,,, ' 7 ,,
r r r r ,l,.r ' ,1 .,r ' ,1, ll" n r ,r n r r ' ., o f llr ",l l r tt tl r, ,'1,t)'y ,rrrtl acstheti cs. In , ,, l, , ,,r ( | r r r r r ,l 1 1 r r ".,,o 1 1 r r lr lr ,'r'l l r, ,r l ,.tt,', l ri .rl t l tafaC tC ri sl i r.;, l rrtttt

Bnrssox eNp Hrs PensoNerrry Consideredby itself Bresson's"personality" can be rnisleading. To some of Bresson's critics, both admirers and detractors, he is not only the consummatestylist but also the consummateoddball: morbid, hermetic, eccentric,obsessed with theologicaldilemmasin an age of social action. He is a cultural reactionary and an artistic revolutionary-and the secret to this lies somewherewithin his curious inner logic. Considered 1'aradox solely in terms of his personality,Bressonbecomesan obsessive rcligiousfanatic, a tortured, brooding, Romantic figure who bccause of religious training, prisoner-of-war experiences, or obsession is forced his to live out neuroses on screen. liuilt This confusion resultsbecause Bresson,unlike Ozu, has bccomealienatedfrom his contemporary culture. His immediate . ulture has had virtually no influenceon his work. Bresson's .rsceticism is certainly at odds with the movie tradition which has zealouslycelebratedevery aspectof the physical. And his concern | <rrspirituali ty , f ree will, predestination and grace is only an obligue comment on contemporary French society.Bressonis today what Ozu will be in the Japanof the near future, an artist .rlienated from his cultural environment. But Bressonis not simply a displacedperson,a suicidal ttt'urotic,or an eccentricgenius; he is also, and more importantly, .r rcpresentative of a different and older culture which may not be rrrrmediately obvious to the modern viewer but is not irrelevant lithcr. This older culture had a well-grounded theology and .rcsthetic which provided not only for the role of the individual .rrtist, but also for the function of art in a universal,multicultural ,,plrcre. Seenfrom thesetraditions, Bressonis not neurotic or ct r cntric, but a self-conscious artist who has assignedhimself a rrr'.rr-impossible task: to update an older aestheticinto a r orll1-6p6121y form. In the light of this older culture, Bresson's"personality" is rrotrrr r it ; r ror r . im por t ant . Bot h O zu and Br esson wer e soldier s, but ol l l rt' tr vt ' t t r r lyBr essonut ilizedhis war exper iences ( as a he was dif f er ent f r om O zu, l ,t ' ' ,or r lr) r r rlr is f ilm s,not just because I' rrtl ' , , . r r r . , r . r . pr isonm et aphoris inher ent t o his t heological t lr I r,rrl rt r, , r r llr r ', , , , olr nr ay be a suicidal,her m et icper son,br r l t hcsc ., , , lr . r r . rlr .ttr'.r1 , , r i. , t it s ivit lr ir r . of t he cult r lr cI e wor ks f r r r r r r
| 1,, r,r,rtr..r t ri l i , real i z t' r, l l rr.,,,,ort' s tl rr.ol or,,,.,l ,trrrl

, , .1 ,,, ' i' 1 llr , t,r 1 ,, llr r r t , r ln r tn o n r'l r tu ttl

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aestheticunderpinnings, the further he shiesaway from a purely psychologicalinterpretation of Bresson's"personality." Bresson's becomesincreasingly personality,like those of his characters, identified with his passion (or in Coomaraswamy'sterms, his "thesis"). At the closeof Country Priest the priest "gives up" his body, metamorphosinginto the image of the cross; in a similar manner it may be said that Bresson'spersonality is envelopedby style. There are many precedentsin religious art transcendental for such an approach; religious artists were often required to live out the virtues they portrayed. The Stoglav Council of 155ldecreedthat the Russian iconographershould "be pure and Fra Angelico, in his only recordedstatement,wrote, decorous."sa "Art requiresmuch calm and to paint the things of Christ one Maritain stated, must live with Christ."55More recently Jacques If "Christian work would have the artist, as man, a saint."56 Bressondesiresto createsaintsin art, tradition holds, he must become"saintly" himself, submitting his personality to the transcendentpassion.In the context of his theologicaland aestheticculture Bresson'spersonality has little value. Like the country priest's it is vain, neurotic, morbid. It only has value to the extent that it can transcenditself. There is, however, another way one can speak of Bresson's personality (without, as was previously stated,resorting to a iungian definition), and that is as his personal contribution to the his peculiar synthesisof his culture from which he operates, theologicaland artistic traditions. This will be consideredin a Iater section. Tnr THtoroclcu TnentrloN: THEPnIsoN MrrepHon

The prison metaphor is endemic to Western thought' LVr.stcrn theories,whether theological,psychological,or political, .rr,, i rrc v i tl b l y c o u c h e di n te rm s of f reedomand restrai nt.On the t1 ,,,,,h ,1,rl ,,ik < ' v c l , th e p ri s o n m etaphori s l i nked to the l ' ,rtl y /s o u l d i c h otomy,a l i nkagew hi ch i s made by l n rr,l ,rrrr.rrt.rl r,l l V e s te rn th ought: both P l ato and the rrr1 ,r ,., rl ,, r.' ,.1 1 ,.1 hi s body descri bes ' ,, r rt' rrrr,... t l 1 ,l rr' l -o re h i s death S ocrates " l' r,,r " r" ' .,,rrl .. si n i s r' ,,,n pri son; he l ' o S t. P aul the body of , rl ,, 1 ,r .,,' ,,r,,n ,.r;,1 1 r 1 1 1 lo ' l l tl l a w of si n w hi ch i si nmymenl l ' ,' 1" . 1' r' ,l y rrrefrom 1| 11 ,, r' 1 ,,,1 tl , ,t | .rrrrl W l rtt' ,l r,rl l r.l t' l i vcr rrr.rr,

of this death" (Rom. 7:23-24). (In Christianity, however, there is redemption,after which the body becomes"the temple of the Holy" [I Cor. 6:r9] and Paul becomesthe "prisoner of the Lord" lEph. +:r].) The prison metaphor in Christianity is summed up by Calvin's statementthat at death "the soul is freed from the orison houseof the body."58 On one level the prison metaphor is a relatively straightforward representation of the body/soul conflict. His characters gradually relinquish their bodies,much in the same way Fontaineescapes prison step by step. The prison house of the l,ody is the last impediment to the soul's emancipation.Joan of Arc puts her faith in Christ and Saint Michael half hoping, half cxpectingthat they will come to her aid, "even if by a miracle." lJut when she realizes that the "miracle" of her escapewill in fact be her martyrdom, she retractsher false confessionand chooses death,stating, "l'd rather die than endure this suffering." The night before her executionshe is given communion and questionedby Brother Isambart."Do you believethat this is the I'ody of Christ?" he asks."Yes, and the only one who can deliver rne," she replies."Don't you have hope in the Lord?" Isambart .rsksa short time later, and |oan replies,"Yes, and with God's lrelp I shall be in Paradise."Joan'sdeliverancebecomesher death, ,rndher escapefrom prison is the escape from her body. As the body becomes identified with the prison, there is a natural tendency toward self-mortification.The country priest rrrortifies his body and at the moment of death surrendershimself irrtothe hands of God. ln Pickpockefthe metaphor is reversed; Michel's prison is crime, his freedom is in iail. His is also a ,.clf-mortification, but it doesnot lead to death. Fontaineis the only one of Bresson'sprison cycle protagonistswho does not ,rttively persecute himself, although his habits are rather ascetic. 'I hc freedom of his body coincideswith the freedom of his,soul, ,rnd this unigue occurrence is the result of grace,a theme which llrcssonhandlesin depth in A Man Escaped, Intcrtwined with the abjuration of the body in Bresson,s l rl rrrr; i ,, t lr t 'vcxing pr oblem of suicide:I f t he body enslaves t he ,' r' rrl rr . '1r 1, r r otclgsllet t he body and be f r ee?St . Am br ose st at ed l l rr,r.r. , r ', qr r r c'ar ly: "Let us die, if we m ay leave,or if we be t tlt ,1,' rrr ,l, l, , ,r , . . yr . tI et us die. G od cannot be of f endr 'r wit '1 lr llr is, t\' l ' ,ri , ', u , r 't l lor . 1 r p1lt e'Cly, "l'{'.Ar r r rrr13r l r St in<'. r r r1r r l r ir r . r , , A,

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rushed to counter the argument. Marvin Zeman,in an essayon suicidein Bresson,s films, has demonstratedthat Bressor, , particularly in his later films, has come to associate himserf with a radical wing of Christianity (including, among others, St. Ambrose, John Donne, Guo.gu O".nunJr; whicf, ."gurdr-*i.id" as a positive good.60 In the prison cycle the naturar suicidal extensionof the . prison metaphor is already evident. Both the country priest and Loan "give up,, their lives las Christ did on the cross) but do not die by their own hand. A suicidein Couri)vpriesf presentsSt. Ambrose's case,a casewhich Erows stronger in Au Hasard, Balthazar,Mouchette, andllie Femnte Dlurr,the countesshas beencontemplating suicide,but lacks the courage.The country

countess,having found salvation, was now,,fre",, to di". Upon learning of her suicide the priest himself feers the tu-ptuti-o'r, oi suicide.although he has alieady chosen a more subtle course. The prison mefaphor gains in complexity and depth as Bressonextendsit to the theol-ogicar pu..io* of predestination and free will. The body/soul .oifli.ii, a dichotomy f", ;;;;;;., he prefers the soul to the body, even to the point of death; whereasthe predestination/freewill confliit is a paradox, it be resolvedby death but has to be acceptedon faith. :u"To, Predestination/ kee will is a complex and contradictory concept, andBresson'sprison metaphor aiapts to this complexity. Predestinarianism, astaught ylying degreesby Auglstine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Jansen,1o holdsiha"t *Jr,, h"uirrg blur, by ;rrcviouslychosen God, is now able to chooseGod of his own lr t'r'will. Man becomes'-'ftee,'by,,choosing,, the pr"d"t"._ir,.J rvrll .f (lod. God is Truth, the Tiuth m"k"r"yo, free, and freedom -' ' ^' r .,, l r.r,,,i 1 1 1o ' d . It,s a n e a tj u n gl e of C l ogi c * t i .f, ,.; i l r* fro m th e o u ts i d e ;yet from the i nsi de, | 1 r.;rrr,.tr.r()rr,j u.." i ti .,g v r l r ,rr ' tl ,,.,,l r,1 ,i t.rl g i v e n s i,s thenatural ' it thi ng to do. l r1 1 ' ...1 1 1[)ri 3 ' ,, s o nm e ta p horal l ow s for tf,i s compl exi ty.In l, l ' l r,' , ,,,.r ,. ' l r r.r,rl o m,, r r c o n si sts ' of bei ng ,,pai ror," a of tha I ' ,' ,1 r rrl ,, r rl ,.,rr .r ;,1 i e 6 1 1 e rof thefl esh.Jo"" oi A .. seemi ngl y an u r 1 ,,,,, , ,,, r, r.,,,1 ,,11 1,1 pl rc r o w n freew i l l , yetthefi l m al so , ' l ,,r,,tt,rrrr1 ,l r.,,r.,r,,,tl r,rl h e rfatei spredetermi ned.Theoperri .l , l ,' ,r ,t' , rt . l ,r.rrr,s ,,1 po.;l l rrorl em ' , r,1 ,1 ,1 reacfmi ssi on i rrto tl r.,

priest in a longdarknightof thesoulbrings hur"to whereupon she commiis suicide.The impf;cation is"i",n clear: "'iia, the

see themandfeel I lrcm yourself, and this while leaving f,irl u gruut freedom, while rnakinghim free.,,62

j;::Il:*,'",f'u'il,jlg

ir ;:ll".l,:ji:::osuish I.ontarne ", " replied, ,,Aren,t asked was predestinedBresson we all.,,6r llressonpredestines his characterruf i#t"rring the outcome of t'eir lives; the drama is whether character(or the ".;;; accepthis predestined fate. gr.rror, treats his viewers ::l^":l*ttt rn the samewav a Jansenist God treats his minions: ,,you must h'avethe spectitor free. And at th" ,u*u ii^e you must make yourself loved by him. you must make t i^ tou" the way in which rhat is to say: ,hr;;;; things in :::::11"'thlngs. the order .rndthe way that you love to seethem and to feel them; make him
thum to hi;;";'y;,

.hoo;",f;;;;y ii, irnprisonment; in A i,4on Erroprd F;";;;;" " choosesfreedom by .scape:they are the oppositesidesof the predestination/free will ftaradox. Each finds true freedom tl,rr"gl, the acceptanceof a predestined grace,within *ithr;;;;:;. ", Bresson,s trea.tment of the prison metaphor justifies his r;;;,;;ist.,,once tabe.ling

('hurchandsuch declam.atory statements as,,She will die,,and "Don't forget, she must bu.rr1, lrurr" ,,-o as to the iuuraior", rutcome' The onrytension, asin predestinarianism, is whetheror rrotshewill choose h". p*l;r;;J;;;.;" Diary of a Country /'riesfthe priestrealize, t","-i, .,;p.ir."". ,n" i;'y"^;::;,i1", hisagonyonly comes ", to culmination when he escapes from that , rher prison, p

ih" body. t" ir:i

t'),rl.n

inside, the arguments ft,v.L'rflr.rl the outside " fra,f"*",i.' ".I "f l lrr.rrrysterious, conciliatory elementin . the (' ( t(.., r r I r.r I r . r r/ f r ee wi. llpar adox Irr is gr ace.G r aceis t he cat alyst I.r r, l ri ,r , , r , r , ( ) m m it m "nt bu. uur ", ; i; ; ; wr it es, , , . f t hc r.rl rrrr., , l. r 1. , r . 11 wor k which is such , ho, no, . r "", r , t l llr ir r l,1. 111 .t,l rr.r , t1, 1. . , . 111, , trt I r vilh. , ,,,,, , t he ait l, l ( i1_. 1, I lr r lr l. , . (, r l'ir r i. , r r r

,,rr1,c,1ie1,,,thenhe,",:"'i:tli:;;i,:""ffi:,"j"Til1 ,n", of predestinarianlogic. ;rr.1;le Or,.u,o., ti_,"

Bressonhopes to make the viewer so free (by leaving him rrncomm it t ed dur ing ever ydayand dispar it / ) t hat t he viewer will l,r' forced to make Biesson,s pred"te.m,in.i.au.irlo., (during the rf.cisive action). on the ,"rf;.. B;"r;;;;"", the spectator Iotally free; his transcendenc", n"rir, poirrtl out, ,,is something r..rr tr of us is free to refuse.,,6s Brr;;.;;il'i,u*u. makes the r ornmitment,once he

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holds that "common" graceis nonuniversal; it is a Jansenism specialgift and not everyonecan receiveit. The comings and goings of graceare unpredictable;one must know both how to there is perhaps recognizeit and how to receiveit. "ln Jansenism, this, which is an impressionthat I have as well: it is that our lives are made at once of predestination-Jansenism, then-and of hasard,chance."65 The "chance" of graceis the theme of A Man Escaped whose subtitle, " Le V ent Souffle Oi Il V eut" ("the wind bloweth where it listeth," from Jesus'conversationwith Nicodemus, the unpredictability of grace.ln A Man |ohn 5:8), expresses Escaped a prisoner-priestwrites out the subtitle/text for Fontaine.Fontainereadsthesewords to himself as his friend attempt (long escaPe Orsini is being executedfor an unsuccessful shot of Fontainein his cell window, "close up" of interior narration and of the firing squad'sgunshots).Later Fontaine realizesthat Orsini's death has made it possiblefor him to escape. His aging neighbor, Blanchet,says,"Orsini had to show you how." "How strangeit is," Fontainereplies.Blanchetcounters that it is not strange,and Fontainereplies that it is strange that Blanchetshould say that. Earlier in the film Fontaineand the priest have a similar conversationwhen a Bible mysteriously appearsin the priest's pocket. "lt's a miracle," Fontaine says."l was lucky," the priest replies.Grace is making itself manifest in Fontaine'slife, and he is as yet only dimly aware of it' The crucial manifestation of grace in A Man Escaped is occurswhen Fontaine,the night before his planned escape, without warning given a cell-mate,a boy named Jost' Fontainc must then decidewhether to kill Jost or take him along, and hc the latter. Only later, while in the processof escaping, chooses does Fontainerealizethat it takes two men to scalethe prison would have been a failurc lt wall, that without )ost his escaPe of acceptance Jost and the hasardof grace whi' l' was Fontaine's even though it had been predetermint'tl allowed him to escaPe, f rom the beginning of the film (by the title) that he would t'r'''';" In Bresson'sfilms graceallows the protagonist to at t r'1't the parodox of predestinationand free will, and Ayfre qu()l("' orthodoxy at thi s poi rrt l l " Bresson' s Arrg u s ti n e to d e mo n s tra te I r .t'tlorn of thc will is not void through Grace,but is thcrcl'\' it t i s n o t e n ough for graceto bc prescnl ,trt.rtr r.,.t.rl ,l r,,l rl tl .' ' u ' Bu

must chooseto receiveit. Man must clroosc that which has been predestined.Because,Fontaine has previously willed to h" can correctly acceptthe intervention of "r.up" grace through Jost. Because Joan wills to believeher voicesi,,Ho* did know that it was an angel'svoice?,,she is asked.,,Because iou I had the will to O:*r." it," she replies)she can realize grace in death. At the close of PickpockefMichel.comesto an of gracein the ".."it"r,.. personof Jeanne,and he saysto her through thjars, ,,How long it has taken me to come to you.,, The culminant statementof graceis by the country priest,whose dying words ,,All are is If one acceptstranscendental l',race.'/ siyle-, then all is grace, bccause it is grace which allows the proiagonist and the viewer to be b ot h capt iveand f r ee. Civen this theo-logical backdrop, Bresson,s,,pretexts,, rrust necessarily be different than Ozu,s. In Bressonls films, as in (,'hristiantheology, transcendence is an escape from the prison of tlrebody, an " escape" which makes one simultan"ourly ;,fr"" l rom sin" and a "prisoner of the Lord.,, Consequently, the ,rwdreness of the Transcendentcan only .o^" uftu, some degree self*mortification,whether it be a foregoing ,,sins of the 'l oi the lh':;h" or death itself. prison is the dominlnt metaphor of llrt'sson's films, but it is a two-faced metaphor: hii characters are I'oth escapingfrom a prison of one sort and surrenderingto a l,r r,,onof another. And the prison his protagonistsultim;tely r",r.rf)cis the most confining prison of lt, tt*" body. In u ,".,ru, llrt"'son"mortified" his actors;he not only kiiledihem fictionaily, I'rrl ,rlsoartistically, refusing to use an actor in more than one lrlrrr.'The actor had been,,worn out,,; in the next film there was ,rrrr.rv (but similar) actor who had to be mortified. In contrast,Ozu did not feel the need to compare the l.rr,,r.rrlrctweenman and nature, soul and body, to ihut between n l ,rt,,( )rcr and a prison. Self_mortification had iittle place in his Itlnr,, I lrcrewere no chains,bars, persecutions, self_flagellations. I l rr, ' rr. r v body" was available on ear t h; his char act er siid not fft'f'rl lr) rrrr,lr.r1lo the death of the old body. Ozuused a ,,f amily,,
' l \'l r, rr .r.1 ,,1 rl hc w oul d us e C l aude Lay du, the pri es t i n C ountry pri es t, af,,,l " f r', ,," ' ,.1,l i t,tl ,,,N o.H ow c an I? Foi l ourrai I robbed hi m oi w hat 1 .. '1,.1 r,, 111.q1, 1. tl rc fi l m. H ow c oul d I rob hi m tw i c e?,, (qrroted in f f .,,r..,,, ( ,,. rrr.. ' l (obl rt B res s on,,, f i bn euarterl y , X l l l , N o. 1 [S p1i 111,, ,',,.,1 | r

D R E S S ON

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95

of actorswhom he did not "kill off" but put through the same tensionsin film after film. For Ozu grace was neither limited nor runpredictable, but easily availableto all. The awareness of the 'franscendent was for Ozu a way of living, not, as for Bresson,a way of dying. Tnr Atsrnrrrc TRADrrroN: Scnorasrrcrsu

The beginningof AManEscaped and the end of Pickpocket: "Imprisonment is the dominant metaphor in Bresson'sfilms, but it is a two-faced metaphor: his protagonists are both escapingfrom a prison of one sort and surrendering to a prison of another."

Bresson'stheology, his formulation of the problems of body and soul, predestination and free will, grace and redemption,seemsobviously lansenist,but to infer from this, as somecritics have, that his aestheticand artistic influenceswere alsoJansenistis incorrect.]ansenism,like Calvinism, had little feeling for aestheticsor art in general, and almost none for the "visual arts" in particular. Certain art forms were favored by and Calvinism (church music and architecture),and Jansenism therewere maverick "Calvinist" artists (Donne, Revius, Rembrandt),but neither of thesesectsdevelopeda positive aesthetic or promoted any movement in art. "lmages" had little placein their logical theology,* a theology which could lead, in its cxcesses, to iconoclasm.]ansenismcould give Bressonsome of its leann.:ss and asceticism, but it certainly would have had no sympathy for a work of art which sought to expressthe Transcendentin a nonsectarianmanner through imagesparticularly if that work of art consideredits religious subject matter a"pretexl." Bresson,the artist, receivedno aid or comfort from ]ansenism; he had to look elsewherefor his aesthetics. Bresson'simmediate culture was also unable to provide the aesthetics Jansenismlacked.There has been little sympathy in modern culture in general,and cinema in particular, for the spiritual problems which troubled Bresson.There has been, of course,a twentieth-century revival of interest in the relations betweenform and inner meaning in the contemporary arts, and Bresson has been on the forefront of this. But in cinema this has beento a substantialdegreeBresson'screation,not his " tradi tion. "
* "A t l l r, r.rti ()nal i z i ng s tage of rel i gi on," H erbert R ead poi nts out, "w hen 1,,,r,ntc r more than any thi ng el s e an affai r of phi l os ophi r:al c .rrrt' ' 1,, rt'l i 11i ,' r, .rn(l ol , ' r,l r\ r,l rr.rl rnc di ati on, then there i s bound to grow rrp.r l c r' l i rr11 l l r.rt rcl tl ',r,, ' ,,.nr,l r' l ' r' n\o w i th s uC h materi al i s ti C repres enl ,l ti ()....r.. rr,,rrk .,.l .rrl " I 1 ' t ",t' l ' ,"' rr' l y l N ew Y ork : S c hoc k t' rr R ook s , t()r' r' l 1, ' ,,' 1

B R E S SON
96 T R AN SC EN D EN T AL s r YLE

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There have been,however, severaltraditions in Western art which correspondremarkably to both Bresson'stheological problems and his artistic solutions.And although one can never some preliminary be certain where Bressongot his aesthetics, researchrevealsthat although he is alienated,he is not sui generis,andhis particular approachis part of a long, though presently dormant in film, artistic tradition. Ananda Coomaraswamywrites : It s h o u l db e re me mb e red that' E uropeanart' i s of tw o very different kinds, one Christian and scholastic,the and personal.It will be evident other post-Renaissance enough from our essayon Eckhart, and might have been made equally clear through a study of 5t. Thomas and his sources, that there was a time when Europe and Asia could and did actually understand eachother very well.07 The Scholastictradition, of which Dr. Coomaraswamywrites, would have appreciatedthe films of Ozu and Bresson.Ozu and Bressonhave little in com:non theologicallyor culturally, but they the last major both sharein the legacy of Scholasticism, aesthetic. pre-Renaissance Neither St. Thomas nor any of the Schoolmenwrote a but in Art and Scholasticism specifictreatiseon aesthetics, a Scholasticdefinition of art as an extrapolates Maritain Jacques "intellectual virtue,"68a definition which correspondsguite closelyto Coomaraswamy'sdefinition of Asian art as "a delight ."6s" Art seemsto be nothing other than a certain of the reason ordination of reason," Aquinas wrote, "by which human acts Art for rc;rth a determinedend through determinedmeans."70 th e o l o g i a nand A si an arti st sought an i dea l ,t,tl rth t' S c h o l a s ti c i t. n 1 l ,r' .ru ty , .rtu re )w h i c h w a s b o th i n the w orl d and transcended I lrt' St holasticaestheticprovides a common meeting place It w as for Ozu and B resson. l ,' r | .r' ,t,rrr,l We s t, a n d b y e x tensi on, h t' ti cw h i c h h a d becometradi ti onal ,gatheri ngto ., 1r , rrrrrIrr' ,,.rr..,t tl a n o n o f thought w hi l e retai ni ngi ts rr , l l .r r.rrr,,rr.rl i z l()rg rrl rr, rt, r!.1 ,r' 'I l o r rrry s te rYI.deal portrai ture changed:the i dea,but i t w as onl y a a d i s e mbodi ed 1 ,1 ,r,rrIr'|,,,r,r' r' t' r.u n (' r \V l rl l l rc r to t emori dea,theend of artw as , 1 ,,,,r,,r,,1 r1 .,rr humani zed,or r, | ,r,' l ,,,t l ,,,rrrr,l Ity ,rny ral i orral i zed, , ,,1 ,,, ,,1 ,,,,,,,1 .r ,,1l rl ,' A l l .rrl ,l i l .,' ,rl l tl rctrl ogyandstri l ' l ' ,t,' ,

are (to use Augustine's word) "vain"; they are the means to an end, but not to be confusedwith the end. The artist too is a means,and his end is not himself. This aestheticleadsnaturally enoughto an art form, which, Coomaraswamywrites, could be either abstractor anthropomorphic,but was not sentimentalized or humanized.Bresson's use of unsentimentalized form, his pursuit of "mystery" certainly seemspart of this tradition, and would explain his stylistic, although not theological,affinities with Ozu. The Scholasticaestheticis also appropriatefor Bresson's art because it allows a placefor the intellectualformulation of ideaswithin the form. Logic was not opposedto mystery but just anothermeans to appreciate it. The Schoolmen"attempted a task not yet clearly envisagedby their forerunners and ruefully to be abandonedby their successors, the mystics and the nominalists: the task of writing a permanentpeacetreaty between faith and reason."71 This aesthetic, which could serveboth faith and reason in Eastand West, can also serve the seeminglycontradictory gualitiesof Bresson'sfilm-making. Scholasticism, Erwin Panofsky has demonstrated,found its clearestexpressionin Gothic architecture.The Schoolmen defineCothic architectureby its mathematicalunity rather than its Iater expressionist facade.Like St. Thomas' SummaTheologiae the Gothic world sought to createclarity through organization, synthesisthrough form. It represented, Panofsky writes, an "acceptance and ultimate reconciliationof contradictory possibilities."T2 Onthis level one could draw certain obvious parallelsbetween Gothic architectureand Bresson's films. Both enclosed theologicalparadoxeswithin a larger form, both favored the anonymity of the artist, both sought to evoke the final "mystery." The Cothic cathedralmay be an appropriateaesthetic rnetaphorfor Bresson'sfilms, but in artistic practiceits delicate coalitionbetween faith and reasonbegan to break down, more and morc producing not spiritual stasisbut sensualdisparity. (lothir ,rrrlritecture,which guite literally forced faith and reason r r r r t lt 'r to rl rrr , r ur t he sam er oof , event uallycr acked under it s . , t r . nn, rr . r l i rrl t' r . r ndit s pr eviouslycalm r at ional aest het ic becam c (' \,rl ' l : , 'r , r t ,, l. l, illt ling t o cont or t edlines and dist r , r t t 't l f i1, . r r r t 's.

gB

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Artistically, Bresson'sfilms bear more resemblance to Byzantine portraiture, an art form which lived out an aestheticsimilar to before there was the need to createan aesthetic. Scholasticism Tur Anrrsuc TnanrrroN: Byzlurrxr Icoxocupny There undoubtedly are many major and minor artistic traditions which have influencedBressonin one way or another, but the most important, I think, is Byzantine iconography. It has been a common thread in Western and Oriental art and influenced the Scholasticaesthetic;it servesto further strengthen the link between Bresson,Ozu, and the universal form of representation. Like Oriental art, Byzantine iconography was an art of fixed ends,and those ends were spiritual and ideal rather than human and sentimental.The work of art was the means to an ineffable end: "The adoration of the icon," St. Basil stated, "passesto the prototype, that is to say to the Holy person represented."?3 To achievetheseends Byzantine art was anonymous and impersonal.Some icons were describedas pictures "made without hands," formed, rather, by miraculous contact with the original. To enforceanonymity Late Byzantine mosaicistswere enjoined of Christ by ecclesiastical fiat to make their representations conform to certain requirements.This rule, one scholar wrote/ "was designedto promote, not the artistic merit of the mosaic,but the honor of Christ; and sincethe majesty of Christ was the idea, of which the mosaic was the material image, transcendent this rule actually helped to draw the attention of both the Individual nrosaicist and the spectatorto the right quarter."Ta rrrflutnce was/ of course,discernible,but not peremptory; artists (,rnr(, .ilrd went, Byzantine iconography stayed. Ilyzantine iconography was a function of the liturgy. The ..r' ,( l .rl ()r' ,, .rtti tu d eto w a rd th e i con w as the sameas hi s atti tude r ,,rr' ,r,1 | l r rrr,r,;s T.h e i n d i v i d u al becameabsorbedi nto the ,,,1 1 ,,r r' r.,r rl rr . t h e c o l l e c ti v e order hardenedi nto a form, and the | ,,r . r r " l ,rr' ,,.,r' | |r| rt' l ' r' a n s c e ndent. C onsequentl y, the i cons 1 , , ,,,,, . t1 1 ,..,' ,l r. r1 ' rtlh , i e ra rchi calfurther , and further apart from r 1 ,,,,,r l , | ,' t' ,' r' ,rrri l rl rrd a e n d sensati on. " l n the B yzanti neera r l ,r , ri ,,, ,, ,,' ,,1 .,r.' ;' l ,y l r,rc ls , l ow l y but surel y,cl i mbed aw ay from r l ,. ,1 1 ,,,,,| .,,' i rl ,l ,' l tl r,' ,.(' n scs,soari ngeverhi gheri ntoarel i i on

of theologicalsymbolism and, through its images,carrying man,s irnaginationto the transcendentrealm where imageshovered l'retween God and man."75 The Schoolmenwere influenced,primarily through the writings of the Neoplatonists,by Byzantine iconography and its attitudestoward art. Aquinas'artistic contemporaries, the Late llyzantine and Romanesgue painters, may have been aesthetically influencedby Scholasticism but they were artistically stimulated by the Byzantine techniquesthey saw in imported icons and in the work of refugeesfrom the Iconoclasticcontroversies. Byzantine iconographyhas been a continuous influenceon Europeanart. Long after the declineof Byzantium, its art molded painters like Cimabue,Duccio, Cavallini, and Giotto; affectedQuattrocento painterslike Mantegna; and was the basisof Carolingian, Northumbrian, and Ottonian art. Byzantine art often functioned in this manner, breathing fresh Easternlife into stagnating, rationalisticWestern theories.Byzantine iconography may be seento affect Bresson's films in the way it affected European art until as late as the sixteenthcentury (and in some cases, such as Ilouault and Derain, until the present); it brings the force of specific, hieratic, "spiritual" techniquesto a rationalizedorganon. Bressonusesmethods of representationvery similar to thoseemployed by Byzantine painters and mosaicists,and for someof the samereasons.Barth6l6my Amengual has already noted,in passing,the similaritiesbetween Bresson'sfilms and lJyzantineart. In both, he writes, there is the "dialectic of concrete and abstract. . . the proximity, almost the identity, of the sensual and the spiritual, of emotion and idea, of static body and mobile mind."76 The analogy can be carried even further; there are technicalas weii as theoreticaisimilarities between Bresson's films and Byzantine iconography. Frontality, nonexpressive f aces,hieratic postures, symmetric compositions,and two-dimensionality are common to both. The Byzantine mosaicistconstructedthe nonexpressiveface bccarrsc Cod himself was beyond all expression;similarly, lllt':;r,<'rr ur,t's the nonexpressive face to "deprejudice', the viewer,s t lr ', , |. n, . r ,rI I i I rr r d t he Tr anscendentBr . esson's st at em entabout l .rl .i rr1', , r ', .r l, n ir on t o t he im age,"f lat t ening it out , " r . or r ltlr l . . r vc I,r.,.rr r' r r r r . 11 lr y t hc st oglav Council which pr ohil, ir r . , t l lr t .

Frontality in "sensuality of heretics" in iconic portraiture.TT iconography was designed,Agathias wrote, so that "the man looking at the ikon directs his mind to a higher contemplation. No Bressonuses frontality longer has he a confusedveneration."?8 to createa respectful,noncommitted attitude within the viewer which can result in a stasisvery similar to that evoked by a religious icon. The long forehead,the lean features,the closedlips, the blank stare,the frontal view, the flat light, the uncluttered background, the stationary camera,theseidentify Bresson's protagonistsas objects suitable for veneration.When Michel's t crldface staresinto the camerain sceneafter scenein Pickpocket, llressonis using his face-only one part of Bresson'scomplex lilrn-nraking-like a Byzantine face painted high on a temple wall. elv yo k e senseof di stance(i ts i mposi ng, l t ,.rrr:;i rn rrl l ,rrre o u s (the hard-chi sel ed ,rrrd a s tra n g esensuousness tl rr,rl i ty ) l rrc r.rti r .r v ,r,;lmo s a i cor envi ronmentalpanorama)'A nd ' .t, r rr l .r,,. .rn rr,l l ,r,rrl ' ,'tl , re re s to f hi sfi l m-maki ngabi l i ti estobear r' ,l r.rr1 i r,..,,,,,n ,' . rl r rt l .r,r.. rt t.rl r,.. rl ,,ri 1 ' ,h t ful pl acei n the l i turgy. )ust before r 1 ,, 1 ,, rr,.r,,,l l ,r1 r' , . rrrl .rlrl ' tl co n a barren hi l l ock, al most ,,,,1 ,,1 ,,,1 1 ,1 1 .,.,1 ,1 ' ,.l ,.,rr,l ,l ,rl kl ,,tttt' tttrecs,therei si l l trrrJ" ' l rol
,,. f!,. ..rr | , ttttt,,, l'rrr" l tr'ltr, l, , tr'.tll's .t , o111;r11qi1tt,tt I tlttllt.rt

Left to right: Elijah, from a f ourteenth-century Novgorod icon; FlorenceCarrez as Joan of Arc; Christ, from a twelfthcentury Byzantine icon; Martin Lassallein Pickpocket. "'I'he long forehead, the lean features, the closedlips, the blank stare, the flat light, these all identify []resson'sprotatonists as obiects suitable for veneration."

to B yza nt inewall paint ings,such as t he Ascension m osaicat St , Sophia: an agonized,lonely, full figure set against an empty cnvironment,his head hung to the left, wrapped body-obscuring robes,about to succumbto the spiritual weight he must bear. It is possible,but not profitable, to continue this analogy betweenBresson'sfacesand compositionsand Byzantine mosaics .rrrd paintings. One might draw comparisonsto the Christ types in Byzantineportraiture, Christ the Pantokrator, Christ the King of Kings, Christ the Merciful, Christ the Suffering, and so forth, ()r one might comparethe "three-circle" method of Byzantine t o Br esson's p,ri nti nl', light ing. But such com par isons would trvt.r' t t 'r t 'nr lt he value of t he analogy.M ot ion pict ur esar e so rl i l l t' rl r r l I r r r 111 11sg1i6s t hat any r : r com par ison would be ( rtr,r( tr t , r lr ' lit ( '\ son'sf ilm s ar e m O r et han f ilm ic ada't iep5 of l l 1,z.u r t r . ,r (. n. . , jt r stas O zu's f ilm s ar e m or e t lt ar r. , ,r t t r r vr 't . r ior r . ,
rrl " tttttt , l ' , rrl rl t t t l ' t ; .

B R E S SON
TRANSCENDENTAL STYLE

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To mold his modern-day saints Bressondraws on the specifictechniguesof the long-standing tradition of Byzantine art. Thesetechniguesnot only produce certain desired,tried-and-true audiencereactions,but they also link Bresson,s work to a method of representation which has its roots in the East and has been successfully adapted to dozensof cultures.Unlike his other artistic traditions, Byzantine iconography ties Bresson to a universalform which has been used by many artists, among them Yasujiro Ozu. The common historical aestheticand artistic traditions shared by Bresson and Ozu, even though seemingly remote,setsthe stagefor their contemporary stylistic union. A Synrursrs oF TRADrrror.r:IN,recoDsr Bressonis a man of (at least) three traditions. Although it is possibleto delineateeachof thesetraditions and analyze them separately, in the courseof his films thesetraditions must necessarilyjoin and disjoin, forming more or less lasting syntheses.The necessityof cultural syntheses was not so evident in the study of Ozu's films because, although several subtraditionswere noticeable( such as light comedy), it seemed (at least to this Western mind) that he, by and large, adhered to one overriding tradition, Zen, with all its ,,theological,,,aesthetic, and artistic implications.

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ro4

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syntheses is his on of the most inretestint of Bresson's in Dei the concept the Imate o t Cod.In;go is pivotal dpictionof ' any discussion of christirr' *t, .r,a nr.oor,', iJlratlng ot it ," * demonsrrates how he appseasyzantineconcefi;;;;"" fact an artis-t?;i;;;theoloty. The very that Iansenist van der is aletermined, involvedin the Imagof cod conrroversy --. Iaeuw contends, by the fact tfrat fre tfrinr<srustori"t;-

life "3' The Western.Church saw in images(to th extentthat they werePermitted)only instruction,education, and edilication, thr.Eastem church' on the otherhand' saw in imagesmystris which ef{ectsalvation The Eastern Churchnot oniy allowed images but prescribed.the form they shouldtake' Viewedfrom the Romanor Protestant(which woutd also .- , . in-clud theJansenist) entagesin theheresyof PositionBresson

transcendentally.?o In Cr,,i"tr"nity tr,"w".iii" ' "^a tt'" R"i""^"r,both cod Transcendenr i5 ffxedin u.;r'gt" per"o.',

rhe lmaso Deidilemma comes uPin rfte :::l;i'jo"'c'aPhv Ttialofloanof Arc'"the inquisitorasksJoan

ifherfollowers had

['i::llllilffi:::;1,:li::';:il:*H:'i';1,;'"]:Xfr,?". ;*.Tilil,iff;i:i;'t*vi'u'tp""on-*trethecruciar If loanpermitsher,follo$/ers to venerate imats of her sheis of lmago Hirtodcalty, therehavebeentwo interpretarions
" ant, wj th the Roman Dei, Ih Eas rern Orthodox and the protesr churchstraddlingtheareainberween.Both start from a common man point: the originil unity of God and man when God created by in his imaee("Gen. I :0, 27).one camp,which is exemptified churches, rakesas its text Exodus:o:3 which the Protesiant ly rr'" The unity had bee; +"i prohibitsany gmven image. "'"a th Holy.ihis iu[; sir,-dorniiut"d,r,ur,iould not possiblydepicr oi ceffiufcr",ri*t asear\ asthe second viewwas erpressed .om mi tting a doublesift blasphemy (serljnt herselftp agains t with $avehimates Joananswers tyPicalambituity' "l sawone " Bresson, with his own ambituity, herev into th thologvof the j::":*t'aPhk l:,l:::tj":f vvestern Lhurch ',oanwas not only a saint in thPRorhanCatholic *"'.t"""""onized), that is a?ersonwhoslife otrers fh" lilii ed;Iication to thosewho conterhPlate and emulaleit; butshe was also'B'essonsugge-sts, animageinthe Eastemsense-an icon to

been Arerandria,'..rt has pr*.ryro.uiaa** r i','.,i."

decprive arti for theproph"t s!yr,'Thou rh"lr not nak the or in the e;;,h;;;,h.' likeness of anythin' that is in Heaven, ^" favor,beihg arriculatedby This notionhis enjiyed continuou5 -' ,. *..t" *"a"t"" the eithth-cenrurylcon"a*", *p.t*o its most degrees by Anselm,Luther,and calvin, and ir assumed virutent forI,' when Cro-w"1t ru.it,n" s^o"i;-a^d;;; havetak;; a;*iX,1.i.""a relitious statuary.The protestants images uny so.t ,t*ninsrreligious of luttt'o..gii;;;;;;.;;";1ui,' the Roma;';;;;;hwhereas ,nr11s havebeentolerated),

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( ),, I t!, olher hand,the Eastemchurch takesas its proof the incarnation,the fact r' . r l l,,l,t't".,'r! -':6,which emphasizes beint born in I l,,r, .,.1,."'x,1,'wn"takint the form of a seryant, tilms; they havn'tlitured out what sort of herti" tt" i" y"'t. BEyoND PRErExrs

that 's she-should be venerated forher ability to transcend herself' therebyexPressrng an undefined "Transcendent"which is not anysPeciffc"God" B,::t:o"'""1:t be tied down to any onehetesy'he is a , - ,. all his own His techniqus heretic of Portraiturecomfrom Bv^zantium' his theologvof predestinition,free will and gace rromJansenism' his aesthtics rrom scholasticismTo each tradition he btings the virtues of the other, and to cinemahe

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ro6

TRANSCENDENTAL STYLE

natural for the elementsof Bresson'shistorical traditions to to meet a f ormidable oPPonent: for they must PrePare coalesce art of cinema, which with ifs individualistic the "new," s"ns,rul, gualities out of art. The spiritual the traditions has tried to squash each other in a against resulting conflict pits the two traditions bizarre time-machinemanner: Scholasticaestheticagainstmovie ideal portraiture againstindividual portraiture' spiritual aesthetic, refinement against drermaticdevelopment' (The implications of the expression of the spiritual occurring on film, of course' are somewhatinvolved and will be consideredin the Conclusion.) style' It is Out of this struggle comesa new form: transcendental but familiar, is The aesthetic medium. the old aestheticin the new the style is new' On the surfacethere wouid seemiittie to link Ozu and Bresson;neither of them could make films in the other's country without experiencing"culture shock'" They shared,anancient Christian/-Oriental aestheticheritage which had fallen into their common generaldisrepair,especiallyin motion pictures' But the Transcendenton film made that link crucial; iesire to "*p."r, form' The eachtook the old aestheticprinciplesinto a new art in EastandWest, Ozu'sLateSpringand Bresson's, Transcendence ot the transcenoent Th e T ri a l o f l o a n o f Arc :" E o rO zu,the aw areness dying'" of a way Bresson, for living; was a way of

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aesthetic was the same,the medium was the same,and not surprisingly, the resultant style was remarkably similar. Transcendentalstyle, like Byzantine art, is a universal form because it can accommodate different artists and different cultureswithin a common structure.Byzantine art could reach from England and Franceto the Far East; transcendental style can reach to wherever men make movies. The differences which seem so culturally unbridgeablecan both function within transcendental style: frontality can be both Pantokrator hierarchismor it can beZen "politeness"; disparity can be both .rlienationbetween man and nature and man and God; stasiscan botlr [rc a quiescentview of nature and the symbolic icon. -f r.rrr,,, r'n.lcntalstyle can expressthe endemicmetaphors of each . rrl Irrr , r t i. ;like t he r hount ainwhich is a m ount ain,doesn'tseem Io I' t' . ' r r r , r r r r r t . lin, t hen is a m ount ain again; it is alsolike t he r vlr r , r r r lr i .,rr r r nr anis involunt ar ily enclosed, yet f r or r rwhich l )r . , , l. r r l ni1', ht tl rr' rrr ', lr r nr ; t r ', r t l ',lr o. ', ir r 1' of t he soul hc can escn[ r ( t

1O8

T R AN SC EN D EN T AL ST YLT

to enter a"new" prison. In sum, transcendentalstyle can adapt to the Transcendent,which knows it expresses both culturesbecause which is restrictedto its no culture. It i5 not a metaphor it is a form which is universally appreciable. antecedents; At the moment of stasisthe "pretexts" f all away, the Way of Introspection and the Way of Unifying Vision yield to each other. At such a moment (if it is fortunate enough to occur) the style in films is unified with the transcendental transcendental style in any art, mosaics,painting, flower-arranging,tea ceremony,liturgy. At this point the function of religious art is The wind blows complete;it may now fade back into experience. where it will; it doesn't matter once all is grace,

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persistent, overriding assumption: that the transcendental style is the proper method for conveying the Holy on film. This has been assumed,but is it necessarily so? Why do austerity and asceticismstand at the gates of the Transcendent; cannot the Transcendent also be expressed through exuberanceand expressionism?Why is Ozu preferred to Mizoguchi, Bresson to Resnais,Dreyer to Bergman? JacguesMaritain writes, "There is no style reserced to religious art, there is no religious technique. Anyone who believes in the existenceof a religious technigue is on the high road to Beuron."* Is not this essay,with its insistence on "transcendental style," on that high road? This alleged "unique" quality of the transcendental style I have defined should be examined in the light of two pertinent considerations: one, what forms have spiritual expression taken in the past? and two, how do these forms relate to the "new" art of motion pictures? This central question (and its incumbent considerations) inevitably raises theological and aesthetic problems beyond the scopeof this essay,and my intention here, as throughout, is not to pretend any "new" aesthetics,but rather to situate my concept of filmic "transcendental style" within some previous theories.
Jacques Mari tai n, A rt and S c hol as ti c i s m and the Fronti ers of P oefry (N ew Y ork: Charl es S c ri bner' s S ons , 196z ), p. ro5. B eurones e art, dev el oped i n thc rnorr.rs teryat B euron i n the r86os , w as one of the earl i es t "modern arts, .rrr rlw i th i ts pri mi ti v e qual i ti es anti c i pated the pai nti ngs oI C .rugui rr, ( t'z.rrrr ,, . ,rurl K andi ns k y . B eurones e art, how ev er, l oc k ed tht' r' rprt' r;"i < ttt rrrto a s i ngl e form, al l ow i ng no room for rl t.rttl ' ,r' .tttrl ol .,1,rrrtrr,rl rl y r.rpcrrrrr.rrl .rl r.rr C ons i deri ng i ts i ni ti al l y i nnov ati v c s ty l t i l l ' .' ,1 r, rtr.trl .rl ' l y I i ' r' .l r((c e(l i ng art forms . l rttl l r',,1' .,, *

CONCLUSION a52 T R AN SC EN D EN T AL ST YLE

453

THr Sprnrruer rN ARr There are many ways to present the Holy in art; no artist market. Although, as or style has corneredthe transcendental Maritain states,there is no specific"religious technique," he also goes on to say that "It is true that not every style is equally suited to sacredart."1 In any given art some styles are best suited to expressthe sacred,others the profane; and in film no style is better suited to expressthe Holy than transcendentalstyle. What sort of generalconclusionscan be drawn from the checkeredhistory of sacredart? What do the various expressions of the Transcendenthave in common: West African sculpture, Zuni masks,Byzantine ikons, Zen gardens,illustrated medieval meditative manuscripts,Gothic architecture,seventeenth-century verse,morality plays, Rembrandt'spaintings, Henry Moore's sculptures?Is there anything in the history of transcendentalart defined,and then set against which can be extracted,abstracted, the relatively new medium, motion pictures?What distinctions between the Holy and holy feelings have been made in other art forms and do they apply to cinema? The primal, most irreduciblemetaphor for the sacredin art, as I said in the Introduction, is the expressionof primitive religion through primitive art. Many of the technigues which have been used throughout history to exPressthe Holy in art originated in primitive art. Sacredart has often seemedto favor : two-dimensionality, frontality, the abstract primitive technigues line, the archetypalcharacter. As a distinction between the Holy and holy feelings, dichotomy is, at best, only valid however, the primitive-classical in principle; it cannot be applied to either a specifichistorical have 1'r'riodor specifictechniques.RecentanthroPologicalstudies and convention social more deal rcvt,.rlcrl that there was a good intention in primitive art than its first exPonents irrlr.rlrr.rsorr,rl l rt, fo r al l i ts natural i sm,coul d al so l h a t c l a s s i c aa r r r r,rl ,i rrr' ,l ..rrrrl di chotomy has great r,.l T. h e p ri m i ti ve-cl assi cal l, r ' rrrtr.rr,,r,l y i 1 ,i o rrs an, nd one must be carefulnot to r ilr l ' (,r r.i l r( r' .r,, .r t' (' n (' i r' (rl i z a ti o u . r ' rl .r.. rrro Ih a n th a t . .rn 1 ' l l rrn 1 ' , rr' , ,l i , l l rttrtmybe di rectl y I' J .rtl r.r, .rrrl l rr' l ,ri trti l i v t'-tl ,r' ,' ,i.rl
, l . l l,,,ltir .r r lr ' .1 r , r ' , r ! ,r r r ' , ,,.,,,,,1 ) l,,lttr tr lttt",. rrl lt' , 1'rr,,Ir, ,,,,, r',,rrrt.rl l yascri bctl .l rrl l y l tr lt,r t' t' 1 ,,' ,,' rr',t'cl ftl r.l .,"',r,.tl

(secular)purposes.In the long run of history no individual technique can be ascribed to either the sacred or the profane. There are no religious techniques. Byzantine art, for example, maintained that the Holy was revealed through artistic compositions with one focal point, so that the viewer's attention is fixed on the face of the saint; Wassily Kandinsky in his apologia for a "new" primitive art 9oo years later wrote that the spiritual could be revealed through a composition with many focus points, so that the viewer could appreciatethe "inner relationship" of separate,individual shapesand colors.2In another example, seventeenth-century meditative poetry maintained that verse could express the sacred through a didactic proposal, rich description and elaborate metaphor; contemporary poets, on the other hand, who desire to reveal the Transcendent prefer the "split line" and the disjointed metaphor. When applied to film, the question of "religious technique" becomeseven more thorny. The abstract, expressionisticline which works so well in Gruenwald's Isenheim Altarpiece may have a completely different effect in a feature-length film; an architectural structure which is effective in three dimensions may fail completely when used on a two-dimensional movie screen.When compared to cinema, these earlier forms of transcendental art, as I stated previously, can only function as metaphors. Because there are no religious techniques,aesthetic generalizations become important and necessary.A technique or form can only be described as "religious" (or transcendental) when defined in a highly restricted context (Byzantine iconography, sumi-e painting); in order to apply the lessonsof these individual works to another medium one must rely on generalization. Conseguently aestheticiansand theologians have continually revised the original primitive-classical dichotomy, eachadapting it to his own circumstances, eachattempting to keep that important distinction alive and meaningful. Worringer describedit as the distinction between "naturalism" and "style"; van der Leeuw as the distinction between "naturalism" and "asccticism."To Aldous Huxley it was the differencebetween " tratl i tion" and "individual st yle"; t o Benjam inRowland, I r . , it w .rsl l u ' rlrllcr cncebet ween"t r adit ional ar t " and "r r ( ) n lr ', r clit i( ) n. r l at t-" An, l r r r t. r t lr lon. Eachof t hesedist inct ionsir ; lo , , r , r r rtl lt . 1'. r 'r , t .

coN cLUS TON

154 T R AN SC EN D EN T AL ST YLE

a5'

they use artistic techniquesto comment on limited because must be continually on universal principles; the aesthetician do not' In attemPting the principles change, guard; the technigues I art prefer a totally in Io correlrte the forms of the spiritual nonartistic metaphor, one which doesnot rely on artistic but instead refers to types of "good works'" techniques, Maritain described ln Religionand Culture (rSlo) Jacques apply they although two types of "temporal means," and primarily to good works, he also usesthem in referring to artists and theologiins. By extensionthey can also refer to two general artistic for*s, sacredand profane' The first of thesetemporal means,the abundant means (moyens temporels riches),are those which "of their nature demand a certain measureof tangible This type of good work sustainslife in a depraved success."s world: "lt wouli be absurd to despiseor reject them, they are they are part of the natural stuff of human life'" The necessary, abundant means are the meansof the soldier, laborer, and businessman; they are the means concernedwith praticality' goods,and sensualfeelings. physical ^ The secondmeans,the sparsemeans (moyens temprels /tTheless burdened "the proPer meansof the spirit'" pauures),are they are by matter, the more destitute, the lessvisible-the more effi.uciousthey are.This is becausethey are Pure means f or the virtue of the spirit." The sparsemeansare not ordered toward but toward the elevation of the spirit' Being the tangible success "p-p., meansof wisdom," they are the means of the poet and Mozart, Satie,Rembrandt, Dante, Homer' p-hllosopher: St.Thomas. "lt must be understood," Maritain writes, "that there is an rrrder and hierarchy of thesetemporal means'" And the sParse nr('ilnsarc higher than the abundant means: "the world is of dcad weight. It will recoverits youth only through 1,r,ri.;hin1', o l l l rc s p i ri t." Al th o u g h both meansare temporal ,the 1, ,,r,,' rry cl osert< r are necessari l y 1. ,,.,,,,,' k i n g ta n g i b l esucces5, rr' ,,l ,,r' ,.r rI rr' ,r means meansare t' n tl e n ta la rt, the sP arse t 1,,' I l ,,l1 ' I rl .r' I r.rrr' ,t essence of the " l h c the to one gets c l o s e r .rrr,' rr,l l ,' rr1 ' . r l' l ' r' ,.r,
'; r r r lr r ' r l lltt ttt"tt ' l' r lt' tttlr or il nl r " r l t.; r 'r r r l tl oy t'tl l 'r tf ll" i n i ts s er v i c e the t'r n abuntl ar tt f'l t'r ''r l I ,1 ,,,,,r ,r ' lr ,,,, tl ,, ,,, lf,,llt tr r r ' tlt' ,.11( ' ll( ' r ( """llY llt.l t tr tr t t't1tr 'l l :

man who used abundant meansonly to sustain his sparsemeans, and who, when his sparsemeansapproachedtheir end, gave up both temporal means. Similarly, it is possibleto say that sacredart usesboth abundant and sparsemeans.The abundant means sustain the viewer's (or reader'sor listener's)physical existence, that is, they maintain his interest; the sparsemeans,meanwhile,elevatehis soul. The abundant meansin art correspondto Worringer's "natura]ism." These meansare sensual, emotional,humanistic, individualistic.They are characterizedbysoft lines, realistic portraiture, three-dimensionality, experimentation ; they encourage empathy. The sparsemeans in art correspondto Worringer's "style." The sparsemeans are cold, formalistic, hieratic. They are characterizedby abstraction, stylized portraiture, two-dimensionality, rigidity; they encouragerespect and appreciation.These opposing meansare not segregated categories; they are both presentand interwork in any piece of art, particularly sacredworks of art. The artist who wishes to expressthe Transcendentcannot neglecteither the abundant or the sparsemeans,but he must know their priority. The abundant meansmust serve to sustain the sparsemeans,the sparsemeansmust yield to a spiritual awareness. In a Byzantine church the abundant meansare those which enclosespaceand facilitate the liturgy; the sparsemeans are those which, like the vertical line and iconography, demand veneration.Within the Byzantine ikon itself, the abundant means are the variation of color and realistic gesture of the subsidiarycharacters;the sparsemeans are the gold background and frontality of the central character.The ratio of abundant to sparsemeans/of course,varies greatly from one art form to another. The ratio of abundant and sparsemeans can be a measure of the "spirituality" of a work of a.i. The more a work of art can successfully incorporate sparsemeans within an abundant society,the nearer it approaches its transcendental " end." It is not a v('r.yl)recise measure,of course,but at least it is universally appl i ,.r l'lr ' lt can r elat et o any hum an act ivit y, ar t ist ic,social,or phi l t' ,, , '1'lr i, , r L or e applying t his clum sy m easur {'I of iI nr , llef how r.r , ', r , r t r vill be helpf ul t o m ake som egener . r sl. l r t lr r r lr r l.,,r lr or r l I l rt,r t,r r l'. r . rI r\ , ( .nat r t r eof m ot ion pir . t r r r c. i.

I r r 1, 1f,, l' ,,,11"r 1r It",r r l' lt,r lr r tr ttr tll,l,1r ",,r r l' r ' llr t

1" r r " r 'r r r r " l l l r ;

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CONCLUSION

457

a56

TRANSCENDENTAL STYLf

CINn"re AND THEAnrs: Two Ovsnvrrws In his study of the Holy in art, Gerardus van der Leeuw traces the history of the major arts from their origins in religious state' At its beginnings each art practice to the present secularized form was one with religion but throughout the centuries progressively suffered a "breakup of unity." The ceremonial religious danceevolved into the sacerludus,lhe sacerludus subseguently subdivided into bourgeois drama and liturgy, the liturgy in its progressional turn became popularized; throughout history the constant trend of art is from the sacredto the profane. with its emphasison naturalnessand individual The Renaissance, effort, usually takes the rap for the "breakup of unity," but van der Leeuw points out that this trend Soesas far back as "the great heretic Akhenaten" who gave Egypt's gods the sculptural faces of his family.a Only rarely in the history of art, van der Leeuw contends, have talented artists been able to resist the trend and return to the religious origins of art' toward secularizatiori Van der Leeuw doesnot discusscinema in his study' It is quite crucially the only major art form which does not fit into his schema.Motion pictures were not born in religious practice,but instead are the totally profane offspring of capitalism and technology. If a religious artist in cinema attemPts to go back to his origins, he will find only entrepreneurs and technocrats'* When the Holy tries to enter into the cinema,the intrinsically profane art, there are bound to be some unusual consequenceswhich van der Leeuw did not anticipate' consequences In his essay"The Ontology of the Photographic Image," Andr6 Bazin,unlike van der Leeuw, contends that there never w'r" an original unity between religion and art, and that art (in this .ure, puinting) has always been torn between two ambitions: "on", the primarily aesthetic, namely the expressionof spiritual rr',rlitywhrerein the symbol transcendedthe model; the other,
. I lr r . csic1 , o f th e o r ig in a l u n ity of art and rel i gi on has been so strorrl ; Pr t n . r | ( r itir isn r th a t so m e wr ite r s ca te gori cal l y refused to admi t the o l ,r 1 ,r r > { ,r n e a r t. T we n ty years after the i nventi on of moti on l , , r ,,,.r l,r lr tV ari se and l . t i r *r ,., Al,"...,r r r ,lr ol) r ' lla Se ta wr o te: "A rt w i l l then never , 1 .r.tr ,1 , .r n r r ' r ,t'u * n tr r r ltr s il h a s a foundati on i n rel i gi on. A rt absol ul cl y taste of the spect'rtor 1 , , 1 r r r r r n r ,r tl' ,r , .r r l l' r ,ttr lo sa tisfy the aesl heti c .rl ,.,ol rrtel ynever exi rl Itl l r.r,, arrtl h isto ry r r r lIr r I,ilr r r ..r l,lr . ilil,,Ir ,, i.. r',,, ' .",,' ,,1 .' \r r ll,,r r ,l,' r r l. l.lJr r w i rr. r'1r,11,1' 1''1.

purely psychological,namely the duplicarion of the world outside."sFrom their beginningsthe graphic arts demonstrated both theseambitions: one, the primarily aesthetic, in the Byzantine ikons, the other, purely psychological,in the Egyptian death-masks."Great artists,of course," Bazin adds, ,,huu-"-ul*uy, been able to combine the two tendencies." Like van der Leeuw, Bazin felt that the spiritual in art gradually succumbedto the "duplication of the world outside.,, Although the "purely psychological" had always existedit did ,,perspective,,, not come into dominanceuntil the Renaissance. he writes, "was the original sin of Western painting,,, and from that time on the spiritual guality of art steadily diminished. Eachoverview, whether monistic like van der Leeuw,sor dualisticlike Bazin's,holds that the spiritual guality in art suffered its declineat the expenseof "realism," the duplication of either external or internal reality. Art has always been excitedby the challengeof realism: the bison came off the walls and became sculptures,the sculpturesbecamephotographs,the photographs moved. Eventually the artist, in his desireto imitate life, attempted to reproducephysical existenceitself, not like the Greeksjust to portray the highest sensualform. Victor Frankenstein's mad dream was a Gothic extensionof a dream shared by many artists of his age: to artificially recreate human life and its external surroundings.The urge to duplicate the externalworld was accompanied by an urge to duplicate the internal world. The romantic artist scrutinizedand dutifully recordedhis own feelings;he was accountableto no other realitv than his own. The myth of the "artist personality,,came into fuil bloom, resulting in both the psychologicalpicturesgueand impression,romantic verse and the psychologicalnovel. Sypher has noted the similaritiesin nineteenth-centuryrealism anj romanticism; the romantic work of art, though verging on total fantasy,was only realism turned outside in.6 In their pursuit of reality the arts openly covetedeach other. The arts of spaceenvied the arts of time and vice versa. rt h t'rcatedsequentialpaintings to simulate time; Balzac Ho1i.r rrr. lr rr r lous u:;t' tl paint er ly descr ipt ions t o evoke space. Eachar t I t 1, , " i r,., . r 'r '. r lismanot rl r' ., " herdim ensioncould of f er , : r . d t he torrl rrrr r r r r', l'r ', ur h f or an ar t which could be r eali: ; li,ir r l, . llr : ; P. rtt.

I !

l-58

CONCLUSION

TRANsCENDENTAL srylE

459

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and time certainly engenderedthe arts' progressiveplunge into reality. Cinema, the duplicatory art in spaceand time, changedall this. Sypher's cursory contention that cinema threw every other art into the twentieth century and remainedwoefully in the nineteenth itselfTis a crucial idea in the history of film and contemporary art, and one which has yet to be fully explicated. Motion pictures have the immediate senseof reality that the arts had so often prostituted themselvesto obtain; their axioms were the unattainablegoals of realism.Although there still are realistic heights to attain (holographic cinema,for example),cinemahas at least temporarily halted the artistic lust for likeness.If the original sin of painting was perspective, Bazin writes, then "it was redeemedfrom sin by Niepce and Lumiire. In achieving the aims of baroque art, photography freed the plastic arts from their obsession with likeness.Painting was forced, as it turned out, to offer us illusion and this illusion was reckoned sufficient unto art. Photography and the cinema on the other hand are discoveries that satisfy, onceand for all and in its very essence, our obsession wit h r ea l i s m ." s Cinema short-circuited the desire to duplicate external reality-no longer would a painter or novelist strive for the realism cinemainherently offered-and plunged the desireto duplicate internal reality into a deeper,more complex level. Cinema was also,as Hauser wrote, "the final step on the road to profanation."eIt canonizedthe human, sensualand profane: it t clebratedthe realisticpropertiesof the nineteenth century while thr'other arts went on to explore the twentieth. From its outset t irrcrrr.r exemplifiedthe abundant means.Imitative, r'' l, | {',,{'n t.rI ional, experiential,it could produce instant empathy. I lri,;pccrrliarhistorical perspectiveof cinema-its of " chronol ogi calreverse." l, r rrl . rrr r ' ,,ri f i rr.,,-c a np ro d u c ea s e n se I r ' | 1, , . , . r.,r. r' l I rl rrr-rn a k e rs l i k e O z u a nd B resson, ci nemadi d not 1, , , , , r r , ,l ,r,' t:r,..,,.i v r' l y p ro fa n e ,i tb e cameprogressi vel ysacred. In r l, , l, r r,' r1 ,' l l rl rrrl l rr' .;s o n c a me a fte rD reyerw hocameafter | , , , , , , ,, , 1 rr .r' ,rl rrrtl rr.l ri s to ryo f p ai nti ng the B yzanti ne
il., t. , ,,r1, l, , , r , , , r , , r r t , 1, 1,, . . r r r r , . r lt r . r t lr t , ( lot hic ar <l r i t r . t t w h o c a m e a f t e r r , , 1, , r , , . , i1, 1, ' 1p , , . r 1 'l l rl . lr rr l ', , , ; 6 n , w h o s c f i l r r r . ; i . r r r , , , , , , 1, , , , , 1 r , , , 1. , , r r . , I , , r r r r lr , . , l. r r , l r . r r r . l r c t lt h c w o r k o l

Spiritual cinema has had to continually draw away from its potentials; being "abundant,, at birth, it had to diicover the "sparse." TnexscevorNrer Sryre ; Aauuoersr eruo Spansr Seen in this historical perspective, the techniques of transcendental style come into cleirer focus. Transcendentar style differs from the previous forms of transcendental art in ,h";;;; way cinema differs from the previous artistic media. Transcendental style adapts the theory of abundant and sparse means to cinema. Transcendentalstyle, quite obviously, operatesin time; it must sustain the viewers,sinterest from one to ihree hours. Conseguentlytranscendentalstyle is not a fixed relationship betweenabundant and sparsemeans like sculpture, but a fluid interaction creating a temporal as well as spatial rhythm. It gradually can use iess abundant and more ,purr. means, drawing the viewer from the familiar world to the other world. Transcendentalstyle, therefore,has three steps; it is a progressionalrelationship.It can have the sameeffect as that upon a viewer who walks through a Byzantine church, moving from the abundant to the sparseartistic means. In cinema, however, it is the art which moves past the passive viewer; it can take him from abundant to sparsemeans. O^" raluy to determine the "spiritual guality,, of a cinematic styie, therefore, is to examine the manner in which it disposesof its inherent abundant meansand substitutessparsemeans. The transcendentally-minded film_maker finds himself in a unigue position: he must properly disposeof a surfeit of abundant means (cinema,sinh"ru"t ,,re"lis*,,;. He cannot ignore --or neglect these means, but must turn them to his advantugel cinema may have freed the other arts from their desire to imitate life, as Bazin and Sypher contend,but it did not free itself. In fact, Bazin writes, cinema thereby acguirednew chains to the "o[,scssionwith reality,,, This unique allianceof media and alrrrrrrl.rrrt meanshas its advantagesas well as its drawbacks. On rrrr' l r' rrr'l "I ir it ual cinem awas f r eed f r om t he need t o pr ost it ut e , i l st' l l rlr . rl( ) achieve a sense of , , r ealism . ,Bef or et ir e aclvent ' 'r (rf rrr,.rr,.', r , r t , r ir r r eligiousar t ist sat t em pt edt of ir st r r r , . r t r . t ht . i l l rr,,r," r, 'lt lr . r r r nr ilncnt ,t hen br r , . r kt hai illusior r . l lr . r r . l, v

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C ON C LUS I O N

r6t

revealing the Transcendent.Brrt, ri;",""r, ;;;:: ":::"spent most of their energy unsuccessfully creaiing the illusion which they never could successfully"break." Because the transcendentally-minded film-maker already has the illusion at his disposal,h".an go immediately to the next stage,attempting to break the illusion. However, the religious film-maker cannot ignore the abundant in the way other artists can. A transcendentally-minded painter like Kandinsky, for example, could functionally ignore the abundant means.For him, the abundant meanswere given; they were the physical gallery where the spectatorstood.The canvasitself could be totally sparse,the interplay of abstractforces.Because the cinemais an imitative art in time it not only createsthe abstractpainting but the gallery as well ; a transcendentally-minded film-maker simply cannot dismiss the abundant meansout of hand. A motion picture, from its first frame, has great potential empathy; one of the functions of transcendentalstyle is to use that empathy as potential and keep it at that level. The audience has a natural impulse to participatein actions and settingson screen;a film-maker employing transcendental style can use these given abundant means,this natural empathy, to hold the audience in the theater as he gradually substitutessparsemeans for abundant. In transcendental style sparsemeans are, to a large degree,simply a refusal to use the availableabundant means. There is no great need to invent new abstract forms; sparseness can be achievedby gradually robbing the abundant means of their potential. Transcendentalstyle must always ride this thin Iine: it must use the given abundant means to sustain audience irrtcrcst,and it must simultaneouslyreject the empathetic r .rI ion.rlcfor that interest in order to set up a new priority. And | ,r'(.rrr,.(' t lrc abundant potential of films is so great, its rejection can | ' r ' r ' r , r.rr I' r' r,,rte r. lrr .r filrrrof spiritual intent it is necessary, therefore,to l, , , , . ur, r,,.r r,' ,l .ry ,rrrd a d i s p a ri ty; th ere can be no i nstant stasi s. I l' , , I' r' tl r .rtl l re re to s th e s u perfi ci al ," real i sti c" 1 ' ,1 .r1 ' ' ,.r il| r ,rrrcs l i mu l ta n e OU slundermi y neS them. A l. ' , ' l' , I trr.,. ' rr,' rrr.r ,,,, r . rI.rrrr I i rrrr)l o d i a te g rati fi cati onsfrom afi l m: a " -;' r rrtrrl ,l , r, rl rty , l ,rttrra ls r rrcty,,< trn1-rrchensi bl e ',,,,,{,
, ', t , i r ,r r ,, r ' t I r , ,,' r ,, ! ., llr , ..,,.rrrrrr,'r r ornpensati orr,,, ' ,,,1 .r 1 , 1 ' 1 ,r vitlr ,., tl' , , r ,r 1 ' r vlr r , lt r r ' ,"r l,l n,'rl rr.rl l l ',,rrr,ttt'. l -l r,' ' tl,; l rrrt

"reality" of everyday is so thoroughly stylized that it is unreceptiveto the sortof empathy which naturally follows a senseof comprehensible environment. It is a textbook example of the proper use of abundant meansin sacred art: the abundant meanscreatean environment (on screen) and an audience(in the theater)in which sparsemeanscan operate. At the srageof dispariry the ctnflict between abundant . and sparseartistic *uu:: becomesapparent_and disturbing_to the spectator.This conflict i, p"rro.,ifi"d by the protagonistihere is a product of abundant means,a man in realistichuriun fo.m whose physical needsare like our own, yet whose conduct is a model of sparseness. There is a disparity of artistic means: there are abundant imitative techniques__the protagonist and his surroundings; and there is the cold, ,pu.r" stylization which supersedes thesetechnigues, Again, t.ans.erriental style usesa minimum of abundant meansto sustain a film in which the means are becomingincreasinglysparse. Transcendentalstyle theoreticallysubstitutes sparse meansfor abundant; just how s,rc..srful it is in this efftrt can be determinedby the decisiveaction. It is clearly an abundant rn"unr. a dramatic or emotional action whlch cries out for audience empathy. Yet, if transcendental style is successful, the film will at -' this late point be so bare, ,o rp^rr" that an abundant t".l,r,iqr; will have no context to relateio. In the transformed order of artistic meansthe empathetic,dramatic devicenow seemsout of place. Stasis, of course,is the final example of sparse means.The image simply stops.The abundant means have been shown to have little purpose; the sparsemeans, now dominant, will soon give way to the end of the film. The transcendental style will have, it is hoped, set the viewer in motion, moving from abundant if proceedingdown the aisteoT a Byzanrine ::-1llir:^T.u..r,,u: cnurch. When the image stops,the viewer keeps going, moving deeperand deeper,one might say,into the image. This is the " nri r' ,rt l t" 'of sacr edar t . I f it occur s,t he viewer f , as m oved p, 11, 1 thc 1,oi 111 r vher eany, , t em por alm eans, ,( abundant or sl) . ) r , , , . ) ,r,. of arr1,.rr jl '. r llc has m oved beyond t he pr ovince of ", t ' I l r , . r l, ove schem a, of cour se, i, ier y r oul, lr; ir , l, , , , . , 11, , 1 .tl l or,,'l .r t lr r ' , , t r b1ls inlaaplay of . . , 1- r , , n, lan, , ur ( r , . i,, . . t . r r , . , r l rvl ri ,l r, r,. , 1'1, . llr r . llar r sccndent . , , ) , , u, , l. ur .l, ll, 1\ , 1( 1( r r r |, , 1

7 62

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interest over a period of severalhours. But if transcendental style from abundant to sparsemeans,it is able to createthis movement has satisfiedat least one universal definition of spiritual art within a "new" medium. It has set a spiritual processin motion.* OvrnesuNoeNr Mtens: rHr Rrrtctous FIn"r If transcendental style represents the proper ratio of abundant to sparsemeans,it stands to reason that there should then be films overweighted to either side of the ratio, films which use either overly abundant or overly sparsemeans.The "religious" film, either of the "spectacular" or "inspirational" variety, provides the most common exampleof the overuseof the abundant artistic means. Those interested in conveying the Holy on film were among the first to attempt to turn the profane medium to sacred ends. Lumiire filmed the PassionPlay at Horitz in Bohemiain fi97,Mllibs made a fantasy of Christ walking on the waters in :89g, andZeccacreateda dramatic film titled The Prodigal Son in r9or. Sincethen film-makers have continually attempted to set the spiritual directly into film. The habitual failure of such "spectacular" and "inspirational" films stems to a large degree from a logical but mistaken notion about the relation between one, cinematicand spiritual reality. Accepting two assumPtions, as Ayfre writes, that "the role of cinema . . . is to causein the and the other, by spectator. . . the illusion of the Sacred,"to otrr Durgnat, that "just becausethe moving photograph satisfies senseof reality, it is an ideal medium for making fantasy seern
+ T h e r e a r e m a n y wa ys o n e m ig h t d e scr.i bethi s "spi ri tual process." I h'ri "' u s e d M a r ita in ' s te r m s "a b u n d a n t" a n d "sparse means" because they l r'tr" a u n i ve r sa l va lu e . Be ca u se th e se te r m s can be appl i ed uni versal l y, how t'r" t h e y l a ck p r e cisio n wl- r e na p p lie d to sp e c i fi c fi l ms D onal d S kol l er, i n 'tn a r t i c l e o n Br e sso n ' s film s, o ffe r s a m o r e fi l mi c descri pti on of thi s "sl 'i 'i t,','l p r o c e ss." He a lso d ivid e s Br e sso n ' s film s (i n thi s case, A Man E scnyt'11 i r r t o t hr e e sta g e s wh ich r e ve a l a "p r o g r e ssi ve puri fi cati on of the vi r'tr'rl " l r r h i s tcr m s, th e sp ir itu a l p r o g r e ssio n fr om abundant to sparse m("rtr" r' ".r rt{ 1" l , ) lu n ( ' y th r o tr g h n a r r a tive , g r a p h ic, and fi nal [y pl asti c l evel s "'1' . 1 ,| 1 r t1 1 1 1 llr , r ' r o p h a se s o r zo n e s o f th e spi ri t, thcl rr"r'l vcs, throrrl 'l ' 1"rr''l l ' l , , r r i r r . r lr r n r r ) ( l,r litr ( ' s.Ile { [o r r ta ir r e ,th e p rot,rt',"rrr"tl l t,r"1l ol reItty"rr'l I ' r ' , , . r r r ,l.,| .r r l llr ttr .r r r a tivcr tr d g r a p h ir 1'l '.' , ,'l l rl rrr i trl o.t tr"rl trr
, f,,,, t,',.,t , , ,1 tlrrnl'., l. rt' rrr ' ,rr, l,lrrr' ':l ptt l,y ,r'ttlcrl lr,,l'trt irr llrt'ir llrr"'r,rr.' ('1,',( tr,( I l 1""" ! ""t'tl ," ,r ( ittt trr''lr' l\. Nu I ll 'll tttt)tt'|t

real,"tt the courseof action for the religious propagandistwas clear : he wouid simply put the spirituai on fiim. Th-e film is,, real,,, the spiritual is " on" film, ergo : the spiritual is real. Thus we have an entire history of cinematicmagic: the blind are made to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, all on camera. A classicdemonstrationof this false syllogism occurs in Cecil B. DeMille's The T en Commandments(rg56) .In the title sceneMoses is on Mount sinai and God is off-screen to the right. After somepremonitory thundering, God literally pitches thJ commandments, one by one, onto the screen and ihu awaiting blank tablets. The commandments first appear as small whiriing fireballs accompaniedby the sound of u.urhing wind, and then quickly-building in size all the while-zip acrossthe screen and collide with the blank tablets.puff! the smoke clears,and the tablet isclearly inscribed.This sort of chicaneryapears in a slightly lessridiculous manner in the low budget ;inspirational,, films. In the Billy Graham feature, The Restless Heart, for example,the cosmicfireball is replacedby a miraculouscure and conversion. In casethe viewer may have missed the significance of theseacts,a cherubic child appearsto inform him tiat, yes, God still does work miracles.Normally, the spectatordoes not have "faith" in either of thesemethods.The slapdashconversion is just as unconvincing as the divine fireball. He knows that the overhanddelivery of the commandmentswas not conceived in heaven, but in some film laboratory, and that the miraculous cure was not due to divine intervention,but to a heavy_handed scriptwriter. With the exceptionof some of the more fraudulent DeMille-inspired sex-and-sandepics, many of these films genuinely hope to inspire religiousbelief. 'ihese religious films, Iike the films of transcendental style, use a decisiveaction to crystallizetheir intentions.Abo,tseven-eights of the way through the "miracle" occurs, Lazarusplods from hi, .ulru, the music soars;why is there no spiritual belief? The truth is, of course,that filrrrsdo induce a belief; the weeping millions thes<' who saw A Mnrr( rrllr'tl[,etcr can testify to that. nut this belief cannot I l y I 'r .. *; tr ibed t o t he Wholly O t her ; it h.rrr' ., is m or e acct r r a t ely an ,t[l i rrrr.r l r \ r ' r r ', , 1) ( ) nse t o a congenial com binat ionof r ir r t . r r rlit ,r ( ()rl f{r, f .r lr t 1, . r r r"h<t r l ly" f eelings. Ant l f or t hc nr . r r r 1, r \ , lr o, r , ( luil( .

n
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u
thesefilms no more from sacredart than an emotional experience, are sufficient. The conventionalreligious film uses a style of amplifies the identification rather than of confrontation. The style viewer abundant artistic meansinherent to motion pictures: the empathize is aided and encouragedin his desireto identify and viewer two the or hour an For plot, and setting' with character, his personal screen; on can become thai suffering, saintly Person noble' and problems, guilt and sin aie absorbedby humane' the romantic drama' purifying ilotiu"r. The spiritual drama, like drama' A human for the metaphor escapist t".o^", "r, is avoided' The spiritual confrontation between the human and but the decisiveaction is not an unsettling stylistic shock' the film' It culmination of the abundant means used throughout achieved can be spirituality fulfills the viewer's fantasy that The vicariously; it is the direct result of his identification' especiallyif abundant meansare indeed tempting to a film-maker' easehe can make he is bent on proselytizing' With comparative agoniesof Christ and trials the with an ardent atheistsympattize he has brought level' But he has not lift;d tile viewer to Christ's Christ down to the viewer's' The film-maker intent on expressingthe Transcendent eliminate the must take the other courseI he must gradually them' The behind abundant means and the earthly rationale if' at the decisiveaction' moment of confrontation can only occur If the "miracle" can bt the abundant meanshave lost their power' or sociologicaf seenin any humanistic tradition, psychological By Transcendent' the with th" uiu*u. *ill avoid a confrontation cr("rlr' can of time' cinema rejecting its own potential over a period and sparsemc'rrr" abundant the set can It u ,*yl" o"fconfrontation' seempreferable' fu." to face in such a way that the latter film is somethinli This seeminglyself-evidenttruth about and theologians' van der Leeuw which many aesthet-icians der Leeuw backs tr1'l'i" included,have failed to understand'Vatt the deepestnaturt' ol corrtcntionthat "rigidity better expresses .tt hi s onl y comntt' rtl llr ir r li sth a n d o c s Il o v e m e n t" b y s ta ti ng'i n " ,r(" ;th c ti c a l l y a n d h u m anl y' the puppet theatt' r.. , ( r n, ' tn .r,l l r,rt that fi l ms w .rrl ' l l " r . r ' 1" ,l ri l ' l r.t l l r.rtrl l rr' t i " tl ma ' " t' H e asstl mccl
rr ,, l r r, lr ' ,l lo .r l' tltr ' l' r ttl ' l ; , ,,' 1 ,1 , ,".,' lr r ' r l ' r r lislit' n lciln c tltt' llir ttt' ;"ttu l rel l tt"'t rrl "l l t('( 'l l l "r'l l rcy w i l l r tl r' rr l l ' rl l 'rl l 'l )1'1"'

CONCLUSION

,t

'

( ) v c r . r I 'r r r r .r f r r Im e a n s: C h a r l to n H e sto n i n Th e Te n C o m m a n d m e n ts. " l l r t 'r 'r r r ',.r r tr ,r r r .r l l i g i o u s fi l m u se s a styl e o f i d e n ti fi ca ti o nr a th e r re l l r . r r , , , r ,l r "' r ,rt r () n . l t fu l fi l l s th e vi e w e r 's f a n ta sy th a t sp i r i ttr a l i ty r :a n I r r .. r ,I 'r , t , ,l .r , .r rr r r r tsl y."

CONCLU9ION

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sparsestylized faces,would naturally "rank higher." But just the cinema was so much more opposite proved to be true: because "abundant" than puppet theater,it could also be more "sparse," it was so liberated in technique,it could be more stylized. because In cinema'sunique ability to reproducethe immanent also lies its unique ability to evoke the Transcendent. Ovrnspens; Mre.us: rnr, Srlsrs Fnr"r A good work can be of "oversparse" means if it fails to sustain life until the process of spiritual purification occurs. The aescetic who starveshimself to death out of repentancerather it won't accePt than faith, the church which folds because means. contributions, thesewould be victims of overly sParse "Oversparse" doesnot mean "oversacred."These means,rather, are not oversparse in principle but in particular: they are too sparsefor the particular individual or organization to which they have been applied. In cinema, therefore, oversParsemeans would theoretically be those which cannot sustain an audience' Oversparsemeansin this context should not be mistaken for lack of popularity or small box-officereceipts;instead,oversParse too quick. An oversparse means are those which are too sParse film doesnot allow the viewer to Progressfrom abundant to sparsemeans.It reguirestoo much of him, demanding instant stasis, and drives him figuratively (and often literally) from the theater. lnFiIm Culture there has been a debateover a type of filnr which might be called "oversparse." P. Adams Sitney originally describedwhat he calied "structural film," and GeorgeMaciunas more accurately redefined it as "monomorphic structural film," film "having a single simple form, exhibiting essentially one structural pattern."rs Within this general category of .,.ronornorphic films there is a subcategoryI would call stasisfilrrr'. 'l style, are simply extendccl hc films, in terms of transcendental ,,t,r,,ir;; of life through a duration thcy examinea fro?en view
ol lrrttr..

that of the constantly self-restricting camera which examines the still view closer and closer. Bruce Baiilie's stirl Life isa one-shot, fixed-frame, two-minute study of what the titre implies, a still life consisting of a tabletop, a floral arrangement, and iome table objects.Stan Brakha ge'sSong 27, M{Morntain isa 1o_minute film study of a Rocky Mountain p"uli frorn various anqles. Sitnev reports that Harry Smith orr." ,rrgg"rted to Warhol thlt he fih j Iengthy fixed shot of Mount Fuji,-ii which caseone would have a concrete caseof a transcendental style stasis film_the isolation and prolongation of an Ozu coda. I don't want to condemn or belittle these films; I would simply like to suggest that, in terms of transcendental style, they empioy overly sparse artistic means. Transcendental styie buildi a spiritual momentum, progressing from abundant to sparse artistic means. To achieve this effect it uses and progressively rejectscertain abundant movie devices:character derineationand interaction,linear narrative structure. The stasis films reject even this level of abundant means; they begin at stasis.Transcendental s.tyleinduces a spiritual movement frJm everyday to stasis; stasis films reguire that that movement be arready compreted.Earlier in this essay I referred to Warhol,s static films (Steip, Eat, Empire) as everyday films; they may also be described as stasis films. In Zen terms, both everyday and stasis are the ,,mountain.,, Warhol's static films can be thought of as either everyday or stasis films, brt, importantly,I do not think they .urri" t't o,rght of as both, effecting movement from one to the tther. And movement from abundant to sparse means is our working definition of sacred art. In order to be effective stasis films reguire a special knowledge and commitment on the viewer,s part. Unless the viewer has a knowledge of past achievements in film and art, and a commitment to explore the spiritual through art, he .urr.,o, appreciate the innovation or intention of the-se films. stasis films, unlike films of transcendental style, cannot operateon a ,,cold,, unprcpared viewer and take him to another level. It is in this serrsc t lr.r t the overly sparsestasisfilms cannot sustain an attdi r,rr, r. '
' A rr rr'1',,' r.r rt (l i s l i nc ti on mus t be made here: thes e s l as i s [i l nr; .rrc onl y (tv(t..1,.,,..,t,,tlrr.r.x tc ntthatthey fal l i ntothes amc c atc l ,()ry .r,, l rl rrr.,oI It'rrr"" r"l ' "r 'l "ty l r" t w arhol ' s nev c r-fi rr.r' a I' ' j i y ,rrrr.r rrrrr r,.r,r,,rrr' l rr

I
lr
,l

I lr c r r r o"l f . r t r t ot t sof t hes e "s t asi s f i l m s " i s M i c h a e l S r r t 't v l,r rl l r,rr rt l Vr rr r r ' / r ' rrr,l / r , whic h is a 45- m i n u t e u n i n t e r r u p t e d z o o r r r .!, ,,r'. ..ur . r l, . lr lt r r . nl l, , lt . t lr c l"int o" a It l r t l l o g r a P h o f t h e s c 'r r',,,,,,,1 lr ' 1l' , 1, , , t t ' . , 11 | lr t ' < , r ' t ' r li, lir , l' l t r r t v t 'l n e n t o f t h c f i l r r r r "

l68

T R AN SC EN D EN T AL ST YLE

coNclusroN

169

A Frxar DrrturrroN or TneNsceNorNler Sryre There is an entire spectrum of abundant artistic means leading to sparseartistic means,just as there is a spectrum <lf holy feelings leading to a final transcendent attitude. If one did not make this admissionhe would indeed be on the high road to Beuron. Spirituality in art must have room to move, to change with the times and the arts. The best definition of spiritual art is one that is similarly in flux. It is situated on the spectrum of temporal meansand may from time to time mclveon that spectrum. In each art and age the transcendental finds its proper level and style. Sometimesthat style usesmore abundant means, sometimesmore sparsemeans.In film, at present,that level is transcendental style. It represents that point on the spectrum at which the Transcendentis most successfullyexpressed. If it used more abundant means,it would be lessHoly; if it used more sparsemeans,it would be solipsistic. Spiritual art must always be in flux becauseit represents a Breatermystery, also in flux, man's relationship to the Holy. In each age the spectatorgraspsfor that specialform, that spot on the spectrum, whether in art, religion or philosophy, which can take him to the greater mystery. At present, no film style can perform this crucial task as well as the transcendental style, no films as well as the films of Ozu and Bresson.To expector settle

for any less from film in general, or the films of ozuand Bresson in particular, underestimates and demeansthem. Transcendental style can take a viewer through the trials of experienceto the expressionof the Transcendent;it can return hi_ to from a calm region untouched by the ""p".i"r." vagariesof emotion or personality.Transcendentalstyie can bing us nearer to that silence,that invisible 'mage, in which the p"arallellines of ."itgt"" and art meet and interpenetrate.

t o e v o ke th e sa m e a wa r e n e ss a s L a te A utumn, then i t w oul d have n e c e s sa r ily fa ile d fr o m o ve r sp a r se n e ss: there si mpl y w oul d have been no a t t e m p t to se t th e sp ir itu a l p r o ce ss in moti on. B ut most stasi s fi l ms, rather t h a n be in g a n e xte n sio n o f tr a n sce n d e n tal styl e, are a di fferent breed of l i l r n , r lto g e th e r . T h e b e st o f th e sta sis fil ms (those by Gehr, Landow , l r , r t t t r lo ll) a tte m p t, if I u n d e r sta n d th e m, to evoke a transcendental , r r v . r r ' n ( .1 .,. in a m e th o d clo se r to co n te mporary pai nti ng than to the fi l mi c I r . , r . . , . r r ,l, n t.r l r ;tyle . I th in k, fo r e xa m p le, that a fi xed-tri pod-zoom fi l m l r l . , I r r r r ,. ( ,ch r ", licr e n e Ve lo city ( a 5 o -mi nute shot of a corri dor qui ckl y r r r t r r r t t,,,r r \..r tr ,,r r rzo o m p o sitio n s) , woul d be better served rear_proi cr.l r.,l ' , , , ' , , ,r r 1 .r lllr 1 ,' r lr o r n e ' th a n in a m o vie theater. Li ke K andi nsky, thesc r , t , , , , ,,,1 1 ,r r l' ,..r l' r r n jsn t m e a n s as gi ven and operate onl y w i thi rr ,,( , ,' ( lir ,. .' l,.r r r , is n o t to d e mean the fi l m-pai nter, but to t,,, l , ' , , , ,,,, t, t,,,,, t,,,r ,, tlr r . lr lr r r m a ke r o f transcencl ent.rl styl e. Of al l th,, r. t.1 ,,, ,r ,,1 , r f.lr , lr .r ,.l I' r r o w lt,r ,; t. onrr.r l o,,r'..tl o transcendcrrt,rl .,tl l ,. , ,, r /, ,,,,11 ,, ,r ,.r \' r r r l,r r l l,r ,r .r ,,'l vrrry..r nr,!v l r.tnsccnrl rrrt.rl ..tr,l ,. :, :