Silent film actors lost their voice for the sake of the new film technology. It was like they were just showcasing the new technology and not being artists. However, looking back on silent films we now see them as art. How is something that once lacked art transformed into art?
In the piece by Walter Benjamin, it is stated that "While facing the camera he knows that ultimately he will face the public...During the shooting he has as little contact with it as any article made in a factory. This may contribute to that oppression, that new anxiety which, according to Pirandello, grips the actor before the camera". What is the difference between the "new anxiety" that a film actor experiences as opposed to anxiety felt by all other types of artists and performers?
Your second question is a good one! I wish you had asked this in our class discussion. This question goes well in depth into some of the core issues covered in the reading. The first question is far too broad and a bit of a ramble.
ReplyDeletejoseph