Dreaming of cinema : spectatorship, surrealism, et the age of digital media

Video games, YouTube channels, Blu-ray discs, and other forms of "new" media have made theatrical cinema seem "old." A sense of "cinema lost" has accompanied the ascent of digital media, and many worry film's capacity to record the real is fundamentally changing. Yet the Surrealist movement never treated cinema as a realist medium and understood our perceptions of the real itself to be a mirage. Returning to their interpretation of film's aesthetics and function, this book reads the writing, films, and art of Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, André Breton, André Bazin, Roland Barthes, Georges Bataille, Roger Caillois, and Joseph Cornell and recognizes their significance for the films of David Cronenberg, Nakata Hideo, and Atom Egoyan; the American remake of the Japanese __Ring__ (1998); and a YouTube channel devoted to Rock Hudson. Offering a positive alternative to cinema's perceived crisis of realism, this innovative study enriches the meaning of cinematic spectatorship in the twenty-first century. Video Games, Youtube Channels, Blu-ray Discs, And Other Forms Of New Media Have Made Theatrical Cinema Seem Old. A Sense Of Cinema Lost Has Accompanied The Ascent Of Digital Media, And Many Worry Film's Capacity To Record The Real Is Fundamentally Changing. Yet The Surrealist Movement Never Treated Cinema As A Realist Medium And Understood Our Perceptions Of The Real Itself To Be A Mirage. Returning To Their Interpretation Of Film's Aesthetics And Function, This Book Reads The Writing, Films, And Art Of Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, André Breton, André Bazin, Roland Barthes, Georges Bataille, Roger Caillois, And Joseph Cornell And Recognizes Their Significance For The Films Of David Cronenberg, Nakata Hideo, And Atom Egoyan; The American Remake Of The Japanese Ring (1998); And A Youtube Channel Devoted To Rock Hudson. Offering A Positive Alternative To Cinema's Perceived Crisis Of Realism, This Innovative Study Enriches The Meaning Of Cinematic Spectatorship In The Twenty-first Century. Introduction: Cinema As Digital Dream Machine -- Enlarged Spectatorship From Realism To Surrealism: Bazin, Barthes, And The (digital) Sweet Hereafter -- Interactive Spectatorship Gaming, Mimicry, And Art Cinema: Between Un Chien Andalou And Existenz -- Globalized Spectatorship Ring Around The Superflat Global Village: J-horror Between Japan And America -- Posthuman Spectatorship The Animal In You(tube): From Los Olvidados To Christian The Lion -- Collaborative Spectatorship -- The Surrealism Of The Stars: From Rose Hobart To Mrs. Rock Hudson -- Afterword: Marking Cinematic Time. Adam Lowenstein. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Content: List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Cinema as Digital Dream Machine1. Enlarged Spectatorship: From Realism to Surrealism: Bazin, Barthes, and The (Digital) Sweet Hereafter2. Interactive Spectatorship: Gaming, Mimicry, and Art Cinema: Between Un chien andalou and eXistenZ3. Globalized Spectatorship: Ring Around the Superflat Global Village: J-Horror Between Japan and America4. Posthuman Spectatorship: The Animal in You(Tube): From Los olvidados to "Christian the Lion"5. Collaborative Spectatorship: The Surrealism of the Stars: From Rose Hobart to Mrs. Rock HudsonAfterword: Marking Cinematic TimeNotesBibliographyIndex Adam Lowenstein offers a positive alternative to cinema's perceived crisis of realism and, in so doing, enriches the meaning of cinematic spectatorship in the twenty-first century. He begins by showing how 'new' media have made theatrical cinema seem 'old'. He details how a sense of 'cinema lost' has accompanied the ascent of digital media, and explains that many people now worry that film's capacity to record the real is fundamentally changing. He argues that the Surrealist movement never treated cinema as a realist medium and that it understood our perceptions of the real itself to be a mirage