Realism and it's Ontologically Meaning - Essay Example

Realism The term ‘realism’ ontologically means the depiction of events and phenomena of life as it is without any ive interpretation of it. The incidents should not be presented by deducing extra features and embellishments. Realism is independent of an individual’s thought schemes and must not be influenced by any beliefs or practice. The origin of the term dates back to Descartes and Locke. In order to understand Descartes’ views on realism one needs to analyze the relation between perception and reality. Descartes think that the ideas that are produced by sensations in most cases do not bear any resemblance to the objects responsible for the generation of such ideas. Therefore, there is a functional disparity between the subjective perception and the objective reality. Brain motion plays an important role by positioning between the ‘perceiver’ and the ‘object’. If one considers Descartes’ ideas as formal signs then those should not be the objects of one’s awareness. Human minds do not all of a sudden form ideas without the physical realities producing that idea. Descartes through the objective reality brings about a change from the physical to the mental. (Gaukroger, Schuster and Sutton, 2002, pp 572-585). Locke’s conception of realism is similar on a few grounds but Locke has introduced the theories of idealistic realism and materialistic realism. (Weber, 1960, p 164) In the middle of the eighteenth century, Thomas Reid assimilated the various views regarding realism. He is of the opinion that truth can be discovered through individual perception. In the modern context wisdom and truth, influence any genre of writing or stage performance. To Brecht, realism is variable and is determined by the immediate cause and effect. (Todorov, 1988, pp 41) Realism is a vast field stretching its hands even to the sphere of cinema. The Italian neo-realism has led the cinematic movement in the post Second World War and has given birth to cinematic reality. The movement has led emphasis on the realistic events of the day. In keeping with these views, Pawel Pawlikowski’s movie My Summer of Love (2004) is a fine exemplary of realistic approach to films. The development of a relationship between two women from different backgrounds and classes is explored. Tamsin’s rich family background cannot provide her solace and succor being deprived of parental care and she leads a life where there is nobody to control her. On the other hand, Mona comes from the working class family background. Her brother is the only surviving member of the family and is in prison. She is disillusioned by the ways of life. The duo come together, makes love to each other and expresses eternal love for the other. They promise not to leave each other and the one will have the right to kill the other breaking away from the commitment. At the end, one discovers that Tamsin cheats on Mona. Mona thinks of killing her but then spares her. Tamsin cooks up the story of her treacherous father and the premature death of her sister just to seek pleasure. Pawlikowski has depicted the drudgery of the working class teens and has shown how two teens from opposite socio-economic spectrum experiences the nadir and the zenith of life controlled by the class structure of the society. (Atkinson, 2008, pp. 63-71) The phenomenon of social realism is the motive of the movie depicted by the director in his own way, referred as ‘personalism’. He finds realism in the hardships of the society especially the working class and how they find their ways of escape form the same. Bazin (1999) believes in the notion that a film is the representation of the director’s personal thoughts and vision. However, this personalism does not mean the negation of objective reality. The men of cinematic realism should be driven by an impulse. This impulse is the driving force producing an idealistic phenomenon call cinema. Idea is a perception and is evoked by an external agent. However, it is not necessary that thought and the object producing that thought will bear close resemblance. In this respect, the platonic concept of realism is relevant. Platonism suggests that the world is a copy of the ideal world. The artist perceives the ideal world and then gives shape to his perception of the ideal world in his work. Therefore, truth is ‘twice removed from reality’. All that matters is the capability to receive an image and once that is done, the mechanism of technical arrangement automatically falls into place. It has been opined by Bazin that the expressionist heresy has ended with the introduction of sound to cinema. Since then the sphere of cinema has marched towards realism. It must be admitted that cinema gives people an illusion of reality that is possible within the periphery of the available narrative and the technical equipments. The Plateau theorists as well as the followers of Nicephore believe that cinematic realism is the reconstruction of perfect illusion of the external world in sound color and topography. The introduction of figure movements and talking portraits has made cinema all the more realistic in appeal. The technical development has made it possible to create reality out of the myth. (Bazin, 1999, pp. 199-201) The story is a myth but the issue of lesbianism is concurrent to the society. In this respect, the movie differs from traditional realism. The traditional realists’ present life as it is but this movie has a dream element in it. The memorable shots of Phil leading a group of rustics with a giant cross, and the terrific intimate scene between Mona and her married ex-boyfriend are the presentation of the cinematic reality, which are different from blatant realism. Dramatization molds reality in a different way. A faithful representation of reality is not possible in the domain of art. Cinema provides the audience with aesthetic satisfaction. Cinematic reality has now merged with aestheticism to gain a better response from the spectators. It is far removed from traditional realism that presents the things as it is without exploring the beauty imbibed in it. (Bazin, 2004, pp. 26-49) However, in the recent past the theories of Andrew Bazin and Kracauer have been misinterpreted. In the beginning of the 1970s with the advent of post-structuralism and political modernism, the traditional approach to realist film theory was ignored. It was in the late 1970s that their theories were re-evaluated. In that, time the works of John Gierson was also appreciated.  The link for their works was the same traditional philosophical approach. They looked back to the intuitionist movements of the European cinema like impressionism, Weimar modernism, early formalism and surrealism. Gierson believed that film should become the medium of communication between the state and the public. Gierson’s approach was based on intuition. He believed that the anti-rational approach was the best way of understanding the cinematic reality. In a scene, Tamsin tells that if Mona leaves her then she will kill her. Mona tells in response if Tamsin leaves her, first she will kill her and then will kill herself. This is dramatization of the thoughts and therefore, the cinematic reality cannot be the actual reality. Moreover over sentimentalism mars the realism. Shifting to Kracauer, one may observe his argument that the human condition under the canopy of modernization was subject to alienation. The ideologies were manipulated.  The questions of ethics and aesthetics were put aside. Rationality was the word of the day. Kracauer used the concept of distraction to develop an aesthetic theory based on the assumed structural correspondence between distracted modernity ant the indeterminate mimesis of film and photography. (Aitken, 2002, pp. 162-181) The cinematic realism has been subject to multiple interpretations. There has been confusion between aesthetic realism and psychological realism. The question of true realism and the need to give expression concretely to the outer world is yet another juncture of confusion. This also has led to the emergence of the concept of pseudo-realism. Photography and cinema keep alive the flavor of realism but as one would know that, the faithful presentation of reality is not possible in art. Therefore, one may say that cinema is the objectivity in time. (Wartenberg and Curran, 2005, pp 59-62). The invention of talking picture and the speed graphic camera has augmented the man’s demand for loud and audible sound. The art of silence cannot accommodate the complete truthfulness of realism. According to James Agee, the development of sound system in cinema has given a new dimension.  In him, one finds a preoccupation with silence. Theorists are trying to reconcile realism taking into consideration the artist’s personality, the concepts of aesthetics and the metaphysics, the psychology of the unconscious mind, the historical perspective, and the moral values. It is also argued that the artistic and the psychological elements are antagonistic to realism. (Ward and Goodman, 2010, pp 1-14). In My Summer of Love the domain of realism is explored. Tamsin fakes a story about her background claiming that her sister Sadie is dead which as Mona later finds out is a lie. A scene towards the end shows how the two girls meet and Mona confronts Tamsin regarding the lie. Tamsin explains that she is a fantasist and it becomes clear that it was just a fun experience for her. Therefore, the psychological element comes into play and opposes the theory of realism. Bazin, Kracauer and John Gierson see realism in the aesthetic light. The bond that is shown between Tasmin and Mona gives a sense of aesthetic satisfaction. Their domain of friendship has crossed the boundary of rational thought. The scenes where both are revealing their past to one another can be viewed from the aesthetic plane. As Kracauer has stated, the modern man is the victim of manipulative ideologies. In this movie, one would find that Tasmin’s ideologies keep on changing according to his wishes.  Mona’s brother on the other hand has transformed himself from a criminal to a pious man and carries out religious propagandas. Taking these scenes into consideration and the notion of manipulative ideologies, Pawlikoswki is governed by his own thoughts and ideas and this realism is his own perception of the society. His personalism makes him break away from the reality. In the movie the transformation of the characters are so sudden that at times they appear illusory. This is true when deciding to kill Tamsin, Mona spares her in the end. The transformation takes in a moment. Gierson has believed in the notion that a film should convey the issues of the society. It must aim at developing a communication between the state and the public. The movie has succeeded in bringing out the social issues like the hapless situation of Mona because of poverty. This is Pawlikoski’s method of documentation. However, care should be taken that too much attention is not to be given in judging the truthfulness or illusory effect in a film. It is true that the movie’s stunning cinematography has created a resonating effect in the critics eyes but still has failed to retain the grounds of reality, In capturing the moments of falling in love, the cinematography is well. The vibrant days of summer are shot beautifully. The central theme of exploring relationships is present but the drama lacks concreteness. The stress on metaphorical allusions through which each character tries to seek redemption degrades the realism of the movie. One could only see that the film has succeeded in representing the world. (Jerslev, 2002, p 113) The director, Pawel Pawlikoski through the deft use of camera movement has able to capture texture and sensuality. This gives a touch of realism. (Wood, 2006, p. 124) The movie has a realistic approach because of the ‘spontaneity of incident and performance’ the dialogues have an appeal as if ‘raw and new, fresh off the tongue’. (Atkinson, 2008, pp. 63-64) The director adheres to the documentary method. In other words, he upholds the realism of Bazen, Kracauer and Gierson. The countryside of summer and the pitiable state of the lower class teens makes the’ drama contained in the real’. (Ostrowska and Roberts, 2007, pp. 148) On the other side of the opinion poll, it is stated that Mona and Tamsin create a reality of their own. The reality that is quite different from the reality of the outer world. The cinematography has failed to maintain the realism in overdoing with the love making scenes of Mona and Tamsin. They openly take bath in a pond without wearing clothes, which cannot be an example of realism. This is a romantic depiction of two girls in a state of trance. Conclusion Realism is perhaps the most discussed term in the history of cinema. It has propagated towards what one calls cinematic realism. It has never emerged as a genre and is not characterized by drastic movement. In the history of the films, realism can be divided into two parts.  The first is the credibility of the events and incidents depicted in the movies. The second is the camera’s reproduction of the reality. There are multiple opinions regarding realism. It has been suggested by the romantics that realism is an attack on romanticism. If realism is to do with the exact presentation then photography is the exact presentation but its drawback is that it is not governed by time and space. In this respect, cinema takes an upper hand. The shooting location and the deep focus attributes to realism. Realism has its genesis in Descartes and Locke but it emerged as an artistic movement in the eighteenth century Europe and America. With the dawn of the twentieth century, the moving picture camera brought about a revolution and redefined the meaning of realism. The realistic pictures are generally critically evaluated but the fantasy films are able to draw more spectators and audience. With realism also comes into discussion, illusionism. One should keep in mind that in art accurate and exact representation is not possible. Therefore, in cinema there are some illusory elements to represent the realism.    References Gaukroger, S, Schuster, J., and J., (2002), Sutton, Descartes’ Natural Philosophy, London, Routledge, Weber, O., C,(2008), Basic Philosophy of Education, New York, Rinehart, 1960 Todorov, T., (1988), Literature and its Theorists: A personal View of the Twentieth Century Criticism, London, Taylor and Francis, Atkinson, M., Exile Cinema, (2008), Filmmakers At Work Beyond Hollywood, New York, SUNY Press, Bazin, A.,What is Cinema? Vol 2, California, University of California Press, 2004 Aitken I., (2002), European Film Theory and Cinema: A Critical Introduction, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, Bazin, A., (1999), The Myth of Total Cinema, New York, Oxford University Press, Wartenberg, T. and A., Curran (2005), The Philosophy of Film: introductory Text and Readings, New York, Blackwell Ward, J., and R. Goodman, (2010), American Silence: The Realism of James Agee, Walker Evans and Edward Hopper, New Jersey, Transaction Publishers, Jerslev, A,, (2002), Realism and ‘Reality’ in Film and Media, Copenhagen, Museum Tusculanum Press, Wood, W., Talking Movies: Contemporary World Filmmakers in Interview, Wallflower Press, 2006 Atkinson, M., Exile Cinema: Filmmaker At Work Beyond Hollywood, SUNY Press, 2008 Ostrowska, D. and G. Roberts, (2007), European Cinema in the Television Age, Edinburgh University Press. My Summer of Love (2004), motion picture, Apocalypso Pictures, USA Read More