The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction - Book Report/Review Example

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 1. Benjamin defines mechanical reproduction as the process of reproducing something new from an original work by way of imitation. In the description, he gives the examples of the earliest forms of work to be mechanically reproduced which included the wood cut graphic art even before scripts could be reproduced by print and lithography which involved tracing a design on a piece of stone or on a piece of wood which permitted graphic art. 2. Process reproduction according to Benjamin is the manner in which a work of art can be reproduced and still keeps its authenticity and thus cannot be described as forgery, while manual reproduction, the work of art loses its authority from the original and is thus referred to as forgery. He points out that the reason process reproduction does not lose its authority from the original is due to its independent nature and also that the copy could be better than the original; and thus putting it into positions out of its reach. 3. Benjamin while describing aura refers to it the unique appearance of a distance, no matter how close it might be. He gives an example of mountain that is very far but appears very close when it casts its shadow near the onlooker. 4. Benjamin writes, “During long periods of history, the mode of human sense perception changes with humanities entire mode of existence. The manner in which human sense perception is organized, the medium in which it is accomplished, is determined not only by nature but by historical circumstances as well.” According to the statement, Benjamin implies that with time, people’s perceptions, and desires keeps on changing. These changes as he points out are determined by various circumstances that people are faced with and the nature of events that take place. Our current mode of existence has changed our perception on science. Previously, it was viewed to have been competing with religion. Currently, science is perceived as a form in which life is made simple. 5. The relationship between aura and tradition is that aura makes things that are reproduced to have a different appearance that detaches them from the domain of tradition. Thus, if a piece of art that is dated many years ago is reproduced, it does not appear as a forgery of the original. 6. Cult value of a piece of art according to Benjamin is the existence purpose of a piece while for the exhibition value, the existence of a work of art is for viewing, which reminds people of the great moments in history. 7. According to Benjamin (800), the difference between acting before a camera and acting before an audience is that while an actor who is performing before an audience of adjusting the audience during the performance, camera actors lack this opportunity since he does not personally present the performance in person. Thus, in camera performance, the audience takes the role of a critic and lacks any personal contact with the actor. Benjamin points out that audience’s identification with the camera is equivalent to identification with the actor and therefore, the audience assumes the role of position of a camera and tests the manner of presentation of the actor. 8. By the statement, “The film responds to the shriveling of the aura with an artificial build-up of the ‘personality’ outside the studio. The cult of the movie star, fostered by the money of the film industry, preserves not the unique aura of the person but the ‘spell of personality,’ the phony spell of a commodity,” Benjamin means that the makers of a movie are bent to promote the personality of the actor as portrayed by the character in the movie. Previously, he notes that the actor in front of a camera knows that the movie will definitely face the public, although not in real person. Due to this, the actor dedicates his all in bringing the intended character he is emulating. Consequently, the makers, due to the high capital investments in making of a movie, will create a cult of the actor in the movie to promote a certain idea that they have as well as they make the film to sell. To them, their biggest interest is not only to sell the movie and make profits, but also to promote the personality of the character in the movie. Subsequently, the public will respond by adopting this personality, whether in fashion or social behavior. Personally, I agree with Benjamin. The success in which movie stars have managed to promote different personalities among the viewers and the society is overwhelming. Most observable is the fashion, where the revolution of the fashion is deemed on the manner of grooming of the stars. 9. Benjamin (803)writes, “[Film] presents a process in which it is impossible to assign to a spectator a viewpoint which would exclude from the actual scene such extraneous accessories as camera equipment, lighting machinery, staff assistants, etc.—unless his eye were on a line parallel with the lens. This circumstance, more than any other, renders superficial and insignificant any possible similarity between a scene in the studio and one on the stage. In the theater one is well aware of the place from which the play cannot immediately be detected as illusionary. There is no such place for the movie scene that is being shot. Its illusionary nature is that of the second degree, the result of editing.” In this statement, Benjamin implies that the difference between a studio film and the theatre performance is the illusion created by the movie during the process of production. In a movie, the audience cannot differentiate the various roles played by the team involved in the cast. While shooting a movie, accessories such as camera, lighting machinery, staff assistance among others are used, yet, their roles in bringing out the final product to the audience cannot be differentiated. The complexity in the nature of the movie making is way different from what the audience sees as the end product of the cast. They see the movie, but cannot tell what roles were played by the various people and equipment during the shooting session. This scene is very different from one on the stage where the audience can clearly tell the different roles played by the different equipment such as lighting, the sound and the support team. This ends up creating an illusion as people are only left guesssi9ng on the different roles that these factors play. Often, the audience does not even realize that these essentials were present. He continues to point out that the illusion created by the movie in the studio during editing cannot be compared to the reality of a stage performance. A final movie contains a series of episodes that are fused together, which do not happen at the same scene. Some scenes are even made to appear differently due to the manipulation of the pictures and scenes by the movie makers. To him, this takes away the reality of the movie and makes it an illusion, contrary to theatre performance where nothing has been staged. 10. In his response to Duhamel’s description of movies as “a pastime for helots, a diversion for uneducated, wretched, worn-out creatures who are consumed by their worries . . . a spectacle which requires no concentration and presupposes no intelligence . . . which kindles no light in the heart and awakens no hope other than the ridiculous one of someday becoming a ‘star’ in Los Angeles,” Benjamin holds that these comments hinders any potential analysis of a work of art and should be discouraged. He holds the opinion that such descriptions sway the thoughts of the audience from the piece of art to a point that they get disinterested. To Benjamin, Duhamel’s description is an ancient lamentation only aimed at distracting the audience more than encouraging them to watch a movie. Art according to Benjamin demand concentration which is essential in creating platform for the analysis of a film. In a more candid manner, Benjamin states that a man who concentrates watching a movie is engrossed and captured by the movie so much that he enters into the world of that particular movie, whole the distracted people will simply absorb the movie. The habit of a person who is distracted from a movie is open critique and misjudgment which are baseless and worthless. 11. The reign of Hitler over Germany was characterized by war. This greatly affected Benjamin understands of the role of film in the society since he compares the film industry to war. He thus saw film, as a means of advancement and success in the society. The nature in which technology has transformed war has been overwhelming to a point that it has changed the society. Comparing this to the film industry, Benjamin feels that film is quite a huge step to achieving success in the society. Not only does it play the role of growth, but also as a tool of education on the various issues booth good or bad affecting the society. He describes both the good and the bad sides of war, and according to him, the film would play a big role in showcasing these aspects. Therefore, this would bring change to the society. Works Cited Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2004. Print. Read More