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Category Archives: The Philosophy of Film
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Imagine a procedure whereby you could rid yourself of troubling memories. Suppose that you could have particular people or traumatic events erased from your mind. This is the basis for Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where just such a procedure helps rid tormented souls of the memories of their lost loves. Continue reading
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Memento – Mind, Memory, and Personal Identity
In Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Leonard Shelby suffers from a very particular disability. When he and his wife are attacked, Leonard suffers a head injury which renders him unable to form new memories. In considering Leonard’s condition, it is possible to examine how important memory is in making us who we are, and in ensuring the continuation of our identity over time. Continue reading
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What is it like to be John Malkovich?
Ever wanted to be someone else? What would it be like to be someone else? In Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich (1999), Craig (John Cusack), a struggling puppeteer, stumbles upon a portal that allows those who enter it the experience of ‘being John Malkovich’ – or does it? Continue reading
Abre los ojos (Open your eyes)
My aim here is to examine the arguments of French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) through the contemporary viewfinder of Alejandro Amenábar’s Abre los Ojos (1997). The intention, however, is not to use the film as a mere vehicle for conveying Descartes’ thought, but rather to consider whether the particular context that Amenábar provides, and the nature of film itself, can enhance our understanding and and provide fresh insight into the issues that Descartes raises. Continue reading
The Philosophy of Film
Next course begins Thursday 29th September 2011 as part of the Open Studies programme at The University of Edinburgh. Click here for further details.
What is film? How does film affect our emotions? Does cinema provide us with ‘truth, twenty-four times per second’ or does it manipulate and distort reality? As well as addressing these fundamental questions, we will also consider whether the ability of some films to ‘think’ about important issues means that they should, themselves, be considered works of philosophy.
Plato’s Cave and the Cinema
Plato's Cave
In his Cave Allegory (Republic, c.360 BCE), Plato presents a strikingly visual account of the distinction between knowledge and belief and, in doing so, provides us with what may be considered the earliest picture-house.
