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PHL365: Film and Philosophy
What is philosophical about film? What does philosophy have to say about cinema? Can films do philosophy? This unit explores these questions across a range of writings dealing with philosophical and aesthetic aspects of cinematic experience. Rather than treating film as an illustration of various theories or ideas, we examine the ways in which film itself can explore philosophical problems in visual and narrative terms, and have philosophical implications for understanding modern subjectivity and culture. We begin with the problems of cinematic representation, visual perception, and the ontology of the moving image. We consider the question of subjectivity in cinema, exploring the phenomenology of movement and of time consciousness. We also analyse cinematic explorations of identity, subjectivity, and desire. Finally, we explore the cultural, aesthetic, and ideological implications of film as a technological art form. Throughout the unit we investigate the work of philosophers who argue for the philosophical significance of film, or who construct new ways of thinking about film philosophically (such as Stanley Cavell, Gilles Deleuze, and Stephen Mulhall). We also study various films and filmmakers from a philosophical point of view with the aim of showing the creative intersection between film, philosophy, and contemporary visual culture.
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| Contact Hours: | 3 |
| When Offered: | D2 - Day; Offered in the second half-year X2 - External study; Offered in the second half-year |
| Staff Contact(s): | Dr Robert Sinnerbrink |
| Prerequisites: |
30cp or admission to GDipPhil |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCW(s): | PHIL365, PHI350 |
| Unit Designation(s): | |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Philosophy |
Timetable Information
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