4.17.2005
james baldwin, the devil finds work
i highly recommend james baldwin's wonderful, illuminating non-fiction text the devil finds work. baldwin's book occupies a middle ground between "film theory" and "memoir," without succumbing to either the stuffiness of the former, or the narcissism of the latter. put most simply, it is an account of the experience of watching movies. it is casual in tone, but harsh when necessary. it is nuanced and infinitely insightful, but reads as if it were an excerpt from an everyday conversation. when i consider my own tendency to decorate unoriginal ideas with flowery, pretentious language, it is both humbling and encouraging to read a text that appears so effortless.
the majority of the book is dedicated to what one might call the ideology of the spectator. as an african american (as well as a man attracted to men), baldwin considers the assumptions of a hollywood film in relation to his own (misinterpreted, ignored and occasionally rejected) identity as a spectator. he considers what is lost and gained by his own point of entry, and how the cinematic mechanisms of persuasion operate accordingly. his strategy is multi-dimensional and thorough, though not at the expense of the reader. the magnitude of his observations seem almost to arise without effort. baldwin remains critical and political without ever succumbing to vain sermonizing.
much can be said about the nature of "manipulation" in relation to a work of art. and often, fantasies arise concerning an "un-manipulative" approach to art-making-- one in which the spectator is asked simply to bear witness, make up his/her own mind, and so on. this unlikely scenario is not without its merits, particularly as we are fed the daily syrup of our mediated culture (and blah blah blah). one of the great successes of the devil finds work is its expansive apprehension of the coercive and trance-inducing power of film. baldwin considers the framework of narrative storytelling itself, alongside various-- often "meaningless"-- embellishments, and sets them against historical lineages concerning race and identity. it's amazing how porous his subjects become.
the majority of the book is dedicated to what one might call the ideology of the spectator. as an african american (as well as a man attracted to men), baldwin considers the assumptions of a hollywood film in relation to his own (misinterpreted, ignored and occasionally rejected) identity as a spectator. he considers what is lost and gained by his own point of entry, and how the cinematic mechanisms of persuasion operate accordingly. his strategy is multi-dimensional and thorough, though not at the expense of the reader. the magnitude of his observations seem almost to arise without effort. baldwin remains critical and political without ever succumbing to vain sermonizing.
much can be said about the nature of "manipulation" in relation to a work of art. and often, fantasies arise concerning an "un-manipulative" approach to art-making-- one in which the spectator is asked simply to bear witness, make up his/her own mind, and so on. this unlikely scenario is not without its merits, particularly as we are fed the daily syrup of our mediated culture (and blah blah blah). one of the great successes of the devil finds work is its expansive apprehension of the coercive and trance-inducing power of film. baldwin considers the framework of narrative storytelling itself, alongside various-- often "meaningless"-- embellishments, and sets them against historical lineages concerning race and identity. it's amazing how porous his subjects become.
