Abstract
In film theory, discursivity has been studied from the perspective of semiotics and cognitivism. An approach to film from Lacanian discursivity supposes different perspectives on the world filmed and the objects in it, and offers an insight into how to understand cinema as a philosophical event that changes the coordinates to represent time, movement and language. In order to do this, four Lumière films, some of the most well-known in the history of cinema, will be understood as representatives of the master, university, hysteric and analytic discourses, respectively.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
It is worth noting that both Metz and Mulvey continued working, even in a self-critical manner, in their popular themes (and many others), despite constant circumscription of their readers to just a few ideas or core concepts. See Metz (2016) for a continuous work on cinematic signifiers and Mulvey’s critique of her famous “visual pleasure” in Mulvey (2019).
References
Badiou, A. (2013). Cinema as philosophical experimentation. In A. de Baecque (Ed.), Cinema (S. Spitzer, Trans.) (pp. 202-232). Polity Press. (Original work published 2010)
Bordwell, D. (1996). Convention, construction, and cinematic vision. In D. Bordwell & N. Carroll (Eds.), Post-theory: Reconstructing film studies (pp. 87–107). University of Wisconsin Press.
Branigan, E. (2006). Projecting a camera: Language-games in film theory. Routledge.
Brooker, C. (Creator). (2011–present). Black mirror [TV series]. Zeppotron, Channel 4 Television Corporation, Babieka.
Copjec, J. (1994). Read my desire: Lacan against the historicists. MIT Press.
Daniels, G. (Creator). (2005–2013). The office [TV series]. Reveille Productions, NBC Universal Television, 3 Arts Entertainment, Deedle-Dee Productions.
Dunker, C. (2021). El discurso del capitalista: Espectros de Marx en Milán [Capitalist discourse: Spectres of Marx in Milan]. Teoría y Crítica de la Psicología, 16, 173–196.
Eisenstein, S. (1977). Film form: Essays in film theory (J. Leyda, Ed. & Trans.). Harvest/HBJ.
Gervais, R., & Merchant, S. (Writers & Directors). (2001–2003). The office [TV series]. BBC.
Godard, J.-L. (Director). (2018). Le livre d’image [The image book] [Film]. Casa Azul Films; Ecran Noir Productions.
Hagerman, L. (Director). (2010). 0.56% [Film]. Compañía Productora Lynn Fainchtein; Foprocine.
Hawley, N. (Creator). (2014–present). Fargo [TV series]. MGM Television, FX Productions, 26 Key Productions.
Hill, J. (Director). (2019). Michael Jackson: Chase the truth [Film]. Entertain Me Productions.
Hoss, G. (Creator). (2001–present). How it’s made [TV series]. Productions MAJ.
Lacan, J. (2007). The other side of psychoanalysis: The seminar of Jacques Lacan, book XVII (R. Grigg, Trans.). W. W. Norton. (Original work published 1991)
Lacan, J. (1999) Encore, on feminine sexuality: The limits of love and knowledge: the seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book XX (B. Fink, Tans.). W. W. Norton. (Original work published 1975)
Lacan, J. (1978) Du discours psychanalytique. Discours de Jacques Lacan à l’Université de Milan le 12 mai 1972 [Psychoanalytic discourse. Speech by Jacques Lacan at the University of Milan on May 12, 1972]. Lacan In Italia 1953–1978 En Italia Lacan (pp. 32–55). La Salamandra.
Loiperdinger, M. (2004). Lumiere’s arrival of the train: Cinema’s founding myth. The Moving Image, 4(1), 89–118.
Lumière, L. (Director). (1895a). La sortie de l’usine Lumière à Lyon [Employees leaving the Lumière factory] [Film]. Lumière.
Lumière, L. (Director). (1895b). L’arroseur arrosé [The waterer watered] [Film]. Lumière.
Lumière, L. (Director). (1895c). Démolition d’un mur [The demolition of a wall] [Film]. Lumière.
Lumière, A, & Lumière, L. (Directors). (1896). L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat [The arrival of a train] [Film]. Société Lumière.
Odin, R. (1995). For a semio-pragmatics of film. In W. Buckland (Ed.), The film spectator: From sign to mind (pp. 213–226). Amsterdam University Press.
Ortiz Suárez, E. H. (2012). “La llegada de un cine a la ciudad” y otros mitos [“The arrival of a cinema at the city” and other myths]. Toma Uno, 1(1), 83–92.
Mandoki, L. (Director). (2007). Fraude: México 2006 [Film]. Contra El Viento Films.
McGowan, T. (2015). Atemporality amid Lumière temporality. Empedocles: European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication, 5(1, 2), 59–64.
Metz, C. (2016). Impersonal enunciation, or the place of film (C. Deane, Trans.). Columbia University Press. (Original work published 1991)
Mulvey, L. (1989). Visual and other pleasures. Indiana University Press.
Mulvey, L. (2019). Afterimages. On cinema, women and changing times. Reaktion Books.
Nichols, B. (2017). Introduction to documentary (3rd ed.). Indiana University Press.
Reed, D. (Director). (2019). Leaving neverland [Film]. Amos Pictures.
Wajcman, G. (2018). Les séries, le monde, la crise, les femmes [Series, the world, crisis, women]. Verdier.
Tomšič, S. (2019). The labour of enjoyment: Towards a critique of libidinal economy. August Verlag.
Author statement
The author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alcalá, S.J.A. The other side of cinema: Lumière brothers’ first films and the discursivity of cinema. Psychoanal Cult Soc 28, 81–92 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41282-022-00342-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41282-022-00342-9