Benjamin and The Blair Witch

In The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin, the author states that “...for the first time – and this is the effect of the film – man has to operate with his whole living person, yet forgoing its aura. For aura is tied to his presence; there can be no replica of it. The aura which, on the stage, emanates from Macbeth, cannot be separated for the spectators from that of the actor. However, the singularity of the shot in the studio is that the camera is substituted for the public. Consequently, the aura that envelops the actor vanishes, and with it the aura of the figure he portrays.”; when applying this notion to The Blair Witch Project, the pioneer fake documentary that became a surprising blockbuster in 1999, one can interpret the film as using the aura of "reality". The film succeeds in tricking the viewer into believing that the actors are real people in a real situation, it therefore offers the illusion of the aura described by Benjamin. The character's backgrounds and complex emotional features are not prominently depicted as the idea conveyed by the movie is to have the spectator identify not with the character's personalities, but with the fact that they are real. The aura existent in Blair Witch is more about the situation, the scary forest, the environment, the ambiance created by the camera shots and the protagonists reaction's to their surroundings.

In the following statement, Benjamin also claims“The painter maintains in his work a natural distance from reality, the cameraman penetrates deeply into its web. There is a tremendous difference between the pictures they obtain. That of the painter is a total one, that of the cameraman consists of multiple fragments which are assembled under a new law. Thus, for contemporary man the representation of reality by the film is incomparably more significant than that of the painter, since it offers, precisely because of the thoroughgoing permeation of reality with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is free of all equipment. And that is what one is entitled to ask from a work of art.” Blair Witch alleges to be dealing with reality and the editing is therefore nonexistent, since we are supposedly watching a piece of film that was found in the woods and presented as it was shot. For that matter, there is no equipment, no fancy machinery that would increase the quality of the images, there is only "reality". The fact that the viewer believes to be watching a piece of amateur film, makes it even more real, as if he or she was in the forest in that terrifying situation, totally disengaged and unaware of any equipment.

Myth in Iraq

As Roland Barthes in Myth Today would say images contain signifiers that denote and connote ideas, through the use of signs that form the 'myth'. "; and it is again this duplicity of the signifier which determines the characters of signification."

The picture of the soldier convey a myth, a message that is generally understood by all viewers, by society, a mass illusion of sorts. According to Barths myth has several characteristics: inoculation, history, identification, tautology, neither-norism, the quantification of quality, and the statement of fact. The photo contains all these features. It inoculates the viewer by prominently displaying the violence and the horrors of war, the destruction of the country, the menacing face of the soldier. It does not hide the devastation of war and therefore it takes away the shock value from the picture, it "vaccinates" the spectator, by giving him/her a strong dosage of war right off the bat. The picture does not place the image exactly in history, it portrays the now, as it also gives the viewer the the ability to identify him/herself in that soldier, an American like me in harms way. The photo in addition, conveys tautology by making the image ring true, that is how things are in Iraq, because no one says otherwise. The concept of neither-norism states the two opposites are balanced and then both are rejected, the fact that war is bad, but also necessary, thus natural. By diminishing the intricacies of the war in Iraq to one single image, this photo uses the quantification of quality feature of the myth, which counts on the fact that images don't require a lot of intelligence in order to be interpreted. The picture depicts the facts of war, the violence, the destruction, assertions that society already knows an accepts as reality.

By bearing all the signs of myth, this picture constitutes a myth, the myth that the American soldier is brave, strong and struggling to complete a worthy mission. The may even be true to some, but it does not tell the whole story. The other facets of the war are concealed so it communicates a perceived reality, that is not exactly or completely real.

Ghosts of Rwanda in The Public Sphere

The court of public opinion does not require one to solemnly swear to tell the truth nor to follow any rules of law. Nevertheless that does not stop the public sphere to condemn criminals that were found innocent by the judiciary system nor to justify an ethnic genocide on a deranged ideology. From the O.J. Simpson trial to the Rwandan mass killing, the public has taken justice into their own hands throughout history, at times with devastating consequences. Ever since democracy took hold in modern times, strengthening the public sphere, people have become acting and non-acting vigilantes, believing they have the ultimate power to change the status quo, to make the major decisions. The irony lays on the fact that capitalism usually rules over democracy. The public sphere may believe it has the dominance over what happens in a democratic state, but the private sphere, meaning corporations are usually behind the world's major accords. "The idea of the public sphere, preserved in the
social welfare state mass democracy, an idea which calls for a rationalization of power through the medium of public discussion among private individuals, threatens to disintegrate with the structural transformation of the public sphere itself." (Habermas)

Our views and opinions are controlled by individual industries, like the media. The ideas of a few ends up spreading through newspapers, radio, television and the Internet. That has happened so many times before, it still does and probably will time and time again in the future, the media was a key tool in the Rwandan genocide. The PBS documentary Ghosts of Rwanda is a haunting account of the 1994 mass killing of thousands of Tutsis and also Hutus, under the premise of a justified ethnic cleansing; but it does more than merely document the horrors of that ordeal, it shows how capitalistic interests trumps humanitarian efforts. Rwanda is not a country that can offer great material value, it does not have oil, not vast quantities of valuable minerals or precious stones. Therefore, developed countries did not see an urgent need to intervene in the genocide that brutally killed, raped and tortured thousands of innocent civilians. The media downplayed the events, so the global public opinion would not be swayed to act in order to stop the mass murders. This bleak reality conveys our capitalistic ideology, which is more powerful that any humane decision, that blur the lines between right and wrong. "The US does not have friends, it has interests"

What would Fredric Jameson say about the Simpsons' version of Monalisa?

This caricature of Monalisa captures the essence of postmodernism, as it blends high-culture with populist art, or art that is consumed by a mass audience. The art reproduction based on DaVinci's great, also encompasses what the current society is all about: pure capitalism.

Unlike older modernism, that basically went against any Victorian influence and favored a more rebellious, anti-social approach to art; this piece embraces and copies a classic, making it accessible to a wider audience. This is a predominant feature of Postmodernism, it does not discriminate against a particular style or period in history, it strives to absorb and coexist with a wide range of styles. Postmodern art has become much like a business and like any other business, its ultimate goal is to attract the largest possible number of consumers; in order to do that, it is constantly after the novel and therefore, other artistic ideologies have become secondary.

This piece appeared on a Simpson's episode, a show that has been for years now, embodying the stereotype of the postmodern American family, while reaching an average of 7 million viewers nightly. It is no surprise that this TV show appeals to the post modern individual. Its self deprecating nature pokes fun at our current ultra consumerist capitalist ways, without forcing us to deeply evaluate nor deny them. While this particular Mona Lisa reproduction may seem offensive to an older modernist, because of its crude features and colors, or because it makes a mockery of a classic master; it does not scandalize, nor concretely affects our current, postmodern society, which is used and rather complacent to shock value.

Our culture has accepted, embraced and surrendered to capitalism, the late capitalism, which has shaped the minds and styles of artists in all spectrum. The Simpson show is postmodern art, according to Jameson, and so is this very piece. It considers our current reality over any abstract ideology. It appeals to the practical, economic-minded society that is multinational and globalized. I would dare to say it is beautiful, as I ignore its stylistic value in favor of what it means, as it reflects our contemporary historical period.

“Rhetoric of the Image" and The Sopranos Ad

"...even -and above all- if the image is in a certain manner the limit of meaning, it permits the consideration of a veritable ontology of the process of signification." Roland Barthes

Some linguists argue that the image is a much simpler and more rudimentary form of depicting meaning than language itself, others say "a picture has a thousand words". What cannot be denied is the fact that an image can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Modern artists would say that art is what one interprets it to be, that the same image may mean one thing to you and other entirely different thing to someone else. The focus is on the subject, on the individual and how he/she reads an image. Meaning is inserted into images through signs, these signs convey significance, these signs creates brain associations with feelings, stereotypes, and preconceived notions.

"...in advertising the signification of the image is undoubtedly intentional; the signifieds of the advertising message are formed by a priori by certain attributes of the product and these signifieds have to be transmitted as clearly as possible." Roland Barthes

The image in advertising plays and uses the psyche of the individual, so that the individual can insert him/herself into the ad. It counts on the fact that the subject who interprets the image has a preconceived knowledge of history and culture and can therefore connect the image to that. Advertising images are clear and convey an obvious message with the ultimate purpose to call attention to the product or service it is trying to sell. It does not obscure its true intentions, it is honest and it states: "you should buy what I am selling."

"If the image contains signs, we can be sure that in advertising these signs are full, formed with a view to the optimum reading: the advertising image is frank, or at least emphatic." Roland Barthes

According to Barthes an advertisement contains three basic messages: the linguistic message, the message conveyed by the image (literal image) and the message expressed by the symbolic image.

The linguistic message is made up by the words in an ad; in the Soprano poster there are the words: "Made in America"; the denotative meaning, the more obvious or "dictionary meaning" of these words is that whatever is contained in the poster comes from the United States of America, the backdrop is Ellis Island in Manhattan, an iconic American landmark. The rather overweight, middle age protagonist is pretty much like the average American everyday man. The connotative meaning conveys a certain nationalism, a patriotic feeling, a certain pride that the images contained in the poster belongs and are created by Americas.

The literal meaning focuses on the signs that express different meanings that are found in an image. In the Soprano poster the first sign is the face of the show's protagonist, prominently displayed in the center-right portion of the ad. He looks dissatisfied and menacing. His style of clothing conveys the idea that he is rich, powerful and traditional.The second sign plays with a familiar stereotype. The protagonist's overall style and persona has the audience associate him with the preconceived ideas of what a "mafioso" looks like. The third sign is the fact that the picture is in black and white, it takes you back to a not so distant past, it make the audience remember old pictures found at grandparent's homes. The fourth sign is the backdrop of Ellis Island, along with the birds flying away. Ellis Island was the gateway to America, the first image seen by American and Irish immigrants, when they first arrived to the new world in the 1800's.

The symbolic image is about the iconic signs. The Soprano's poster is in black and white, which is a feature that has the audience associate the image with their own ancestors, the American immigrant past. Ellis Island, which is an iconic American landmark, symbolizes the search for a better life, the American dream. It is a common historical fact that Italian immigrants came from the old world on crowded ships and disembarked on Ellis Island, so audiences can easily make this connection, the American dream pursue is on everyone's minds and has always been part of America's identity. The character, like his ancestors, is after that same dream.

This Soprano's poster is an effective piece of advertisement as it evokes strong symbols and also uses very simple language that naturalizes these symbols. Meaning is expressed and felt by the subject internally, as it involves the individual's culture and nature.

By analyzing only the images from the Soprano poster, one can identify certain characteristics that can be associated with familiar

Tokyo Story and a classical Hollywood continuity film create two different forms of realism.

Classical Hollywood continuity is also called the realist narrative that has made the Hollywood movie industry what it is, a powerful and influential industry that has stood the test of time and made copious amounts of profit and reached global audiences pretty much since its insertion. It's the now familiar recipe, a fictional world, a problem, a chain of events, human interactions, a hero, a resolution. Throw in some explosions and scantly clad girls, a pinch of profanity, violence to taste, done!

Tokyo Story can be considered an anti-Hollywood film. It is an acclaimed 1952 film by Yasujiro Ozu. The story is rather dull when compared to the fast pace of current American productions. The story is about a Japanese older couple who take their first trip to the big city, Tokyo, to visit their kids, now adults and married. They are received with a certain amount of awkwardness and they don't feel very welcome. The mom returns home, gets sick and dies. The climatic moment comes when the mother-in-law passes away. The moment ends in the same note it is introduced, unannounced. The children are called to the funeral and after that, the father continues on on his lonely and empty life. The movie feels gray, bleak, slow and unsatisfying. That is because our generation is used to the visual tricks, the frantic pace, the glitz and glamor of Hollywood films. Critics have hailed Tokyo Story as a masterpiece, invoking life as it really happens, no explosions, no alien invasions, no conspiracy theories. Instead, there are only mild family interactions, the usual clash of generations, the loneliness of old age. It is obvious to see that Tokyo Story is indeed very realistic.

On the other hand, spectators hunger for action and adventure, for an escape from their own uneventful lives. Hollywood knows how to play up these urges, by exposing an exciting reality, that is in essence unachievable in the real world by normal people. The public can still relate to that, however, because the emotions are real, it's the genius mixture of reality and fantasy that accounts for Hollywood immense success.

Indian Children Sings a Song from The Wizard of Oz. What Would Be Sam Rushdie's Take on It?

Here are three quotes from Rushdie's book that will help us analyse the video.

"The Wizard of Oz is a film whose driving force is the inadequacy of adults, even of good adults, and how the weakness of grown-ups forces children to take control of their own destinies, and so, ironically, grow up themselves."

" 'There’s no place like home,' which, to me, is the least convincing idea in the film (it’s one thing for Dorothy to want to get home, quite another that she can do so only by eulogizing the ideal state, which Kansas so obviously is not)."

" I remember (or I imagine I remember) that when I first saw this film, Dorothy’s place struck me as being pretty much a dump. I was lucky, and had a good, comfortable home, and so, I reasoned to myself, if I’d been whisked off to Oz, I’d naturally want to get home again. But Dorothy? Maybe we should invite her over to stay. Anywhere looks better
than that."



Salman Rushdie, in his book The Wizard of Oz, makes a thorough analysis of the iconic movie of the same title by using personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes references. He mentions his childhood in Bombay, and makes a parallel of Dorothy's journey to his own travels between India, England and Pakistan. He ultimately points out that the film's Hollywood ending is rather pathetic and inconsistent with the overall message of the movie. Dorothy found Kansas gray and sad, she longed for a better place, a better family, a fantasy. She found that in Oz, where she was seen a heroin, where she had flawed, but loving, interesting friends. To Rushdie Dorothy's quest is also in every child who wonders what else is out there, who wishes to escape their own bleakness and inadequacies.

India is a former English colony, that up until recently struggled with extreme poverty. It is now a growing developing economy, however there are still extreme gaps between the rich and the poor. In India, English is taught at schools, the vast majority of the jobs exist in order to provide products and services to Westerners, English speaking foreigners. Their own culture has been reshaped and deeply influenced by Western culture. It is inevitable to rationalize that perhaps England or the US are a little like Oz to Indian children. Places that have yellow brick roads and emerald cities, a escape from poverty.

The Indian children singing a song from the Wizard of Oz illustrates how, from an early age, Indian kids are affected by Western culture. The teacher's voice can be heard in the background when she says in English: "very good"; as the kids on stage pretend to be playing, pretend to be happy. Their gray uniform and short hair are linked to their struggles. Kids in India are under a lot of pressure from adults to succeed academically. The adults instill harsh discipline and chop the kid's hair off in order to avoid lice. The kid's own imagination and individuality are curbed. They probably desire to leave, to find their own fantasy, their freedom, like Dorothy did.