A Szerelem című film értelmezései

Absztrakt

Going beyond viewing film as a mere illustration for a historical period, the study reframes it as a historical source and interprets it as a cultural phenomenon and a socially conditioned cluster of events, which is not only born out of social practices but also has a societal impact at the same time. As opposed to the traditional aesthetic angle of film history, which interprets films as part of individual artistic vision, the present study emphasises the collective, pragmatic and technologically defined nature of the artistic process, which is also subject to various other incidental influences. Böszörményi-Nagy revisits Károly Makk 1970 film ‘Love’ to examine whether the plot takes place before or after the 1956 Revolution. This question has serious moral and political implications for the makers of the film, the censors who allowed its creation and screening, and the audience. The study argues that the ontology of a film is inherently tied to its meaning for the audience and the history thereof. This implies sidestepping the approach that views film production as background information for the aesthetic analysis of a piece of cinematic art. Instead films are observed as historical sources, an approach which necessitates the analysis of the complex, often arbitrary and fortuitous, process whereby the (virtual) film expressing directorial vision becomes an actual film in the theatres. This analysis places the film in the context of the power structures of the society at the time, which determine both the creative process and the perceptions of the end product.