Bazin, realism and "politique des auteurs"... re:Mizoguchi

[Rosa marie-josee]

I have appreciated the clarification about Mizoguchi and Bazin's realism 
brought up by Aaron Gerow.

I would like to add one more stone to the discussion.
Of course Bazin was not dogmatic about the concept of realism. On the
contrary, Bazin was against editing a scene "only" if it was to disturb the
"essence of reality" in an "ontological way of thinking". But the disciple
of Bazin needed to expand that idea of "reality or realism" to the
definition of "cin?ma de mise en sc?ne" (long take and "profondeur de
champ") to proclaim "la politique des auteurs". At that time we had on one
side the partisans of "cin?ma de mise en sc?ne" (for more realism and
auteurist position) and on the other hand we had the partisans of "cin?ma de
montage" (editing). Concerning Japanese cinema: Mizoguchi would serve the
former and Kurosawa would serve the latter. That was also a battle between
les "Cahiers du cin?ma" and "Positif".

I do not wish to categorize films so narrowly. I just try to distinguish and
comprehend the formation and application of different discourses accordingly
to different context be it historical or cultural. I am also concern by the
way "we the West" categorize Japanese films, to make them fit in our
structural and critical frame of work and studies. The main concern being,
in conclusion, that one is trying to become the "dominant discourse", and
from there it has to be understand as an "ideological" and "political"
reality.  That is why it would be interesting to have a "history of
discourse within Japan on realism...in film".

Marie-Jos?e Rosa
rosapong at globetrotter.net