Andre Bazin- Dave Katzman

In his article “The Evolution of the Language of Cinema,” Andre Bazin discusses his theory that montage can be the detriment of a film when used too much.  I found his analysis of the two types of directors to be confusing, but very interesting.  He points out one type of director that puts faith in the image and another who puts faith in reality.  The image director focuses on film form such as lighting, composition, and all types of mise en scene.  These directors were most popular at the beginning of film experimentation.  The German Expressionist movement could have been the height of this kind of imaginative director.  Realists, however, moved away from the focus of imagination and expressionism and started to present the world in a more expected manner.  Decoupage is also a film term that I have never heard of before and therefore was very intrigued.  He uses this term to show that there is a sharp divide between silent and sound cinema.  This concept is one that I am very familiar with.  I have learned in other film courses that the move to sound cinema greatly decreased the quality of film.  Microphones made it difficult for actors to move around the set and shooting outside became near impossible. The transition to sound made for less interesting and less creative film making.