Benjamin

For Benjamin, art possesses an "aura" -- a sense of uniqueness in relation to historical contexts. Once art can be reproduced, however, it loses this aura and becomes a tool for the masses. Film, in particular, can be used for political action because it inspires reflection in its viewers.

Benjamin values the labor of artists and the masses; he also values creativity (no alienation), beauty, the role that history plays in shaping perception, and critical examination of contexts. He seems to believe that his readers share his disgust for Fascism and feel equally frustrated with the state of affairs. He assumes that his readers are educated, politically and socially savvy (or, at least, up to date), and that they value the medium of film. Benjamin also seems to believe that he's contributing to film's reputation as a political and public tool. He demonstrates its political, social, and cultural potential throughout this piece by comparing it with art. He seems to recognize that his readers/audience understand art in a particular way, with disgust for film since it's mass-produced and therefore "popular." Benjamin believes that film can compel audiences to react, to reflect, on the new perceptions or problems that politicized art makes visible. He seems to devalue contemplation of aesthetic qualities; instead, he wants to move art away from the purely aesthetic and contemplative, and toward the popular, reactionary space of action.

Do Benjamin's ideas about film still hold true today? Now that we're entirely inundated with images and films, we might argue that we've become too passive, and thus film has lost its ability (in some respects) to incite reflection. How, then, can we reconcile this with Benjamin's views (aside from the historical context, that is)?

I'm not quite sure I understand Benjamin's discussion of architecture in section 15 (XV). Can we clarify this?

Benjamin writes: "The film makes the cult value recede into the background, not only by putting the public in the position of the critic, but also by the fact that at the movies this position requires no attention. The public is an examiner, but an absent-minded one" (1184). If this is the case, how can film achieve its political and reflective potential for Benjamin? Does he like the fact that the public is "absent-minded"?

My reading of Benjamin suggests that he wants to put the body, and bodily sensation, back into the picture. That is, instead of contemplation of aesthetic qualities, he wants a reaction and action --something that can only happen through the body. Does anyone else see this, too? Further, how can film accomplish this if 1) it's right in front of us, and 2) we're "absent-minded"?