Transparencies on Film

Author(s): Theodor W. Adorno and Thomas Y. Levin

Source: New German Critique, No. 24/25, Special Double Issue on New German Cinema
(Autumn, 1981 - Winter, 1982), pp. 199-205
Published by: New German Critique
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Transparencieson Film*
by TheodorW. Adorno

Children
whenteasingeachotherintheirsquabbles,followtherule:no
faircopycat.Theirwisdomseemstobe lostontheall toothoroughly
grownoldtrashproducattacked
thenearly
upadults.TheOberhauseners
sixty-year
tionof thefilmindustry
withtheepithet:
"Daddy's Cinema."Representathan"Kiddy's
tivesofthelatter
in turncouldcomeup withno better
retort
doesnot
Cinema."Thiscat,as onceagainthesayinggoesamongchildren,
topitexperience
whentheissueis the
copy.Howpathetic
againstimmaturity
of thatexperience
veryimmaturity
acquiredduringtheadolescenceof the
medium.Whatis repulsive
aboutDaddy'sCinemais itsinfantile
character,
ofthedefenders
manufactured
onanindustrial
scale.Thesophistry
regression
insists
ontheverytypeofachievement
theconceptofwhichis challenged
by
- if
theopposition.
tothatreproach
However,evenifthereweresomething
filmsthatdidnotplayalongwithbusiness
reallywereinsomewaysclumsier
thanthe latter'ssmoothly
wouldbe
polishedwares- thenthetriumph
thatthosesupported
pitiful.It wouldonlydemonstrate
by thepowerof
in
coulddo better
routine
andhighly
trained
capital,technological
specialists
some respectsthanthosewho rebelagainstthe colossusand thusmust
In thiscomof itsaccumulated
necessarily
foregotheadvantages
potential.
is
of itseffects,
awkwardand unprofessional
cinema,uncertain
paratively
become
inscribed
thehopethattheso-calledmassmediamighteventually
Whileinautonomous
artanything
different.
lagging
something
qualitatively
the
behindthealreadyestablished
doesnotrate,
technical
standard
- whosestandard
butthevis-.-vis
culture
excludeseverything
predigested
industry
andthealreadyintegrated,
facialwrinjustas thecosmetictradeeliminates
kles- workswhichhavenotcompletely
mastered
theirtechnique,
conveyand accidental,
havea
uncontrolled
ingas a resultsomething
consolingly
becomethe
liberating
quality.In themtheflawsofa pretty
girl'scomplexion
star.
corrective
to theimmaculate
faceoftheprofessional
ofMusil'searlynovel
Itis knownthatintheTirlessfilm'largesegments
* Basedonan articleinDie Zeit,18November
inTheodor
1966,thisessaywaspublished
W. Adorno,OhneLeitbild(Frankfurt/M.:
1967).ItappearshereinEnglishwiththe
Suhrkamp,
of Suhrkamp
footnote).
permission
Verlag(translator's
1. DerjungeTOrless
a filmbyVolkerSchl6ndorff,
basedonRobert
(1965/66),
Musil,Die
des ZeiglingsThrless(translator'sfootnote).
Verwirrungen

199

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200

TheodorAdorno

wereincorporated
intothedialoguealmostunchanged.
Theyareconsidered
to
lines
which
no
the
the
superior
by scriptwriters,
livingpersonwouldever
and
in
ridiculed
which
the
meantime
have
been
critics.In
utter,
byAmerican
theirownway,however,Musil'ssentences
also tendto soundartificial
as
soonas theyareheard,notread.Thismaybe tosomeextent
thefaultofthe
novelwhichincorporates
a typeof rationalistic
intotheinternal
casuistry
movement
ofitstextunder
thatthemoreprogressive
theguiseofa psychology
Freudian
oftheperiodexposedas a rationalization.
Nevertheless,
psychology
thisis hardlythewholepoint.The artistic
difference
betweenthemediais
stillgreater
thanexpected
obviously
bythosewhofeelabletoavoidbadprose
Even
when
byadapting
goodprose.
dialogueis usedina novel,thespoken
wordis notdirectly
is
distanced
but
rather
spoken
bytheactofnarration
even
and
from
the
the
abstracted
by typography
perhaps
physical
thereby
neverresemble
characters
their
presenceof livingpersons.Thus,fictional
how
described.
In
no
matter
are
fact,it
empirical
minutely
they
counterparts
be
due
to
are
removed
the
of
their
that
may
veryprecision
presentation they
evenfurther
fromempirical
autonomous.
reality;
theybecomeaesthetically
Suchdistanceis abolishedin film:to theextentthata filmis realistic,
the
semblance
ofimmediacy
cannotbe avoided.As a result,
by
phrases
justified
thediction
ofnarrative
whichdistinguishes
themfrom
thefalseeverydayness
ofmerereportage,
soundpompousandinauthentic
infilm.Film,therefore,
mustsearchforothermeansofconveying
which
immediacy:
improvisation
surrenders
to
rank
itself
chance
should
systematically
unguided
highamong
possiblealternatives.
The late emergence
between
of filmmakesit difficult
to distinguish
and
as
as
is
in
music.
In
music
technique technology clearly possible
uptothe
electronicperiod,the intrinsic
the
sound
structure
of the
technique
work- wasdistinct
fromitsperformance,
themeansofreproduction.
Film
the
of
and
as
since,
suggests equation technique technology
Benjaminobwhichis thenreproduced
on a massscale:
served,thecinemahasnooriginal
themassproduct
isproblematic,
in
is thething
itself.
Thisequation,
however,
filmas wellas in music.Expertsincinematographic
refer
the
to
techniques
factthatChaplinwaseither
unaware
oforpurposely
thesetechniques,
ignored
withthephotographic
ofsketches,
routines
beingcontent
rendering
slapstick
orotherperformances.
Thisin no waylowersChaplin'sstatusandone can
hardlydoubtthathe was 'filmic.'Nowherebuton thescreencouldthis
- reminiscent
ofold-fashioned
from
the
enigmatic
figure
right
photographs
start- havedevelopeditsconcept.As a consequence,
itappearsimpossible
to derivenormsof criticismfromcinematographic
techniqueas such. The
mostplausibletheoryof filmtechnique,thatwhichfocuseson themovement
of objects,2is bothprovocatively
deniedand yetpreserved,in negativeform,

2. Cf. SiegfriedKracauer,TheoryofFilm: The RedemptionofPhysicalReality(New York:

OxfordUniversityPress, 1960), pp. 41 ff.

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on Film
Transparencies

201

inthestaticcharacter
offilmslikeAntonioni's
La Notte.Whatever
is 'uncinematic'in thisfilmgivesitthepowertoexpress,as ifwithholloweyes,the
oftime.Irrespective
ofthetechnological
ofthecinema,the
origins
emptiness
offilm'will
aesthetics
do better
tobaseitself
on a subjective
modeofexperience whichfilmresemblesand whichconstitutes
its artistic
character.
A
in
a
in
a
few
mountains
after
the
weeks
the
year
city,spends
personwho,
colorful
fromall work,mayunexpectedly
abstaining
experience
imagesof
in
dreams
or
over
or
her
him
daydreams.
landscapesconsolingly
coming
in a continuous
Theseimagesdo notmergeintoone another
flow,butare
muchlike
rather
setoffagainsteachotherinthecourseoftheirappearance,
of their
themagiclantern
slidesof ourchildhood.
It is in thediscontinuity
resemble
the
movement
thattheimagesoftheinterior
monologue
phenomenonofwriting:
before
oureyeswhilefixedinits
thelatter
similarly
moving
of interior
discrete
imagesmaybe to filmwhatthe
signs.Suchmovement
visibleworldis topainting
ortheacousticworldtomusic.As theobjectifying
filmmaybecomeart.Thetechnological
recreation
ofthistypeofexperience,
medium
is
related
tothebeautyofnature
excellence
thus
(tief
intimately
par
verwandt
demNaturschonen).
Ifonedecidestotaketheself-censors
moreorlessliterally
andconfront
filmswiththecontext
oftheir
one
will
have
to
reception,
proceedmoresubtly
thanthosetraditional
content
reliedprimarily
analyseswhich,bynecessity,
on theintentions
of a filmand neglected
thepotential
gap betweensuch
intentions
and theiractualeffect.This gap, however,is inherent
in the
medium.If accordingto the analysisof "Televisionas Ideology"'film
accommodates
variouslayersof behavioral
thiswould
responsepatterns,
that
the
the
its
intended
imply
ideologyprovidedby
industry, officially
to
those
that
affect
the
models,maybyno meansautomatically
correspond
If
communications
research
to
were
look
for
spectators. empirical
finally
which
could
lead
to
some
this
one
would
merit
results,
problems
priority.
theofficial
modelsarea number
ofinofficial
oneswhichsupply
Overlapping
theattraction
to be neutralized
In orderto
yetare intended
by theformer.
the
consumers
and
with
them
the
substitute
satisfaction,
capture
provide
ifyouwill,heterodox
must
be
in
a
much
broader
unofficial,
ideology
depicted
andjuicierfashionthansuitsthemoralofthestory;thetabloidnewspapers
furnish
weeklyexamplesof suchexcess. One wouldexpectthepublic's
oftaboos,torespond
allthemorepromptly
since
libido,repressed
bya variety
thesebehavioral
the
fact
that
are
allowed
to
reflect
patterns,
by very
they
pass,
anelement
ofcollective
is alwaysdirected
approval.Whileintention
against
theplayboy,
thedolcevitaandwildparties,
theopportunity
tobeholdthem
3. T. W. Adorno,"Fernsehen
NeunKritische
als Ideologie,"inEingriffe:
Modelle(Frank"How to Lookat
furt:Suhrkamp,
1936),pp. 81-98.Basedon an English-language
original:
vol.VII (Spring1954),pp.213-235,
Television,"TheQuarterly
ofFilm,RadioandTelevision,
ofMassCulture,"in:B. Rosenberg
andD. Manning
as "TelevisionandthePatterns
reprinted
eds.MassCulture:
ThePopularArtsinAmerica
White,
(NewYork:FreePress,1957),pp.474488 (translator's
footnote).

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202

TheodorAdorno

seemsto be relishedmorethanthehastyverdict.If todayyoucan see in

inPrague,eveninconservative
Switzerland
andinCatholicRome,
Germany,
locked
in
eachothers
and
the
streets
armsand
everywhere,
boys girlscrossing
each
then
have
learned
and
other
unembarrassed,
this,
kissing
they
probably
as folklore.
In its
more,fromthefilmswhichpeddleParisianlibertinage
to
the
masses
the
of
culture
the
itself
industry
attempts manipulate
ideology
becomesas internally
as
the
it
to
which
aims
control.
antagonistic verysociety
The ideologyoftheculture
contains
theantidote
to itsownlie. No
industry
otherplea couldbe madeforitsdefense.
The photographic
processof film,primarily
representational,
placesa
on theobject,as foreign
to subjectivity,
than
higherintrinsic
significance
thisistheretarding
autonomous
aesthetically
techniques;
aspectoffilminthe
historical
itsobjectsas
processofart.Evenwherefilmdissolvesandmodifies
muchas itcan,thedisintegration
isnevercomplete.
itdoesnot
Consequently,
absoluteconstruction:
itselements,
howeverabstract,
permit
alwaysretain
aesthetic
values.Due tothis
something
representational;
theyareneverpurely
- farmoredirectly
intofilmquitedifferently
on
difference,
societyprojects
accountof theobjects- thanintoadvancedpainting
or literature.
That
whichis irreducible
abouttheobjectsinfilmis itself
to
a markofsociety,
prior
theaesthetic
realization
ofan intention.
ofthisrelationship
tothe
By virtue
offilmis thusinherently
concerned
withsociety.There
object,theaesthetics
canbenoaesthetics
ofthecinema,notevena purely
one,which
technological
wouldnotincludethesociologyof thecinema.Kracauer'stheory
of film
whichpractices
thatwhichis
sociologicalabstention
compelsus toconsider
leftoutinhisbook;otherwise
antiformalism
turnsintoformalism.
Kracauer
filmas the
ironically
playswiththeresolveofhisearliestyouthtocelebrate
discoverer
of thebeautiesof dailylife:sucha program,
however,was a
ofJugendstil
to letwandering
program
justas all thosefilmswhichattempt
cloudsand murky
are relicsofJugendstil.
pondsspeakforthemselves
By
cleansedof subjectivemeaning,thesefilms
choosingobjectspresumably
infusetheobjectwithexactlythatmeaning
whichtheyaretrying
to resist.
he
Benjamindid notelaborateon how deeplysomeof thecategories
forfilm- exhibition,
test- areimbricated
withthecommodity
postulated
character
whichhis theory
natureof anyrealist
opposes.The reactionary
aesthetic
fromthiscommodity
character.
todayis inseparable
Tendingto
thephenomenal
ofsociety,
surface
realism
dismisses
reinforce,
affirmatively,
to penetrate
thatsurfaceas a romantic
endeavor.Everymeananyattempt
- whichthecameraeye imparts
criticalmeaning
to the
ing- including

filmwould alreadyinvalidatethelaw of thecameraand thusviolateBenjamin's taboo, conceived as it was withthe explicitpurposeof outdoingthe
provocativeBrechtand thereby- thismayhave been its secretpurposegainingfreedomfromhim. Film is faced with the dilemmaof findinga

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on Film
Transparencies

203

whichneitherlapses intoarts-and-crafts
norslips intoa mere
procedure
mode.The obviousanswertoday,as forty
documentary
yearsago, is thatof
whichdoes notinterfere
withthingsbutrather
themin a
montage
arranges
constellation
akintothatofwriting.
ofa procedure
Theviability
basedonthe
ofshock,however,
raisesdoubts.Puremontage,
without
theaddiprinciple
tionofintentionality
initselements,
from
doesnotderiveintention
the
merely
ofall
itself.It seemsillusory
toclaimthatthrough
therenunciation
principle
of psychology,
inherent
renunciation
meaning,
especiallythecinematically
willemerge
from
thereproduced
material
itself.Itmaybe,however,
meaning
thattheentireissue is rendered
obsoleteby theinsight
thattherefusalto
is initself
a subjective
actandas such
toaddsubjective
interpret,
ingredients,
a priorisignificant.
silentspeaksnotless
Theindividual
subjectwhoremains
butmorethrough
silencethanwhenspeaking
aloud.Thosefilmmakers
ostracizedforbeingtoointellectual
absorbthisinsight
should,bywayofrevision,
intotheirworking
thegapbetween
methods.
themostprogresNonetheless,
sivetendencies
inthevisualartsandthoseoffilmcontinues
toexist,comproFor thetimebeing,evidently,
misingthelatter'smostradicalintentions.
withothermedia,
film'smostpromising
potentiallies in its interaction
themselves
intofilm,suchas certain
kindsofmusic.Oneofthemost
merging
filmAntithese4
is thetelevision
by
powerful
examplesof suchinteraction
composerMauricioKagel.
modelsforcollective
is
filmprovides
behavior
That,amongitsfunctions,
notjustanadditional
inheres
of
Such
rather,
collectivity,
imposition ideology.
intheinnermost
offilm.Themovements
whichthefilmpresents
are
elements
viewers
mimetic
incite
the
to
all
content
and
which,
impulses
meaning,
prior
filmresembles
andlisteners
tofallintostepas ifina parade.In thisrespect,
musicjustas, intheearlydaysofradio,musicresembled
filmstrips.
Itwould
of
"we"
in
which
notbe incorrect
film
as
a
todescribe
theconstitutive
subject
theaestheticand sociologicalaspectsof themediumconverge.Anything
withthepopularEnglishactress
Goes5wasthetitleofa filmfromthethirties
of film'sformal
GracieFields;this'anything'
the
captures verysubstance
As
is
carried
it
to
all
content.
the
movement,
along,
joinsthecurrent
prior
eye
ofall thosewhoareresponding
nature
tothesameappeal.Theindeterminate
of thiscollective"anything"(Es), however,whichis linkedto theformal
thepseudocharacter
offilmfacilitates
misuseofthemedium:
theideological
inwhichthephrase"thingsmustchange"isconveyed
revolutionary
blurring
ofbanging
one'sfistonthetable.Theliberated
filmwouldhave
bythegesture
of unconscious
and
to wrestitsa prioricollectivity
fromthemechanisms
4. Antithese:
Filmfor one performer
withelectronic
and everyday
sounds(1965); first
broadcast
(translator's
footnote).
April1, 1966byNDR III, Hamburg
5. Anything
Goes (1936; Paramount),
dir. Lewis Milestone,withBing Crosby,Ethel
GraceBradley(sic!) andothers;songsbyCole Porter
Merman,
(translator's
footnote).

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204

TheodorAdorno

irrational
influence
andenlistthiscollectivity
intheserviceofemancipatory
intentions.
Filmtechnology
hasdeveloped
a seriesoftechniques
whichworkagainst
therealisminherent
inthephotographic
process.Amongthesearesoft-focus
- superimpositions,
shots- a longoutdated
custom
in
arty
photography
andalso, frequently,
It is abouttimetorecognize
theludicrousflashbacks.
nessof sucheffects
and getridof thembecausethesetechniques
are not
inthenecessities
ofindividual
worksbutinmereconvention;
grounded
they
inform
thevieweras to whatis beingsignified
orwhatneedstobe addedin
ordertocomprehend
whatever
realism.Sincethese
escapesbasiccinematic
- even if commontechniquesalmostalwayscontainsome expressive
arisesbetweenexpression
and
place- valuesof theirown,a discrepancy
conventional
theappearance
ofkitsch.
sign.Thisis whatgivestheseinserts
Whether
iscreatesthesameeffect
inthecontext
ofmontage
andextradiegetic
associationshas yetto be examined.In anycase, suchcinematographic
tactonthepartofthefilm-maker.
Thelessonto
divagations
require
particular
belearned
from
thisphenomenon
isdialectical:
inisolation,
which
technology
thenature
offilmas language,mayendup incontradiction
to its
disregards
owninternal
filmproduction
shouldno longerdepend
logic.Emancipated
ofitsprofession)
inthe
(i.e. themereequipment
uncritically
upontechnology
manner
ofa bynomeansstill'newobjectivity'
mehrneuen
(einerkeineswegs
In commercial
filmproduction,
however,theaesthetic
Sachlichkeit).
logic
inthematerial
inherent
is caughtina stageofcrisisevenbeforeitis givena
chanceto reallyunfold.Thedemandfora meaningful
between
relationship
materialand contentdoes notmixwell withthefetishism
of
technique,

means.

It is undeniable
thatDaddy'sCinemaindeedcorresponds
to whatthe
consumers
rather
thatitprovides
themwithanunconscious
want,or,perhaps,
canonofwhattheydo notwant,thatis, something
different
fromwhatthey
arepresently
theculture
couldnothavebebeingfed.Otherwise,
industry
comea massculture.
Theidentity
ofthesetwophenomena,
isnotso
however,
doubtas critical
assumesas longas itfocusesontheaspectof
beyond
thought
andrefrains
fromempirical
Nevertheless,
production
analysesofreception.
thefavorite
ofthewhole-andhalf-hearted
thatculture
argument
apologists,
is theartoftheconsumer,
is untrue;
itis theideology
ofideology.
industry
Eventhereductive
withthelowartofall ages
equationoftheculture
industry
doesnotholdup.Theculture
contains
an
element
ofrationality
-the
industry
calculated
of
the
low
while
notmissing
in
which,
reproduction
certainly

thelow artof thepast,was notitsrationale.Moreover,thevenerableroughness and idiocyof suchhybridsof circensesand burlesqueso popularduring
thelateRomanempiredo notjustifytherevivalof suchphenomenaafterthey
have become aestheticallyand sociallytransparent.
Even ifconsideredapart

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on Fihn
Transparencies

205

fromitshistorical
thevalidity
of theargument
forconsumerperspective,
artcan be attackedin theverypresent.Its proponents
oriented
depictthe
between
artanditsreception
as staticandharmonious,
relationship
according
initself
totheprinciple
a dubiousmodel.Artunrelated
ofsupplyanddemand,
to theobjectivespiritof itstimeis equallyunimaginable
as artwithout
the
moment
it. The separation
fromempirical
which
whichtranscends
reality
of artfromtheoutsetrequiresprecisely
that
to theconstitution
pertains
The conformity
to theconsumer,
on thecontrary,
whichlikesto
moment.
is nothing
buttheeconomictechnique
as humanitarianism,
of
masquerade
consumer
it
means
the
renunciation
of
all
interferArtistically,
exploitation.
ofthecurrent
encewiththesyrupy
idiomand,as a result,
substance
withthe
reified
consciousness
of theaudience.By reproducing
thelatterwithhypocritical
theculture
consciousness
subservience,
industry
changesthisreified
all themore,thatis, foritsownpurposes:
itactually
that
prevents consciousnessfromchanging
on itsown,as itsecretly
and,deepdown,unadmittedly
aremadetoremain
desires.Theconsumers
whattheyare:consumers.
Thatis
culture
the
the
is
art
of
the
but
rather
the
not
consumer
why
industry
projection
ofthewillofthoseincontrol
ontotheir
victims.
Theautomatic
self-reproductionof the statusquo in its established
of
formsis itselfan expression
domination.
One will have observedthatit is difficult,
the
to distinguish
initially,
of
a
attraction'
from
the
main
film
which
for
one
is
preview 'coming
waiting.
Thismaytellus something
aboutthemainattractions.
Likethepreviews
and
likethepop hits,theyareadvertisements
the
comforthemselves,
bearing
character
likea markofCainon theirforeheads.
modity
Everycommercial
filmis actuallyonlythepreviewof thatwhichit promises
and willnever
deliver.
Howniceitwouldbe if,underthepresent
onecouldclaim
circumstances,
thatthelessfilmsappeartobe worksofart,themoretheywouldbejustthat.
One is especiallydrawnto thisconclusionin reactionto thosesnobbish
class-Apictures
whichtheculture
forcesitself
tomake
psychological
industry
forthesakeofcultural
Even
one
must
so,
legitimation.
guardagainsttaking
- to say
suchoptimism
too far:the standardized
Westerns
and thrillers
of
the
of
and
German
humor
the
(Heinothing
products
tear-jerkers
patriotic
evenworsethantheofficial
hits.In integrated
culture
one
matschnulze)-are
cannotevendependon thedregs.
Translatedby Thomas Y. Levin

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