As the transition between films being "silent" and with synchronized sound occurs, Vampyr serves as a transitional piece possessing qualities of both. This film was more immersive to me than anything we have seen yet and I attribute this to the strong sense of liminal spaces and the best acting so far. I really enjoyed the door frames, windows, and the opening and closing of them that continually brings up the idea of travelling between places. This being such a huge theme in this movie is not surprising given the time period and the technology used in it. The Vanishing Lady as well as the Electric hotel also deal with Temporality and liminal spaces, or subjects. Magic as it is so frequently seen in these films is suitable in regards to the idea of the cinema of attraction but also due to the "now you see it now you don't" effect that most magic tricks possess. Things changing, appearing, not being quite what they seem, as well as the duality of excitement and fear. These things are embodied in Vampyr with a particular emphasis on the fearfulness that lingers underneath the excitement of cinema. Leaning into the eerie nature of the unknown present in "the cinema of attractions" films is what makes this film unique, to me.
Really Interesting comments about the movies!! I would be interesting to know how you interpreted cinema of attraction in the other movies we saw this week. Did you think they achieved the characteristics of cinema of attraction as beautifully and clearly as Vampyr did?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you more deeply analyzed this film's connection to the cinema of attractions! I'd be interested to think about how we can link COA to other, more modern films as well as ones weve watched so far in class. Also, other than to explore liminality, do you feel that the use of COA type techniques is portraying any specific messages that could not be portrayed any other way?
ReplyDeleteI think that cinema of attractions play with temporality is the most unique aspect of its aesthetic and the thing that is most borrowed by contemporary cinema.
DeleteI think you do a really fantastic job of exploring the eerie aspects of this film and its relationship to the cinema of attractions. I always find it interesting to think about why almost any sort of liminality scares us so much. I dont that there's any other film that captures the feeling of being creeped out as well as this film.
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