1
Ví o Mou a
The cinema ic Mu hos
1. In oduc ion
The G eek wo d mu hos names he ole o he iewe o he eade in he p ocess
o ecognizing a gi en na a i e o m o s uc u e. I cons i u es an ac i e wo k o
composi ion, in eg a ion and syn hesis o he e ogeneous elemen s and he es ablishmen
o a dynamic iden i y o he s o y being p esen ed1. I consis s also o a so o
“nego ia ion” be ween he expec ed and he unexpec ed elemen s o a na a i e, he
o eseeable and he un o eseen. Th ough i , he spec a o is able o sus ain and calib a e
a le el o expec a ion ha explains o much o he na a i e ension and he ui ion
p o ided by i . No e e y hing is p edic able and no e e y hing is unp edic able. The
na a i e s uc u e p o ides he iewe o eade wi h a numbe o mac o and mic o
anges o possibili ies and, he e o e, wi h he chance o disc imina e be ween he
cong ui y and he incong ui y o any diege ic sequence (i.e., he occu ence o e en s o
eac ions wi hin hose anges and hose which all ou side hem).
The ac i i y o making sense ou o a mani old o e y di e se uni s o meaning
(cha ac e s, emo ions, episodes, causal, spa ial and empo al ela ionships be ween
scenes, e c.) p oceeds h ough he a icula ion o all he e en s and inciden s wi hin he
o e a ching s o y, “which is uni ied and comple e”2.
Th oughou his philosophy o ilm, Noël Ca oll has in oduced and de eloped
se e al su eying de ices ha help us o be e ealize how his mu hos akes place in
he case o ilm iewing as well as o ealize he di e en le els, bo h diege ic and
1 C . P. Ricoeu , “Li e in Ques o Na a i e”, in Da id Wood (ed.), On Paul Ricoeu : Na a i e and
In e p e a ion, London: Rou ledge, 1991, p.20; c . D. Knigh , “A is o elians on Speed”, in Richa d Allen
and Mu ay Smi h (eds.), Film Theo y and Philosophy, Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1997, p.349.
2 Ricoeu , 199: 20.
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pe cep ual, whe e his ac i i y akes place. These de ices a e he ela ion be ween poin -
glance and poin -objec ocal pe spec i es, he ela ion be ween music and emo ion,
e o e ic na a i e, he na a i e en hymeme and he ela ion be ween eading- o - he-
s o y and eading-wi hin- he sys em.
The objec i e o his pape is o p opose a pano amic and compa a i e iew o
hese explana o y de ices and o p esen and assess hei common a ionale. All o hem
desc ibe he way ilms a e basically cons uc ed h ough complex and jux aposed
sequences consis ing o he ins au a ion o a gi en ange o possibili ies and he
c opping ou o selec ion o one o hose possibili ies. Ano he common ea u e lies on
he way hese de ices a ibu e he iewe an ac i e ole in he ex ac ion, elabo a ion
and de elopmen o cinema ic meaning. Film iewing appeals cons an ly o he memo y
and o he ac i a ion o di e en cogni i e abili ies in he spec a o .
This in e ac ion and he spec a o ’s ac i e in e en ion a e no , o cou se, an
exclusi e o ilm. E ns Gomb ich, o ins ance, insis ed on he way a iewe s a e
cons an ly led o p ojec hei s o ed ocabula y o amilia g aphic o ms on o uzzy o
acciden al shapes. We enume a e he images we “ ead in o” clouds o in o he inkblo s
o a Ro schach es 3, submi ing hem o ou need o pe cep ual classi ica ion and ou
sense o in elligibili y. A has always elied on his in e ac ion be ween sugges ion and
p ojec ion, o “making” and “ma ching”4. Gio gio Vasa i p aised he “ ough and
un inished” bas- elie s sculp ed by Dona ello in one o he Singing Galle ies o he
Flo en ine ca hed al because “all hings which a e a emo ed (…) ha e mo e beau y
and g ea e o ce when hey a e a beau i ul ske ch han when hey a e inished”5. Thei
incomple eness “heigh ens he imagina ion” and in i es he iewe , so o speak, o inish
he wo k by ollowing he a is ’s sugges ion and by p ojec ing his isual schema a on o
3 E. Gomb ich, A and Illusion, P ince on: P ince on Uni e si y P ess, 1960.
4 C . Gomb ich, 1960: 186.
5 Quo ed by Gomb ich, 1960: 193.
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he ough ske ch. Ou enjoymen o such pieces is deeply connec ed o he awa eness o
ou own cogni i e collabo a ion, namely, by “wa ching ou imagina ion come in o play,
ans o ming he medley o colo in o a inished image”. Leona do da Vinci’s adi ional
eluc ance o inish his wo ks was also linked o his awa eness o he powe o
“ma ching” in he app ehension o isual o ms. Acco ding o his pain e , he bes
me hod o “quickening he spi i o in en ion” would be o “look a ce ain walls
s ained wi h damp, o a s ones o une en colo ”6 and lea n how o “see in hem” “ he
likeness o di ine landscapes” o “ba les and s ange igu es in iolen ac ions” and
“exp essions o aces and clo hes”. The skil ul a is is hen able o inspi e he spec a o
he same p ojec ion o isual schema a. Lea ing he wo k wi h a su icien le el o
incomple eness and inde e minacy she allows he beholde “ o expe ience some hing o
he h ill o ‘making’ which had once been he p i ilege o he a is ”7.
In na a i e a s, and speci ically, in li e a u e o ilm, mo e han isual
schema a, he eade o spec a o is mos ly asked o ill in ime gaps. I we see ou
he oin ushing ou he o ice doo and hen suddenly we see he quie ly on he phone on
he couch a home, we don’ wo y abou he lack o in o ma ion ega ding ha ellipse.
A i uous w i e such as Aga ha Ch is ie could pe ec ly well play wi h he eade ’s
usual skill o ill in ellip ical gaps in h ille no els and ick he o assume much mo e
o much less han wha u ns ou o be he case. A classic example o his decei ed
“ma ching” is p esen ed in The Mu de o Roge Ack oyd whe e he na a o
consis en ly a oids supplying he eade wi h in o ma ion8. The ele ancy o ha
in o ma ion o e en he awa eness ha he e is a na a i e gap escapes he expe ienced
eade : she knows e y well how o ill in he gaps.
6 Quo ed by Gomb ich, 1960: 188.
7 Gomb ich, 1960: 202.
8 A ilmic example o he way spec a o s may be decei ed exac ly h ough he way hey ill in he
ellip ical gaps o e en ail o no ice he oddness o he cha ac e s in e ac ion in some scenes, is M. Nigh
Shyamalan’s The Six h Sense (1999).
4
Wa ching a mo ie, we a e pe ec ly able o ul il he elemen s ha pe mi a
smoo h ansi ion om one sho o he o he 9, no only assuming he means by which
ha spa ial ansi ion occu ed bu also jus i ying he cha ac e ’s change o disposi ion,
he di e en ligh o he new ou i . This pape shall conside o he ways h ough which
mo ies exe a con olled appeal o he spec a o s’ cogni i e capabili ies and o hei
collabo a ion in illing in he gaps. I shall assume he hypo hesis ha he spec a o ’s
mo e o less conscious awa eness o he ac i e ole in ilm iewing could lead he – as
Gomb ich sugges ed -“ o expe ience some hing o he ‘ h ill o making’ ” and hus
con ibu e o he explana ion o he powe o con empo a y mo ies.
2. The he meneu ic de ices
2.1. Visual
“Poin /glance” and “poin /objec ” a e e ms in oduced by Edwa d B anigan10 in
o de o desc ibe one o he simples conjunc ions o pe spec i es in ilm’s edi ing:
poin -o - iew-edi ing. The poin /glance is o a pe son looking, gene ally o an objec
si ua ed o -sc een, and he poin /objec sho is o wha e e ha pe son is looking a 11.
9 Cinema is a dis inc a o m since i po ai s ime by means o ime, i.e., “ he empo al p ope ies o
elemen s o he ep esen a ion se e o ep esen empo al p ope ies o he hings ep esen ed” (G.
Cu ie, Image and Mind, Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 1995, p.96) and u he mo e because i
is “conce ned wi h he empo ali y o hings ep esen ed a he han wi h he empo ali y o ha which
ep esen s”. Mo ies ha e de eloped nume ous ways o ep esen ing he ela ion occu ing some ime
a e and spec a o s h oughou he wo ld ha e lea ned his ocabula y.
10 E. B anigan, Poin o View in he Cinema, New Yo k: Mou on, 1984, p.103.
11 The ela ion be ween he wo kinds o sho s was i s s udied by he Russian ilmmake Le Kulesho .
In 1919, he jux aposed sho s o a ious objec s (a bowl o soup, a smiling child, and a dead body) agains
iden ical a chi e clips o a amous ac o (I an Mozhukhin). Al hough he sho o he ac o emained
exac ly he same, iewe s el ha he sho s o he ac o con eyed di e en emo ions sugges ed by he
o he s imulus. He disco e ed wha was la e labelled as he Kulesho E ec : he men al endency o
iewe s o a emp o igu e ou how ilmed sho s i oge he , e en i he sho s a e o ally un ela ed. In his
amous in e iew wi h F ançois T u au , Al ed Hi chcock men ioned he impo ance he Kulesho
Expe imen had in his own wo k: “Hi chcock: “You see a close-up o he Russian ac o I an
Mousjoukine. This is immedia ely ollowed by a sho o a dead baby. Back o Mousjoukine again and you
ead compassion on his ace. Then you ake away he dead baby and you show a pla e o soup, and now,
when you go back o Mousjoukine, he looks hung y.”
5
In his cogni i is ic app oach o ilm heo y, Noël Ca oll uses his binomy wi hin he
wide p ojec o explaining he uni e sal mass-appeal o mo ies. His hesis is ha his
kind o edi ing cons i u es a “cinema ic elabo a ion o o dina y pe cep ual p ac ices”12
and a pe ec ehicle o communica ing emo ion. Fi s o all, i is a biologically
selec ed de ice: an adap i e beha iou o animals upon encoun e ing o he animals
consis s in he way hey end o ollow he o he animal’s glance un il hey each i s
a ge objec 13. Child en oo cha ac e is ically ollow hei mo he ’s glance o i s objec ,
and looking whe e an in e locu o is looking is a undamen al condi ion o e bal
communica ion. I is hus one o he mos basic and dissemina ed ways h ough which
we acqui e in o ma ion abou o he pe sons and he en i onmen .
Poin -o - iew edi ing mime izes his pe cep ual beha iou and he e o e
cons i u es i sel as a ep esen a ion o pe cep ion. I dele es he mo emen be ween
glancing a he “ iewe ” and a he iewed objec bu he spec a o quickly dis ega ds
ha “leap” since no mally “i is he endpoin s o he ac i i y, and no he space be ween,
ha command ou a en ion” (Ca oll, 1996: 128). I s unc ionali y de i es om he
a he economic way wi h which i manages o (a) ep esen bo h a glance and i s a ge -
objec , hus (b) supplying us wi h ele an in o ma ion ega ding he obse ed obse e ,
while (c) a he same ime i se es he pu pose o keeping ac i e he ilm’s diege ic
ne wo k o expec a ion / elaxa ion. In ac his expec a ion is wo old: i is bo h “ he
expec a ion ha a glance will be ollowed by i s a ge ” (Ca oll, 1996: 129), and he
es ablishmen o a mo e o less basic ange o possible emo ional exp essions igge ed
by he cha ac e ’s acial exp ession, he expec a ion ac i a ed by he need o ead ou
he co ec emo ion con ained wi hin ha ange and, inally, he p esen a ion o he
objec ha shall assis he spec a o in making ha il e ing. And since while in ol ed in
12 N. Ca oll, Theo izing he Mo ing Image, Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 1996, p.127.
13 C . R. Go don, The S uc u e o Emo ions, Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 1987. C . Ca oll,
1996: 127-128.

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his explica i e ac i i y, he spec a o is cons an ly epo ing a poin /objec sho back o
a p eceding poin /glance sho , she is in ac kni ing he na a i e in a succession o
saccades anging backwa ds and o wa ds ac oss he ilm. (This kni ing, as we shall
see, occu s in many mo e dimensions and he spec a o is o en called o ul il his ole.)
His o y o A is illed wi h examples o he way pa icula objec s se e he
pu pose o indi idua ing o de e mining he emo ional exp ession o hose a ec ed by
hem. Wi hou hem he e is “likely o be in he spec a o ’s mind unce ain y, agueness,
o ambigui y, abou he co esponding emo ion”14. The mo ies’ pa icula
cha ac e is ics allow ha he ul ilmen o his speci ica ion be done in a way much
close o ou “pe cep ual p o o ype”, i.e., in a consecu i e o diach onic way, i s
glancing a he “ acial ange” – he poin /glance sho ac ing as a “ ange inde ” (c .
Ca oll, 1996: 132) and hen conside ing he “ il e ing objec ” – he poin /objec ac ing
as “ ocuse ”. And while poin -o - iew edi ing dele es he pe cep ual pa hway be ween
bo h, i allows o he possibili y o playing wi h he p ope iming o ha “ e ela ion”.
A p ope de en ion o he spec a o on a poin /glance sho is impo an in o de o allow
he o quickly su ey he ange o he cha ac e ’s possible emo ional s a es, oscilla ing
be ween in e es and exci emen , enjoymen and joy, su p ise and s a le, dis ess and
anguish, ea and e o , e c (c . Ca oll, 1996: 130). A sho oo sho won’ ac i a e he
oscilla ion ha de i es om he need o an icipa e he cha ac e ’s exac eeling. Too
long a sho dispe ses ha concen a ion.
I , on he one hand, poin /objec sho s se e poin /glance sho s by ac ing as
ocuse s o emo ions, poin /glance sho s, on he o he hand, p o ide “a ough guide o
wha is salien , emo ionally speaking, in he poin /objec sho ” (Ca oll, 1996: 132). I
he poin /glance sho “ini ia es ou ecogni ion ha he cha ac e is disgus ed by wha he
14 R. Wollheim, Pain ing as A , P ince on: P ince on Uni e si y P ess, 1987, p.88.
7
sees” (Ca oll, 1996: 132) we’ll ind ou sel es ine i ably looking o he bloody kni e in
he opponen ’s hand, and no he pe ec i oning o his shi . Objec sho s ell us wha
we had been looking a ; glance sho s ell us wha we should look o nex . Bo h ha e he
abili y o elec wi h p ecision ele an elemen s om wi hin a ange o he e ogeneous
candida es (emo ions o s a es o a ai s). The e iden cha ac e o he ension be ween
hose salien elemen s and he disca ded ones p o ides a kind o sense o in elligibili y –
we a ain a dis inc concep ion o wha is going on - and he uni ica ion o he
spec a o s’ common expe ience.
2.2. Audio- isual
The e a e, o cou se, o he ways o igge ing in he spec a o his kind o
cogni i e ension and elaxa ion. When a sudden c y is hea d om ou side he scene and
he cha ac e s ush ou o see wha is going on, a numbe o possibili ies p omp in o
mind. The sc eam becomes a “ ange inde ”. The ollowing scenes a e d i en by he
need o speci y ha ange and elec one o i s possible explana ions. This c opping ou
wi hin a an o choices is also pa en in he case o “modi ying music” (Ca oll, 1996:
139-145). Non- ocal and non-p og amma ic music – in a way simila o he human
ace15 - a e exp essi e o “inexplici , ambiguous and b oad” (Ca oll, 1996: 141)
emo i e quali ies. “Filling in” he mo ie, music adds signi ican ly o he mo ie’s
emo ional densi y. I is able o igni e and sus ain a ce ain emo ional mode in a e y
economic way: joy, sadness, melancholy, e c. Akin o poin /glance sho s, i si ua es he
iewe inside a kind o emo ional pa adigm. Howe e , and also like poin /glance sho s,
15 The pa allel be ween musical and acial exp essions is a ecu en one. C ., o ins ance, Wi gens ein’s
Lec u es on Aes he ics: "I I say, ega ding a piece by Schube , ha i is melancholic i is as i I was
gi ing i a ace (I don' exp ess app o al o disapp o al). I could ins ead be using ges u es. In ac , i we
wan o be p ecise, we use ges u es o acial exp essions."
8
music is no pe se su icien o each he so o “emo i e explici ness”16 ha shall
sa is y he spec a o ’s need o diege ic in elligibili y. I awai s hen a e e ence o an
objec ha can supply his ocusing wi hin he ange. Simila ly o he unc ion a ibu ed
o poin /objec sho s, he mo ie’s ep esen a ional con en s ac as “indica o s” ha
na ow down he sco e’s “emo i e esonance” o a diege ically e icien le el. Joy
deli e s he bliss ul ge - oge he o wo lo e s, sadness is a icula ed in o loss, and
melancholy is ma ched by d i ing clouds on a Sep embe sky. Thus, he exp ession
“modi ying music” should be ead in a wo old way: music modi ies ilm and ilm
modi ies music. I also means ha his modi ica ion cons i u es a ecip ocal modula ion.
The jux aposi ion o he wo di e en symbolic sys ems is some imes e en aken o
se e i onic pu poses o o enhance he pa hos o a scene, such as when an emo ionally
o e -sa u a ed melody is sha ply con as ed by a scene ep esen ing some hing ha lies
comple ely ou side ha melody’s emo ional ange. Take, o ins ance, he scene in T ue
Romance (Tony Sco , 1993) whe e he cha ac e played by Dennis Hoppe is
ques ioned and hen killed. The soo hing music om Delibes’ Lakmé appea s p ima
acie qui e inadequa e. Bu i s i id con as wi h he imminen iolence enhances he
eeling o dis up ion and excess ha cha ac e izes he expec a ion o a sudden bu s . The
misma ch be ween ange and indica o adds o he spec a o ’s un es as a kind o
cogni i e supplemen o emula ion o he b u al disa angemen ha is being
ep esen ed. On he o he hand, he abili y o a icula e unexpec ed complexes o
musical modi ie s and s ic ly cinema ic indica o s has cons i u ed an impo an way
h ough which mo ie make s ha e en iched and inc eased he ancien a is ic li wi h
he ques ion o wha he p ope g amma o emo ions may consis in.
16 Pe e Ki y, quo ed in Ca oll, 1996: 141.
9
The e is ye ano he impo an unc ion sha ed bo h by poin -o - iew edi ing and
by modi ying music and ha is o lead he audience in he mos economic and
s aigh o wa d way ac oss he mo ie and “ o gua an ee ha he audience will ollow
he ac ion in he way he ilmmake deems app op ia e” (Ca oll, 1996: 144). Tha is
mos e icien ly done when he spec a o is gi en s a egic elemen s ha enable he o
ac i a e common cogni i e capabili ies. Mo eo e she is gi en he imp ession o being
able o cons uc , so o speak, he own e sion o he cinema ic na a i e, by
an icipa ing, connec ing a poin /objec scene wi h p eceding poin /glance sho s, o
choosing indica o s om he scene as he mos ele an ocuse s o i s music’s
exp essi eness ( o he , maybe i ’s no he cowboy ha ex ac s b a ado om he
musical sco e’s ene ge ic and dynamic quali ies; maybe i ’s he ho se, o he opening up
o he landscape, o he whip ha lashes unde he sun). And al hough his is done
unde a mo e o less elen less con ol assu ing ha he un u o ed spec a o will indeed
ollow he in ended pa h and ecognize each scene unde he aegis o he o e all desi ed
exp essi e quali y, I would a gue ha o a leas some mo ies he ela ionship be ween
modal elemen s (poin /glance o music) and hei ocuse s (poin /objec o isual
elemen s) is an inexhaus ible one. And ha oo would be help ul o unde s and why
some mo ies e ain hei powe e en a e nume ous consecu i e iewings. A guably, i
would also help o unde s and why, in spi e o ha igh con ol, “almos e e y
summa y s a emen o a mo ie (…) con ains one o mo e desc ip i e inaccu acies”17
and ha i shall always subsis a “lack o i be ween echnical desc ip ion [o mo ies]
and a phenomenological accoun o hem” (Ca ell, 1971: 12).
Depending on he spec a o ’s p e ious expe ience as a iewe , he emo ional
ange p oposed by a gi en poin /glance sho can be mo e o less wide o encompass a
17 S. Ca ell, The Wo ld Viewed, Camb idge: Ha a d Uni e si y P ess, 1971: XX.
16
making conjec u es abou wha ’s going o happen, and in he way she an icipa es e en s
and expe iences expec a ions ega ding he ul ilmen o hose p edic ions. Ca oll´s
examples show us how his is done in a-diege ically and how each s o y, no ma e how
s e eo ypical, p o ides i s own ac ion. None heless, as his quo ed hypo hesis sugges s,
we canno elimina e he ac ha he pleasu e con ained in his “sel - ewa ding cogni i e
ac i i y” (Ca oll, 1996: 235) also in ol es he awa eness o he ecu en o mulas o
he gen e. I is no ha we a e eading o iewing “compa a i ely”, as sugges ed by
Robe s, bu ha we a e cons an ly accompanied by a “sense o amilia i y wi h he
s o y- ype” (Ca oll, 1996: 232). Bu wha exac ly is he na u e o his amilia i y?
S essing his disag eemen wi h Robe s, Ca oll opposes he “simply lea ning o
knowing he de ails o he s o y” (Ca oll, 1996: 234) and he ansac ional alue we
de i e om he ac i i y o ac ually eading o iewing a s o y, de i ing sa is ac ion
om success ul p edic ions igni ed by he plo ’s in insic wis s and u ns, o ins ance.
I compa a i e “ eading-wi hin- he-sys em” is accep ed as he basic le el o engagemen
i seems o p eclude he chance o his ansac ional alue e e o be p oduced: o see
one is o ha e seen hem all. Ca oll a gues ha , al hough eading in a sys em is no
in equen , i does no cons i u e he basic mode o eading o iewing gene ic ic ion.
And his o wo main easons: a) mos iewe s a e “nei he ans no connoisseu s no
c i ics” (Ca oll, 1996: 231); b) and e en hese “some imes become abso bed in a
mys e y s o y (…) wi hou ha expe ience b inging o mind pa icula s o ies o he
same so ha [ hey] ha e al eady encoun e ed” (Ca oll, 1996: 231). Signi ican ly,
hough, he adds ha he ecogni ion “ ha his is a so o se -up wi h which we ha e
been con on ed be o e” (Ca oll, 1996: 232) also accompanies he eade ’s o iewe ’s
expe ience. We a e o assume hen ha he p esence o he gen e has o be a componen
o he “co e phenomenon” o basic mode o o mulaic iewing. O cou se, we can

17
engage on he basic ac i i y o “ eading o iewing o he plo ” wi hou any e e ence
o a gen e jus like we can ollow a o eign ilm wi hou any kind o amilia i y wi h he
coun y’s cul u al speci ici ies. Bu ha would emain an ex emely unca ed
expe ience pa icula ly in cases o gen es so dissemina e ha hey become pa o he se
o “cul u al commonplaces” ha sus ain he he o ical cha ac e o na a i e ilms25 and
aid he spec a o h oughou he ope a ion o “na a i e en hymeme” (Ca oll, 1996:
281) h ough which she makes sense o he ac ion. We don’ need o ask o he easons
o he P i a e In es iga o ’s misogyny a he beginning o a ilm noi . I is ce ainly due
o a complica ed lo e his o y, one ha he cu en case is se o sol e o agg a a e. I
“ eading- o - he-s o y” means he suspension o he e e ence o he gen e as a
signi ican componen o he na a i e en hymeme hen i seems ha he e is a
con adic ion be ween bo h ac i i ies. In any case, o de end ha “ eading o he plo ”
can be done wi hou e e ence o he gen e would commi us o elucida e he exac
componen s o ha se o common cul u al commonplaces as o sepa a e hem om any
o mulaic ea u e. Is his easible?
Take he case o a iewe who had ne e been exposed o gen e ic ion so as o
be able o ecognize any o i s ecu ing elemen s. S ill she knows she is going o wa ch
a mo ie. Based on ha she p esupposes a numbe o cha ac e is ics – namely, na a i e
ea u es – and she’s capable o ecalling hose cha ac e is ics whene e equi ed in he
p ocess o na a i e en hymeme. Film becomes he gen e as opposed o o he na a i e
gen es such as w i en ic ion. The cons i u ion o his “s uc u e o an icipa ion”26 is
25 C . Ca oll, 1996: 281: “Na a i e ilms may be hough o as he o ical, hen, in so a , as hey a e
s uc u ed o lead he audience o ill in ce ain ideas abou human conduc in he p ocess o ende ing he
s o y in elligible o hemsel es.”
26 Social psychologis s ha e always been in e es ed in he analysis o he unc ion o “s uc u es o
an icipa ion” in social in e ac ion. P ejudices, misconcep ions and clichés o m an essen ial componen o
he way human beings deal wi h unce ain y by enabling us o an icipa e o he people’s social beha iou
in pa icula ci cums ances. Whene e we a el o a o eign coun y i ’s ine i able ha we ac i a e a web
o p ejudices ha will assis us in dealing wi h he low o new in o ma ion. They cons i u e il a ion’s
de ices, cogni i e ools ha suppo ou social o ien a ion and a much needy e e ence basis. The new
18
ine i able and enables he ac i i y o eading o he plo . Ca oll´s solu ion o he
pa adox o junk ic ion seems o be looking o he beha iou o ha i gin iewe as
he basic co e o ic ion ollowing, ge ing o i in a kind o educ io by he suspension
o all e e ences o he gen e. Bu on he o he hand he acknowledges he impo ance o
he ecogni ion o p e ious se -ups analogous o he one we’ e conside ing now. To him
his ecogni ion is seconda y o “ eading o he plo ”. To me i is one o i s essen ial
componen s.
I seems he e o e ha he sys em is gi en he ole o a na a i e side-kick
assis ing he iewe ’s expe ience and in oked, whene e necessa y, in o de o supply
o key na a i e, hema ic and iconog aphical elemen s ha he p esen oken- ic ion
ei he complica es, assumes o sub e s – as is he case wi h The Mu de o Roge
Ack oyd. Bu does his cons an assis ance p o ided by he gen e’s ules necessa ily
en ail ha o “see one is o see hem all”? Debo ah Knigh 27 ema ked ha o hink in
his way ha spec a o s al eady know he s o y i hey know he gen e cha ges he
concep o knowing wi h an excessi e me aphysical bu den, as i all possible na a i es
we e al eady con ained wi hin he gen e and knowing he s o y- ype would ipso ac o
en ail he knowledge o i s okens. This would equi e ha “ o any gen e, he s o y- ype
is in a nea way sel -iden ical, ixed, p esc ibed, in a ian , and singula ” (Knigh , 1997:
348). Bu gen es a e no like ha . And specially, gen es a e no like ha when hey a e
used in he spec a o s’ mu hos. We need hen a weake e sion o “gen e”. Fa om he
image o s o y- ypes as immense wa ehouses o e en ual plo s o a canonized
in o ma ion is hen o ganized acco ding o he way i con i ms o nega es hose p ejudices. Acco dingly,
gen e should be ead as an impo an “s uc u e o an icipa ion” ha allows he eade o acknowledge
wha is new and wha is p edic able when she eads he plo . The shu le be ween gen e and wo k, hen,
emula es an impo an aspec o ou cogni i e and social beha iou , jus like he in e ac ion be ween
poin /glance and poin /objec sho s emula es o dina y pe cep ion. Thei powe lies on he way hey
ac i a e ou gene ic ecogni ion capabili ies.
27 Knigh , 1997: 348.
19
backg ound o no ms, Knigh p e e s o desc ibe hem as “ho izons o expec a ions”
(Knigh , 1997: 348).
The s o y- ype opens up a “ ange o possibili ies om which he pa icula ex
[o ilm] makes a selec ion” (Knigh , 1997: 348). Knigh ’s choice o wo ds in his
passage sugges s a way in which we could link he ela ionship be ween gen e and wo k
wi h he cogni i e de ices analysed abo e. The shu le be ween he gen e’s key ea u es
and he wo k’s speci ic plo is also a way h ough which spec a o s a e called o
cons uc he na a i e.
O dina y iewe s, howe e , employ an e en weake no ion o gen e. To hem
he gen e is no abou a speci ic se o na a i e ules, ecu en mo i s o cha ac e ypes
bu , i s o all, abou he p omise o a ce ain emo ional s a e. Simila ly o music o
poin /glance sho s, he gen e se s he emo i e modal dominan agains which he
pa icula wo k is o be unde s ood. Spec a o s going o see a een-slashe ho o mo ie
al eady an icipa e an emo ional ange ha he mo ie is se o ocus. Reade s o
Ha lequin no els pick up hei nex copy in he ai po gi shop wi h he exci emen o
a i s da e. Indeed a signi ican ac o ha leads audiences o mo ies ha de i e om a
epe i i e o mula has o do wi h he sea ch o ha pa icula emo ional s a e, one
which only ha kind o gen e is able o ansmi . Again, his doesn’ diminish he basic
cha ac e o “ iewing o he plo ”. Bu his oo akes place in pa allel wi h he
ac i a ion o an emo ional a mosphe e.
The s ic ly cogni i e pleasu e o ansac ional alue o an icipa ing puzzles and
solu ions and wa ch hem con i med canno be sepa a ed om he eeling wi h which
hose in e p e a ions and in e ences a e made. Since Ca oll is a guing in a ou o
s o y- ocus as he “mo e basic mode o eading [o iewing] junk ic ion” one should
hen y o in es iga e wha cons i u es a mo e basic mo i a ion o he eade : he
20
ollowing o he plo ou cou o he en y in o a pa icula emo ional en i onmen . To
my iew, howe e , bo h a e inex icable.
Also, i we de ia e a bi om an exclusi e a en ion o he cogni i e ac i i y o
co-cons uc ing a plo o acknowledge he impo ance o he pa icula emo ional s a e
ha de i es om ollowing a plo unde each speci ic gen e ( o ollow a h ille is no
he same hing as o ollow a lo e s o y) one is in a be e posi ion o unde s and in pa
why ce ain wo ks e ain hei seduc i e powe e en a e nume ous iewings. The
spec a o goes back o hem in o de o epea a pa icula emo ional mood, one ha is
insepa able om he way ha pa icula plo is cons uc ed. So much so ha ce ain
mo ies a e no in e changeable in o de o p oduce a ce ain emo ional e ec . (They
become, so o speak, a gen e in and o hemsel es ( hey become wha we call “cul
mo ies”).)
Pa icula wo ks cons i u e ways o esponding o he gen e’s agenda and i ’s
i ually impossible o pe cei e hem wi hou ha holis ic e e ence. Bu jus like he
way poin /objec sho s, o isual ack, o answe ing scenes, ac e oac i ely upon hei
coun e pa s, so oo he gen e is a ec ed and indeed e-cons uc ed in each eade o
iewe ’s mu hos by he ocus p o ided by he cu en wo k. I gen es a e no ixed and
immu able pa adigms de ined exclusi ely by epe i ions bu a e “also ma ked
undamen ally by di e ence, a ia ion and change”28 hen he e is some oom o suppo
he hypo hesis ha gen es oo a e being cons uc ed by he spec a o h oughou he
inc easing amilia i y wi h ce ain g oups o wo ks. Wa ching o eading ic ion, she is
no only co-cons uc ing he diege ic h ead - lashing back and o h, sel - ewa ding
he sel , e c. – bu co-cons uc ing he gen e as well. A guably, ha ’s one o he
a ac ions o junk ic ion. The eade o he iewe is cons an ly collec ing i ems ha
28 S. Neale, “Ques ions o Gen e”, in Sc een, 31: 1 (Sp ing 1990), 45-66, p.56.
21
will allow he o compose a sense o gen e ha will la e pa icipa e in he na a i e
en hymeme.
Ha ing a mo e o less a icula ed sense o gen e is pa icula ly no iceable when
we lis en o con e sa ions be ween a icionados. Bu i is also ex emely ele an in
aiding any iewe o en ision o an icipa e he ange o hings ha a e ap o happen
nex . This way, he shu le be ween gen e and wo k is nea ly linked o he e y s uc u e
o e o e ic na a i e. The gen e becomes a so o “ho izon o expec a ions o
expec a ions” meaning ha o possess a sense o gen e is an e icien way o ecognize
expec a ions a ising wi hin he mo ie i sel . The gen e becomes a necessa y condi ion
o he iden i ica ion o ques ioning scenes (i ells us wha ques ions o conside ) and
he p ope igni ion o diege ic expec a ion. Knowing be o ehand ha ampi es canno
ace dayligh one wonde s i (o when) he house’s au oma ic blinds could be ac i a ed
om ou side he mode n ampi e’s beach house.
Unless we a e commi ed o a Pla onic iew o he ela ionship be ween gen es
and wo ks, gen es don’ exis apa om hei o mula ions. The common ea u es
be ween wo examples o ilm noi don’ subsis ou side hose wo examples. Mo eo e ,
hey don’ subsis ou side he ac ha he spec a o is engaged in an icipa ing sense
wi hin a speci ic plo and ha ha ac i i y o an icipa ion esembles o he engagemen s.
No ice ha I’m sugges ing ha we a e led o compa e simila ac i i ies, no simila
s o ies; Ca oll’s assump ion ha “ eading- o - he-plo ” cons i u es he basic ac i i y in
ic ion eading o iewing emains ela i ely ue, albei wi h he p ope conside a ion
o he impo ance o he memo y o p e ious se -ups.
Thus, in a simila way o he case o he cinema ic de ices p esen ed be o e,
spec a o s a e engaged in a econs uc i e shu le be ween he awa eness o he “ amily

22
esemblances” 29 be ween he kind o hings hey a e doing in he pa icula ilm hey’ e
p esen ly wa ching and wha hey’ e done in o he ilms. Bu no icing amily
esemblances howe e does no commi us o he kind o basic compa a i e eading o
iewing ha Ca oll c i icizes in Robe s’ a gumen . Expe iencing he eeling ha we’ e
deal wi h some simila kind o na a i e sequence be o e doesn’ oblige us o, so o
speak, depa om his speci ic plo .
6. Conclusion: e lec i e equilib ium
In his A Theo y o Jus ice, John Rawls desc ibes he no ion o “ e lec i e
equilib ium” as a kind o shu le be ween he a ionally chosen p inciples o jus ice and
he ange o ou mos common and dissemina ed mo al and social in ui ions. This
cons i u es a mo emen o in e -accommoda ion be ween he anscenden al a i iciali y
o he p inciples and he mo e na u al o spon aneous cha ac e o hose in ui ions.
Th ough e lec i e equilib ium in ui ions a e ocused since he p inciples o jus ice
allow us “ o see ou objec i e a he dis ance” and he p inciples o jus ice acqui e
subs an ial and eal weigh by inco po a ing hemsel es and shaping up he ealm o
in ui ions30.
Simila ly o he p ocedu es we’ e been analysing, he e is a ange - he domain
o ou in ui ions – and a ocus – he p inciples o eedom, libe al equali y o
oppo uni ies and di e ence. Apa om o he conside a ions, Rawls conside s ha he
possibili y o engage on such an in e -ac ion is a way h ough which his model o jus ice
29 I’m using he e Wi gens ein’s concep o amily esemblance as subs i u e o simple iden i y. When we
ecognize he physiognomic esemblance be ween ela i es i is no so much he obse a ion o iden ical
acial ea u es bu he mix u e o iden i y and non-iden i y ha sus ains ha eeling. A mix u e o known
and unknown, a h ead o lose ib es, some o hem uni ing and some sepa a ing: “The s eng h o he
ope lies no in he ac ha he e is a single ib e h oughou i s en i e leng h, bu ha he e a e many
ib es on op o each o he s” (Wi gens ein, Philosophical In es iga ions, §67).
30 C . J. Rawls, A Theo y o Jus ice, Camb idge: Ha a d Uni e si y P ess, 1971, p.20.
23
as ai ness is capable o “gene a ing i s own suppo ” (Rawls, 1971: 138). When we
map he a p io i31 p inciples o he in ui ional ange, we end o inco po a e hose
p inciples in o he social basic s uc u e and ocus ou in ui ions acco dingly “acqui ing
he co esponden sense o jus ice” (Rawls, 1971: 122). The ac ha he p inciples o
jus ice comply wi h ou di used mo al in ui ions shows ha he o me we e an icipa ed
by he la e al hough in a aw and non- e lec i e manne .
I’d like o insis on he way Rawls shows how he e y ac i i y o his shu le
cons i u es a way by which jus ice as ai ness gene a es i s own suppo . By g an ing he
ci izen he possibili y o es ablish by he sel his e lec i e ac i i y, ocusing a ange and
ma e ializing a a ional ocus, his social and poli ical model p e ends o cons i u e a
mo e powe ul way o a ain poli ical commi men , consensus and consen since he
ci izen is mo e p one o accep he disposi ion o he social basic s uc u e as i i is a
p oduc o he own “choice” (ano he way o sha ing he “ h ill o making”…).
Rawls’ example enables us o isola e he ele ance o he cogni i e shu le as a
common ea u e h oughou all hese dimensions. Wha i ha commi men is gene a ed,
in pa a leas , by he e y engaging on a shu le, a cons an compa ison and e-
calib a ion o a di use a ay o unclea mo al and poli ical no ions by means o a
ocusing poin ha allows us o “see ou objec i e in he dis ance”? Wha is i abou
cogni i e shu les o his kind ha gene a e commi men (e.g., he poli ical commi men ,
o ou allegiance o mo ies)?
Films oo a e capable o “gene a ing hei own suppo ” and a inal hypo hesis is
ha some kind o e lec i e equilib ium also akes place whene e we a e led o balance
poin /glance and poin /objec sho s, music and isual ack, gen e and plo , o
31 The exac ex ension o his a p io i clause is de e mined by wha Rawls calls he “ eil o igno ance”
ha alls o e he ci izen making he en e he O iginal Posi ion whe e she emains wi hou knowing he
ac ual economic, social, sexual o poli ical s a u e. Unawa e o he speci ic ci cums ance, she’s obliged o
a end o all possibili ies.
24
ques ioning and answe ing scenes. Whene e he subjec is summoned o engage on he
ex ac ion o pa icula elemen s om a p oposed se , o o ocus ha se , o o
an icipa e e en s based on a se , o o acknowledge he connec ion be ween o he
elemen s o he se and he pa icula elemen s she is now conside ing, she becomes, so
o speak, au ho o he own expe ience and pa icipa es in he “ h ill o making” ha
cons i u es one o he a a a s o aes he ic expe ience. The pleasu e and aes he ic
commi men she expe iences is, o some signi ican ex en , de i ed om he ecogni ion
o he powe o he own cogni i e capabili ies.