Jon Jost, independent film-maker. The early films
2. Flower
Jon Jost's short film 'Flower' (1970) explores the relationship between language and meaning. A direct parallel is drawn between film language and verbal language. The film opens with a quote, in the form of a printed text, from Mallarmé saying that when he reads the word 'flower' he experiences a sense of beauty. But there is no flower actually there, only the word, and the associated idea of a flower. Therefore, he concludes, the word 'flower' denotes a beautiful idea.
Jost follows this with many shots of flowers, and again the sequence goes on for a long time, giving us ample time to consider what is taking place. We begin by looking for the flower which matches our idea of a flower, and none of them do. Our idea of a flower does not exist in the real world, only specific individual flowers, such as the ones we are seeing on the screen, exist there. But if we cannot see our idea of a flower on the screen, nor, we realise, can we see any real flowers, all we can see are projected patterns of light shade and colour.
The film ends with a quote praising the beauty of 'hues conceived in the mind', and deploring the folly of men who think such beauty can be represented by mere 'grunts and squeaks', (i.e. language).
Jost is demonstrating that film itself cannot present us with reality, or with meanings, film is a mere language, patterns of light and shade, grunts and squeaks. It is we who attribute meaning to the images, and any reality we might think we are seeing in the film is merely an illusion. Jost continually reminds us of this fact, even in the features, in order that we should see through the illusion to what is being communicated from him to us about our real lives in the real world.
Having established that film is only a language, it follows that everything we see on the screen is determined by the film-maker's intentions towards us, and towards his subject matter. Jost has defined film (In 'Susannah's Film', 1969) as 'light, shade, and bias', and his film '13 Fragments and 3 Narratives from Life' (1968) is a complex and fascinating essay on this subject.
Professional Essays
Dissertations Sol
2. Flower
Jon Jost's short film 'Flower' (1970) explores the relationship between language and meaning. A direct parallel is drawn between film language and verbal language. The film opens with a quote, in the form of a printed text, from Mallarmé saying that when he reads the word 'flower' he experiences a sense of beauty. But there is no flower actually there, only the word, and the associated idea of a flower. Therefore, he concludes, the word 'flower' denotes a beautiful idea.
Jost follows this with many shots of flowers, and again the sequence goes on for a long time, giving us ample time to consider what is taking place. We begin by looking for the flower which matches our idea of a flower, and none of them do. Our idea of a flower does not exist in the real world, only specific individual flowers, such as the ones we are seeing on the screen, exist there. But if we cannot see our idea of a flower on the screen, nor, we realise, can we see any real flowers, all we can see are projected patterns of light shade and colour.
The film ends with a quote praising the beauty of 'hues conceived in the mind', and deploring the folly of men who think such beauty can be represented by mere 'grunts and squeaks', (i.e. language).
Jost is demonstrating that film itself cannot present us with reality, or with meanings, film is a mere language, patterns of light and shade, grunts and squeaks. It is we who attribute meaning to the images, and any reality we might think we are seeing in the film is merely an illusion. Jost continually reminds us of this fact, even in the features, in order that we should see through the illusion to what is being communicated from him to us about our real lives in the real world.
Having established that film is only a language, it follows that everything we see on the screen is determined by the film-maker's intentions towards us, and towards his subject matter. Jost has defined film (In 'Susannah's Film', 1969) as 'light, shade, and bias', and his film '13 Fragments and 3 Narratives from Life' (1968) is a complex and fascinating essay on this subject.
Professional Essays
Dissertations Sol
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