The Cinematic Form Of A Monologue
The visual articulation of thought can expand the limits of human expression.
In his notes, the Russian director, Sergei Eisenstein, writes: "Joyce is a colossus. He considers Joyce, as M. Seton remembers, the only living writer who broke the walls of literary tradition, who created new forms to express the process interior of thought and emotion. At the same time, he believes that Joyce was the one who "developed the figurative line of Japanese hieroglyphics"., a modest, funny man, dedicated exclusively to work.
The two artists talk for a long time, Eisenstein's visits are repeated. Joyce reads him pages from his works that Eisenstein, now, in reading the author, understands better. He talks a lot about "the inner monologue whose example in Ulysses had excited the young director by revealing the unfolding of events simultaneously with the particular way in which these events pass through consciousness and feeling, that is, the associations and emotions of one of the main characters", by Leopold Bloom.
Joyce is very interested in Eisenstein's thoughts and projects regarding the inner monologue. For five years, the director has been preoccupied with the cinematic form of such a monologue, its editing form. He was convinced that only the sound film could reproduce all the phases, all the specifics of the course of thought. That's why the film will continue what Joyce had brought to a climax in literature.
Can you perceive and interpret the complexity of a character's thought to create a visual equivalent of inner monologue in a manner that mimics the uninterrupted stream of consciousness?
The visual metaphor in the cinematic form of a monologue can function as a visual equivalent of the inner monologue, staging the particular way in which events pass through a character's consciousness and feeling. The directors, using editing and sound film techniques, bring before the viewers the thoughts, associations and emotions of the characters in a manner that mimics the uninterrupted stream of consciousness, as Joyce did in literature. This process is not limited to a direct representation of ideas, but involves the creation of a dialogue between the viewer and the film, where the complexity of the train of thought is explored in an intuitive and deeply personal manner.
Do you allow yourself to explore the otherness of a character through your creation, reflecting on how it renders the uninterrupted flow of your consciousness?
The cinematic editing of a monologue can be seen as the visual equivalent of the inner monologue, orchestrating how events and emotions are experienced through the character's consciousness. In the context of sound film, directors and editors use montage to reconstruct the complexity of the train of thought, as Joyce explored in literature through the narrative structuring of "Ulysses".
This is not just a merging of frames, but an art of story structuring that allows the viewer to navigate through the deep layers of the character's emotions and associations, creating a deep dialogue between the viewer and the film's narrative. Thus, film becomes a medium in which the cinematic form assumes the role of continuing the exploration of human thought, similar to the development of the figurative line of Japanese hieroglyphs mentioned by Joyce.
In cinematography, leadership involves orchestrating the dialogue between you and your creation, highlighting the complexity of thinking of a key character who can play your part in certain circumstances.
The cinematic form of a monologue highlights the idea that when you experience otherness through cinema, you can discover a new form of visual empathy, thus stimulating your ability to play a certain role in certain circumstances.
* Note: Ion Barna - Eisenstein, Tineretului Publishing House, 1966.
