Philosophy and film - seeing and recognising

"Photography is the truth. Cinema, that's the truth 24 times a second." - From "The Little Soldier" by Jean-Luc Godard

"Film is lying 24 times a second to serve the truth, or to serve the attempt to find the truth." - Michael Haneke

If cinema or film were simply the truth, then there would be no questions to ask, no reason for misunderstanding or incomprehension of what is perceived, it would be pure revelation. But the difference between photography and cinematography, i.e. film, namely the 24 frames per second sequence in classic analogue cinema, only gives the illusion of movement. The mere static nature of the individual image is transformed by the projector into the appearance of dynamism. But the camera gives the biggest hint of deception: it is only a section in which the viewer is at the mercy of the director. The truth of what we see, if there is any, cannot lie in the immediate visual impression, but must first be extracted from it.

In the series "Philosophy and Film", which the student body Philosophy is allowed to realise with the financial support of the AStA and the F3V, we try to elicit from the films presented what not only corresponds to the mere material, but only reveals itself in context. In a joint discussion, we try to exchange views on what we have seen and thus, step by step, to penetrate from the first individual impressions to the essential content of the film. The intention of the creator does not have to play the essential role, because often what makes a film so worth seeing and insightful lies in its assertions about it or in its failure to achieve what it actually wants to portray.

So it is not only the great, admired classics of cinema that we have dedicated ourselves to in this series, but also precisely those films that can create controversy, that are perhaps even despicable in their content, that appear to be mere lies, but at least reveal something about the makers and their environment. In this way, we hope to provide an interesting and debatable filmic basis for our discussion afterwards.

The films will always be shown on Tuesdays at 6.30 pm, usually every two weeks at cine k here in Oldenburg. Admission is free for all students and everyone is welcome. Initially, the focus is on enjoying the film and thus the opportunity to see the films in the setting for which they were made, the cinema and the screen. But the discussion afterwards is of course also open to everyone and we look forward to welcoming numerous participants. The film analysis will be approached slowly; we want to overcome all the uncertainties and initial difficulties that such discussions can cause for some people together.