Men Boxing: Film Analysis

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Thomas Gunning describes the “cinema of attraction” as a theory where the narrative of a film doesn’t matter as much as making the film attract and hold an audience. His explanation of cinema of attraction created a film world where filmmakers focused on creating new film techniques and concepts rather than trying to expand on a script and narrative. This theory it possible for early film to expand and eventually become the films we see today. One of these early films is from the Thomas Edison Company titled Men Boxing (1891). This film shows two men in a boxing match, but neither seems to be swinging with the intent to injure the other. This fight is moving slowly and is filmed using an iris shot. The use of the iris shot and the subject …show more content…

One video found on YouTube shows a glass bridge built over a very high cliff. People on the bridge are so afraid of the bridge breaking that they are shaking, crawling, and latching on the rail, and other people, all while crying. This video is like early cinema and the Lumière Brother’s films because it doesn’t need sound or a backstory for it to draw an audience to watch it and be amused. All the viewers watching can laugh and understand what is going on without having it having a whole story. This clip would be cinema of attraction because it makes the audience continue to watch and wait to see how dramatic the next person crossing the bridge will be. Because it shows something common across all cultures, which is a deathly fear of doing something, it doesn’t need sound which makes it an example of Tom Gunning’s theory of “cinema of attraction”. Another video viral video found on YouTube that relates to early cinema is one of a rooster running around with shoes on. The only thing found in this video is a rooster with shoes on. This clip doesn’t need context for people to watch it because it is something that you don’t see every day in any culture. Although in many cultures around the world roosters are common, they do not wear shoes. Using this surprising concept, the audience can’t help but to watch the clip which makes it an example of “cinema of attraction”. A video of a goat riding on the back of a tortoise also shows “cinema of attraction”. This video doesn’t have much sound besides laughter of on lookers and the person behind the camera. This is an animal video which is not unusual on the internet, but the actual action of the goat is what brings the audience in. This is like early cinema because once again shows a subject found all over the web, but it brings the audience in using the idea of what will happen between the two animals. Although these clips

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