- 著者
-
宇佐美 達朗
- 出版者
- 美学会
- 雑誌
- 美学 (ISSN:05200962)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.69, no.2, pp.1, 2018 (Released:2020-03-23)
Rear projection is one of the most frequently used compositing techniques in
Hollywood cinema from the 1930s to the late 1960s. Nevertheless, this technique has
been hitherto underestimated. Of the scarce existing research, some studies have
pointed out the economic advantages of it in terms of the studio system of the day, while
others have examined it in the limited context of certain films or film directors. But
such approaches have not paid sufficient attention to the fact that the many films had
used the technique in spite of harsh criticism regarding the resultant image quality.
This paper aims to clarify in part how the images created through rear projection were
interpreted by the audiences of the time. The images were surely lacking in terms of
the “reality” pursued by classical Hollywood cinema. However, the audiences were able
to understand the mechanism of rear projection and experience its effects in a mode
separate to that supposed by the classical Hollywood cinema. By analyzing a moving
vehicle scene, I demonstrate how the gap created between foreground and background
in the images re-arouses wonder in the audience, allowing them to enjoy the medium of
cinema as a visceral attraction.