In this lecture, dedicated to Hollis Frampton, I shall be using the alphabet as a heuristic device for talking about the issues which interest me most in the history and theory of film, beginning with Aristotle and working my way through Bambi, Cinephilia, Dance, Eisenstein and so on, until I finally arrive at Zorn’s Lemma. As well as discussing the past, present and future of cinema as an art-form, I shall also take this opportunity to engage in a fragmentary dialogue with the writings of Serge Daney. And, as I am eclectic, the lecture will cover a wide variety of topics, but it will keep returning to the themes of the avant-garde, authorism and French film theory, in the elaboration and critique of which Serge Daney played such a significant role.
Peter WollenîPeter Wollen is a film-maker, film theorist and film teacher. Currently he is on sabbatical leave from his post of Professor of Film Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. His books include Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, soon to be re-published in a new, expanded edition, and Raining the Icebox: Reflections on Twentieth Century Culture. He was an editor of Screen and is frequent contributor to Sight and Sound. His films include Penthesilea and Riddles of the Sphinx, made with Laura Mulvey, and, more recently, his solo film Friendship’s Death. He also co-wrote the script of Antonioni’s The Passenger.
