This study is intended to suggest that the film be considered as a form of art, as well as to present
some reflections upon certain points raised in Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of
Mechanical Reproduction." Benjamin observes that the "unique existence of the work of art
determined the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence," and that "the
presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity." He seems to be aCcusing the
film of forging works of art. However, it should be argued that the film has never been used to reduce
or take away the originality of the work of art. The film has only served as a medium of providing
people allover the world with a chance of seeing various art objects---even if only in pictures. And,
besides providing inexpensive entertainment, the film has also developed into a real form of art, one
which cannot be denied or ignored in the modern world.
Relation:
The proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on English Teaching=第六屆中華民國英語文教學國際研討會論文集, pp.648-658