Psychoanalysis in Considering Christian Metz\'s

Psychoanalysis

In considering Christian Metz's views on the all-perceiving subject, it is important to recognize that his views are indeed valid when applied only to the traditional movie theater. When applied to other forms of viewing that has evolved from this medium, one might well find some of his observations invalid or non-applicable. In such cases, it might be useful to expand rather than discard the viewpoints Metz has developed in this regard.

The first important element regarding Metz's theories is the location of the subject's body. In a traditional movie theater, the body is concealed in favor of the image on the screen; the object that is identified with. There is typically no interaction with other subjects in the theater, and the absence of light gives the impression of almost non-existence. Hence the subject is freed from the body image, as it were, to completely identify with the images on screen.

Home viewing of television or film however requires a different paradigm of analysis, because of several fundamental differences from the movie theater. At home, the television room is seldom sufficiently dark to entirely conceal the viewers. Hence, the subject is more aware of his or her body, and of the other viewers in the room. In this sense, identification with the image is therefore not complete, but is divided between the screen and the others in the room. Even when alone, the subject does not completely identify with the image on the screen, as distractions around the room, as well as the subject's body, are visible at all times. As opposed to the movie theater, the subject is therefore much more aware of his or her own body as opposed to the fictional images projected on the screen, and identification is less complete.

Interaction is another element that represents a fundamental difference between the movie theater and the television screen at home. While the theater generally entails silence, a family watching television at home is likely to interact with each other. In addition to general conversation, viewing subjects may also comment on the projected images, and in this way react to what is seen in a more collectively interactive way than is the case in the cinema. These interactions then act as a second "mirror," as it were. Not only are the characters and events on the screen used for identification, but this identification process is also modified via interaction between the subjects. It is therefore a more complex process than cinema viewing.

Metz's process of identification in the movie theater is therefore all-encompassing, individual and absolute, while home viewing is a much more complex process. Indeed, home viewing is subject to a number of change factors. The identification process is influenced by the number of subjects present in the room as well as the type of interaction between viewers. If the viewer is for example distracted by noise and non-relevant conversation, the identification process is not as complete as when conversation revolves around the images projected. Identification is also more complete and absolute when the subject is alone than when a partner joins the viewing. Such joint viewing may result in a more complex identification process, modified by interaction.

Metz's theories can also be applied to and modified according to more recent technologies such as the Internet and interactive media.