Student Lecture on Role of Film

Mar 23, 2009



FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Laura Hoverson, Academic Affairs
(218) 299-3257
AMY KELLY, Media Relations director
(218) 299-3642

STUDENT LECTURE DISCUSSES THE ROLE OF FILM IN LIFE

    Sean Volk, a junior at Concordia College, will present a lecture as part of the Student Lecture Series at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 31 in the Morrie Jones Conference Center Suite A & B in the Knutson Campus Center. Volk’s lecture “The Alienation Effect in Dogville: Understanding Cinema and the Lived World” is free and open to the public.
    Volk studied the role cinema plays in our lives. For many, cinema is a form of escapism, but films which use Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect discourage escapism and audience complacency. These films challenge the audience by drawing attention to the mediated nature of the story.  By use of subtle or overt techniques, the audience is reminded that they are viewing a film, not reality.
    The presentation will examine the differences between the reality of the cinema, a Merleau-Pontian understanding of the reality of personal human experience, and the implications of the alienation effect in our understanding of both. Lars Von Trier’s 2003 film “Dogville” will be used to explore these themes.  Specific scenes and alienation techniques will be shown to explore the social, ethical, and moral characteristics of the film. 
    Volk’s faculty sponsor is Dr. Susan O’Shaughnessy, chair and associate professor of philosophy.

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