Transcendent and Unpopular - Elizabeth Roy

Transcendent and Unpopular
Non-assigned reading blog
Elizabeth Roy
4/23

In Transcendental Style in Film (some of which we had to read for class) Schrader discusses, in one section, the characteristics of Western transcendental film using Bresson as an example. In my opinion, none of the films we have seen so far this year have fit the label of a true transcendental film. According to Schrader and Bresson, such a film is austere. It has little typical plot, a single camera angle, and no noticeable acting. None of the films we have watched fit this style – the only that might even come close could be Wings of Desire. However, there is a good reason for the lack of pure transcendental films, in my opinion. Nothing about transcendental style appeals to the general film viewer. While the transcendental film style might appeal to a religious ascetic or a film critic, nothing about it would appeal to normal people. I myself do not find the idea of a pure transcendental film much more fun than having a tooth pulled, and do not think most people feel differently.