Representations of the Poetic Tendency in Contemporary Narrative Cinema
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35560/jcofarts1801Keywords:
Poetic Cinema, The Poetry of Cinema, Poetic TendencyAbstract
The research addresses the representations of the poetic trend in contemporary narrative cinema, viewing it as an aesthetic approach that transcends classical narrative forms by relying on image, rhythm, and internal contemplation rather than traditional plot and chronological logic. The study begins from the premise that cinema, since its inception, has combined technological invention with artistic discovery, granting it flexibility and openness to various intellectual and artistic currents. The poetic dimension has been one of the most prominent features that attracted the attention of early theorists, given the cinematic image’s ability to express the world through sensory visual metaphors that transcend surface reality to reveal its inner essence.
The research reveals how poetic cinema has drawn upon the legacy of avant-garde cinema of the 1920s without merely assimilating it, but rather developing its own distinct style that merges the subjective, philosophical, and existential. In this context, the camera becomes an instrument of contemplation rather than mere entertainment, and the shot serves as an autonomous poetic unit. The study focuses on analyzing the elements that confer uniqueness to poetic films, such as visual composition, camera angles, slow motion, and the absence of linear narrative structure, in addition to the use of temporal rhythm and editing to evoke memory, dream, and subjective experience.
Furthermore, the research builds on the theories of prominent theorists and directors who contributed to establishing this trend—such as Tarkovsky, Pasolini, Cocteau, and Eisenstein—who viewed cinema as an art capable of creating a poetic language parallel to written word. The significance of this study lies in its effort to ground the concept within the field of Arab film criticism and highlight contemporary narrative examples that contribute to advancing the aesthetic understanding of cinema as a visual discourse that transcends mere representation and possesses a unique capacity to internalize meaning and address the human self.
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