Conrad, in the manner of Pudovkin of the 'Film Technique' fame believed that the picture of words sketched by the author was dead material unless it was assembled among a number of separate objects and presented as a part of a synthesis of different and separate visual images, which endow it with filmic life. In continuation of this 'synthesis' approach and arising from it was Conrad's open dissent with the Bazin view that priority must be given to representation of reality over dramatic structures. In Bazin's view, Only the impartiality of the lens can clear the object of habit and prejudice, of all the mental fog with which our perception blurs it, and present it afresh for our attention and thereby for our affection. In a photograph , the natural image of the world we don't know how to see, nature finally imitates not just art but the artist himself...11... Conrad, moved away from the 'realist' view of cinema to the 'montage' view which was designed to demonstrate an attitude rather than to show an event- the attitude being projected through the various perceptions of the various characters from different vantage points.Thus, Conrad, constantly isolated objects/ static pictures from the backround, made them significant and forced them to take on a significance of the artist's own creation. Conrad, believed , like Kracauer, that in fiction as in cinema, editing was important since it was by this concept of editing or arranging shots in a particular manner that a single meaning on various actions and phenomenon. He believed : " Natural objects are surrounded with afringe of meanings, liable to touch of various moods , emotions, runs of inarticulate thoughts...A film shot does not come into its own unless it incorporates raw material with its multiple meanings or what Lucien Seve calls the " anonymous state of reality"12. Like Kracuer and like Sergei Eisenstein then, Conrad moved to a structural cohesion achieved through a narrative stance that goes beyond mere photographic reproduction to the cinematic realm of 'montage'. The very structure of the novel is strengthened by the significance that the author gives to the three sections of the novel.The first section by its very heading 'Silver of the mine' bestows significance to the San Tome' mine's Charles Gould, the senor Administrator, Emilia Gould, the first lady of Sulaco', Captain Mitchell & Capataz of Carvagadores. It also looks ahead to the corrupting influence of this silver that kills the Capataz and grips the lives of Charles and Emilia in the death-dance of the soul.
Part of the Dream Weave Walk 1999-2010