The Patriot and Revolutionary War Art Compaired with Benjamin's Writings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT9ZmqbVYRk






"Even more revealing is the comparison of these circumstances, which differ so much from those of the theater, with the situation in painting." (Benjamin 10). Walter Benjamin could not have been more right in the 11th, 12th, and 13th articles of his "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction". He explains the drastic difference in filming and in paintings or pictures. I choose the movie The Patriot for my film and how the camera work and filming actually brings the battle to life. The painting The Nation Makers by Howard Pyle is a painting of the front line of American militia charging the British with a raged American flag flying.



In The Patriot the camera work and the sound effects actually makes the viewer feel like they are in the battle. The scenes where the battle moves into slow motion and the music goes down is when the viewer gets very into the scene and makes the image seem so much more real than the painting. Also when the cameraman goes for a close up on a character it shows all of the hidden elements that the viewer cannot see in a regular camera angle. From facial expressions to having a closer look on what is surrounding the character. But, the painting also can show the true passion from their facial expressions as well. It also focuses on one thing so the viewer of the painting can truly see what is happening in the situation. Benjamin really goes into detail on how different and alike screenplay and paintings are in his writing that we have been studying in class. These are only a few of many examples that he gives that relates to the painting and The Patriot.