For many theorists, art cinema, at least in the restricted sense, is
defined through narrative and textual qualities
Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Bjornstrand, and Bibi Andersson in Ingmar
Bergman's
Persona
(1966).
that run counter to the body of conventions associated particularly
with the Hollywood studio picture but also characteristic of the
conventional cinemas in many countries. The traditional qualities of the
linear narrative with a finite ending, clarity of plot, such unobtrusive
use of film techniques as camera movement and editing, the underlining
of thematic and narrative points through repetition, sharply delineated
characters and empathetic character identification techniques were
jettisoned by the art film. In their place came oblique, non-linear, and
episodic narration strategies, a commitment to "realism,"
both in terms of surface detail and complex character definition,
thematic ambiguities, and overt displays of cinematic style. Whereas
mainstream films concentrated on character behavior, action, and plot,
art films tended to delve into character psychology and sensibility, to
investigate the drama of the interior. The narrative economy and speed
of the classical film gave way to the
temps mort
(dead time) of the art film. Although thematically broad, it is
possible to argue that art cinema as part of its "realist"
project often focuses upon the existential problems of the bourgeois
intelligentsia, which constitute a meditative mirror for the supposed
audience of urban intellectuals. In addition, unlike the authorial
anonymity associated with mainstream filmmaking, art films are assumed
to possess a strong, identifiable authorial presence. That is, the films
are expressions or constructs traceable to the director, and as such
they are the centerpiece of the critical discourses that focus upon the
art film.