Theorie des Films

Kracauer's theory of film, first published in America in 1960, is a material aesthetic that deals with content. It is based on the assumption that film is essentially an extension of photography and therefore has a pronounced affinity with the visible world. This means a rejection of all films with a 'theatrical' story, with 'artistic' or ideological ambitions. Films that do justice to their medium, however, not only register but also reveal, 'save' external reality: they open our eyes to the small, accidental, unintentional and indeterminate.