Bazin And The 400 Blows

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The epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded myth. It chronicles the life of the King of Uruk and his best friend Enkidu. When Enkidu dies Gilgamesh is so grief stricken that he sets out looking for the key to immortality. His quest ultimately leads him to the ghost of his friend and the truth; the gods have granted humanity death and in doing so retained their immortality. As the first piece of mythology ever recorded the tales of Gilgamesh and the focus on immortality reveal a need deeply embedded within the human psyche. This need, the need for immortality, for relevance, and for a legacy are seen in every aspect of society. The creation of religion itself is even linked to the desire for a greater more lasting purpose. Art is possibly the most persistent of all these attempts at preservation for art is the most tangible representation of the human need to turn our ever changing world into immovable paint, and stone. In Andre Bazin’s essay “The Ontology of the Photographic Image”, Bazin explores the idea that the need to preserve corpses through the process of mummification to the art of cinema. While mummification is an attempt to preserve the corporeal body of man, cinema is the attempt to preserve both the tangible and intangible world of man. Many would like to believe humanity has risen above the need to act solely on primal desires Bazin’s argument for preservation may be an elaborate way of explaining fear of irrelevance. Art is not the only aspect of life in which man seeks preservation. The need for a male son to carry on the family name, buying a brick on a college campus to commemorate attendance, naming discoveries after their discoverer all of these are examples of a need to preserve. This quest for immortality is based in fear. Fear of death and more importantly fear of irrelevance. It can be argued that these acts are a celebration of life,

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