It is interesting to see in Derrida's film the way in which he is depicted through images. When the camera is focused on him, sometimes there is another image (one that is completely different) of him layered on top. Sometimes Derrida's hair is messy and he's in a rush, sometimes he is completely put together. There are also a few points in the film where he is watching himself, watch himself, being interviewed on T.V.
I think this is an intentional move, in order to show the idea of multiplicity of meanings. There is no one true image of Derrida, because the image isn't the person, it is just a representation.
On this note, I found the part of the film where Derrida addresses the "Other" particularly interesting when it comes to seeing things (images, another person, etc.) He stated that the eyes and hands are 2 things on our bodies that we use so much and rely on heavily, yet we have no true image of what they are, and that other people ("Others") have a better image of these parts of our body than we do.
However, I feel as though the images that we, as others, see of Derrida still remain as just a representation that cannot get to the meaning of who he really is. At one point during the film, Derrida admits that he doesn't usually dress up like he did that day. He stated that when he is staying home, he usually doesn't get dressed, he just stays in his pajamas and robe. So, the image that we see of him dressed up and neat, isn't what he would normally look like, and he changed his image based on the film crew being there. We get a different image under different circumstances, and this representation isn't the "real" Derrida.
But, I guess these small details don't really matter in Derrida's biography. When it comes down to it, he was born, he thought, and he died.
No comments:
Post a Comment