Abstract

The “organic” is by now a venerable concept within aesthetics, architecture, and art history, but what might such a term mean within the spatialities and temporalities of film? By way of an answer, this concise and innovative study locates organicity in the work of Béla Tarr, the renowned Hungarian filmmaker and pioneer of the “slow cinema” movement. Through a wholly original analysis of the long take and other signature features of Tarr’s work, author Thorsten Botz-Bornstein establishes compelling links between the seemingly remote spheres of film and architecture, revealing shared organic principles that emphasize the transcendence of boundaries.

“Organic Cinema is an extremely dense text, rich with philosophical, aesthetic, filmic, and musicological insights. The book’s depth and breadth are certainly impressive, offering a valuable — even audacious — contribution to film theory and architectural theory. Botz-Bornstein is at his best when he makes the radical connections between architecture, cinema and musical theology… [and in this way] contributes to the evermore burgeoning field in which architectural theory and film are considered together.” • Invisible Culture

“A magisterial, transdisciplinary contribution and brilliant comparative analysis of a major contemporary filmmaker whose work remains undertheorized and insufficiently known in a global framework. Organic Cinema presents a wealth of perspectives on the interlocking fields of cinema and architecture.” • Catherine Portuges, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Thorsten Botz-Bornstein received his doctorate from Oxford University and his habilitation degree from the EHESS in Paris. He has authored and edited numerous volumes in philosophy, cultural studies, film, and other fields. He is currently Associate Professor of Philosophy at Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait.