Publication of Integral Cinema Article

 

My article Toward an Integral Cinema: The Application of Integral Theory to Cinematic Media Theory and Practice has been published by the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice (2010, Volume 5 Number 4).

 

The complete article is available for download at: The SUNY Press eBookStore

 

In the article I analyze Germaine Dulac’s “integral cinema movement” of the 1920s and her integral cinematic work, La Coquille et le Clergyman (1928), from a historical and theoretical perspective. The results suggest an early introduction of integral consciousness into cinematic media that corresponds to and predates the integral theories of both Jean Gebser and Ken Wilber. Defining characteristics of what may constitute an integral cinematic work are mapped out and developed into a set of evaluation criteria using the works of Dulac, Gebser, and Wilber. A test of these evaluation criteria with the viewing of several motion pictures is summarized; the results suggest that several past and recent films demonstrate qualities that could be said to constitute an integral cinematic work. A preliminary typology of forms of integral cinematic creation, and the potential benefits and challenges for the application of Integral Theory to cinematic theory and practice are presented and discussed.

 

I gratefully acknowledge the contributions, support and guidance of all those who helped me on this journey of inquiry, including: Ken Wilber, Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Clint Fuhs, Cindy Lou Golin, Lynwood Lord, Integral Institute, the members of my Fielding Graduate University Integral Studies Cohort, Kimberly Swanson, and my dear wife Sarah. I would also like to pay special tribute to Germaine Dulac, for her trailblazing contributions towards an integral cinema.