Impersonal Enunciation, or The Place of Film

Twenty-two years after the 1993 death of French film theorist Metz (Film Language: A Semiotics of the Cinema), his final monograph finds its way Stateside in this splendid new translation. Informed by the field of narratology, Metz examines “enunciation” in cinema: the means by which a film “speaks” outside of its story and acting. For Metz, enunciation is a process occurring between two poles. First is the source of enunciation, which is the “utterance” of film: the projected work itself. Metz lists “markers of enunciation” that indicate to viewers that they are watching a constructed work, including voice-over, framing that indicates subjectivity or objectivity, and on-screen text. The second pole is the target of enunciation: the spectator taking in both the film’s narrative and the implicit story about how the film creates meaning, the latter being the story told by enunciation. On occasion the work reads like a very thorough literature review, which might be alienating to a reader not already steeped in the subject, but Metz shines through, avoiding jargon, using richly illustrative examples, and writing with a persuasive voice. In a landscape where nearly everyone has the means to become an enunciator, the book remains relevant as questions of enunciation have transcended film, and it merits inclusion in studies of new media. [em](Dec.) [/em]