FILM AND EMOTION
Sentiment in Film Viewing
Sentimentality is almost invariably
linked with crying. But a sentimental emotion is not the
same as sadness, although the two go well together. Sentimental
emotion implies an emotion characterized by the urge to
cry or the state of being moved far deeper than we should
have been considering the cause. The urge to cry is in
turn associated with a softer attitude and a feeling of
helplessness. Second characteristic of sentiments is that
they are a reaction to the fate of others. Finally, sentimental
emotions are usually spontaneous. They do not motivate
us to undertake or abstain from an action. From a psychological
perspective, cinema sentiment is an emotional state of
the film viewer. Emotions occur when a situation has some
relevance to the individual. They consist of an appraisal
of the situation’s significance and an action tendency.
Emotional
experience is the awareness of the situation’s particular
meaning in terms of relevance to a particular concern,
reality, difficulty, and the felt-action tendency. Film-elicited
emotion, furthermore, are mostly witness
emotions — as we relate, in one way or another, to
the people we watch, affects experienced in film viewing
correspond to the affects experienced in daily life, although
we are in the situation where we cannot act, be acted upon,
or otherwise participate in the situation, except as onlookers.
There are viewing emotions that arise from the behavior
of fictional characters, and those that echo our enjoyment
or admiration for the film as such. The former are the
topic of the paper, with a special emphasis on the film
themes that elicit sentimental reactions.
ANALYTIC CONTENTS OF THE PAPER:
Introduction;
A Short History of Sentimentalism; The Psychology of Emotion
in the Film Viewer; Viewer Sentiment and Film Sentiment;
Sentiment and Helplessness: General Effects; Film Themes
Provoking Sentiment — The Separation-Reunion Theme; The
Justice in Jeopardy Motive; The Awe-Inspiration Theme;
Conclusion
Nico H. Frijda
Ed S. H. Tan |
