Bela Belazs (1884-1994) was a classical art theorist from Hungary and known for his book, “Early Film Theory.” Belazs is crucial as he was one of the pioneers in the Hungarian literary life before fleeing to exile during the Communist conquest.
The article “The Close-Up” tries to break down the importance of the technique of close-up in films, and the poetry behind it. When silent films were the topic in the days, close-ups came to the rescue to reveal the hidden details of the things we thought we knew so well of in the real world. According to Bela, close-ups transform the general outlook into specific detail. The technique offers a wide vision and opens up the worldview of life while revealing new things and bringing meaning to the old ones. Accentuation can be found like a gesture, a silent face, or an object and its significance in a visual life. The close-up has a lyrical appeal that impacts the heart recognition as opposed to visual. They can be utilized for sensational revelation for what is going on underneath the appearance. It demonstrates to us the outward appearance as more subjective than grammar or speech. Balazs trusts that “most subjective and individual of human manifestations is rendered objective in the close-up.”
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When an isolated face is taken out of space and consciousness of space, what results is a physiognomy. When this happens, we do not see the makeup from which the face is constructed showing attributes such as moods, thoughts, intentions, and emotions. Instead, the facial expression has a psychological effect which is picture-like, while at the same time seem outside space. The close-up picture speaks instinctively or and subconsciously just like a silent soliloquy. The author uses the example of how melodies and time are related to demonstrating physiognomy. The arrangement of the tune is such that it is a composition of single notes which follow each other in a sequential order. Similarly, the facial expression has a relation of melody to time.
The individual features appear in space, but the effect of their interrelationship is not spatially phenomenon. The face reveals what is concealed, hence it is considered as unsuppressed an uncontrolled message. It is through the close-ups that we get to intercept expressions that the stage cannot possibly offer. Significantly, the face is the window to the soul. We can see and interpret what is happening in the soul by looking at the tiny movement of muscles and the moisture in the eyes. The micro physiognomy of a close-up can be used to express profoundly moving tragedy. When the expression on the face is isolated from its surrounding, there is a possibility that facial manifestation would penetrate to a strange new dimension of the soul. Microphysiognomy could, therefore, reveal to us what we do not see with our eyes under the usual circumstances.
What is more understandable about the submissions of Belazs is that in the lapse of the silent era, the face had grown to become more expressive and visible. However, most of the conversation is based on the muscles and wrinkles, hence little is explained about the faces devoid of emotions. What does not come out is the inanimate objects that are nowadays animated. Also, Belazs debunks the importance of sound as he says it does not offer the opportunity for someone to express the economy of expressions when faced with massive human tragedy. One question that it does not answer is the complexity that arises from sound films. But, it is clear that the works of Bela Belazs came at a time when the film was still creeping into the world of arts.
