Jean Epstein, Dziga Vertov, Bela Balazs, and Siegfried Kracauer viewed the cinema as an art of mass enlightenment that escapes the limits of human sight and reveals the true nature of reality. Here, Turvey offers a detailed exegesis of their work, showing how it constitutes a distinct tradition within film history, revelationism, that continues to have a profound influence on contemporary film theory. Criticizing and building on their arguments, he shows in what ways film is a genuinely revelatory art.

Malcom Turvey is Professor of Film Theory and Chair of the Visual Cultural Department, Sarah Lawrence College

• Introduction


• 1: The Revelationist Tradition: Exegesis


• 2: The Revelationist Tradition: Critique


• 3: Revelationsim and Contemporary Film Theory


• 4: The Lure of Visual Skepticism


• Notes