ABSTRACT
Believability! Even a cursory analysis of scholars’ definitions and viewers’ dreams and desires clearly indicates that believability is the narrative film’s most essential ingredient, and its technical aspects, no matter how artistic or professional, are of value only if they serve to sustain it. When viewers buy their tickets, they are in a very real sense putting their trust on the line, and if directors wish to draw them into their “visions” and keep them there, they must respect and sustain that trust. If the film betrays belief, even for a brief moment, the viewer’s trust is weakened; an implicit compact has been violated.
