ABSTRACT
While the preceding chapter dealt with the reception of the cinematic image, the ensuing discussion will focus on the question of textual reception, the reception of cinematic narrative.
Narrative is a kind of language, even if we decide that cinema is not. Language systems may be approached from two perspectives, that of the speaker and that of the listener. Similarly, the history of cinema narrative can be studied from the viewpoint of either the film-maker or the filmgoer. The difference lies in the context of the study. In the first case, the focus is on production forces and their effect on film narrative (the situation of the film industry, the growth of technology, legal debates, export and import considerations, etc.); in the second, the focus is on film narrative and intrinsic cultural norms.
