ABSTRACT
Stanley Cavell is the only major American philosopher who has made the subject of film a central part of his work. Film has figured centrally in four of his books and in numerous essays and occasional pieces. He has also reflected, philosophically, on other artistic media, such as theater, television, and opera, which bear an intimate relationship to film. To many philosophers, however, the relation of Cavell's writings on film to his explicitly philosophical writings remains perplexing. And within the field of film study, the potential usefulness of Cavell's writings – the potential usefulness of philosophy as he understands and practices it – remains generally unrecognized.
