Moral and Traveling Ethical commitment and formal statements in Cahiers du cinéma

Abstract

"Morality is a question of tracking shots": Luc Moullet’s statement quickly became famous and –repeated in a simplified, imprecise or wrong manner– was hailed as one of the theoretical slogans of Cahiers du cinéma. The statement stages the complex link between film’s form and the director’s ethics. In this sense, the critic wonders about how films should represent the world, but also what the images show and how they should be watched. The link between tracking shots and morality was revisited and reformulated by Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette: in this process, the original meaning of the statement varies almost imperceptibly but, at the same time, is subjected to profound transformations. During the 1960s, reflections on the filmmakers’ style quickly shifted from depoliticized assessment to ideological radicalization. Where does a filmmaker’s ethical commitment lie? In his intention or in his style? This article reviews the tensions that run through the journal in reference to the morality of forms.