Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Cavell

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Stanley Cavell, who is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Harvard University. He has taught at Harvard since 1963, where he was the Walter M. Cabot Professor of Aesthetics in the General Theory of Value. He is the author or numerous books, including several on film. He is visiting Berkeley as the Howison Lecturer in Philosophy.

1. Background ... Atlanta and Sacramento ... immigrant father ... J.L. Austin ... musician mother ... movies ... books ... coming to Berkeley
2. Studying Music ... theater in Berkeley ... Juilliard ... playing hooky at the movies
3. Being a Philosopher ... crisis, precision, profundity ... questioning the self ... questions of knowledge ... state of dissatisfaction ... no answers
4. Philosophy and Film Criticism ... W hat is film?" ... everything matters ... the tuition for intuition ... motivation to write ... taking film seriously ... inherently illicit ... constructed focus
5. Film and Cultural Discourse ... unique American contribution ... judging the likelihood of students' familiarity with film ... film and the roles of women ... closing the sixties "generation gap" with film comedies ... image of marriage: comedy and melodrama
6. Intensity and Artistry ... being overwhelmed ... audience's simultaneous experience ... arguments against art status of film

© Copyright 2002, Regents of the University of California

Photos by Jane Scherr. Site questions: Email iis_webmgr at berkeley.edu.