The Enlightenment of Ecstatic Truth for Developing Sublime Aesthetic Experiences in the Post-cinematic Era

Xiaochu Dai

doi:10.54097/kk50xh21

Authors

Xiaochu Dai

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/kk50xh21

Keywords:

Herzog, Ecstatic Truth, Sublime, Longinus, Burke, Post-cinema

Abstract

Ecstatic truth was first coined in Herzog's 1999 Minnesota Declaration: Truth and Fact in Documentary Cinema. Herzog argues that there are not only mere facts in documentary films but also a much deeper truth, that is, ecstatic truth. The concept traces back to Longinus' definition of the sublime and the physiological sublime that Burke developed, closely connecting ecstatic truth to sublime aesthetic experiences. This article traces the historical connection between ecstatic truth and the concept of the sublime. It delves into one of Herzog's Amazon films, Aguirre, to explore the sublime aesthetic experience from sensory and emotional dimensions, revealing ecstatic truth. Finally, combined with the development characteristics of the new audiovisual practice model, it explores the enlightenment of ecstatic truth to sublime aesthetic experiences in the post-cinematic era.

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