Second Time Around: From Art House to DVD

Technology has made it possible for D. A. Miller to revisit the films he discovered in art houses and cinema clubs of his youth. He uses DVDs and streaming media to watch digitally restored films by directors from Mizoguchi to Pasolini and Hitchcock to Honda, allowing him to see what he first saw and what he was then kept from seeing. However, this recaptured past is strangely disturbing, as the films and the author have changed in too many ways for their reunion to be like old times. Millers attention clarifies the painful contradictions of youth and decline, damaged prints and flawless restorations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 26 January 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The art houses and cinema clubs of his youth, once vibrant hubs of cinematic exploration, have faded into memory. However, the films that D. A. Miller discovered within those hallowed halls in the 1960s and 70s have found a new life at his fingertips, thanks to the marvels of technology. With the advent of DVDs and streaming media, the theatrical offerings of old cinematheques have transformed into private viewings that can be repeated, paused, slowed, and manipulated at will. In his book Second Time Around, Miller seizes this opportunity to revisit digitally restored films by directors ranging from Mizoguchi to Pasolini and from Hitchcock to Honda. His goal is not merely to re-experience what he first saw in these films but also to uncover what he was then kept from seeing due to quick camerawork, normal projection speed, missing frames, or simple censorship.

Through thirteen essays, Miller delves into these cinematic treasures, seeking to unravel the layers of meaning that were previously obscured. He marvels at the finer details of Chabrol's debt to Hitchcock, Visconti's mystifying Marxism, and the unemotive emotion in Godard. The unobstructed view that he now possesses allows him to pursue the intricacies of these directors' works with a renewed appreciation.

Yet, as he immerses himself in this recaptured past, Miller cannot help but feel a sense of disturbance. The films and the author have changed in too many ways for their reunion to be like old times. The closeness of Miller's attention reveals the painful contradictions of youth and decline, the damaged prints and the flawless restorations.

In Second Time Around, Miller invites us to reflect on the passage of time and the transformative power of technology. He reminds us that the films we once loved are not frozen in time but are constantly evolving, and that our understanding of them is shaped by the lens of our own experiences and perspectives. Through his meticulous analysis and thoughtful commentary, Miller offers us a new way of seeing these classic films, allowing us to appreciate their beauty and complexity in a fresh and illuminating way.

Weight: 314g
Dimension: 140 x 214 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231195591