In his seminal essay THE WORK OF ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION, Walter Benjamin establishes some theoretical parameters for a debate on film. One of the central aspects of this text is the problematic concept of aura in art and literature. According to Benjamin, auratic experience of art provides a sense of distancing. Defined by him as the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be, aura involves a spatial idea of three-dimensionality. Space features in auratic experience in a metaphysical sense, a strange rendering of that which is familiar - what is so close is far away. The controversial nature of aura and whether or not a film can possess one begs the question: "Can aura feature in an investigation of film and space?" Wim Wenders has made it clear in his writings, and most strikingly in his two Berlin films, WINGS OF DESIRE and FARAWAY, SO CLOSE, that he perceives his work as standing in the Benjamin-inspired tradition. I am currently working towards questioning the validity of this statement and I feel that a comparative element would be useful. How does the auratic in Wenders' films compare with that of other filmmakers (specifically those of a German tradition)? I am also in need of other writings, on the 'transformative' quality of cinema, that are useful to put alongside Benjamin. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]