Filmosophy/film as philosophy

This chapter offers a critical discussion of the idea of filmosophy or film as philosophy (otherwise called ‘film-philosophy’ or simply ‘film and philosophy’). I explore the debate surrounding the idea of “film as philosophy”, distinguishing this approach from more traditional philosophy of film, and suggesting that it has a long history going back to key figures in early film theory. I then focus on the seminal work of Stanley Cavell and Gilles Deleuze, often described as the inaugurators of film-philosophy. Finally, I examine recent proposals concerning the idea of ‘film as philosophy’, which argue for a more transformative relationship between philosophy and cinema, and offer some concluding reflections on how we might respond to some of the objections raised against this approach.