January 1, 2026
Flicker Fights & Train Takes
Motion and Machine
Did sound kill movie magic? Cinephiles vs gamers go off
TLDR: A 1962 letter exchange resurfaced, arguing silent film’s flicker made people and machines equals, and that sound’s 24 frames per second erased that charm. The comments split between purists mourning “lost motion” and pragmatists praising clarity, with bonus train memes, anime shoutouts, and a fierce soap‑opera‑effect fight.
Ayjay’s latest post drops juicy slices of 1962 letters where critic Hugh Kenner argues silent film’s flicker made people and machines share the stage, while sound’s 24 frames per second smoothed everything and “killed” the vibe. Cue a comment brawl: cinephiles swooned; pragmatists eye‑rolled. One camp calls it the lost magic of motion; the other says, “sound saved cinema.” Folks kept linking Sennett car chaos and the “soap‑opera effect” on modern TVs like it’s the same curse.
Guy Davenport fires back that the first photo feels like De Chirico, the first film was a train (La Ciotat), and motion began with bodies in Muybridge studies—now replaced by industrial hats and suits. Comments turned feral: gamers vs cinephiles over 24fps, archive nerds vs TikTok kids, and a swarm of train GIFs. Memes hit hard: “Men become machines” pasted over corporate Slack screenshots; “Kenner predicted GIFs” dunked on by “no, he’s just nostalgic.” The hottest take? Animated cartoons keep flicker, so your favorite anime has more “human motion” than Hollywood blockbusters. Hat discourse ensued: “Never remove your cap, lest HR see you.” Meanwhile, bookworms begged for Davenport’s “neat little book” on motion, while trolls called it “photoplay fanfic” and posted clown cars.
Key Points
- •The article reproduces 1962 letters between Hugh Kenner and Guy Davenport on how machines and film technology shaped modern aesthetics.
- •Kenner links the transition from 16 fps silent projection to 24 fps sound to a loss of early cinema’s flicker-driven, mechanizing effect.
- •Davenport aligns early technological imagery with modern art, comparing Niépce’s first photo to De Chirico and citing Giedion’s thesis.
- •Davenport highlights Muybridge’s nude motion studies and the locomotive as enduring symbols of motion in cinema.
- •Kenner urges Davenport to craft a concise, illustrated book on 19th‑century visual culture using miniatures and comparisons like Degas vs. Leica.