Non-narrative typologies: the hermetic-metaphorical model and the cinematography of attractions united by the aesthetic experience

Abstract

Since its inception, cinema has proven to have its own language that has changed through the development of new techniques and artistic currents. It is, therefore, in constant evolution, both in the narrative rhythm and in the very meaning of the images. From this perspective, this article aims to analyze the main differences between the modes of representation, starting from the classic distinction between narrative and non-narrative cinema, to highlight the elements shared by some audiovisual phenomena that suspend narration. Thus, the hermetic-metaphorical model, developed by Sánchez-Biosca to describe the expressionist-caligarist model, is analyzed, relating it to the so-called cinema of attractions, a term coined by Tom Gunning. Starting from the basis that they are different phenomena in form and context, some confluences between them are observed, reaching the conclusion that the hermetic-metaphorical planes can converge with the attraction in the aesthetic experience, where the shock caused by a new technical and special effect coincides with that caused by a visual and stylistic element, such as continuous references to painting or the display of sinister decorations.