Immersion Cinema: The Rationalization and Reenchantment of Cinematic Space

Abstract

The psychoanalytic accounts of cinema that dominate so-called apparatus theory describe spectatorship as a primarily voyeuristic, scopophilic activity. But recent changes in projection technology and theater architecture suggest that the physical and kinesthetic experience of the spectator, immersed in high-fidelity audiovisual technologies, is of paramount importance. This article charts the development of “immersion cinema,” critiques existing theories of the cinematic apparatus, and uses a spatial analysis influenced by the work of Henri Lefebvre to suggest that recent developments in cinema may be harmful to its artistic quality and social relevance.