SOURCE: "Magnification, and other Writings," in October, No. 3, Spring, 1977, pp. 9-25.

In the following excerpt, which was originally published in French in 1974 as part of Ecrits sur le cinema, Epstein expounds on the cinematic concepts of the closeup and the different means by which he conveys the passing of time in his films.

I will never find the way to say how I love American close-ups. Point blank. A head suddenly appears on screen and drama, now face to face, seems to address me personally and swells with an extraordinary intensity. I am hypnotized. Now the tragedy is anatomical. The decor of the fifth act is this corner of a cheek torn by a smile. Waiting for the moment when 1,000 meters of intrigue converge in a muscular dénoument satisfies me more than the rest of the film. Muscular preambles ripple beneath the skin. Shadows shift, tremble, hesitate...