Chapter VI Summary and Analysis

Cinema is unique in that, in most parts of the world, it has been closely tied to commercial profit. It has become a business. This hurts any attempts to make art, because art by nature is "aristocratic" and selective, and the cinema business wishes to make movies as broadly appealing as possible. The artist is torn between remaining true to their vision, and "cashing in" by making an inferior commercial film for personal wealth.

The artist must remain true, and must not cave in to commercial pressures. The artist must remain faithful to himself, because almost by definition, his unique vision of the world will only be shared by a select few, and is not fit for mass consumption.

The link between audience and artist is a spiritual and emotional one. The artist must understand his audience and the...