Numinous as Art in Film - Malia

            Rudolph Otto says that “the most effective means of representing the numinous it ‘the sublime.’ Through the recent film clips that we watched, I have found concrete evidence that this is certainly true.  He also describes the numinous as invoking a devaluation of self and inducing self-deprecation, things that would seem to have a negative impact on us lowly humans.  However, the numen inspires us, through the sublime and namely art, to reach for the new heights that is shows us and gives us a glimpse of the creator who is so much more than us.  In Paris Texas, for example, the grand landscapes and majestic giant structures are a stark contrast to the single lonely man wandering.  It is not only beautiful, but a dangerous place that shows the power that is so much greater than he.  In The Wall, this same concept is also displayed but through a very different kind of image, in which grotesque figures and shapes that overpower the normal human display.  It demonstrates the greatness of other objects that are beyond us humans, though we add to the creation of such things, like the wall.  The numinous, therefore, can manifest in a variety of ways in film, with beautiful grandeur being the most obvious display because of how awe inspiring it is.  Through images that are interesting, different, and larger than life, though not as traditional such as those in The Wall, the feeling of the numen can be invoked.