Film theory's Deleuzian problem: Revisioning Deleuze's project with cinema

This project seeks to articulate the relationship of film theory and the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze that has developed in film scholarship in the past two decades. It argues that film theorists have misappropriated the philosopher's concepts, due to founding assumptions pertaining to subjectivity, representation, and perception that have shaped discourses about cinema. Upon reviewing the extent to which these principles have distorted film theory's use of Deleuzian concepts, this project then examines how Deleuze's notion of movement --as described in his works co-authored with Felix Guattari-- disarms each of the founding assumptions of film theory. An analysis of Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy of movement helps to better understand Deleuze's project with cinema and his broader engagement of images. Moreover, it demonstrates how film theory's own understanding of cinema is limited by its founding assumptions.