Fortress That Flies: A Contribution to the Phenomenon of Television

By Bozidar Kalezic

"Fortress That Flies" is a collection of stories that give the reader an opportunity to examine the workings of live television broadcasts, along with the influence TV has over the viewer. At the time when most people saw television only as a vehicle for entertainment or source of information, the author delved into analytically observing different phenomena related to TV.
The first edition of the book was in Serbian language, published in 1978.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669830573

Bozidar Kalezic

Bozidar Kalezic is the distinguished movie director .His biography can be found at the end of the manuscript.

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Copyright © 2022 by Bozidar Kalezic.

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Rev. date: 07/18/2022

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CONTENTS

Preface to the First Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Reality Prevention System

The Green Grass of My Home

Tiger in a Low-fenced Cage

The Flying Housewife

The Prevention of Reality

An Unexpected Resemblance

Emotional Definition

An Unexpected Resemblance

The Forms Which Replace Events

The Fortress That Flies

Refrigerator in the Bedroom

The Television Is a Refrigerator in the Bedroom

Against the Visual Mode

Between Thought and Action

The Boundaries of Space

Close-up wide shot

Between the Visual and Tactile Modes

Television between the Visual and Tactile Modes

Complex of Cramped Living Spaces

Alice’s Magic Mirror

Biography of Bozidar Kalezic

Translated by Zaga Peshich

For Rainer Mettal

PREFACE TO THE

FIRST EDITION

Towards real television

He who holds my picture holds me in his power.

— L. Lévy-Bruhl

In the book The Fortress That Flies, Bozidar Kalezic, with its very title, staves off the idea that what follows is going to be something ordinary and expected. In that respect, inertia in the television domain has revealed its influential power through favouring the conventional, where the inclination of the moment refutes the whole, hence creating an impression of a part being more important than the whole.

Here, from the title to the last line of the book, there is the author’s opposition, his demolition and refutation of the corrupt spirit of impersonality, which is increasingly losing its real connection with authentic life. The author’s irreconcilable attitude is often not far from bringing uneasiness close to the risk which regularly accompanies everything unfamiliar – like the new point of view that seeks its alibi. This new view will be elaborated or given as a hint in a striking manner.

So the book in front of us bears witness to a passionate effort of overturning the established order of things encompassing the poor, uninventive intellectual attitudes and lack of values, particularly at a time when the process of information in modern culture is undergoing changes because of the invasion and magical power of the moving image. Kalezic’s search significantly differs from that of well-known researchers whose work was sometimes rewarded with undeserved accolades. He didn’t adhere to the certainty of established methodology which cannot produce a series of unexpected problems but turned to his restless imagination, which challenges an insensitive modern world which ignores the crises and failures of human communication. The fact that the author has opted to embark on a voyage full of uncertainty fortifies our opinion that his intention was not indeed to reach a specific formulation but to stay true to himself and, as such, battle spiritual laziness and apathy. Therefore, true to his own adventure, Kalezic did not follow the path crossed by many others.

Liberated from routine, without relying on things proven to be certain and clear, the author reveals his restless subjectivity which dreams of objectivity that has its roots in the greatest possible subjectivity. He strives to discover and unveil what others do not notice or completely ignore. This involvement in the adventure with unknown consequences brought with itself a challenge imposed by trivialities obscuring life and a sense of reality. Kalezic resists those obstacles, which helped him discern the magic of television without illusions known to obstruct one’s perception of reality. Indeed, at times, he becomes a reasonable judge but only when enough solid evidence is collected for the trial and the conclusion. To deepen and clarify the knowledge on TV phenomena, he internalises his imagination where reality is seen the way it should be – whole, truthful, and structural. The return to the starting point brings us to the revelation of how different everything looks now – that change was not caused by the irrationality of lifeless logic but by the feeling that there has been a journey which will continue, that there has been a recognition of the subject we have never sufficiently explored before.

Kalezic will show that television’s confinement to the meagre horizon of pragmatic modernity and the uncritical acceptance of fleeting values is aided by some generally undesirable tendencies in contemporary society: uninventive action, a lack of creativity, passivity, and an antisocial attitude. He will point out that the technical possibilities of the universal dissemination of symbolic content (and not only the symbolic one) to numerous, heterogeneous, and widespread recipients are accompanied by a tendency to standardise and form stereotypes and rigid attitudes.

By disclosing the space of the parasitic and uninventive in the domain of television, the author shows that the present medium can only satisfy a part of affective and psychological needs but not authentic creative aspiration. The mechanism of manipulation and directing, which are the forms of alienation in the sphere of television in everyday life, the author perceives as something that greatly influences human freedom. The attempt to present the society–television relationship as a dominant/subordinate one is completely unacceptable for Kalezic.

He also explains the ways that principles of profitability and commercialism influence the creation of a new spiritual coloniser: advertisement. Mass media is capable of leading the man to the uncritical acceptance of everything recommended and imposed through advertising, to the fanatical worship of advertised material and stultifying manner of considering forced decisions as his own. He doesn’t realise that is the very spot where the creation of a false need begins, which is the beginning of a systematic threat to his freedom.

Kalezic does not reconcile himself with the prevailing image of television and, for that reason, tries to point out its mistakes and deviations. He is not interested in any abstract theory or abstract civilisation. His aesthetics emerge from the television laboratory and are suggestively shaped through the proliferation of theoretical knowledge. Therefore, with television practice, the author probably reaches the most radical position when he proves that this medium can, in fact, narrow living spaces.

Kalezic refuses to accept television, which systematically defines its contents and does not engage in all layers of life. Such television not only puts a person in the position of a voyeur, confronts him with partial reality, and strengthens the existing public opinion but also excludes him from the complexity of social relations.

Hovering above the world of a visually interesting, colourful carpet and fascinated by its own tiring glitter, television found itself facing its own abyss where lay sunken wonderful properties and possibilities. Unaware of the fact that it has lost grounding and transformed itself into a cute killer, television thrives in a realm of indifference and superficiality, where its next step might be the degradation of the human spirit. Its capability to dull the circumstances of life and bring worship to the level of deification shows that television, in fact, refuses to see reality the way it is. The author fantasises about averting television from its obsessive abyss where man submits without any contradiction. Moreover, Kalezic is of the opinion that television will return to the roots of everyday life and represent it without illusions. That is the reason the mirror where the image of life is transformed into shapeless shadows and cheap visual decorations must be broken – no fanaticism, no arrogance. Instead of the seductive visual lie, TV should resurrect the complex of reality with or without its dark opaque veils.

Focused on the physical and social aspects of the world, under the pressure of the stereotyped mental image but with the ambition to construct a common field, television not only reduces the external experience and experiences of everyday life but also denies the total experience of the senses. Hence, Kalezic justifiably believes that television does not exploit features which would prove its undeniable power, its cultural and social strength. However, it loses its grip over the external/social and internal/human experience. It cannot connect them, so it remains aloof from the centre and materialisation of experience. Having proved there is a reduction of human living space, both in close-up and symbolic forms, Kalezic comes to believe in the necessity of human activity as well as complete human participation in revolutionary change – creating an integrated relationship.

Kalezic notices that television tends to emotionally define its contents, resulting in an inadequate role in society and the passivity of the viewer. Although those emotions lack a variety of hues and intensity, the seed of irreplaceable initial emotions is there, entwining itself in the inner life of the individual, his reactions and unique sensibility. Television persistently encourages emotional experiences in the viewer. It weaves the colour of emotions into the fabric of everyday life, in the homogeneous sphere of emotivity. That scenario keeps repeating even when television gives only suggestions or hints. In this way, the viewer’s activity is reduced again, not only because the world of emotions is endlessly repeated, consumed, and simplified, his sensitivity and spontaneity paralysed, but also because it suppresses the viewer’s commentary and reflection.

Rational and discursive zeal is opposed to the emotional experience, which goes to the extremes, to euphoria and shabby passivity. We can accept the author’s idea that suppressing comments by means of changing consciousness is nothing more than impregnating consciousness. It is difficult to say at what point inflamed emotions opened the door to stultifying drowsiness, trite symbols, and banality and what the extent of their influence is. For that reason, it’s understandable, the author’s belief that inactivity and passive behaviour are not just a consequence of emotional definition. In general, regardless of time and space, commentary purposely robbed of its influential quality, rambling rhetoric, and ideological persuasions fortify existing public opinion and keep the current government in power.

The author is aware that TV can hardly escape the trap of conformity and generalisation, even when it solidifies the existing and creates a new opinion, and that fact makes him restless. Moreover, the presence of new and original content which do not fit into stereotyped taste and offer a plethora of choices that satisfy all needs cannot prevail over the deep-rooted conformity of unconformity. The road in search of the truth is a bumpy one. Even if we believe it is possible through meditation, reflection, and a pure belief in imaginary ideas, it would not escape the boundaries of ideological limitations and global conformity. If we add to this ubiquitous and inevitable homogenisation, both at the level of social life and in television practice, then I am inclined to accept Stephane Lupasco’s opinion that

the homogenisation of mass culture and civilisation establishes a cruel non-contradiction in itself and becomes incapable of resisting external aggression and events which challenge it. The existence of too many non-contradictions and non-antagonisms cannot tolerate contradiction. Man is trapped in his tower, unable to get out despite all the efforts. The tower is not made out of ivory but of glass – he sees and hears everything, but it all converges into his inner self, in his fixed ideas and vanity. So the variety of diversified events pass man’s mind without being able to connect in any way, resulting in autism, hallucinations and schizophrenia. The springs of internal contradiction are locked – they are absorbing the bumps on that rough road.

After such an insight, we can relate to Lupasco’s belief that ‘the perceptual knowledge prevails in modern times’ and ‘he who holds contradictions holds the world.’ If this is so – and it seems to be – the misunderstanding in the domain of mass media does not arise in them and does not end in them either.

Kalezic’s reflection on the forms replacing the events is extremely stimulating because of the suggestive image of a timid, curious man, a petty bourgeois who, in his insecurity, hides behind someone else. His willingness to associate himself with what is external and visible means that he will experience the content of information exclusively through the manner and persuasiveness of the broadcaster. It does not matter to him what was said but who said it. That points to the close connection between the type of image received from the genuine reality and its countless repetition that pervades body and mind. The homology established here between the observer and the observed is almost crack free. Hence, ‘the image is external, but in fact, it’s in me, the observer’. Jean Blot says, ‘No perception is naive. Between what I see and what I could see, the distorting glass of the culture I belong to is inserted, magnified by the most peculiar coloured glass of my desire.’ For this reason, content, perception, and action are connected in coexistence. The combined interaction of the conscious and the unconscious, inner and outer experience, discloses the vast area ready to be explored even further.

TV culture – which allows the modification of its content, removing or filtrating the multiple layers of everyday life – propels the viewer into the world of irrationality, where he gets trapped in the fortress that flies. It is not a coincidence that Andre Chamson sees television as a device capable of turning cultural content into spectacular content, while Jean Cazeneuve analyses the way one transcends from reality into a spectacular surrealism. It is a pity, deems Kalezic, that a medium with superb qualities as TV has a tendency to seduce the viewer into identifying himself with a premeditated model. In this transient, ephemeral world which television portrays, one should participate in TV programs by staying true to himself, without suppressing his own personality. Instead, man is forced to accept repetitious visual content which doesn’t contain the process of information. Therefore, it is not surprising the author exclaims, ‘No identification! No visual mode!’ One should always keep in mind that visual mode reduces living space and creative action.

Bozidar Kalezic is aware of social strategy being entangled in the relevant aspects of television functions; in such a case, people can be reduced to helpless observers of their destiny. It is also clear to him that in the very nature of mass media and their ways of conveying information, one should recognise partiality and serious limitations. Therefore, the power of social engagement and influence in that domain largely depends on the kind of media employed. By keeping that in mind, one can ponder about the inappropriate use of some ideological patterns.

The call for change, so intricately connected with the necessity for revolutionising the medium, leads the author towards alternative solutions that uncover hidden possibilities and new interactions among all involved parties. Kalezic’s arguments support his aim of establishing a new conception of values which does not reconcile with the existing one but searches for an idea that instead could and should exist. The ethical, aesthetic, and general social values have found a common ground in Kalezic’s analyses, hence revealing the true state of television practice and announcing the change. To tempt us even further, the author sets hypotheses on metamorphoses of the existing dissatisfactory situation and pleads for radical change as the only feasible way leading towards authentic, truthful, and objective television.

Dr Ratko Bozovic

PREFACE TO THE

SECOND EDITION

Bozidar Kalezic’s The Fortress That Flies is a compelling collection of stories on his philosophy of the television medium. Although written over forty years ago, this book is still relevant today.

The distinguished director, author, and artist takes us on a journey through his eyes and experience. The stories, which range from deeply insightful to highly amusing, give the reader an opportunity to examine the workings of live television broadcasts, along with the influence television has over the viewer.

It was one of the first books written about television that thoroughly examined not only the technical possibilities but also its psychological and emotional influences. At the time when most people saw television only as a vehicle for entertainment or a source of information, the author delved into analytically observing different phenomena related to TV, which he describes as an audio-visual current full of energy, a hot point where the birth and death of something can take place simultaneously.

As an experienced TV director, he knew all the intricacies needed to