Just a quick comment: I wonder how Benjamin would feel about the colorization and digital restoration process that is often applied to old black and white films. If it indeed enhances the look and quality of the film, is there still something lost? But then again, who's to say that digital restoration enhances anything or makes anything better? Sure, it makes films look more like others of today, but isn't there something to be said for maintaining the original quality and essence of the original film stock? Who really wants to see Chaplin in HD? Something of the essence of the film is definitely lost.I didn't think about this before, and was taking film as an unchanging medium, but with more and more restoration software available (ie: Film Fix 1.0, products by DIAMANT) there is a proliferation of old films that have been "enhanced," usually meaning that the colors have become more saturated, the overall look of the film more clear and sharp. Does this cause an addition decrease in the aura that Benjamin speaks of, or is film a medium that contains little aura to begin with?
