WHAT IS Authenticity?

Authenticity is a term that has originated from Greek philosophy but was popular by existential writers such as Kierkegaard. In the more recent history of film, authenticity has been particularly discussed in terms of film representation and it is this idea that will be the main focus on the essay.

The word "authenticity" is often used in day-to-day conversations to describe a person or object that appears genuine. However it has its roots in the philosophical tradition and was originally used in reference to an artistic style, most commonly seen in Ancient Greek art and literature, although also present in Shakespearean theatre . This form of art focuses on being honest to oneself, not only in the context of external objects but also internal feelings.

When applied more broadly authenticity can be attributed to any type of representational medium, whether it is painting or sculpture (Davies 1996), literature (Ricoeur 1992) or film (Stam et al. 2000), as long as it is attempting to depict authenticity of emotions or thoughts. The use of the term has been extended into social sciences, where authenticity is now largely used as a key concept in establishing self-identity (Gergen 1996) through both internal and external factors.

However, although there are many different viewpoints on this term, most can be divided into two main schools of thought. One school of thought is that the term 'authenticity' needs to be "real" in some way, whether it is real life emotions or real objects (Leddy 1955). However, the other school of thought argues that authenticity cannot be achieved by representing reality because reality can never be wholly represented (Gergen 1974).

Both of these schools seem to lead to very different conclusions. If authenticity is defined as representing reality then all images are equally capable of being authentic, whereas if authenticity is deemed impossible then no image could ever be authentic. There are somewhat reasonable arguments for both schools of thought, however it can be said that neither school has fully described what authenticity means in film. This essay will attempt to answer the dilemma by exploring the ideas set out by both schools of thought and demonstrating how they have been applied in practice, with reference given to specific films which follow or contradict the established theoretical concepts.