Canonization/Quantification: Film Canon as an Empirical Matter

Abstract

The main aim of this article is to open the traditional debate on the issue of canon formation in film studies to the quantitative methods, steadily gaining more momentum in the academic world in the face of the so called ‘computational turn’ in the humanities. For the past two decades, scholars of literature and art history have been attempting to define the canon and the processes governing its formation and transformation based on external, intersubjective criteria and numerical means of analysis. It is therefore worthwhile to inquire about similar mechanisms within the field of film studies. Viewing the canon as a social construct allows us to seek its institutional or social traces, such as the number of retrospectives, critical and academic works dedicated to specific films or filmmakers, awards given to them, or their presence in academic syllabi. Simultaneously, quantitative methods can be instrumental in undermining the canons primacy in historical research by turning towards objectified criteria for sample selection or the analysis of large data corpora. Thus, the issue of the canon may serve as a litmus test for the application of digital humanities methods in film studies, providing a testing ground for their potential and limitations.