In his article Corrigan explores the effects of the VCR and homeviewing on cinema culture.  Corrigan contends that watching a film in the domestic setting may create an "immediacy and complicity between the television image and the viewer" (27).  He quotes Ellis that the television spectator " 'glances rather than gazes at the screen' " (28).  I agree with Corrigan's argument and I think it is evident that the viewing experience of cinema is central to its character; thus, homeviewing has radically altered the relationship between film and spectator.  However, what is at stake when this relationship is altered? 

Joyrich notes that in traditional television theory the television is closely tied to the female and the female look.  TV, says Joyrich, "offers itself as an immediate presence, failing to produce a sufficiently voyeuristic position for its viewers" (159).  This argument becomes complicated when television and film merge, as has occurred as a result of the VCR.  It is interesting that both Corrigan and Joyrich quote Ellis to argue the "glance" fostered by the television.   Does the voyeurism of the filmic look degenerate to the "glance" of television when viewed in the home?  If so, does the film, too, become feminine and encourage the use of "hyperreality and a 'hypermasculinity'" (166) in its defense?  Corrigan argues that the central concern for "shareability" is a result of the VCR, but perhaps the subject matter of film itself has changed, too.  How significant does the viewing medium become?

I do not propose answers to these questions, but would rather like to open them to discussion.  For while I agree with Corrigan's argument that "the fragmented domestic performance and the public outing" (27) are two results of recent economic and technological developments in cinema, I think there are wider implications as well.  Furthermore, in the time since Corrigan was writing (1991) widescreen and flat panel tvs have become more available; now it seems we are trying to recreate the cinematic experience in our homes.  While the viewing experiences remain  fragmented in that they are relegated to the home, the movement away from the distractions of the small screen perhaps indicates a new nostalgia, one for the cinema when it was more than an outing to the megaplex.