Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movies

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Argus Skyhawk, Oct 14, 2012.

  1. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    I disagree. The point of the article was that many filmmakers throughout time have made complex and you might say "sophisticated" choices to accomplish their artistic goals. The goal of "sophisticated" viewing should be to try to understand and evaluate the messages the authors of the film intended to convey and to understand why they made the choices that they made. Not making an effort to engage the film on its own level -- indeed looking down one's nose at aspects which seem dated -- is one way to view it, but a superficial use of material which could be much more rewarding. "Unsophisticated" seems a pretty good word for that kind of viewing.

    The further you go back in time the more difficult what me might call "literate viewing" becomes. Not only do you need to be familiar with the issues and references of the time depicted, but also with the techniques, conventions and vernacular of filmmaking at the time, technical limitations, the politics and business of movie making and on and on. Not being "literate" about it is nothing to be ashamed of, most people aren't, I'm usually not. But that doesn't mean that it's not worthwhile to try to engage something outside your contemporo-cultural comfort zone. The author was not calling anyone a "dumb fuck" and all he was "blaming" them for was not making an attempt to look past a film's surface and engage it on a more substantive level. That would be the more "sophisticated" way to view it.

    I disagree with that completely. The implication is that there is some objective standard of what is "popular culture," what is "art," what is "really good" and what is "enduring." There is no such thing. If movies can only be evaluated as art if they are "truly enduring," then no movie is art because there will never be universal agreement on whether they endure or not. And it's not a question of trying hard enough: There has never been nor will ever be a filmmaker who can predict how future tastes and fashions will affect the perception of their work.

    Yeah it's pretty much impossible to be completely accurate and faithful to the time. Too much detail and realism could disorient viewers and make them unable to relate; not enough detail and "feel" and the viewers won't buy it. It's hard to do well.

    Justin
     
  2. stj

    stj Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    The producers of Singing in the Rain didn't try, or try hard enough, to make a good movie? :wtf:

    For those who haven't been paying attention, the issue is not whether people, young or old, like this or that. The issue is why they refuse to even try. And, secondarily, why they get so bent out of shape when someone notes that it isn't very sophisticated, maybe even kind of dumb, to judge something (really, anything) so superficially. Older people who won't watch anything because it's popular with young people are obviously indulging a mean streak, not using better taste. Ditto for young people refusing to engage with anything old.

    And no, pretending you're MST3K isn't watching, it's performing.

    That said, I must admit that younger actors tend to be less skilled than older ones.;) I think it's because they've had less practice.
     
  3. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    For us straight guys, the babes. :drool:

    The Sound of Music was in color.

    Actually, although I like musicals in general, that's the one Rodgers and Hammerstein show I've never enjoyed. Just too much treacle for my taste.

    Why are so many younger people turned off my musical films nowadays? Sorry, I just don't buy the excuse that it isn't "realistic" for characters to break into song and dance in the middle of a scene. Movies aren't reality to begin with. Old-school Hollywood musicals are no more or less realistic than modern action flicks with their speed-ramping and physically impossible stunts, or computer-animated fare from Disney and Pixar, or fantasy adventures like LOTR or POTC. There must be something else going on here. Could it be that musicals are too -- dare I say it -- GAY?
     
  4. Owain Taggart

    Owain Taggart Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie


    Thanks for confirming it and giving it a word. :) I find it interesting and some of it is more obvious than others. There's some really good period drama out there, Gosford Park being one that really impressed me recently in terms of accuracy and feel of its portrayal, but I feel one of the worst offenses is when period dramas use more modern language, including modern swears. That kind of thing takes me out of what otherwise could be a good drama. It hurts to see that, especially when lots of effort are put into the sets and they look so good, which makes me appreciate the productions that actually do some research into getting the language correct. Unless you have someone for a specific era as an advisor, then like you say, I don't think it's something we can ever get absolutely correct. I guess it's something someone notices more over time, but I've been noticing less of an effort with period dramas lately. Maybe it's just the fact that there are more of them.
     
  5. stj

    stj Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    ^^^What are modern swears? The classics come from the Anglo-Saxon.
     
  6. bullethead

    bullethead Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    No, I suspect that they just think the whole thing is ridiculous as a live action film, which it is. It's more of a theatrical thing.
     
  7. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    Hmmm . . . can you give any specific examples?

    I don't know about cursing, but I cringe when I'm watching a drama that takes place in the 1960s and I hear anachronisms like "lifestyle."

    Not to me, it isn't.

    Maybe it's just because I grew up watching musicals on television and learned to appreciate the form. Like I said, movies aren't reality to begin with.
     
  8. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie

    That's probably why the film Mamma Mia! made only $609,841,637, while the investors had to fork over the staggering figure of $52 million. A total flop there.
     
  9. Owain Taggart

    Owain Taggart Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Interesting blog on younger people not connecting with older movie


    Don't have any examples off-hand, but I've encountered quite a few and it really stands out when it happens. Well, actually, Copper is a good example. I love the look of the show and I think they've done a great job on the sets, making us feel like we're watching something Victorian, but they really seem liberal in the use of the F-word and anything related to it and it feels out of place. I don't think anyone in that era would have been so liberal in its usage, but then again, I'm not from the era, so who knows? It feels like a case of our culture and language being supplanted into the past.

    I've watched a lot of period dramas, and they're among my favourite types of shows to watch, and another place I've noticed it a lot is in medieval stuff. I can't help but notice it, and surely I'm not the only one?