| Author | Message | ||
     Thomasb (Thomasb) Username: Thomasb Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.25.141.120 |
Hey everyone: Busy last week with my annual--and likely last--re-edited article about why I'm not watching the Oscars; a review of "The Artist" and brief meditation on how I became a writer. All can be found in a row at: http://tbdeluxe.blogspot.com/ Thanks for reading as always! Thomas | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Your appreciative take on 'The Artist' is just about right, Thomas. Personally, I think it and 'Hugo' herald a new wave of responsible sentimental escapism in modern cinema that reflects what the working class population of the western world are currently suffering - thanks to irresponsible bankers who remain devoid of conscience, fiddling in ways Nero couldn't begin to match. What a pity that a new golden age of popular cinema had to come at such a price. Nothing ever changes (see the 1930s). Talk about a Greek tragedy! | ||
| Thomasb (Thomasb) Username: Thomasb Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.25.141.120 |
Thanks, Stevie. There is a pattern where the harder the times, the more strongly moviegoers respond to "safe" films that provide a refuge from the world's turbulence. "Going My Way" (Best Picture, 1945), a nearly forgettable movie that caught fire with a war-weary public *and* the academy is a clear example. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I would say the opposite is also true, Thomas. During hard times people are also drawn to the pessimistic fatalism of dark cinema - be it horror or film noir, both genres having their first golden age in the 30s/40s. Extremes of feelgood sentimentalism [The Wizard Of Oz] and reassuring fatalism [Casablanca] seem to be the natural reaction of the public in times of shared hardship and the great directorial talents of these times tend to respond accordingly. |