Why Cinema is Important

[Tikhung]

Why Cinema is Important

 

Ever since the birth of cinema around the late 19^th century, cinema (also known as films, movies, etc.), similar to literature, has become one of the most anticipated forms of entertainment and escapism. Directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles had done a terrific job shaping the 20^th century with movies that went on to become quintessential of their times, such as Citizen Kane (1941), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and Vertigo (1958). As of today, films can be watched at anytime and anywhere with the help of technology; using common sense, we all know that cinema is important. The question remains is, why?

 

Films as a reflection of society

Acting is a way for us to express the objective reality. Filmmakers for decades have been attempting to make movies as realistic as possible. The 1970s saw a rise of young directors giving birth to many grim and dark movies that defined a whole period of time.

Examples:

Taxi Driver (1976) by Martin Scorsese

Jaws (1975) by Steven Spielberg

Apocalypse Now (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola

 

Mentioned films were very dissimilar from those of the later or earlier decades. For instance, Scorsese’s Taxi Driver dealt with very sensitive subjects. The film itself contains many profanities and realistic violent images, very daring compared to movies at the time. Dialogues were much more realistic, thanks to the trend of method acting. F-words are dropped constantly throughout the movie. The main character is reckless, yet has a message to send to the audience.

Jaws by Steven Spielberg invented the term blockbuster that is used to call commercially successful flicks, proving that films are even capable of shaping themselves. Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola was a fictional story, but had real elements depicting the Vietnam War. Films are also a way for us to express our opinions, political views or a philosophical idea.

Asides from documentaries, the role of cinema in shaping our society, and as a reflection of society, can clearly be seen.

 

Films as a form of escapism

As with books, people enjoy movies for a variety of reasons. Entertainment for most is the priority, but some may consider films as a form of escapism. Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, or recently the rise of superhero movies are good examples. Films are capable of taking us to fantasy realities, worlds of make-believe that subjectively cannot be reached with our current understanding of science, and at the same time ask many what-if, why, and why not questions. The same thing can be said with literature, movies can be tied with social gatherings.

 

Children around the world want to see themselves as Luke Skywalker, as well as James Bond, Captain America or Marty Mcfly. Merchandises of Star Wars since 1977 have been increasingly produced creating a huge impact on the economy and culture wise, and Hollywood is one of the main contributions to this success.

 

Films are educational

Films can give us insightful and subjective perspectives about the world. Experiences and life stories of a person can be shown and told through movies. A classic case is with Scorsese’s Goodfellas, where stories real-life gangsters are recreated on screen and executed brilliantly. And, with documentaries, films at time can be very educational and informative.

 

 

Films and Arts

Alongside with entertainment, the artistic aspect of films also exists. Films are a combination of many arts: Cinematography, storytelling, acting, and music.

Storytelling

Good authors know how to get the readers hooked on stories. The same thing can be said with movies. If done right, films can transform the viewers into the movies using the right plot devices.

The second aspect of telling a story is the dialogues. Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater are well-known experts at this. Annie Hall, Pulp Fiction, “Before” trilogy are good examples of how screenplays can be the main feature of a movie.

 

Cinematography

Show, don’t tell. Camera angles, lightning, color, are some of the few stuff that make films so visually great. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation 2001: A Space Odyssey of Arthur C. Clarke’s book with the same name, is a worthy case in point. Stanley Kubrick used a lot of camera techniques throughout the movie that have become the standard nowadays.

 

Soundtracks

Music is a way to make a connection to the viewers. Much like sound, the use of music has to be perfected for every action of the character, every advancement of the plot to have a true influence to the viewers.

Acting

Actors are magicians. They know how to make acts that are not real, real. They can make the audience grasp, smile, feared, laugh and cry, with, or without saying a single word. Good actors can be a can-not-exist character, believable.

 

In conclusion, cinema is important because it is the ultimate form of art. Movies, or films, can be enjoyed by a large range of audience, and by many ways.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Tikhung

[Star-Lord]

All the above and this.

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