The Future of Cinema
Against the future of cinema: There is no such thing as small movies: Anthony Kaufman’s op-ed for Filmcatcher on the necessity of the theatrical experience. [via link]
“To loosely paraphrase a famous quote about actors, there are no small movies; there are only small screens. The intimate environs of your living room are not sufficient for films that excavate human intimacy; on the contrary, intimacy is more profoundly felt in a large theater, where viewers can absorb the actors’ every glance and grimace. “We can wait for that on DVD,” say filmgoers. No, not really. Waiting to see a film in your living room is hurting that film, insulting it; it’s like saying to a good friend, “You’re not good enough to meet me for dinner; how about we just catch up on the phone, or via computer screen, instead?” Of course, there are plenty of films that should be relegated to such a space. Just not the good ones.”
eÆsthete
I’m reminded of the time I saw BLUE VELVET in a theater on Polk Street in San Francisco. Only about a dozen of us were in there; it was a daytime showing. After Hopper’s first inhalation of gas, one man toward the front of the theater began to laugh, a slow, deliberate laugh in a deep resonant tone worthy of Michael Clark Duncan. The movie instantly became a comedy. Every dramatic moment became schtick, we all laughed through the entire flick. Film is altered by the shared experience.