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Posted by Fake Name on 05/07/07 22:30
>If you're one of those people who consider movies to be nothing more
>than extruded product, I suppose you can. If you're someone who
>respects the work and rights of the people who create art, then you'll
>at least try to watch it in its "as created" form at least once before
>you pull out your shears.
Is the world of film as black and white as that?
For my part, I consider there to be a wide spectrum of works on film.
At one extreme there are purely artistic films while at the other
there are films that are merely the result of skilled labor. The vast
majority of product coming out of Hollywood falls into the spectrum
near the "extruded" end. I've wondered for some time why people even
bother going to see the summer romantic comedies. They are about as
rarified as a 1998 Ford Taurus. They contain all the artistic effort
of a Gene Marshall sit-com in its third season, when all other plot
lines have been exhausted; they squeeze out a clip show.
I do find joy in the smaller bits of artistic talent that are woven
into even otherwise unremarkable films. I thought about this while
watching "The Whole Nine Yards". Whoever did Natasha Henstridge's
hair for that film is a master.
Likewise I cringe when I find that someone is forcing the issue of
artistic interpretation. For example, in "Cool Hand Luke" there is a
scene after the eggs are eaten when Paul N. is laid out, arms
out-stretched, legs crossed at the ankles. This, to me, was the
cinematic equivalent of a large neon sign with an arrow pointing at
Newman that reads "Here is your Christ symbol!"
I have a humble collection of films that I insist upon watching with
the lights dimmed, surround sound set, phones off, and in the crispy
goodness of Laser Disk or DVD. But I will not mind "watching" a
lesser film while I'm ostensibly reviewing status reports or sorting
laundry.
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