I'm glad for your informing us, Jeffrey, and will see about finding Wyler's
goodie online [any suggestions?].
Your reminder that films had once sought to be an art form really rivets.
P'raps, as a jaded American filmwatcher, I've just grudgingly accepted that
film calibre equals profit, which currently translates to Hollywood-pop
movies [a generic blur of violence and sex OR insipid kiddie movies].
America does have an admirable [if miniscule] tradition of fighting back
with indies, Sundance-style competitions <sigh>, and local 'art' theatres.
But I don't think that's doing the trick, because I think 'the trick' is
not a trick at all. Most moviegoers, like playgoers, novel-readers, and
poetry-readers, have always had a sense of high art, despite what critics
may say.
Here's where I tend to part company with some some criticis and film buffs,
and p'raps you, as well: I think a superior film, like any other superior
art form, must stir and surprise us with its 'reality'---and that does not
mean only a deep dark negative 'reality'. Case in point is 'Gone with the
Wind'.
I can't disagree with your championing the Wyler over it for the Academy's
Best Pic only because I haven't viewed Wyler's film yet. However, even
given Hollywood's understandable penchant for profit-getters, I feel that
'Gone' showcased our country's best-selling novel formidably well. Film
buffs who are 'doom n gloomers' would say that a novel focused on a haughty,
selfish, 'aristocrat' who's nearly raped by the other protagonist, himself a
criminal in a racist society, was NOT well represented by 'Gone''s musicky
near-comedic film. And they have a point! However, a major Hollywood
studio of that era [and I seriously doubt that they would do it now] made
this film a near-satire of the book which means a nother way of
seeing---perhaps more clearly than the author herself could see---life's
tensions, complications, frustrations, foibles, and ultimately the
optimistically philosophic Big View.
Film, as well as any other art, cannot [thank goodness!] be squished into
categories. Nor can people be so squished.
Best, and keep us up with film news!
Judy
2009/2/3 Jeffrey Side <[log in to unmask]>
> New blog post:
> "Looking at the barrage of overrated and over-produced contemporary films
> it is easy to forget that film once aspired to be an art form. One such film
> is William Wyler's 1939 underrated version of Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering
> Heights which ..."
> http://jeffreyside.tripod.com/
>
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