Thursday, July 16, 2009

Classical Movie Magic

Over a period of time 'the genius of the system' becomes so ingrained into children of the spectacle that authorial flourish (rather than systematic turnover and internal development) eventually renews this 'genius.' What people come to recognize and perhaps cherish in classical Hollywood, its genius classicism, never disappeared but found expression under new conditions, such as via an author who grew up imbibing this systematic thing but related to it, tried to recreate it, via personal dimensions. This is what people refer to when they refer to Spielberg, for instance. I wonder if a lot of the blockbuster mentality, or the "degraded" nature of so much front-and-center commercial cinema in general, is not to some considerable extent traceable to the aspirations of media creators towards their own memories, and relationships, of the earlier studio magic--which, because production/distribution conditions changed so drastically in the 1960s/70s, now became the prerogative of self-aware mavericks (McCain-style) and Svengali figures.

2 comments:

Andy Rector said...

Robert Zemekis grew up on Hollywood soundstages. Raoul Walsh grew up cattle driving in New Mexico. This is one thing that makes BACK TO THE FUTURE or FOREST GUMP what it is, and THE TALL MEN or PURSUED what it is. The system is a grand trainset; but when the engine is connected to the caboose, at best it's a tour of itself. Santiago Alvarez, we are growing impatient in this stuffy compartment going nowhere; please expedite your kidnappers to us as soon as you are able...most of us will meet them with open arms... we have extra feed for the kidnapper's horses that we've pinched from the train's cargo when the overseers weren't looking, in anticipation of our rescue. At least send word...

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