Re: film & reality

Paul Kennedy (kennedyp@toronto.cbc.ca)
Fri, 17 Dec 1999 11:11:32 -0500 (EST)

As somebody who appreciates film ONLY viscerally, I should probably stay
away from this thread....  But, fool that I am, I'm going to rush in where
smart angels fear to tread:

I haven't seen Saving Private Ryan.  I found Shindler's List to be utterly
fraudulent.  Spielberg was at his best in ET (or was that Lucas?)....

THAT'S all I have to say about Spielberg....

But on the topic of "the seriousness of celluloid"--which I take to be the
theme of Scottie's message--let me contribute this autobiographical anecdote.

In 1976, I found myself almost literally at the feet of Marshall McLuhan.
Somehow, I managed to convince the idiots who run the History Department at
the University of Toronto that he'd be an appropriate outside examiner on my
Ph. D. thesis.  So every week, I got to attend the Monday evening "seminar"
at the Institute for Culture and Technology, where MM was the grand poobah.

He was one of the funniest men I've ever met.  I wish that I'd taken the
time to scribble down his one liners.  I could probably publish them now,
and retire on the proceeds.

Anyway, one night, I remember Marshall observing that films would soon be as
portable as books.  I was convinced that he'd finally gone over the edge.
(Younger fishes will perhaps not understand that videos were almost
unimaginable back in those dark ages....)

I think we treat movies much more seriously now that we can view them over
and over and over and over (just like good books) at our leisure.  Back when
Bogart and Bergman made CASABLANCA, everybody thought that there'd be a few,
fleeting, black and white images flickering momentarily on the screen, after
which we'd all go home and read WAR & PEACE.  Books were serious.  Films
were frivolous.

All has changed, changed utterly.  A terrible beauty is born.

Cheers,

Paul