Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by TG (i) on August 16, 2000 at 16:54:54:

In Reply to: Kenneth Tynan on What Film Has Done to Culture posted by clarkjohnsen on August 16, 2000 at 13:06:00:

Astute observations. Since the introduction of motion pictures as a means of mass communication and entertainment we've been immersed in a culture which is capable of reflecting upon itself in a more immediate manner than was previously possible.

Written descriptions, painting, music & even still photography are all capable of doing the same, of course, and contributed in that fashion to earlier generations - but what the cinema gave us was a medium capable of combining discourse and aesthetics in a purely manner which is immediately accessible to just about anyone (the most democratic art form?).

Basically, since the turn of the century (and especially since the introduction of the "talkies") we've been engaged in an ongoing programme of self-reflection, whether we know it or not. The only problem is whether this is realised as self-discovery, or self-obsession.

TG