Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Billy Wonka (A) on September 15, 2014 at 14:31:51

Why are our reactions to a film in progress so demur? I ask this based on the following quote from a British journalist who attended the Toronto International Film Fest.

"The great thing I've found about Canadian cinema audiences is they get really invested in the film they're watching.

If a joke is funny, people laugh - really funny, they clap. If there's a twist and a shock, they gasp and cover their mouths; someone gets punched, they flinch as if they've taken the actual slug. And when a bad guy gets shot in the face, they cheer and applaud.

It's a full-body cinema appreciation.

Maybe we're just a bit too stiff-upper-lip in the UK to be as expressive, but over here you really feel like you're sharing an experience."

Other than a startle or sometimes a belly laugh I would have to rate myself as a cinematic zombie that doesn't get too emotionally involved unless it is something really special. Is it an American curse, also?

• http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29013888   (Open in New Window)