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The
Column: Issue 24 |
The
Library > The Column
Archive >
The Column 024
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The
Column is a monthly feature that explores the world
of creativity and aesthetics.
Sharing Movies
Mike
de Sousa, Director, AbleStable
At its heart, art is a social phenomenon.
That is, someone makes something and it is shared,
either
remotely by the 'author' and a 'reader', or with
others, like a trip to the movies. The products
of our creativity might be perceived of as luxuries
by some, yet they are what defines
us as a species.
From
an early age
Like many parents I've had the great pleasure of reading with my son before bedtime
most every night since he was an infant. He's now seven, and it continues to
be an activity we enjoy each evening. We don't dress this time up in fancy language,
we simply share a story, or two, or three.
As I read out loud, so he reads quietly to himself or makes pictures from the
words, or laughs, or holds his breath. I've heard others say many times that
reading is a private, insular experience, but not always. Not when you find yourself
having fun as the narrative unfolds. Whether the discovery is exactly the same
as those with you is not so important, it's the act of discovery and journeying
along the path of a shared imaginative experience that we intuitively recognize
and value.
As we grow older we don't like to admit the pleasure reading with another can
bring. It's too close, a little embarrassing, too, private. We prefer to think
of ourselves as self contained, independent adults. We've grown up and gown
out of needing stories. We pretend listening to stories is for kids, yet so very
many
of
us
enjoy
a
trip
to
the
movies, and no more so than with the company of others. Stories help us make
sense of the world, they allow us to loose ourselves in pretense and imagination,
they represent our hopes, our dreams, our nightmares.
Moving Movies
One of two aunts I was brought up by could not watch a movie without crying.
She loved films, and she lost herself in them. Whenever a moment of sadness or
happiness occurred, she felt for the characters. She would sit on the sofa, the
tears streaming down her cheeks, her
eyes bloodshot red. Every now and then she would look over to me, wipe her tears,
and smile. You could tell in
some ways she felt silly
for being so
caught
up
in
the
stories she became involved in, yet at the same time, I knew as a small boy,
as everyone does in their heart, such people have a warm and generous spirit.
She
was the most loved person I've ever met. Some 25 years after her death she continues
to evoke strong feelings in the memory of the many her life touched upon.
Shared
experience
Occasionally, and often despite our resistance, there are powerful spontaneous
moments when watching a movie with others, especially on a big screen.
Sure there are times when you want to strangle the person two rows down who's
munching so hard on the popcorn the ground shakes, but there are also moments
that only occur in a large gathering of people.
The combined chuckle of the audience
feeds upon itself confirming you're not the only one who enjoys the joke, and
the
chuckle is often as pleasurable as the joke itself. Hearing a hundred people
catch
their
breath
from
an
onscreen
surprise
is
fun, and somehow
comforting
as we experience a common spike of emotion. More rare, and far more
affecting moments can also sometimes occur. I remember as the credits rolled
for
Saving
Private
Ryan,
the
cinema spontaneously erupted in applause. After the applause died down, and
instead
of
a
mass
exodus, the
audience just
sat there, completely silent, watching the credits, dazed. Slowly they got up
and quietly left the cinema. This was a regular cinema, not an art house movie
audience. It was the cinema experience at its best.
The dreams of daytime
When video players and DVDs first appeared there were many who said the days
of
the
cinema were numbered. With the advent of streaming movies over the Internet the
false
prophesies
are set
to continue.
The truth however is that watching a movie is a shared experience,
even
when
watching
on our own. We are always in two places at once: the isolated island that is our
self, and the constant thirst to connect with others. This duality of being results
in our
need for stories which either observe the world, or present a vision, an idea
of another alternative reality, that we can safely, for two short hours, place
ourselves within.
Movies, in common with the products of all creative activity,
are all about connectivity. They are what opera aspired to be, they are the
dreams of daytime...
Feedback
AbleStable® welcomes
feedback on The Column. Go to Feedback,
complete the form, and make your views known.
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| Authors
background |
Mike
de Sousa is the Director of AbleStable®.
Mike has been commissioned as an artist,
music
composer, photographer, print and web site
designer, and author. Mike
is also a Director of 2BrightSparks
[opens new window], a software company producing
award winning backup solutions.
If you observe inaccuracies in our in-house
contributions or wish to contribute an article
or review to be included at AbleStable®
visit Feedback.
Copyright
Notice
Although our contents are free to browse, copyright
resides with the originators of all works accessed
at AbleStable®, and unauthorised copying
or publication of our site contents is strictly
prohibited.
AbleStable © 2002-2007 |
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Material: AbleStable © 2002-2007 |
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