This blog has been relatively useless to me since I created it. That’s very unfortunate considering I really should let out all of my thoughts in some form that doesn’t consist of ranting about them to Jen for several hours. So I’ve decided to share many of my philosophies on film and life through this blog, which will hopefully keep me updating it more regularly:
I heard a very interesting fact about Woody Allen today that triggered a whole inner debate within my mind. He was quoted as saying that he doesn’t believe in the Special Features on dvds. This is why when you opened your 40 dollar deluxe edition of Manhattan on dvd, all you got was a few trailers and an interview with Diane Keaton a hundred years after the movie was made. I began to think of why he would say such a thing. It didn’t dawn on me until I went to one of my usual movie news sites for my usual fill of useless Hollywood information. LORD KNOWS I NEED TO KEEP UPDATED ON THE GI JOE MOVIE! Suddenly it hit me like a bolt of lighting. Literally! My hair stood on end with a realization that of a concept that may transcend and rip the very fabric of the internet. I’ll put it in a different context to better explain it.
If you ever get a chance to meet a magician you’ll notice two things about them. One is that they all have a different set of traits that they play up before a crowd, and two is that they will never reveal the secrets of their trade. To ask them is itself an insult since you definitely will not get an answer. Filmmakers, at one time, were modern age magicians. They create elaborate pictures that only the imagination could spawn before the invention of celluloid. These days, the wall between the audience and the production has become quite blurry. Because of this, critics have become harsh, fans have become cynical, and the average movie goer now believes they have a firm understanding of everything that goes into making a film. The truth is they don’t. At times most filmmakers don’t even know what makes a good film or not. It’s 99 percent hard work and 10 percent luck that makes even the best script come to life on a screen.
The comparison between the filmmaker and the magician is a powerful one. If you know how the magic trick is done, will you be shocked or surprised the next time you see it? If you knew how much of an asshole Marlon Brando was on the set of the Godfather or Apocalypse Now would you still have appreciated the movies for what they were? These are fundamental questions that film critics and fans have to ask themselves. Access is at an unprecedented high to screener copies or unfinished cuts to films. News sites give access to what is going on behind the scenes that affect the audience perception of not only the production but the actors or director. Stanley Kubrick was well known for pushing actors to their mental limits. He nearly gave Shelly Duvall a heart attack making The Shining. Had we known this while the movie was being made, would we still look at it as the great horror classic that it is or would we have a bitter taste watching it?
I personally feel that there is too much of an emphasis on what’s going on behind the camera instead of what we are getting in front of it. I don’t want to look at a screen and see Robert DeNiro or Brad Pitt. I want to see Jake Lemotta or Tyler Durden. Characters need to take precedent over reality. Film only exists because of our own suspension of disbelief. I’m not saying we can’t hate movies for bad acting or horrible directing. Our basic love for film should be focused on what is in front of us and not what is behind the camera. Trust me, those things are a lot more boring than you may think. The glitz and glamor of film making disappears underneath 5am shoot and endless pre production. The amazement is not in how it is made but in the product you see before you… besides, magicians killed the disappearing birds… I saw The Prestige!