becoming a filmie

[pryor15]

a hypothetical i thought of the other day.

assume, for a minute, that you have through years of dilligence achieved the grand title of "filmie" (ok, so it's not grand, but whatever) and you meet someone who, upon finding out you are a filmie, would like to know more about that most wonderful of art forms. Also, assume their film knowledge to be pretty average, consisting mostly of what's been in mainstream theatres in the last 10 years. They are not familiar w/ subtitles, but willing to give it a shot. actually, they are willing, for the sake of arguement, to try any genre/style/whatever at least once, but if you screw up, they very well may say, "no more anime for me, thank you very much"

so what then is your course of action?

i have some ideas, but i'll wait until other chime in a bit

[KDawg]

I think that I would start them off on a lot of american 70s cinema. They wouldn't have to deal with subtitles, as those generally need weaning into, and they'd be able to see a lot of top actors and directors. Also it would get them used to watching film that doesn't go by the micheal bay principle of 3 second shots.

If I was to start off showing them foriegn films, I think amelie would be the best start as its modern but it would also get them used to subtitles. City of God would probably be the next foriegn film and then you could start working in some of the classic ones from the 50s and 60s.

[swede123]

Pryor:

Good topic and something I need to think about more before coming up with a list of go-to classics that are easy to digest and highlights movie making at its finest.

This really is a real topic in my life, as I constantly encounter people who consider Braveheart the pinacle of movie-making.

Like I said, I need to reflect and think about how to proceed, but I know Casablanca would be right up there.

One thing I know is the "learning curve" gets steep once you get into the territory of foreign, "artsy", subtitled movies from more than 20 years ago, so I would rather subject the novice viewer to a modern subtitled movie that is pretty straight forward and easy to understand.

Likewise I'd choose carefully among American classics in order to ease the viewer into watching black and white films.

Swede

[esad]

I'd start out with getting from them a list of their Top 20 movies and see what types are movies are in that list.

From there I would start with movies that stick more within their range. I like that idea of 70s or 80s US movies to start, maybe even some from the 60s. Stay away from movies that are far from their Top 20 boundaries. Once they see some really good movies a little outside their boundaries then start selecting films even further outside their comfort zone.

You have to treat it like someone who's been raised on McDonald's their entire lives. You can't take them to a 5 star restaurant and expect them to really appreciate the food. You have to treat them much the way you would treat a 6 year-old. You have to slowly train their palate.

[Enrique]

You have to build it up. No David Lynch, no Godard, no Cronenberg (except maybe the Fly), no Bergman. This sort of directors need time to get used to.
I think Kubrick, Scorcese are great directors you can start showing films from that are not that weird and that can start the ball rolling to go on into heavier directors. Besides, if he's interested in film, he probably heard of Kubrick and also probably hasn't seen much.
For the foreign stuff, I agree with the others that starting with modern is a good idea. Another possible foreign director that is not tough to grasp is Truffaut, you can show the Antoine Doniel series, I think it is quite universal in its humor.

[MrMon]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd start out with getting from them a list of their Top 20 movies and see what types are movies are in that list.

From there I would start with movies that stick more within their range. I like that idea of 70s or 80s US movies to start, maybe even some from the 60s. Stay away from movies that are far from their Top 20 boundaries. Once they see some really good movies a little outside their boundaries then start selecting films even further outside their comfort zone.

You have to treat it like someone who's been raised on McDonald's their entire lives. You can't take them to a 5 star restaurant and expect them to really appreciate the food. You have to treat them much the way you would treat a 6 year-old. You have to slowly train their palate.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd stick with this strategy, and stick with movies in English for awhile. Make it a logical procession. Say they like "Saving Private Ryan". You could go with "The Great Escape". Which leads to black & white, "Stalag 17". Now you've gotten them introduced to William Holden, which is a link to a whole ton of great films, and you can certainly branch out from there in many directions. Just figure out where they are, where you want to take them, and build links.

[Knockwurst]

As others have said, easily digestible American movies from 70s and 80s. Scorcese, Kubrik, French Connection, Chinatown, Godfather I & II.

Then you can hit them with Hitchcock -- a master who made many entertaining movies.

Also, Billy Wilder -- The Apartment, Some Like It Hot

Then you got the Noir Films -- Bogart and Cagney, Sunset Blvd., Double Indemnity (Wilder).

By then they've prolly got their fill of American, and you can go to the French New Wave -- Godard's Breathless, Truffaut, Renoir Rules of the Game (not really New Wave but one of my favorites).

Bunuel and Fellini

Hong Kong -- Wong Kar Wai, Woo's early films.

I'll stop now.

[diebitter]

There are movies that play well 'hot' and 'cold' (yep, I've been rereading some of Mason's stuff...), that is to say, they don't need any kind of build-up, they are good as they stand. Casablanca is about the perfect example of this, but you do have others like The Great Escape, Bridge on the River Kwai, Some Like It Hot, and suchlike.

[vulturesrow]

pryor,

Thank you so much for this thread. I was contemplating a very similiar post to your OP, except I would be asking as someone who really doesnt have a clue. I am following this thread closely.


As an aside, I am willing to be a guinea pig for any of you who wants to see if they can construct a course on film, if you will. Id say Im slightly better than your average movie viewer, since Im not afraid of subtitles and I dont think Bravehart is the pinnacle of moviemaking. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Also you should note that in the 7 Samurai thread I mentioned that it was probably my all time favorite movie. But seriously, if we want to turn this into a serious TLDR project, I would love to be a guinea pig (and Im sure others would too).

VR

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

I would just give them a list of all of the great filmie directers, and then i would write down my favorite movies by them. if they like a director, they can go back and check out his other movies.