Sunday, April 12, 2009

How to enrich taste of the Good Cinema?


"No one is born with the brain of Truffaut, we grow as a cinephile in this world only." -Himanshu Rai (1985-)

Cinema as an art or a form of expression – including creative expression and timelessness. The understanding of film and filmmaking through critical, theoretical analysis (objective criticism) must be pursued. They are a bunch of heavy words, but 'how' is the main question.

Self-indoctrination in learning to 'read' a film involved watching films regularly, in various languages, from various corners of the world, ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime!. The versatile diversity of the cinema can be felt by watching movies in all languages (off-course subtitles embedded). You can feel the adrenaline rush of the action movie but sometimes pathos and ecstasy become memorable (ex- Life is Beautiful and The Truman Show). Movie watching is for open and broad-minded people. It has been never created for pseudo-intellectual or cult followers.

7 Point Tip:

1--*Money Matters*
-Do not go for a film by reading only one review/preview about a film. Read at least 5 to 10 reviews about it. Remember review/ preview is not only about the synopsis of the plot.

-Check the rating on IMDB or rotten tomatoes about the film. You will get a very sound idea about the genre and background theme of the film.

-Discuss the movie after watching it. Without sharing your feedback, the whole purpose of watching the film will be lost.

-It is not necessary for you to watch the first show on the first day unless you are a big fan of the artist or director. Wait for 2,3 days, and the word will spread by mouth to mouth about any movie. But do not get hooked by the strong conviction of friends as the taste of cinema is unique and individualistic.

-Watch NDTV Lumiere and UTV World Movies along with other English movie channels. And go for DD Loksabha for good regional cinema of India.

A few websites like Indianauteur, Senses of Cinema, Dearcinema, and Passionforcinema are fully devoted to cinema lovers. Personally, I always go through them for various references.

-Illegal way but download movie from the torrents.

2-Escapism & Counter Arguments:
There is an inherent laziness in the audience and critics about films that are "about" something. We settle into a comfortable position and expect easy plots or 'armchair' cinema. The passion and pursuit for quality are lost somewhere with a loss of curiosity and wonder. It’s not a film that can be judged only by how much it entertained you, rather it’s a film that should be judged by how it made you go home and feel guilty/joyous all over again, even years after viewing. Although films may entertain, they also educate, indoctrinate, and even captivate the mind. Realizing that a movie can be experienced from a variety of perspectives—cultural, ideological, and aesthetic. The knowledgeable filmgoer should approach the experience with a receptive mind, open to the possibility of not only entertainment but enlightenment.

3-Discover for excellence and quality in the search for true cinema:
Remember, all our lives, we have been asked to believe that "quality matters, not quantity"? Similarly, in the case of movies, it is the quality (content) of the movie that matters, not its running time or skin show. No one likes the pace of Pather Panchali on viewing 1st time at the tender age of 10. It appears to be slow and dragging. A 5-year-old child cannot even understand the poetry of Kahlil Gibran, leave the appreciation part. A boy learns the alphabet, sentences, grammar, and metaphors and progressively puts his emotions in words with the upcoming age. Finally, the child becomes matures to appreciate the poetry. The same rule holds for cinema lovers. He/She must search, discuss, and learn about good movies. One will generate a taste of his own in cinema viewing, a more unique in each sense gradually.

4-Perception:
When an average moviegoer starts watching films, he views the different images of his country both geographically and timely. The perception of India as the land of elephants, Maharajas, and snakes was projected first in Western films. Then it changed to the land of yoga, Kamasutra, ganja, and Hare Rama, Hare Krishna movement. Now it's being replaced by other images like the land of slums and IT professionals. The maturation of film lovers and filmmakers happens simultaneously.

5-Solitude provokes emotion:
Some movies like 'Shatranj ke Khilari' or 'Dead Poet's Society' require the right kind of mindset and environment to be involved with it. Those who want to watch the film should make it personal and private viewing. As lovemaking is different than sex, similarly the intimacy with the subtle layer of film is made possible in solitude. The mass gathering just camphorated the feeling inherited in the film due to several interruptions or distractions. When you sit alone in the darkened room, the right mood evokes the emotion from inside you. The pathos or gentle humor of the sound or scene is deeply absorbed by the subconscious. The sense of understanding cinematic art develops inside you. I am giving emphasis on the fact that one-to-one involvement with maestro/masterpieces gives a different sense of learning to student. The silence invokes an array of thoughts harmonized with a sense of wonder and appreciation. The aesthetic feeling grows and takes your ideas in a unique way.

6-Involve yourself in learning things refined and culturally rich:
Cinema is not created just as an idea or reflection of our lives but generated mainly by our association with the characters, story, and vision of mankind. Question the norm of society and sometimes also become outraged by asking the limits of art. When you are watching any movie, look for insightful meaning also. It will not happen in the first viewing but patience pays. Patronize art, as it brings inside out while fashion brings outside in. It will help you to understand the world around you and help in evolve from regional influence to a global point of view on any matter. Do not be stuck to your lingual films, but venture into another regional and international level. You have the full potential to understand anything.

7-Cinema is an art for those who believe the film is not only about entertainment but about taking it home in your mind and you have paid for the two hours. Give the thumb down to thumb rule of any critics. Think for yourself, if my 7 steps are flawed, refine them for a better version. Learn right, not rote.

Sorry for being rude in the end, If you like my opinions...Raise your hands, If not...then Raise your standards...!!!

'A guided tour is not a tour at all. You want to explore on your own. You want to move in the forest without any map, so that you can also be a discoverer, so that you can also come to some fresh spots for the first time. If you carry a map you always come to the spot where many have come before.'

PS:I have compiled the article by taking various lines from the widespread corner of the Internet and giving words to my personal experiences.

8 comments:

  1. is IMDB really reliable
    few days before i searched for all time best horror movies, i got the names of "Shaun of the dead" and Grindhouse, and they both were more of ridiculous direction than classics, my perception of IMDB got disrupted

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  2. @lahiri,Thanks.
    @mayank,IMDB is mostly reliable in all websites as its rating are democratic in nature.Before you go deepdown into horror genre,you have to understand the whole menatality of horror genre lovers.Go through this article...
    behind grindhouse fan's mind

    Also,most of voters are american and there perception of horror is different than us.These films are of low budget and not much can be expected from them. The Others (2001), The Exorcist (1973), Rosemary's Baby (1968),Ringu (1998),The Grudge (2004) ,El orfanato (2007),Låt den rätte komma in (2008)and The Grudge 2 (2006) are better movies in this series if you want to explore. Psycho (1960),Aliens (1986), Alien (1979),The Shining (1980) and The Thing (1982)are bit over rated in my opinion.But ,I am not big fan of horror genre but I agree these films mentioned by you are ridiculous.Otherwise, I am here for you for removing doubt and giving my amateur opinion..

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  3. Interesting post, yayaver, keep up the good work.

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  4. "It has been never created for pseudo intellectual or cult followers"...who are you to dtermine what has been created for whom?..besides your opinions are quite naive....read reviews???am i to become a critic?? most of them suck..and imdb sucks bigtime...i will suggest watch any movie u find that u know nothing of...as for me in fifteen minuetes i can tell whether i am gonna like it or not....and i dont understand why people always ask after watching a masterpiece what it is about....ALL THE MOVIES I LIKE ARE ESSENTIALLY ABOUT NOTHING...as all art is...

    but anyway ur enthusiasm is appreciated as well as ur comment on the changing view of west on india..from snakecharmers to it hub and slum

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  5. @anonymous.You are saying truth that my opinions are quite naive. I love cinema but still in initial learning phase.I believe in IMDB ratings as they are formed by general voting of many users.I also know that democracy is no substitute of justice.The case of IMDB is same but it prevails a better platform for initial learning.There are thousand of movies coming on different channels but to choose between them was bit difficult from me.Hence,I go into seek of IMDB.To each his own is my belief,let people know how to think for their own is my intention....

    All views expressed here are more due to passion for cinema not because of authority of cinema.You are among brilliant individual who has got ability to judge film in 15 minutes.But to spread quality like this in quantity takes a buffer way.Overall thanks for the comment and please guide me how you have enriched your taste of cinema.

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  6. well there is no necessity to choose cinema....or enrich taste of cinema at all...u see some people like artsy stuff and that is nutural strain in them...u need not teach urself to like tarkovsky...that will be a very wrong thing...u will miss the essence...and be lost in the million ISMs like modernism ...neo realism...bla bla...if u like well packaged entertainment like slumdog..heartily declare so...
    but one thing i dont like is commercialism....the big studios taking the advantage of demographic..a whole culture was as such destroyed by bollywood...now not a single movie speaks of the grassroot people....they cud show any story..only if the characters were people of the soil....

    as for imdb...well it cud be of help to the uninitiated..but i hate the all knowing groups i find here and there in blogs and orkut..the neo intellectual burdened with enormous knowlege..and history..that it becomes impossible for him to generate any original idea...


    best wway to learn??..keep UR MIND OPEN

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  7. @Sandipan,Sorry for late reply.
    Yaa ,you have said nothing but truth here. My honest intention is to spread awareness about cinema,let people know and judge or love that a guy named tarkovsky or Satyajeet ray exist in the world. The beautiful emotion generated in me after watching cinema have some trace of universalim in them. let them not be destroyed by commercialism.When you talk about destruction of indian culture by bollywood, i lend my full support to your voice. I consider cinema as a factor no less than literature.As you will never rate chetan bhagat above tagore,the same rule will also hold true for cinematic medium.
    Keep ur mind open and curiosity burning.. best way yo live life.
    Thanks for such vivid nature of opinion here.

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