I think the best films take me some place- either emotionally or geographically- I haven’t seen before. Perhaps that would explain an attraction to both westerns and period pieces, I don’t know. Over the weekend, thanks to the Sundance Channel, I saw a terrific little Canadian film called Sabah. In many ways it was a simple meeting of two cultures, conflict film. A Muslim woman, Sabah, meets and falls in love with a Christian man much to her family’s chagrin.
No new territory is explored here- Mr. the Parents is a broad comedy version of the same thing. What is different, however, is seeing a Syrian family on film. I was taken some place I have never been. Also, and not to be overlooked, is the fact the film is Canadian. Just across our border lies an interesting film business. Atom Egoyan, the wonderful Canadian director, is an executive producer on Sabah, and his films are always worth seeing.
More later on the Canadian industry. For now check out Sabah.
PeterH
Funny – recently I made up my own theory of what makes a good movie. I think it’s the mixture of known and unknown. To put it in more philosophical terms: Astonishment and Mythology.
A movie has to show new sights and insights, a new way of thinking about your life and must – simultaneously – support your figures of thinking, your myths.
Examples: Superheroes hitting puberty or fantasy worlds with medieval backgrounds. Even horror movies work with a secret set of rules common to all of us: Vampire movies can play in our present time, but vampires are always sensitive to symbols of christian belief.
It’s the conflict between rules and surprise. It’s about the problem that we are constantly explaining our lives to ourselves, but are always struggling with the unexpected events that belong to being alive.
If a movie mirrors that strain in the right mixture – it’s a success.
Proof? Titanic, LOTR, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Jaws, Batman – any movie in the top 100.
If you are too exotic, you will not touch your audience. And if you are to mythological, you’ll bore them to death…
Funny – recently I made up my own theory of what makes a good movie. I think it’s the mixture of known and unknown. To put it in more philosophical terms: Astonishment and Mythology.
A movie has to show new sights and insights, a new way of thinking about your life and must – simultaneously – support your figures of thinking, your myths.
Examples: Superheroes hitting puberty or fantasy worlds with medieval backgrounds. Even horror movies work with a secret set of rules common to all of us: Vampire movies can play in our present time, but vampires are always sensitive to symbols of christian belief.
It’s the conflict between rules and surprise. It’s about the problem that we are constantly explaining our lives to ourselves, but are always struggling with the unexpected events that belong to being alive.
If a movie mirrors that strain in the right mixture – it’s a success.
Proof? Titanic, LOTR, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Jaws, Batman – any movie in the top 100.
If you are too exotic, you will not touch your audience. And if you are to mythological, you’ll bore them to death…