The Inner Meaning of Film and Other Such Obvious Things
Sat Nov 25, 10:34 | SchoolOn Friday, we watched a film in video class (“The Purple Rose of Cairo” – Woody Allen). Great writing save three or four lines/actions, too good for any actor to pull off.
After we had watched it, we had a discussion on “what was this film really about, what was the meaning behind (insert part here)”. However, what we discussed seemed so obvious to me that it really wasn’t worth discussing at all. It was an integral part of what the movie was all about, and had as much importance on screen as any actor or set.
I don’t like questioning or discussing writing when it’s good. So now I’m wondering if it’s really that negative an aspect that I can’t think on just a “this is what’s happening” level. Like almost every movie I’ve ever watched, I never stopped remembering that I was watching an actor (playing an actor playing a character in this case, but that’s beside the point). (One exception to this actor syndrome was A Beautiful Mind, but that’s beside the point as well.)
Perhaps that’s why I enjoy animation so much. If the character isn’t talking (as is the case in a lot of shorts and cartoons), they really are that character in every sense. They aren’t an actor trying to fill a role. In that case, animation defeats film when it comes to realism, and that’s a concept I can really get behind.